Ancient relics, murals, and documents serve both the historical and archaeological interests of Lara. Here the context is there (where it wasn’t before), or more pronounced than ever before.
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Another lesson learnt from the first outing, where certain collectibles served no real purpose other than flashing things to pick up. Which works wonders in elevating documents, relics, murals, and old-timey currency into more than just icons on a map. Instead the game is quick to set up not only the different types of collectibles and interactive thingamajigs you can come across whilst exploring an ancient ruin, but to also insert some context. In Rise of the Tomb Raider it actually takes a fair amount of time before Lara gets to kill her first human being. And again in the sequel the following year. More so than the time Lara Croft fought a giant T.
#Lara croft rise of tomb raider series#
The Tomb Raider series was never really about combat or action, or dinosaurs for that matter, so when the 2013 reboot leaned a little too heavily on action set-pieces and scripted ‘Quick press X before you die!’ quick-time events, something felt off. An act that immediately that feels more true to the archaeological intention of their inclusion. Simply getting to one of these Challenge Tombs may require delving deep into a mysterious cave, an adventure in its own right. So it definitely comes with a sense of relief that Rise of the Tomb Raider features considerably more exploration than its predecessor. And don’t take that the wrong way, the Challenge Tombs in the original were indeed fun and challenging. Visually impressive extensions to the environments you got to explore, but ones that nevertheless rarely rose to the same height of what’s on offer here. In contrast, the tombs in 2013’s Tomb Raider felt like adjacent puzzle rooms. In real terms it roughly means that the tombs you get to explore feel real, ancient, mysterious, and fantastical. In the case of that something else being The Legend of Zelda, that’s merely a personal connection. In terms of design, the results are moments when you’re exploring a tomb where it can be reminiscent of something else. And it’s this sense of confidence that is worth taking note of. A new Lara Croft adventure that is at once grander, more intimate, surprising, and more confident.
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And in the case of Rise of the Tomb Raider, we have a game that improves on the 2013 reboot in just about every way. Again, comparisons aren’t always a bad thing. Again.Īt numerous points, whilst taking in the sights and sounds of some wonderful ancient architecture housing an equally ancient puzzle, playing Rise of the Tomb Raider was reminiscent of some classic The Legend of Zelda dungeon-action. Plus, it made an aging ‘90s gaming icon relevant.
![lara croft rise of tomb raider lara croft rise of tomb raider](https://cdn.gamingheads.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/v/e/vertical_10_4_8.jpg)
And by focusing the story on the gritty archaeological exploits of a young Lara Croft, and a slightly off-putting fixation with physical abuse, developer Crystal Dynamic’s take on the Tomb Raider franchise felt like a breath of fresh air. So even though Tomb Raider was a little bit like that something else, it was also fun, challenging, cinematic, intense, and memorable in its own right. Because hey, the Uncharted games are quite possibly the high-point in recent interactive cinematic adventure. And although accurate to a degree, these sentiments could just as easily be taken in a positive light. When the Tomb Raider reboot was released in 2013 a lot of people went out of their way to point out that the cinematic presentation, scripted action set-pieces, and even combat, was reminiscent of Uncharted. Here’s the thing, comparisons aren’t always a bad thing.