THE RAIDER

RISE OF THE TOMB RAIDER
20 YEAR CELEBRATION

Once again, we revisit our journey with the legendary Lara Croft in Rise of the Tomb Raider. This time, the adventure is explored through the eyes of the 20 year celevration of the francihse’ beginning, and including all the extras that made the original game even more entertaining and expansive, in addition to great new expansions, made to feed our nostalgia and expand upon the story which we hope would become the standard of the coming games, the Croft Manor.
Let’s discuss the game bit by bit, in detail:

20 YEAR CELEBRATION

Blood Ties:

The Croft Manor/Lara’s Home has always been an iconic segment of every Tomb Raider game, and a fan favorite that no Tomb Raider player did not enjoy or has at least a couple of unforgettable moments with it.

The 20 Year Celebration brings a new story set in the Croft Manor, presenting a purely explorational style of gameplay focused on puzzle solving, story-telling, and feeding our nostalgia for the past and at the same time, allowing us to imagine what the future could possibly hold for Lara Croft and the Croft Manor, which we dearly hope would be part of the upcoming games.

The story of Blood Ties is both a mixture of nostalgic elements about Lara Croft’s past and parents along with tying up with the new storyline.

After it’s finished, you’re allowed to freely explore the manor, both in standard and VR modes.

Lara’s Nightmare:

The action-oriented mode offers an entertaining experience for fans who love the action/shooting part of Tomb Raider. You face hordes and hordes of enemies and you have to use every means possible to defeat them. It’s a joyful ride if you’re more into action than exploration.

Virtual Reality:

The VR experience is a highly entertaining one. While there isn’t exactly much to do inside the Croft Manor, but being able to see through Lara Croft’s eyes, and explore our beloved Croft Manor was a dream come true. The manor itself in its dark and gritty atmosphere, along with the sound effects and ambiance gives a chilling feeling when you’re exploring in VR.

The experience has a great sense of height and depth, so when you’re exploring, it truly feels like you’re inside the manor. When you’re standing at a certain point, the farthest point feels truly far, unlike when you’re watching through a regular screen. When standing in the main hall of the manor and looking up, the light effects, the height, the rain, the blurring and sharpness and focus all feels very realistic. Looking from the edge of the second floor will gave me the sensation of hight, like I’m truly inside the manor and about to fall.

Everything feels like you’re truly inside a huge mansion, with every bit of detail from architecture, to furniture to weather effects to lighting and sound effects all feels like a real visit into the Croft Manor.

CO-OP Endurance Mode:

While I’ve never been a huge fan of multiplayer, be it online or split screen in any game, especially in Tomb Raider, which is a game that has always been a single player experience, and wasn’t much into the introduction of multiplayer in Tomb Raider 2013. This version of it is entertaining, because first, the experience is based on the concept of survival, which is basically what Tomb Raider 2013 and ROTTR were mainly about.

You have a partner to join you and survive the harsh worlds of the game. Instead of collecting trophies within a time limit or fighting online competitors for relics or survival.

So I think if this mode is meant to stay, it would be a nice, especially if new settings are given and more elements are implemented into it, which makes it more of a cooperative experience about Tomb Raider and survival than a 3rd person version of Call of Duty.

For example, something similar to Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris or Tomb Raider IV: The Last Revelation’s early levels with Von Croy. We could have the mood implemented in future games, allowing one player to control Lara and the other controls her companion which is meant to be in the main game and perform missions and solve puzzles together.

So despite me not being a fan of implementing multiplayer into games that are meant to be mainly single player, I think this version of it as a good approach and a much better one than that of Tomb Raider 2013.

Additional Items:

The classic outfits of Lara Croft present a beautiful throwback to everything iconic from the franchise and protagonist we’ve come to love most. Being able to explore the new world with Lara’s retro classic outfits have never been more enjoyable. At some points, the new skins feel sort of out of place, story-wise but as an aesthetic and nostalgic factor, it’s an amazing opportunity that helps give the fans a nice trip through memory lane in terms of franchise history.

GAMEPLAY:

Equipments & Weaponry:

We were impressed by the new mechanics back in 2013. In Rise of the Tomb Raider, everything we’ve loved about the gameplay makes a return with major enhancement in addition to new elements that made exploring the world of the game a very enjoyable experience.

My personal favorites were the Bow and the Axes. Those were two elements that could be utilized in a variety of entertaining ways, both for offense, defense and exploration. The more you progress through the story and the more tombs you raid, the more new uses you unlock for these equipments. And every time you unlock something new, the gameplay becomes much more fun. Upgrading makes previously inaccessible areas accessible, which motivates re-exploration of areas you’ve visited before and it makes exploring new areas more enjoyable.

The other weapons are good and powerful. However, I wish that future games will provide a larger variety of weapons that we can pick up from enemies, craft or purchase. It would be much more enjoyable to be able to achieve those within the first play through, since the free roaming which follows the story is often not as motivating as the story experience.

Outfits are a great addition the game. I wish we get to have a larger variety next time, with different and variable designs, that we can either buy, win or craft within the first playthrough, as well as more to come from free roaming and/or multiple playthroughs.

Puzzle Solving & Exploration:

Now we come to puzzle solving and exploration. This game makes a huge improvement upon the Tomb Raider 2013 formula, which is the inclusion of more tombs and much more detailed puzzles, both optional and mandatory. The puzzles within the tombs, even when you rely on the Survival Instinct for hints, are challenging and entertaining and take some time to figure out.

The game is obviously more focused on exploration than action, unlike the previous installments. Large hordes of enemies are still present, but not as frequently as the previous game. And with new mechanics, fighting became much more entertaining.

In this game, we’re able to visit more than one location. We have Syria and Siberia. Siberia is a lot more diverse in terms of scenery than the island in the Dragon’s Triangle which is the main and only location of Tomb Raider 2013.

The most interesting part was that there are people with Lara Croft in the Siberia. People that we can interact with and do missions for that can unlock new outfits, other interesting stuff.

One little thing that disappointed me was the striking similarity between the final moments of ROTTR and the final moments of Tomb Raider 2013. Climbing that monastery which was covered in ice was almost identical to the previous game. The final boss fight was a good addition because the previous one did not feature any boss fights, and I hope to see more of those throughout the game, and I hope they’ll be challenging like the tombs, and more.

However, I was expecting the Lost City to be more innovative in terms of design and exploration and to be different from the previous game. I hope to see something new with future installment.

I also hope that future installments offer more locations to explore. When the first announcement of the game claimed that the game will be a globetrotting adventure, I was hoping for the game to take us to at least 4-5 locations around the world, but we didn’t, even though Siberia had a good diversity of locations, but I hope next time, we’ll truly be able have a globe trotting adventure.

Tomb Raider was always about visiting multiple countries and cities, so I hope this amazing aspect returns in the future. ROTTR was a step in the right direction and I hope we continue to expand.

GRAHPICS & PROGRAMING

The game featured breathtaking environments, amazingly realistic graphics and beautiful animations, weather effects and atmosphere.

There were a few issues with the game programing and numerous glitches which were mainly cosmetic rather than game breaking issues, such as some anti-aliasing issues, pop-in textures, models disappearing and reappearing, models moving through one another, and some lags, freezes and frame rate issues that fade away after a few seconds.

STORY

The story here is another element that got a large improvement compared to the previous installment. Now, instead of being a survivor and a victim, Lara is fighter, and she’s there to uncover the truth behind her father’s research. There are more characters, more interaction and much more twists in the story.

As I said, there are people to interact with as well as over hear them talk about Lara, the world, and the ongoing events, which adds more layers to the story and what may happen in the future. This, to me was a really interesting part.

The best thing was the return of the Croft Manor. Maybe just in cutscene, but this is giving me hope for the future to see it as a full playable area just like past titles. The Croft Manor holds many memories for us, old Tomb Raider fans, and honestly, even if there was nothing to do there, it’s still an amazing place to explore. We have lots for new mechanics that we can try out there in new training arenas around the mansion.

So I really hope to see the next game bring the Croft Manor back as a playable location, and I’m sure I can speak on behalf of the majority of the Tomb Raider fan base with this part.

Now back to the story, the introduction of Trinity as this mysterious illuminati-like group reminds of The Cabal in The Angel of Darkness and The Illuminati in the first Tomb Raider movie. The post-credits scene made me even more excited for the sequel.

I love how everything seems to be built around the story. Even when the game ends, there’s a story reason for Lara to be free roaming the world of the game, to help other people and complete story missions. That is something that I appreciate, greatly.

FINAL WORD

In summary, the game is a huge step forward from its predecessor and a good step towards the right direction in terms of becoming more like the classics than Tomb Raider 2013. Bringing all the DLC, outfits in addition to the anniversary expansions made the game a lot more entertaining whether it’s your first time playing it or a replay, as well as having a seamless transition between all the DLC, without having to download or purchase anything. It’s the definitive Rise of the Tomb Raider experience.

Thanks for an incredible experience.

BABA YAGA: THE TEMPLE OF THE WITCH
RISE OF THE TOMB RAIDER - DLC review (xbox one)

It is a great pleasure to finally see the first story DLC of Rise of the Tomb Raider, and it succeeded in delivering its promise.

I went through the whole experience in one playthrough. I couldn’t leave my controller as I played through every mission. The story was interesting, the gameplay the same as the main campaign, which was great, plus a little twist with the drug effect on Lara Croft which triggers a dreamy sequence, as well as an amazing boss fight, which reminds me of classic Tomb Raider titles and their epic boss fights, in which the pollen effect turns the whole world into some sort of alternate reality when Lara is under the influence of the drug in the flower pollen, bringing the whole witchcraft theme in the real-life mythology of Baba Yaga, to life.

In this adventure, we start in the same open world of the game, by finding a girl named Nadia, whose grandfather went to search for the witch, who killed his wife, and gradually move to the underworld where the witch, Baba Yaga supposedly lives, that’s how the story starts to unfold as we get closer to the truth behind the witch.

Lara will fight Trinity soldiers, gather resources to create an antidote and solve puzzles to reach Baba Yaga’s residence, keeping in touch with Nadia through the radio, who will give you hints on what to do next and reveal bits about the story, which I won’t be discussing to leave it for you to enjoy.

THE PROS

Good story and a surprising revelation.
Great and smart puzzles.
A beautifully-crafted new outfit and weapon (unlocked after completion).
Amazing boss fight, which I truly hope we see more of, in future installments.

THE CONS

A little bit shorter than expected
A new setting, yes. But very similar to the main game. I expected something entirely new.
Lack of cutscenes, substituted by dialogues told through the radio.

In conclusion, I must say I truly enjoyed this experience. While I was hoping for a longer playtime and more cutscenes to help shed some more light on the story and mythology, instead of relying on letters and recordings or radio conversations.

I was also expecting a brand new setting, within our world but more like an unexplored, previously blocked area. However, the DLC episode itself was good enough the way it is. The boss fight alone, brings back the nostalgic feeling of classic boss fights, which makes it worthy enough for me to play.

RISE OF THE TOMB RAIDER
full GAME REVIEW (xbox one)

Once again, we embark on a new journey with the legendary Lara Croft. This time, the adventure is even bigger and more open than it was, last year. We explore a new world with a diversity of environments, a wide range of mechanics to explore this vast and dangerous world, unfolding a well-written and very engaging story. And the most exciting thing makes a strong return… TOMBS!

Let’s discuss the game bit by bit, in detail:

GAMEPLAY Equipments & Weaponry: We were impressed by the new mechanics back in 2013. In Rise of the Tomb Raider, everything we’ve loved about the gameplay makes a return with major enhancement in addition to new elements that made exploring the world of the game a very enjoyable experience. My personal favorites were the Bow and the Axes. Those were two elements that could be utilized in a variety of entertaining ways, both for offense, defense and exploration.

The more you progress through the story and the more tombs you raid, the more new uses you unlock for these equipments. And every time you unlock something new, the gameplay becomes much more fun. Upgrading makes previously inaccessible areas accessible, which motivates re-exploration of areas you’ve visited before and it makes exploring new areas more enjoyable.

The other weapons are good and powerful. However, I wish that future games will provide a larger variety of weapons that we can pick up from enemies, craft or purchase. It would be much more enjoyable to be able to achieve those within the first play through, since the free roaming which follows the story is often not as motivating as the story experience.

Outfits are a great addition the game. I wish we get to have a larger variety next time, with different and variable designs, that we can either buy, win or craft within the first playthrough, as well as more to come from free roaming and/or multiple playthroughs.

PUZZLE SOLVING & EXPLORATION

Now we come to puzzle solving and exploration. This game makes a huge improvement upon the Tomb Raider 2013 formula, which is the inclusion of more tombs and much more detailed puzzles, both optional and mandatory.

The puzzles within the tombs, even when you rely on the Survival Instinct for hints, are challenging and entertaining and take some time to figure out. The game is obviously more focused on exploration than action, unlike the previous installments. Large hordes of enemies are still present, but not as frequently as the previous game. And with new mechanics, fighting became much more entertaining.

In this game, we’re able to visit more than one location. We have Syria and Siberia. Siberia is a lot more diverse in terms of scenery than the island in the Dragon’s Triangle which is the main and only location of Tomb Raider 2013. The most interesting part was that there are people with Lara Croft in the Siberia. People that we can interact with and do missions for that can unlock new outfits, other interesting stuff.

One little thing that disappointed me was the striking similarity between the final moments of ROTTR and the final moments of Tomb Raider 2013. Climbing that monastery which was covered in ice was almost identical to the previous game.

The final boss fight was a good addition because the previous one did not feature any boss fights, and I hope to see more of those throughout the game, and I hope they’ll be challenging like the tombs, and more. However, I was expecting the Lost City to be more innovative in terms of design and exploration and to be different from the previous game.

I hope to see something new with future installment. I also hope that future installments offer more locations to explore. When the first announcement of the game claimed that the game will be a globetrotting adventure, I was hoping for the game to take us to at least 4-5 locations around the world, but we didn’t, even though Siberia had a good diversity of locations, but I hope next time, we’ll truly be able have a globe trotting adventure.

Tomb Raider was always about visiting multiple countries and cities, so I hope this amazing aspect returns in the future. ROTTR was a step in the right direction and I hope we continue to expand.

GRAHPICS & PROGRAMING

The game featured breathtaking environments, amazingly realistic graphics and beautiful animations, weather effects and atmosphere. There were a few issues with the game programing and numerous glitches which were mainly cosmetic rather than game breaking issues, such as some anti-aliasing issues, pop-in textures, models disappearing and reappearing, models moving through one another, and some lags, freezes and frame rate issues that fade away after a few seconds.

STORY

The story here is another element that got a large improvement compared to the previous installment. Now, instead of being a survivor and a victim, Lara is fighter, and she’s there to uncover the truth behind her father’s research. There are more characters, more interaction and much more twists in the story. As I said, there are people to interact with as well as over hear them talk about Lara, the world, and the ongoing events, which adds more layers to the story and what may happen in the future. This, to me was a really interesting part.

The best thing was the return of the Croft Manor. Maybe just in cutscene, but this is giving me hope for the future to see it as a full playable area just like past titles. The Croft Manor holds many memories for us, old Tomb Raider fans, and honestly, even if there was nothing to do there, it’s still an amazing place to explore. We have lots for new mechanics that we can try out there in new training arenas around the mansion. So I really hope to see the next game bring the Croft Manor back as a playable location, and I’m sure I can speak on behalf of the majority of the Tomb Raider fan base with this part.

Now back to the story, the introduction of Trinity as this mysterious illuminati-like group reminds of The Cabal in The Angel of Darkness and The Illuminati in the first Tomb Raider movie. The post-credits scene made me even more excited for the sequel. I love how everything seems to be built around the story. Even when the game ends, there’s a story reason for Lara to be free roaming the world of the game, to help other people and complete story missions. That is something that I appreciate, greatly.

FINAL WORD

In summary, the game was a powerful sequel to the previous installment which brought a large number of upgrades to previously introduced elements, fixes to past issues, addition of new elements that were requested by the fans and various new surprises. My main issues were the lack of variety in the number of locations, as I was hoping to see more than just Syria and Siberia, the lack of boss fights, and some graphical issues and glitches in the game.

Everything else was perfect and I’m eager to play the Baba Yaga DLC and hope to see more DLC, both story-driven and cosmetic such as outfits to come in the near future as well is with the PC and PS4 releases and future installments. Thanks for an incredible experience.