Lara has been struggling with the things she saw in her last adventure and is looking for answers to explain the supernatural phenomenon that she experienced. The young adventurer returns to her father Richard's research for answers and realizes he was on the right track to discovering more about the myth of the Prophet and he had found tangible evidence of the immortal soul . Lara decides that the answers lie in the tomb in Syria and embarks on a journey to find answers once and for all.
The game opens with a cinematic of Lara Croft and Jonah standing atop a snowy mountain discussing the perilous adventure that awaits ahead. Your first task is to reach the mountain summit and it is during this climb that players can really see the dynamic weather patterns featured in Rise of the Tomb Raider. Within minutes players are faced with a combination of quick time events and action sequences to make their way back to Jonah after a terrible fall. Players are thrust into the action within seconds and the journey doesn't get any easier from here on out. The combat difficulty has four levels: Adventurer, Tomb Raider, Seasoned Raider and Survivor. If you have never played a game in the Tomb Raider series then you will want to start out at the Adventurer level because your platforming and puzzle solving skills will be continuously tested throughout the game.
While on her mission, Lara discovers she isn't the only one looking for the tomb of the Prophet of Constantinople. An order of knights called The Trinity are investigating the supernatural and Lara is on a race against time to find the artifact that grants immortality called the Divine Source before they do. Rise of the Tomb Raider features an incredibly well-written storyline that keeps the player immersed in the game throughout the entire adventure.
My first experience with Lara Croft was in the nineties when the young heroine was deemed more of a sex symbol then the hardened survivor she is known as today. Decades have passed since that first encounter and it is amazing how much the series has evolved and changed over the years. Gamers have watched as Lara has struggled through countless trials testing her view of the world and slowly transforming her into the hardened adventurer we know today.
Rise of the Tomb Raider combines all of the winning elements that players have grown to love from the series and the formula still delivers a satisfying experience today. The developers have used the element of love and family to create an empathetic side to Lara--she wants to continue her father's work and restore his reputation. Her father had given up everything to prove that the Divine Source existed and lost everything in the process. Lara doesn't want to give up on her father this time and believes that completing that mission is all she has left.
Rise of the Tomb Raider tests the player's skills on all levels from the game's crafting system to surviving the harsh environments full of deadly new enemies. Gamers will be tasked with scavenging for materials to survive not only the weather conditions but to craft weapons to fend off animals and anything else that means her harm. At your base camp, Lara has the ability to craft and upgrade weapons and equipment while mastering new skills and fast traveling between destinations. Hunting is a crucial aspect of gameplay for gathering resources and players will gain XP for successful kills with the ability to uncover survival caches along the way.
The game looks and sounds amazing. A great amount of detail has went into every aspect of the game from shadowing and lighting to all of the immersive sounds within the environment such as the crunching of the snow beneath Lara's boots to the sounds of various wildlife within each environment. The story unfolds nicely with flashbacks of Lara's childhood that allows players to become emotionally invested in the outcome of the plot and what could eventually happen to Lara. There is also a nice array of characters throughout the game that you will come to love or hate allowing you to stay fully immersed in the action-packed narrative.With around 30-40 hours of gameplay and a high-degree of replayability, Rise of the Tomb Raider is well worth the money.
In the end, Rise of the Tomb Raider delivers an exceptional experience like never before. The game manages to capture heart of the player while still delivering a fun and immersive experience. The animations and soundtrack created a depth of realism that most games today are lacking while providing a storyline that feels sincere to the series.
Reviewed for Xbox One