I expected this to be the typical third arc of a hero journey, where the main hero is all mature and ready to make rational decisions. I was pleasantly surprised that the story acknowledges all the tragic events and traumas Lara went through in the previous games and they moulded her character accordingly. Even the main villain was a great supplementary for Lara’s character that directly questions her principles.
It’s not a story that most people would like, especially fans who grew up with the charming and charismatic Lara Croft in earlier versions. But personally, I really enjoyed what they did with this incarnation of the character from beginning to finish. I could go on a full character study but I’ll digress.
The Gameplay is the same as before. For better and worse. Parkour and climbing are really enjoyable. There are some great puzzles both in the main story and the optional tombs.
The combat system also remains the same…unfortunately. It’s a basic shooter with VERY little challenge, even in the hardest difficulty. There are stealth mechanics and a dull melee combat but there’s no need to be tactical like that when you could just spray arrows and bullets. To be fair, combat was never a main part of this series, but I wish we could have something better by now.
The OPEN-WORD is so gorgeous and vibrant. The forests are teeming with vegetation and wildlife and the ancient ruins are well-detailed to last nook and cranny.
A new feature is the hub areas of villages and settlements. These places are so full of life, with different cultures and people you can interact with. Some folks also offer side missions with little stories of their own, which were pretty fun.
There’s an audio option to have the secondary characters speak in their native languages for better immersion….but then that immersion breaks when Lara replies to them in English. But I commend them for their effort.
Of course, there are all the collectibles to find. Artifacts, murals, and letters which all give interesting facts about the different cultures of Peru. A huge prop for the game designers for doing their thorough research in history and culture to create this world. I’m not a history buff, but it was a really nice glimpse into that part of the world.
There are also DLC tombs that come free by default with the game. These were even better than the tombs that are in the main game. Each tomb is unique with its set of challenges and puzzles. Plus they have additional side stories that add new layers to the established characters.
There are shortcomings but OVERALL this was a great game of its own and a satisfying conclusion to the Survivor trilogy. All three games are available with good discounts during sales and they are well worth the money and time, from beginning to end.
RATE: 8/10