You have to admire anyone who would rewrite Lara Croft’s history. She has held iconic status for over 20 years and it would take a lot of skill and passion to pull such a feat as this, to satisfy fans old and new. Crystal Dynamics managed to do this with the 2013 release of Tomb Raider, continued her story with 2015’s Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Eidos Montreal have taken over the mighty reigns and come full circle with 2018’s Shadow of the Tomb Raider. And they have closed that circle nicely.
We start off with Lara’s quest to find the truth behind Trinity, her father’s death, and the connection between the two. Jonah makes an appearance for the third time, offering help and advice to Miss Croft as her curiosity gets the better of her and she ends up setting off a foretold apocalypse by obtaining a sacred dagger in the hopes that it does not land in the hands of Trinity. The dark shadow is not only cast on her, but the whole world with her actions.
When we left off at the end of Rise, Lara had toughened up considerably. No longer was she the scared young woman lost in Yamatai, she went looking for answers and did not let anyone get in her way. So by the time she begins her adventure in Shadow, she is ready to take on whatever life throws at her. And throw it right back. You can see that her facial expressions are far more convincing, whether she is having a joke with Jonah or showing contempt for a ruthless enemy. She swears a bit more in this game, which reflects her response to what she is facing. But as mentioned before, she also shows her lighter side, cracks a joke or two or expressing enthusiasm for a discovery of some sort.
This game is very polished and glides along nicely. Skills Lara had learned in her previous two adventures are already present such as the ability to craft arrows, and the presence of rope arrows, Underwater, Lara is able to dig, open crates and boxes, and pull up life-saving plants, not just magically collect an item with the swipe of her hand. One thing was noteworthy, there was a bit of co-op with Jonah, perhaps hinting at the multiplayer mode in the future.
The jungle feels real, a bit claustrophobic, and alive with creatures and greenery all around, you could practically feel the humidity as you play. The water is the best I’ve seen so far, the caverns are quite creepy, and the mountain vistas truly breathtaking. I thought they looked great in Rise, this game has stepped them up another notch. The sound engineers did an amazing job as well, whether it’s the sound of stones being moved, hearing large water bubbles as you move underwater, or the enhanced and realistic sounds of the weapons, where arrows sound snappier and deeper and guns feel realistic.
There are nice little benign areas set up just to hunt animals, some treasures and hidden places about, making a change from the combat and gives Lara a chance to refresh. Some animals do not glow as killable, but point a bow at them and the reticle turns red. These are probably considered rarer and more endangered than your usual birds and rabbits. And yes, there are tombs, more challenging than the previous two games, and incredibly atmospheric.
Colour is a big part of this game. While 2013 TR had a nice variety when compared to the more monochromatic hues of Rise, Shadow ups the colour nicely. We’re not talking neon-dayglo or Toontown Technicolor, just a varied and lush spread all around, from in the game environments to the maps you acquire, right down to the skills menu, it looks fresher, more up to date, and inviting.
Speaking of Skills, these are named after the animals you encounter in the jungle, and are divided into 3 separate factions: Seeker, Warrior, and Scavenger. The more basic ones start with a cost of one skill point, but these increase with higher levels so you really do earn your skills with this one.
There are three new traversing skills not seen in this trilogy so far. Wall runs aren’t the slightly sterile and sometimes impossibly tricky ones of the previous re-boot, now they feel more realistic, and don’t require a physics degree to figure out the angle to grab ledges behind you; they are nicely spaced out and you only go in the direction you are actually running in. Rappelling is a new skill, not entirely complicated, but makes perfect sense for a character who is tied to a stone-face with a hook and some cord to gently glide down to a solid surface. Overhang climbs, however, are my new favourite skill. Again, not something that takes much to master, but I get a pure sense of joy hanging nearly upside down while traversing.
Swinging from hooks was more difficult, even on Easy. I had to be careful when lining these up, after many failed attempts at speed I slowed down and took a little time for the final successful run.
Lara’s stealth skills have also increased, there are a couple more including using mud to blend into environments and integrating with walls to creep past. If Lara is caught, she has the ability to sneak away into a dark corner or up a distant tree and not be seen again.
When Lara finds items or treasures, for the first time we have a choice whether or not to look and learn about the item, they are instantly filed away without any explanation. If you want gameplay to progress without interruption, then you don’t have to hit a back button to cancel the narrations as in the previous 2 games. You can look and learn from them any time you wish, however I did learn the Inca numbering system to an extent, which was part of the story line.
One great feature about this game, and one that should satisfy the older fans, is the adaptable Difficulty matrix. You can set the Combat, Exploration, and Puzzle elements from Easy to Very Hard. Easy is exactly as it says, for someone who wants the minimal challenge. As long as you don’t mind Lara repeating hints and tasks repetitively that is. The hardest setting, Deadly Obsession is manageable at the outset, however since every skill is set to Very Hard, and with Survival Instinct disabled, this really is as challenging as it’s name. Below is a simple comparison of climbable walls set to Easy and Very Hard
One special note, I was nicely struck by the localisation in certain parts. Having a personal connection to all that is Latin America, I loved how the people in Central America pronounced Lara as in saying the Spanish surname, and was amused by the drunk in the beginning who told her to leave his office. That was realistically funny.
This was an absolute joy to play. The look and feel is set to a very high standard, the puzzles and tombs are challenging, there is a lot of variety and the story is inspired. Oh yes, the story. Lara had descended into darkness, her life torn apart, and sets out to find the truth. What she finds will be left for you to discover.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider Available September 14, 2018 on Xbox One, PC, PS4 PEGI 18 / ESRB M Square Enix, Eidos-Montréal, Crystal Dynamics, Nixxes
Lady Gamer 