Rise of the Tomb Raider Review
The adventures of Lara Croft have never been as fun or looked as good as they do in the latest release from Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics, Rise of the Tomb Raider. What Rise of the Tomb Raider offers is a brilliantly paced third person action adventure game that’s packed with side content both rewarding and enjoyable to complete. While I adored the previous release in the series, Crystal Dynamics have managed to improve upon the formula in every imaginable way to deliver one of the most enjoyable gameplay experiences of the year.
The story this time around portrays a more confident and capable Lara Croft out to find the obsession of her late father’s work, the ‘divine source.’ This artifact is fabled to be the key to eternal life so, as luck would have it, an evil group of religious mercenaries - Trinity - are after it to cure their matriarch of…cancer or something. The story is full of summer blockbuster tropes and is much more enjoyable than the previous entry’s survival tale. The characters this time around are handled more gracefully, especially the aforementioned confidence-endowed Lara. Evil characters are genuinely detestable and you’ll find yourself really caring about companions. The story is engaging and works remarkably well to pull you through main missions despite your overwhelming urge to tackle side quests and spelunking challenges.
Side quests are a major aspect of the gameplay in Lara’s latest outing however, as these are how you’ll unlock new perks and abilities that make your tomb raiding a more enjoyable experience. Every area of the map is densely packed with stuff to do, people to talk to, caves to explore and the like. I was reminded of my time with Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor in that I was never far from a side quest or a challenge, and was always drawn to them because they were all a blast to complete. Much of the Metroid style gameplay remains in Rise of the Tomb Raider as you’ll have to come back to areas you can’t access with weapons you’ll acquire later in the game. Inaccessible areas are mostly reserved for side missions however. You’ll want to mark these areas on your map and return to them though because finishing these challenge tombs rewards Lara with special perks, like the ability to fire three consecutive arrows, or a vastly improved climbing speed.
Outside of this, the combat and maneuverability feel mostly identical to Tomb Raider’s with the addition of on the fly explosive crafting. Lara can also craft ammunition, healing items and specialty arrows on the fly now, provided she has the appropriate resources. Lara is also given a late game grappling hook which can be used to swing across gaps and reach ledges unattainable by a standard jump.
Much like in Tomb Raider, killing enemies and exploring tombs will reward you with experience points which can be cashed in at base camps for upgrades. Likewise, scrap and weapon parts can be used to craft new weapons and weapon upgrades. Alternatively, there is a Resident Evil 4 style merchant who will offer you weapons in return for currency, but I never found his services all that useful and only encountered him a handful of times. Truthfully, I stuck with upgrading my base set of weapons and found that worked just fine up until the end of the game.
In addition to the gameplay improvements, Rise of the Tomb Raider stands out as one of the best looking games of the generation. The lighting is absolutely brilliant and the different environments you’ll travel to are all impressively well realized. Areas in the game tend to feel alive thanks to wildlife running around and the settlements inhabited by townspeople offering up flavour text and side missions.
Rise of the Tomb Raider stands out as not only a marvellous improvement on the formula etched out in 2013’s Tomb Raider but as an impressive recreation of the series as a whole. Gone are the days of lining Lara up to a jump, walking slowly up to the edge, taking three meticulous steps back, getting a running start and accidentally dive-rolling into a pit of spikes or something. I have long considered myself a fan of the Tomb Raider franchise, but never have I had as much fun as I did with Rise of the Tomb Raider. The game is a technical marvel and one of the best gameplay experiences of the year. If you own an Xbox One, this game is an absolute must play.
