all hail lara croft

Released in 2015 as the sequel to the critically acclaimed Tomb Raider (2013), Rise of the Tomb Raider cemented Lara Croft’s place in modern gaming as a complex, multi-faceted character while expanding on the gameplay mechanics and storytelling that made its predecessor a success. Developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Square Enix, this game takes players on a thrilling adventure across Siberia, blending survival mechanics, exploration, and combat with a compelling narrative. Here's an in-depth look at what makes Rise of the Tomb Raider stand out—and where it falls short.

Story and Setting
Rise of the Tomb Raider picks up shortly after the events of the 2013 reboot, following Lara Croft as she seeks to uncover the mystery of the mythical city of Kitezh and the promise of immortality. This quest pits her against Trinity, a ruthless paramilitary organization with its own sinister agenda. The narrative is a blend of personal stakes—Lara's quest to clear her late father’s tarnished name—and the larger-than-life adventure that the series is known for.

The Siberian wilderness serves as the game’s primary setting, and it’s a triumph of environmental storytelling. The stark, frozen landscapes feel alive with danger and mystery, from dense forests and icy caves to ancient ruins and sprawling Soviet installations. The weather effects, lighting, and attention to detail create an immersive atmosphere that’s both beautiful and foreboding.

While the story is engaging, it occasionally falters due to predictable plot twists and an underwhelming antagonist. Trinity as an organization feels more like a generic villainous entity than a nuanced foe, which lessens the narrative tension at times. However, Lara’s character development continues to shine, with Camilla Luddington delivering a powerful performance that humanizes the iconic adventurer.

Gameplay Mechanics
Exploration and Puzzles
Exploration is where Rise of the Tomb Raider truly excels. The semi-open world design allows for both linear progression and freeform exploration, with numerous optional tombs to discover. These tombs are a highlight, featuring clever puzzles that require players to think critically and use Lara’s tools in inventive ways. The sense of accomplishment from solving these tombs harks back to the series' roots while feeling fresh and modern.

The game also introduces a crafting system, which ties into the survival mechanics. Players can scavenge resources from the environment to craft arrows, explosives, and other useful items. This system encourages exploration and makes the world feel cohesive and interactive.

Combat and Stealth
The combat system is an evolution of the one introduced in Tomb Raider (2013). Players can approach encounters with stealth, using bows and throwable objects to silently eliminate enemies, or engage in full-on firefights. While the combat is fluid and satisfying, it does lean heavily on familiar mechanics, and encounters can sometimes feel repetitive.

Lara’s skill tree adds depth to the gameplay, allowing players to tailor her abilities to their preferred playstyle, whether it’s focused on combat, stealth, or resourcefulness. The progression feels rewarding, as new abilities open up more options in both exploration and combat.

Graphics and Audio
Graphically, Rise of the Tomb Raider is stunning. The environments are richly detailed, and the character models are impressively lifelike, especially Lara’s. The use of lighting and particle effects adds to the game’s atmosphere, whether it’s the glow of a campfire in a snowstorm or the eerie luminescence of an ancient ruin.

The sound design is equally impressive. Ambient sounds like creaking ice, howling winds, and distant animal calls enhance the sense of immersion. The musical score by Bobby Tahouri complements the action and exploration, blending dramatic orchestration with quieter, reflective moments.

Replayability and Content
In addition to the main campaign, Rise of the Tomb Raider offers substantial replay value. The optional tombs and collectibles encourage players to revisit areas, and the Expeditions mode allows for custom challenges with modifiers. DLC expansions, such as Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch and Cold Darkness Awakened, add even more content, ranging from supernatural horror to survival-based gameplay.

Criticisms
While Rise of the Tomb Raider improves on many aspects of its predecessor, it isn’t without flaws. The narrative, while engaging, lacks originality and fails to fully capitalize on its potential. The combat, though solid, can become repetitive over time. Additionally, the reliance on collectibles to pad out exploration can feel like busywork for some players.

Conclusion
Rise of the Tomb Raider is a worthy sequel that builds on the foundation of the 2013 reboot while refining its core mechanics. With breathtaking visuals, engaging exploration, and a compelling protagonist, it offers a thrilling adventure that’s sure to satisfy both longtime fans and newcomers to the series. Though it stumbles in places, particularly with its story and enemy variety, it remains one of the standout action-adventure games of its generation.

Score: 9/10
Crystal Dynamics has delivered an experience that both honors the legacy of Tomb Raider and pushes it forward into new territory, cementing Lara Croft’s status as one of gaming’s most enduring icons.

So so much better than the first game (2013 Tomb Raider). The things I criticized from the first game, they nearly solved all of them and this game is much more enjoyable on a much larger scale.

Definitely recommended.

не говно

I've played it before when I had my Xbox, but it's a fun game.

esta espectacular .

perfection

Is the game enjoyable? Yes. Is it fun enough to give a positive review? No. Well, Rise of the Tomb Raider is a sequel to Tomb Raider (2013). A lot of things were improved, indeed. Compared to its prequel, this time is a Lara Croft with more skills, contemporary tools, and danger. The concept seems great but everything was ruined with its poor narrative.

In Tomb Raider (2013), Lara must simultaneously survive various dangers and solve the mystery to leave the island. The game offers you with such a pressure and good progression of the game. In Rise of the Tomb Raider, on the other hand, Lara has nothing to do with those inevitable challenges. Her journey was only led by her own ambition. So, it feels like she has a choice to quit at any time, making the journey so unattractive. Moreover, neither major nor minor characters are compelling; none of them have any deep backgrounds or interesting origins. The only mystery the game gives you is about an organisation named Trinity which is behind the death of Lara's father; that's all.

In Tomb Raider (2013), you will slowly discover Himiko's secrets with, of course, some plot twists. In Rise of the Tomb Raider, you simply learn from the beginning that the artefact you have been looking for is an item that grants immortality; this makes the rest of the game uninteresting as the only mission left is to find where it is. It becomes a bit interesting when they involve the secret behind the death of Lara's father in this journey, but it's still not that interesting.

The gameplay is fine; not much change from its sequel. Boss fights, both in the main game and the DLC: Baba Yaga, are terrible. In the main game, you are forced to do stealth even though I can just keep hitting him endlessly with the pickaxe (and of course, since the game forces you to do stealth, no matter how many times you hit him, he won't take any damages). For the boss fight in Baba Yaga DLC, you just need to repeat doing the same thing three times. That's all. And don't expect any conclusion or explanation from the DLC. The ending will leave you with a ton of questions, I can guarantee you that.

It's an enjoyable game, indeed, but not as good as it should be. If you are really into the series or want to be a fan of Tomb Raider, well, it does not hurt to try this but I still don't recommend buying it at full price.

I guess, I am not much of a gamer but, I just keep getting killed over and over again by the bear. I have no idea what to do.

Like an unfortunate majority of modern titles, the game's mechanics barely hold it up to a playable level with atrocious writing with regards to both the narrative and the dialogue. None of the characters, Lara included, are compelling or interesting, as they all lack any depth or originality in their personality or goals. The game also suffers for having a protagonist who constantly feels the need to verbalize every observation, and make conscious decisions that make horror movie protagonists seem intelligent, completely removing the player from any kind of immersion, much like games such as Outlast 2 or Metroid: Other M.

The gameplay itself is fun, but with the onslaught of fetch quests and collectibles littered through the world, a layer of polish is sorely missed, leading to a number of minor frustrations that add up to a generally unenjoyable experience.

Personally, I picked the game up and put it back down multiple times, and haven't yet been able to motivate myself to finish it. I think with better writing and a round of bug fixes and polish, it could be a great game, but as it stands, it doesn't hold a candle to the classics. Perhaps the bar is high because the original Tomb Raider titles were so great, but regardless, I can't recommend it.