#SHADOW OF THE TOMB RAIDER REVIEW SERIES#

#SHADOW OF THE TOMB RAIDER REVIEW SERIES#

The series definitely takes some pages out of the Uncharted playbook, though thatвЂ™s not a bad thing as these improvements add more complexity to climbing. Overhang climbing adds some verticality to the experience, while the addition of rappelling and wall-running makes this element of the game more fun. The action remains over the top and intense you do everything from fighting jaguars to trying to survive tsunamis, all the while locating crypts and tombs containing death-defying leaps. Here, you explore jungles, crowded cities, and much more interesting ancient structures, but soon you realize just how unexciting these locales are. As this entry takes us to places such as Mexico and Peru, you can expect a different feel from the icy regions and isolation of the last game. However, as with the story, the gameplay has its highs and lows. Shadow of the Tomb Raider still has all the things I love about the series: tense escape sequences, secrets to uncover during exploration, and a sense of accomplishment from solving a difficult challenge tomb. Motivation for some of her violent outbursts is provided, but I always felt like I was playing as two different Laras. One minute, sheвЂ™s showing a softer side by giving children some hidden treasure or trying to reunite a man falsely accused of murder with his distraught daughter, but the next sheвЂ™s going on killing sprees and hanging corpses. What bothered me most was LaraвЂ™s actions not matching the character weвЂ™re presented. While the story and her characterization have some great moments, they also have some not-so-great ones. Not only does his relationship with Lara add tension over her reckless tendencies, but it also shows how much Lara values this friendship, learns from it, and how far sheвЂ™ll go to protect it. Bringing back Jonah, who has helped Lara since her first expedition, provides some of the best interactions in the game. The interesting parts of the narrative arenвЂ™t so much about how it unfolds, but about how Lara handles the things that have long haunted her, whether itвЂ™s her unresolved feelings over losing her parents or determining what measures sheвЂ™ll take for the greater good of the world. The plot involves Lara accidentally setting an apocalypse in motion and later finding out her long adversary TrinityвЂ™s connection to it. I had my share of fun with the adrenaline-pumping set pieces, but I also felt a bit disappointed by both the overall narrative and Lara herself.

This chapter should be an exciting climax that encapsulates the series at its best, but instead, itвЂ™s a step back. Shadow of the Tomb Raider provides the final piece of this transformation, showing us her defining moment of becoming the wall climbing relic hunter she was meant to be. It was an exciting change of pace, as we were watching her grow fromВ inexperienced adventurer to full-fledged tomb raider. Crystal Dynamics took on the task of rebooting the character by creating an origin story that would give us deeper insight into her personality and show her at her most vulnerable. Over five years ago, we were introduced to a revamped Lara Croft, different than the one weвЂ™d known for decades.

Shadow of the tomb raider review