The first hour or so of the game is almost entirely platforming and puzzle-solving, introducing players to the very first tomb early on. This sequel blends together combat, exploration, and puzzle-solving better than its predecessor, balancing all of these elements and stretching them out in a way that makes the pacing feel spot on. More importantly, however, Rise of the Tomb Raider is a blast to play. But it is entertaining throughout, and doesn’t take any huge leaps in logic outside of some supernatural properties, which are expected in the series at this point. Rise of the Tomb Raider doesn’t have lofty goals in its storytelling, this is a basic action-adventure tale focused on exploration and betrayal. That said, if you’re expecting to see her cope or come to terms with killing hundreds of enemies throughout the game (which she’ll certainly end up doing), you might want to keep those expectations in check. Even when things go south, which they do pretty early in the game, she seems to be more put together, more able to tackle the dangers of the wild around her. Having a more experienced, confident Lara is certainly a plus. This is where Lara’s drive comes from early on, but as you might expect not everything is what it seems, and the underlying plot has a few twists and turns to uncover.Īs far as the story goes, I’d say it’s an improvement over the Tomb Raider reboot. Her reasons for seeking out the Source revolve around her late father, who claimed the Source existed for years, until his apparent suicide brought on by the shame of being called a fraud and a hack for his belief. At the onset of the adventure Lara seeks out the Source, a mythical artifact that can apparently grant everlasting life.

While the reboot of Tomb Raider hit the reset button on Lara Croft, introducing her as a young explorer who quickly gets thrown out of her element at the onset of the 2013 game, Rise of the Tomb Raider features a Lara Croft a bit more accustomed to danger and survival. Rise of the Tomb Raider, releasing this week as a timed exclusive on the Xbox One, builds nicely off of the groundwork laid by the previous game, introducing more complex, optional tombs, larger areas to explore, and more challenging platforming moments throughout its fairly hefty adventure. And while the reboot may have abandoned certain aspects of what people consider to be a Tomb Raider game, it was certainly the shot in the arm that the series needed to keep going. The franchise had seen a number of high and low-points throughout the years, with the lows coming a bit more frequently towards the tail end of the series. Clearly I wasn’t the only one surprised by how great 2013’s Tomb Raider reboot was.

Rise of the tomb raider review