My love for action adventure genre of video games started with the original Tomb Raider series. The puzzles, exploration and action along with the charismatic hero Lara Croft made the series one of my favourites in gaming. When the news came that Square Enix was planning to reboot the franchise back in 2013 with a new game and origin story, I had my doubts. But the game was incredible and succeeded in not only making the series relevant again but also in setting a new benchmark for how rebooted game series should be done.
It has not been a smooth road for ‘Rise of the Tomb Raider’ with the controversial Xbox console exclusivity for a full year angering many of the Tomb Raider fan base. With Xbox clearly hoping to have something to challenge the Uncharted series for PlayStation and Square Enix looking to build on the success of the reboot, can ‘Rise of the Tomb Raider’ live up to the pressure and hype ?
It has been one year since the events of Yamatai and the impact they had on Lara as a person and on how she now sees the world. The young Miss Croft has become determined to clear her father’s name and prove to the world that his final work on proving the existence of a supernatural artefact known as ‘The Divine Source was valid. Fuelled by her encounter with the supernatural Himiko the Sun Queen and knowing that the world is not so black and white, Lara enters a race against a secret organisation known as Trinity who are also searching for the Divine Source.
From the very first cut scenes it is clear that Rise of the Tomb Raider is out to make a big impact. Visually this is the finest looking game on Xbox One right now for me. Using the game engine for cut scenes allows a seamless transition from cut scenes to gameplay so that the player is never pulled out of the experience. The story will take Lara from to Siberia and the contrast in visuals for each location are stunning. Reacting to fan feedback from the last game, these areas are far larger to play in and explore. Filled with collectibles to find, challenges to complete and hidden areas with Crypts and chests to discover, the amount of content to enjoy outside the main story sections really is impressive. Happily the now tradition of being able to progress in the game but travel back to previous locations returns with the campsite fire fast travel system. To give you an idea of just how large the playing locations are, at the completion of the main story I had 36 campsite fire locations to fast travel to.
Lara in the first game was presented as an inexperienced and young woman but who was tenacious, courageous and determined. Resisting the temptation to have Lara become a complete package adventurer, for Rise of the Tomb Raider Lara is very much still learning the skills we know she will later become a master in. Lara is now clearly more of a capable fighter and almost comfortable with the use of violence. Progressing through the story will again allow the player to upgrade Lara’s skills in three categories; Brawler, Hunter and Survivor. The crafting system has been retained but very much enhanced by the notion that Lara is still learning. Now Lara can scavenge materials and can learn to create ammunition on the fly. For example Lara can strip a tree of its branches and collect feathers from bird nests and can craft arrows for her bow. Lara will then learn how to craft trick arrows such as poison gas or flame arrows and using materials can also make these, even in the middle of a fight.
As a result the combat feels far more fluid and the game will blend high action sequences and big story moments to simply just giving time to explore areas. It maintains a consistent pace that drives the story but allows for moments the player can pause to take a breath and absorb the experience. Everything you do from completing story sections, exploring areas and finding collectibles all give the sensation that Lara is evolving into the hero fans know she will become.
One of the biggest criticisms of the last game was the lack of actual tombs to be raided. Lara has spent a year researching her father’s files along with the world’s legends and is driven to explore them all. There are nine tombs to discover and explore as optional challenges alongside the main story. Some will require Lara to obtain certain skills or equipment before they can be tackled, meaning whilst their locations can be discovered, it will be a case of returning to them later. But the tombs are well constructed with puzzles that are challenging but straightforward and rewarding to complete.
As much as I am impressed with how the game plays not everything that has been retained is welcome. The frustrating inch perfect jump traversal is back where if Lara needs to jump to a certain ledge, missing that by the slightest inch will result in Lara falling to her death when you would expect her to just grab the ledge. I also found that the new trick arrows and ability to craft them when needed do make some of the battles a little too easy so the bow became my get out of jail card. But these niggles did little to take the shine off a well polished game.
Rise of the Tomb Raider is a superb sequel for a series still in the reboot phase in the eyes of fans. Whilst the story is still linear, there is so much extra gameplay activities for the player both during the main story and after to gather all the collectibles that it has huge replay value. Competitive multiplayer has been replaced with a new challenge mode called Expeditions which task the player with replaying game sections but against the clock. Using an online Leader board system, players can compare scores with other players and friends. Cards are all the rage and here they are used to provide modifiers for Expedition to help score more points by assisting with bonus perks or weapons or they can be used to add more of a challenge. Card packs can be purchased using in game currency or by the dreaded micro transactions with real world money.
I enjoyed my time with this game so much that it has quickly jumped high on my top games of the year. Though few risks were taken with what was previously successful with the last game, what has been added has indeed enhanced the playing experience. Lara Croft is steadily on her way to becoming an iconic hero for the modern generation of gaming. Strong willed, determined and brave, Lara’s story is a thrilling experience that starts with a bang and continues with all the punch of a Hollywood blockbuster. If Xbox wanted a challenger to Uncharted 4 next year, they certainly found it with Rise of the Tomb Raider.
