Warning: Spoilers
First off, I haven't really played any of the preceding Tomb Raider franchise games. However, I had formed the opinion that they were mostly puzzle-solving games.
So when I started playing this version I was surprised to find it featuring a mostly combat-oriented game. At first, I was a little disappointed. I didn't really want to play Call of Duty: The Lara Croft Years. However, I stuck with it and you know what? I came to like it! The focus is on Lara's story and her progression from frightened girl to tough warrior and explorer. TR does that very well. Of course, it does feature a ridiculous body-count in the hundreds but, surprisingly, it isn't a mindless gun battle-fest like Call of (advance-or-they'll-endlessly-respawn) Duty.
The enemies do tend to be a little more intelligent than usual in TPS games, but the locations are some of the nicest I've ever seen and the level design is excellent. You can forgive the excessive combat because it is just so nice doing battle on open levels that have a 3D element to them.
Visually, the game is gorgeous. My PC is no longer top of the line but the graphics are very well done indeed for the most part. Also, for such complex levels, I rarely found locations where I could jump out of the game. But then again, they are so complex that I never saw every inch of each level.
The puzzles center mostly around how to allow Lara to continue with her explorations. A nice touch is that, first time around, Lara won't have all the equipment she needs to reach some areas of the maps. However she can go back via a fast travel mechanic at any base camp to complete unexplored sections.
Where the puzzle solving doesn't do so well is in the tombs. I kind of got the idea that the tomb-raiding portion was something of an afterthought. Each tomb that Lara visits has a single puzzle to complete, and they aren't that difficult. I was expecting much more fiendish and convoluted traps and the like, but it isn't so.
Another disappointment is in the balance between combat and puzzle-solving. It isn't bad, but I always felt I was playing a shooter with puzzle elements and not the other way around.
Another fun mechanic is the gear upgrade and skill paths. As Lara learns more skills and gathers salvage she gets to upgrade her equipment to better versions. Sometimes this is because she gains a better version of the same weapon and transfers her improvements to it. However, there do seem to be moments where her gun seems to undergo a metamorphosis almost magical in nature. Despite this, the mechanic works well and will have you scouring each level to find every last bit of scrap you can find.
The one thing which really let the game down is the reliance on quick-time events for boss-battles and the odd environmental navigation scenes. I think I'd rather developers let me duke it out with the bosses rather than give me a magical sequence of button presses that save the day. Let me fight the boss how I want to and, if they really want to go the cinematic route, have the odd cut-scene at various points in the fight to enhance that aspect. Not "Mash E" then "Hit F" and time everything to perfection. Rinse and repeat. Some of these scenes come at you without warning, so prepare to die a lot in order to learn the sequence of button pounding required.
TR is not perfect. It has it's faults, as I mentioned. However, on the whole, TR is fun and, at times, frenetic in a way that COD will never be. Whether it is true to the franchise or not, I don't know. I guess that is down to better people than me to decide, especially as I haven't played the preceding incarnations. It is very enjoyable, though.
SUMMARY: A cross between COD and Assassin's Creed but more fun than either of those franchises. A little heavy on the combat, but I enjoyed it. Well worth a look.