Tomb Raider Review

I just finished the newest Tomb Raider the other day and thought that I should write a review.

I spent about a week on it, took two days off because I encountered a horrible glitch (the Rope Ascender Glitch) but it was probably only that
long because of the extra content instead of just blazing through it. Which is a good thing, games are meant to be enjoyed!

I won't spoil the story for you, because it is something that has to be experienced-but I will give a short summary of what it's about.

For the most part, this review will cover gameplay and bonus content found in the game-which is still somewhat spoiler heavy.
If you would like to skip past everything and go right to the pros/cons and overall score, just scroll down until you reach the
Overall Rating category and you'll see the end results without the gameplay/mechanic spoilers.



Story

The story takes place in 2013, Lara Croft and the rest of the crew of the ship known as the Endurance sail the seas in hopes of finding
the mysterious, long forgotten island Yamatai. Acting on a hunch, they sail towards the Dragon's Triangle, into the eye of the storm.
Stranded, alone and hunted, Lara tries her hardest to defend herself against the inhabitants of the island-some not quite...human.

In short, this game involves Japanese culture and some Japanese mythology-which is great because mysticism always played a big role
in the Tomb Raider games. The story itself is really good, has good flow and I also enjoyed the way it was being told throughout the game.
The ending to me seemed a bit sudden though; the entire game builds up and then the ending suddenly hits you. (But that's just my opinion)

The very end appears to leave off on a cliff hanger, which does leave some room for future games that follow this story arc in the franchise.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere of the game is breathtaking. The graphics, the landscape, music and sound effects are perfect and really sets the mood.

For the most part, Lara explores the island when it's cloudy or pitch dark with rain; it's rarely sunny.
I loved how anxious I felt whenever it was dark outside, I was always hoping that I could find shelter or pray that daylight would come soon.
The landscape was realistic and beautiful, sometimes chilling. I always enjoy games that allow me to explore and the atmosphere sinks in
and the game feels more real and relatable. The surroundings also made me think about the island's history and I thought long and hard
about the psychology involved in a situation like this and the impact it can have on someone.

Gameplay

For this particular Tomb Raider, it's strongly recommended that the player searches every nook and cranny of the island.
Exploration and instincts are very important when exploring the island, solving puzzles or fighting in combat.

(There's a LOT of content, so I'll try to summarize it the best I can)

-Exploration-

Throughout the game, Lara will pick up weapons, weapon upgrades, salvage (shrapnel for upgrading weapons), will gain experience whenever
hunting/fighting/solving puzzles (Skill Levels-upgrade survival skills, fighting skills) and can also pick up documents and relics.

*Relics are old artifacts that have been left behind (you can actually examine them, it wasn't that way in older TRs); gathering them will give
Lara more experience points and collecting them (along with ALL the documents and GPS caches) will unlock an achievement.

*Documents are old journal entries and scrolls that are found throughout the island and give more insight into the island's history.
Some are collected automatically in some cutscenes, while the others have to be found in the enviroment.
(I personally love finding documents/reading in games because it adds more depth to the story and overall gameplay!)

*GPS caches are little canisters that are secretly hidden all over the island, collecting them all will reveal two messages.
(What's frustrating is that the messages from the caches reveals a third party in the story but it doesn't go any further than that)

*Treasure Maps are...treasure maps; there are a couple that are found on the island that will help Lara discover the location of ALL
GPS caches/relics/documents and tombs. (Though, some maps are found IN tombs)

*Tombs are hidden, desolate caves that are found throughout the island. Finding them using Lara's instincts (Lara Vision!) or a treasure map,
or hearing a distinct sound effect/seeing wall paintings will reveal their location. Each tomb is one big puzzle, each one is different and more difficult than the last. Lara has to use her climbing skills and tools (primarily the bow or axe) to solve the tomb's puzzle.
After doing the necesarry things to get to higher ground will reveal a chest that contains a treasure map; and obtaining the map allows
Lara to find other goodies that are hidden in the area as well as earning much more experiance points than hunting/fighting.
(I just wish that there were MORE in the game, it's really sad)
These hidden tombs are probably directly inspired by the downloadable game Tomb Raider And The Guardian Of Light, which is full of puzzle tombs along with combat.

*Lara obtains a variety of tools and weapons which enable her to do much more exploration and makes fighting more easy and creative.
The player actually has to remember which doors/panels or hanging crates that they were unable to access previously as they progress
through the game so they can backtrack and access hidden rooms to get any remaining relics or documents.
She can climb walls, slide on ziplines, pull open doors/walls with rope arrows or set things on fire with fire arrows.

*Fast Travel is a very useful mechanic in this game. Fast Travel points are camp fires that allow you to quickly go to another area
using that area's campsite (but there are also Day Camps, which don't allow Fast Travel). This is so that if there's anything that you want
to pick up (documents, relics, GPS caches), hunt animals for some bonus experiance points (build up skill levels), find salvage (upgrade weapons), or to just explore for the fun of it. Often times, Lara is unable to travel back to some places on foot because of wreckage or cave-ins, which then requires Fast Travel to go back to past areas.

*Lara can hunt in this game using her bow. Mostly, the player can hunt animals on the side when they want to earn more experiance points
to level up their skills. Hunting is not a requirement, but it's recommended to do so in order to level up and be a better explorer.
However, some animals can be VERY dangerous (primarily deer-if you scare them and they charge at you-or wolves, don't even bother!)
(I'm STILL waiting for the perfect survival game. I guess this is pretty close, but not quite)

*Lara can use her instincts (Lara Vision-the screen turns yellow and items/locations/enemies become apparant) to find locations, items and enemies. This skill is vital in gameplay as it allows her to assess the situation and avoid danger.
Using this instinct also allows players to find documents and treasure, which adds to the experiance and bumps up the game completion.

-Combat & Gear-

Lara finds various weapons throughout the island that help make combat easier.
In this game, there are no medipacks and there isn't a health bar (it's just bloodstains on the screen, which disappear over time).

*Bow: The bow and quiver of arrows is the first tool/weapon that Lara finds in the game. It's the most useful item in her arsenal.
The bow is a long ranged weapon and it's silent, which is great for killing off stray enemies in a situation that requires her to sneak.
In time, she'll acquire rope which will allow her to shoot rope arrows to make make-shift ziplines, pull open wooden doors, and pull enemies off of ledges. Also, she'll acquire a lighter which allows her to make fire arrows-which can burn enemies or set fire to hanging crates.
Finding arrows is pretty easy and plentfiful, which makes this the primary tool in the game. Later on, there will also be a rope ascender,
which pulls on heavier metal objects and allows Lara to zip along ziplines faster.

*Axe: After a short while after finding the bow, Lara obtains a climbing axe which will help her scale walls, pry open metal doors, open crates (obtain salvage for weapon upgrades), or work as a melee weapon in tight situations.

*Handgun: (Lara doesn't get dual pistols in this game, going against her traditional fighting style)
It's definitely not the best weapon, and the upgrades it has to offer are rather pointless.

*Rifle: An assault rifle (this one is interesting because it looks to be made of wood, save for the clip and nozzle).
Aside from the bow, this is probably the best weapon for its rapid fire and long ammo magazines. It's also REALLY nice that you can turn it
into a grenade launcher a bit later in the game.

*Shotgun: The shotgun is good for close range fire and offers a powerful blast, but has slow reloading speed.
Oddly, it's also really useful for blasting open flimsy metal doors or walls.

*Torch: At first, Lara is only able to light her torch whenever she's around barrel fires. Later on, she'll obtain a striker which allows her
to start a fire on the torch at command without needing a barrel fire-which is good for when traveling and exploring.
The torch primarily lights the way when Lara is outside or in caves and it's pitch dark; but it can be used for a variety of other things which help with exploration and solving puzzles. (Using this along with Lara's instincts will work as the perfect nightvision in caves)

-Skills-

In this Tomb Raider, it's all about surviving the harsh conditions and everything in between.
Part of surviving the ordeal is knowing how to handle yourself.

There are two sets of skills in this game: Survival and two sets for Combat Skills.

Survival: Each skill requires one skill level (you gradually earn skill levels when earning experiance points) to purchase and activate it.
Such skills are being a better hunter, improve her climbing, being able to spot items/tombs and being better at salvaging animals/enemies.

Combat: These skills make Lara a better fighter. She can use dirty tricks to temporarily blind enemies and take a kill shot, improve her
aim, etc.

These skills can only be purchased whenever Lara finds documents/treasure, solves tomb puzzles, fights enemies or hunts animals.
Over time, she'll gain more and more experiance which then boosts up her skill level-which is used as a form of currency for the skills.
Once the skill levels have been used to 'buy' skills, the skill level depletes and Lara will continue to gain experiance to build it back up.
(You'll unlock an achievement if you buy ALL the skills)

-Weapon Upgrades-

A separate set of upgrades for weapon customization.

Whenever Lara obtains Salvage (shrapnel from crates or foraging animal/enemy carcasses), she can use them to 'buy' upgrades for her
weapons. There's a wide variety of upgrades, not all of them are necessary for progressing the game.
(You'll unlock an achievement if you upgrade ALL your weapons to the max)

Pros & Cons

-Pros-

*Story/Atmosphere/Music = Perfection! (Good flow, engaging and addictive)

*Combat is fun and creative (It may be more of a shooter game now than in the past, but it's not a bad change)

*Possible cliffhanger? (Seemed like a cliffhanger at the end, I'd be very curious to see similar games like this one)

-Cons-

*The game is buggy! (Many people complain of glitches that ruins the experiance or stops them from progressing)

*Not enough Tombs (I had hoped that there would be more puzzle solving tombs, but I was disappointed)

*Maybe too many upgrades for weapons (There's more than I know what to do with)

*Multiplayer is NOT fun (The loading time for consoles is WAY too long; and it's just not enjoyable. PC users might have more luck)



Overall Rating

I really enjoyed this game, it was a fun and really unique experiance.
It's not the same as the older Tomb Raider games, but it lived up to its potential-in my opinion.
I love a game that grabs my attention and is addictive; it's really hard to put it down.

I give it a solid 9/10.