If you don’t already own an Xbox One X, PS4 Pro, or high-end PC, this is one that will make you a believer in 4K gaming and will encourage you to make that jump sooner rather than later. Lighting and texturing are phenomenal throughout and the color palette on display is downright insane if you are playing with HDR. Shadow of the Tomb Raider boasts some of the most impressive visuals that I have seen in a video game to date. One new thing about Shadow of the Tomb Raider that does stand out compared to those games before it comes in the visuals department. Either way, I’m a sucker for collectibles, so this wasn’t a huge bother to me. I’m not saying Shadow of the Tomb Raider is in the same class as something like Donkey Kong 64 as far as unneeded collectathons go, but it might be close. While many of them help provide further context and info on what’s happening in the background of the story, more often than not they feel more like checkmarks on a giant list more than anything. I do however think that a majority of the collectibles that you’ll find throughout are pretty unnoteworthy. If you’re like me, you’ll spend hours upon hours looting around every corner of these locations to find everything that they have to hide in the pursuit of 100% completion. These semi-open world areas are once again filled to the brim with collectibles, challenges, and the ever-enjoyable challenge tombs, which are still likely the best aspect of the game. This Tomb Raider series has been so successful in my opinion because of the tremendous areas that there are to explore and that hasn’t changed in Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Luckily, what is once again fantastic is the level design and surrounding world to explore. It’s not all bad, and there are definitely some memorable moments throughout with one flashback sequence being the most noteworthy, but I found it hard to be too invested in what was going on in the story more often than not. The surrounding cast of characters also doesn’t offer much concerning intrigue–looking at you once again, Jonah–which makes the story’s focus on Lara and your feelings towards her as the player all the more critical. It’s an interesting idea but is one that I didn’t think was executed upon very well.Īll in all, I found this to be the weakest narrative that has been seen in this trilogy.Īll in all, I found this to be the weakest narrative that has been seen in this trilogy. In the grander scheme of things, I know that Eidos was trying to draw a comparison between Lara and the foes she’s so desperate to stop. This is a version of Lara that has allowed her hatred for Trinity to consume her entirely to the point of her making questionable actions and losing empathy for those around her. What I also found to be strange in Shadow of the Tomb Raider is for a majority of the game, it’s hard to root for Lara Croft. I’m absolutely fine with Eidos Montreal opting to go down this route rather than the more laid-back style that the Uncharted games go for, but when I start to feel like I need a shower after playing too long then the game begins to lose its value of “fun” which is why I’m playing in the first place. Shadow of the Tomb Raider became hard for me to play in more extended sessions simply because of the overwhelmingly dreary set pieces combined with the intense soundtrack made it too emotionally oppressive. This is a trilogy that was already pretty dark to begin with–gruesome deaths, over-the-top violence, etc.– and to lean even further into those elements was almost too jarring for me.
This is a story that doesn’t hold the hand of new players and throws you directly into things expecting that you already know what transpired in the previous game.Īs mentioned, this is the darkest story that has been told thus far among this new Tomb Raider trilogy and further leaning into this grim, hopeless tone just feels far too overbearing at times. After a cataclysmic opening hour which finds the blood of many on Lara’s hands, she sets off to right her wrongs and defeat Trinity once and for all before they unleash chaos upon the entire world. Shadow of the Tomb Raider picks up a short time after the events of Rise of the Tomb Raider and finds Lara desperate and obsessed to stop the shadow organization Trinity, the same antagonists from the previous game. … Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s finished product is once again sound even though it feels far too reminiscent of the game that released three years ago.
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