Tomb Raider III scatters Lara Croft across five continents chasing meteor fragments from an Antarctic crash site, moving from Indian temples to a Nevada military complex to the sewers of London. The level design grows more elaborate and unforgiving with each entry: new hazards include moving wall blades, zip lines, monkey bars, and vehicles. Core Design gave players partial control over the order of some regions, making this the most branching classic-era entry. The atmosphere shifts register between locations, swinging from jungle rot to cold-war paranoia to urban grime.