Lara Croft and I have a strained relationship. My first playful encounter with her was way back in 1996 on the Sega Saturn and she blew my mind but then she was gone. For two years she whored herself out to Sony and broke my heart. But time heals old wounds and she made a triumphant return with Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation on the Dreamcast and once again Lara won my heart. Unfortunately after several successful games mediocrity set in and this downward spiral continued for several years and Tomb Raider slipped off my radar. In 2013 Crystal Dynamics decided a reboot was called for and released a grittier and darker game which established the origins of Lara Croft and was met with universal acclaim. The second title in the newly rebooted universe, Rise of the Tomb Raider has a lot to live up to.
This time around Lara has matured and she has a real sense of purpose about her. The writing is superb and the empathy you feel towards Lara should be applauded. Along with the voice acting it's a heady mix that drags you into Lara’s heart and soul and keeps you there throughout the game. When she feels upset, happy or hurt you are right there with her. It's these emotions that make you root for her whatever the circumstances she finds herself in.
The world here is vast and just when you think you've seen it all a side mission or a triggered event will come along and open up another huge part of the world that you never knew existed. You can explore the world any way you choose. You can go back to areas you have already visited anytime you come across a camp if you wish. Along your travels you will upgrade your bow and arrows which allows you to access tombs and areas that were previously inaccessible without the right tools. Most of this backtracking is purely to discover items but getting to them once you have opened the entrance is just as engaging as fighting off wave after wave of enemies. The enemies show real intelligence and they will move to flank your position if you stay stationary. Firefights become a real challenge and you have to use your environment and any resources you can find wisely.
Exploration is as key here as it's always been and plundering any tomb you find is where the Tomb Raider really excels. Puzzles and platforming offer up a fantastic challenge that will keep you exploring every part of the world to find the elusive entrances to the various tombs that are hidden throughout each area of the map. As with any Tomb Raider game the puzzles start off easy but quickly become true tests of your agility and puzzle solving prowess. Turning cogs, making leaps of faith, extending bridges and hacking through masonry are just a few tricks up your sleeve and at some point you will have to use them all to solve the most fiendish tombs so you can claim your prize. With so many different actions to perform the control scheme could have easily become clunky and downright awkward but after a few minutes of play it all becomes second nature.
Thankfully there is no tacked on multiplayer this time round instead you have expeditions to deal with. Expeditions gives you the option to replay campaign missions without any adverse effect to your campaign save. You can also tackle any mission however you want. So instead of trying to complete a level without dying you can set the options to Score Attack. In this mode you have to again together kills in the quickest possible time whilst building up your combo meter. You can add as many options to these modes as you see fit. There are also cards which you earn in game that have gameplay changing effects whilst playing Expedition mode. One card could be a score multiplier and another could increase the amount of damage the enemies take before they die. Any credits you earn during Expeditions can be used to buy more cards. You can even create your own missions and post them online so other players can try to beat them and better your score. Expeditions is a great feature with lots of replayability and plenty of options for you to play around with.
Graphically Rise of the Tomb Raider is quite frankly the best looking game I have seen all year bar none. Setting the game in Siberia has allowed the team at Crystal Dynamics to really push the Xbox One and it's simply stunning. The weather and environmental effects aren't there just for show though because they affect the game in subtle ways. Being caught out in a blizzard will hamper your vision and chill Lara to the bone. Walking through a recent avalanche brings Lara to a crawl and she trudges through knee deep snow. But the next area might be bathed in sunshine was beautiful clear skies and vistas as far as the eye can see. Even the tiniest of details has been made with as much detail as possible. This game is never short of stunning with the best weather effects I have ever seen in a game.
Playing Rise of the Tomb Raider is like being transported back in time to 1996 and discovering Tomb Raider for the first time. That's how good this game is. The pacing is spot on, there's a tonne of things to do and this really is as close to being in an Indiana Jones movie as you're likely to get. I know that's an easy comparison to make but it's the highest compliment I can give the game. Your jaw will drop at times and the feeling of nostalgia will consume you if you are of a certain age. So I say don't fight that feeling. Just let it engulf you and bask in it.
Review copy supplied by XCN.
Game: Rise of the Tomb Raider.
Genre: Action/Adventure.
Developer: Crystal Dynamics.
Publisher: Square Enix.
Platform(s): Xbox One.