"Dark and gritty" is a hot buzz term right now. When it works, fresh life is breathed into an outdated franchise. When it fails, you end up with weaker remakes of timeless classics. Thankfully for Lara Croft and her legion of fans, this is one of the former rather than the latter.
Reintroduced as human rather than iconic, clad in a practical pair of cargo pants instead of short shorts, Lara Croft is presented as a meek research assistant for a conceited reality TV archaeologist. She gets up the nerve to offer her opinion on how to find a mythical island, only for the entire crew to end up shipwrecked on the island they were searching for as a result.
Tomb Raider games have usually consisted mainly of elaborate jumping puzzles and platforming sequences. While Lara's still able to jump and climb better than most to traverse the island, with platforming becoming more prevalent in the later stages of the game, gameplay places more emphasis on exploration and combat. While not truly open world, the island consists of several large hub areas, connected by fast travel camps that allow Lara to teleport from one campfire to another. Several side missions are available in each area, including collecting relics (which Lara can examine L.A. Noire style) and GPS caches, hunting game for XP, and exploring various tombs. Some areas are blocked off while Lara collects and upgrades gear.
Lara starts with a torch and a bow and arrow, but can eventually collect and upgrade other weapons. Her arsenal's small but effective: one pistol, one shotgun, and one machine gun. They come in handy while battling the army formed from other shipwreck victims that controls the island. Each weapon has its advantages at different ranges, but the bow remains Lara's most reliable weapon, allowing Lara to pick off enemies with headshots, silently and from a distance. Lara also has access to a climbing axe, allowing her to pull off close-range stealth kills and melee attacks.
The most engaging thing about this reboot is Lara Croft's character arc, taking her from trembling in terror to the point where enemies are terrified of her. Reading about the transition from shipwreck victim to tomb raider is one thing. Experiencing it is another. This is partially thanks to a great voice acting/motion capture performance from Camilla Luddington (if you don't like her voice for Lara at first, wait until you hear her analysis of a tomb or an artifact), and partially to the gameplay itself. As more XP and salvage is collected and Lara's skills and equipment are upgraded, the player feels more confident navigating the environment and battling heavily-armed foes.
The multiplayer mode is mediocre. It's not as good as many other multiplayer modes out there, but it's a decent chunk of extra content. The game's real attraction is the single player campaign. I can't recommend it enough. Long time Lara Croft fans will find new things to love about the character, and newcomers have a perfect jumping-on point here.