Rise of the Tomb Raider

🎮 Steam ⏳ 30 hours ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

Immersive Sequel Design #

This title is a polished and visually stunning sequel that builds upon the 2013 reboot. The snowy Siberian landscapes, detailed ruins, and dynamic lighting create a highly immersive atmosphere that makes exploration a pleasure. The game balances cinematic, linear sequences with larger hub areas that encourage backtracking, puzzle solving, and uncovering secrets. Challenge tombs are a particular highlight, offering clever environmental puzzles that feel more rewarding and substantial than before. Combat and traversal are fluid, with stealth, climbing, and weapon variety blending smoothly into the action.

Mature Character Arc #

Lara herself is portrayed as more mature and driven, with her character development adding weight to the story. While the narrative can lean on familiar tropes and predictable beats, it still provides memorable moments and a strong motivation for Lara’s journey. This reboot is a funny phenomenon, it inspired a lot of titles such as Sony’s Uncharted, and as time goes by, this reboot was actually inspired by Uncharted. And this is actually a nice thing since all these titles are very good in general. On the downside, the game sometimes suffers from repetition, with an overabundance of collectibles and side tasks that can feel like filler.

Polished Formula Refinement #

The crafting and upgrade systems, while functional, rarely transform gameplay in meaningful ways. Overall, this second entry to the Tomb Raider franchise reboot is an excellent action-adventure title. It doesn’t reinvent the formula, as already mentioned, it actually gets inspirations from games it inspired in the past. But its mix of exploration, puzzles, and cinematic storytelling make it one of the stronger entries in the franchise and a must-play for fans of this series.