It took me until recently to learn that "Shadow of the Tomb Raider" was not developed by the same team as the previous two entries. Where Crystal Dynamics handled the past two entries, Eidos-Montréal became the head developer on the third and final entry in the "Survivor Trilogy," "Shadow of the Tomb Raider." It could be a bit easy to get cynical and think of Eidos as the "B-Team" of sorts, but these guys had success with handling the "Deus Ex" franchise, so who was to say that "Shadow of the Tomb Raider" couldn't be just as good? Hell, the first two games were solidly enjoyable, and even if "Rise of the Tomb Raider" wasn't spectacular, I still had hope for something good with "Shadow of the Tomb Raider." Unfortunately, the "Survivor Trilogy" went out with a whimper.
I will give "Shadow of the Tomb Raider" some credit because it does do several things right. The cinematic presentation is still fantastic, and the worlds are extremely lush and beautiful. I wouldn't have believed this was developed by a separate team based on how it looks. Lara is still a charming character, as is Jonah, and the acting performances are still awesome. The story has quite a few good emotional moments, and the gameplay is still solid and controls well. The combat is good when it is utilized, and the game still has a deep upgrade system and a strong amount of replayability. I also have to give it some props because, in the context of the "Survivor Trilogy," it is the "Tomb Raider" game with the most, you know, "Tomb Raiding."
All that said, though, "Shadow of the Tomb Raider" is by far the most flawed entry in the franchise, and that's largely because, with this game, it feels like the franchise is just going through the motions. The gameplay loop gets very repetitive, following the same formula throughout, and it still doesn't fix many of the problems that the previous two games had. Also, the stealth elements are not very good, and the platforming is imprecise at several points.
Overall, if "Rise of the Tomb Raider" was the franchise playing it safe, "Shadow of the Tomb Raider" is the franchise going through the motions. While it carries some of the good things that fans have come to enjoy from the first two entries in the "Survivor Trilogy," it doesn't do nearly enough to keep the game feeling fresh in comparison to its predecessors. There's certainly fun to be had with it, but to a much lesser degree than the last two games. Hardcore "Tomb Raider" fans will enjoy it, and if you can find it for a decent price, I'd say go for it. However, you wouldn't be wrong if you chose to skip it. It has its fun moments, but just not enough of them.
Final rating: 6 out of 10 "Decent"