In 2013 we were introduced to the Tomb Raider series, once again, when the team at Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix released a reboot of the series – which was simply titled “Tomb Raider.” The reboot was essentially the reconstructed origins of the culturally influential lead character Lara Croft. Fast forward to 2015, and we now continue Lara Croft’s journey of becoming the Tomb Raider in the latest title to grace the series “Rise of the Tomb Raider.”
Plot Synopsis: Rise of the Tomb Raider follows Lara Croft as she searches Siberia for the ancient city Kitezh, built by Georgy II, the Grand Prince of Vladimirin the 13th century, which Lara believes holds some truth behind immortality. In a race against Trinity, a well funded organisation interested in the supernatural, Lara must survive against humans, animals, and the environment in order to find the truth behind the myths and become who she is destined to be.
When it comes to storyline, Rise of the Tomb Raider hits all the high notes. The story is believable as well as filled with characters that really support the supernatural tone of this title. Additionally, Cystal Dynamics has done a spectacular job of balancing this title out. While the storyline is riveting, interesting and inspiring, the gameplay is equally as exciting.
While Rise of the Tomb Raider plays in a similar fashion to the 2013 reboot, the team at Crystal Dynamics have included a few notable changes and additions. These include a much larger world to explore, dynamic weather, on the fly crafting, day/night cycles, and Tombs that are actually worth exploring and raiding this time around.
While Tombs in the previous title felt rather underwhelming… this time around they are huge in scale and littered with treasures as well as deadly traps. Additionally, players will have the opportunuty to actually try and solve dramatic environmental puzzles that are actually challenging as well as decipher ancient texts to reveal crypts that are filled with even more secret.
To add to the gameplay experience, Lara will also be able to hunt for a huge array of collectibles, skin animals, collect resources as well as use a variety of weapons. To add to the overall experience, players will also gain Experience Points, which can be used in order to improve upon Lara’s survival skills. Quite simply put, Rise of the Tomb Raider is bigger, better, and more brutal than the reboot released in 2013.
When it comes to graphics, Rise of the Tomb Raider is spectacularly beautiful. Whether you are traversing the frozen landscapes featured in Siberia, or exploring the dark and treacherous Prophet’s Tomb, Rise of the Tomb Raider is simply a beautiful game. While Rise of the Tomb Raider is a visual masterpiece, the game does suffer from a few frame rate issues. While this won’t essentially ruin your experience, just bare in mind that the frame rate does suffer when too much is happening on screen.
When it comes to sound, Rise of the Tomb Raider also features a beautiful music score, which really sets the mood. Additionally, the voice cast has done a superb job when it comes to bringing each and every character to life. When playing through the riveting campaign, I was surprised at how well each character portrayed emotion and how each villain expressed their anger as well as motives.
Multiplayer:
Thankfully, the team over at Crystal Dynamics have removed the rather underwhelming tact on multiplayer experience from the original reboot, and have rather opted to give players an alternative online mode called “Expedition Mode.” In Expedition Mode players can compete against friend and essentially replay various areas with the addition of modifier cards. While there is not much more to this mode, it is essentially a welcomed edition, and by far a much better experience that the tact on multiplayer experience offered in 2013.
Conclusion:
Rise of the Tomb Raider is a phenomenal title. Not only is the storyline solid, but developer Crystal Dynamics has also improved the overall gameplay experience. This goes to show that the developer is not only looking to revitalise the series, but also improve on it with every title that they launch. In conclusion, Rise of the Tomb Raider is a must play title that is action packed from start to finish.
Rise of the Tomb Raider was reviewed on the Xbox One by Darryl Linington
