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So, yesterday I -finally- finished Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and here you can find my impressions on this game.
Tomb Raider in the shadows
The last chapter in the Square Enix's trilogy is the weakest from the three. In spite of showing us a more mature Lara, the story of the game constantly does not add up like its predecessors. For example, Tomb Raider (2013) and Rise were both more consistent in terms of story than this one, probably due to the changing of the studios developing this third game.
Eidos Montreal takes the lead on this one and instantly we can find some differences in the previously released games developed by Crystal Dynamics. The models used for Lara and Jonah change dramatically from Rise to Shadow to be similar to the ones used in the 2013's reboot.
So, we have a trilogy end of the evolution of Lara Croft told on three games. First, we got the Survivor (2013), then the Explorer (RotTR) and now we get the soon to be "final transformation" of the Tomb Raider: a Lara Croft that is both survivor and explorer, as well as an avenger and fully developed warrior.
Story in the hole!
Shadow of the Tomb Raider introduces us a Lara that wants to stop Trinity -again- from destroying the world in a formula already used by Crystal Dynamics in Rise. Similarities between Rise and Shadow show us that Eidos Montreal did not want to improvise here and went to the safe spot to use an already proven gameplay scheme. It is the same structure present in the two: a few sets of hubs where you have to do what Lara does best in a semi-open world that is a mere excuse to give us the sensation of "freedom" in a linear story.
The plot revolves around Lara trying to save the world coming to an end that herself initiated and trying to save Paititi from destruction. But in a game where you think the world is coming to an end soonish, it does not have such accelerated pace. I mean, everybody in Paititi seems to be calmed and unaware of what's happening and not even concerned about the world coming to an end. NPCs are not aware of the cataclysm Lara unleashed and mostly they seem to do not care if they die or not. There's no rush or fear for the end. The atmosphere for a world ending is not present here. I recall playing Majora's Mask way back in 2000 and during the third day everybody was freaking out because they were going to die and the world would end. Here everybody keeps their normal life if as nothing will happen to them. You never seem to feel it is the end of the world.
¿RPG-ish?
The skill tree returns, but it is unnecessary. There are tons of skills but only some of them are useful to perform good and finish the game without problems. Completionist may want to spend a lot of time collecting items and resources to obtain all of Lara's guns and skills, but truth be told, you don't need them. I played with the "stock" weapons and only some skills I found useful to complete the game. There's no need to such a skill tree on a relatively semi-open world and linear-story game. Most of the time, the story will unlock a "story unlockable skill" and you will use it after getting it, but you will not use it again in several hours because you don't have anywhere to use it.
Gameplay at its best
But plotholes and unnecessary skill trees don't stop you from enjoying the seamless gameplay that Shadow of the Tomb Raider presents us. It flows like a charm, controlling Lara is intuitive as it gets and she moves in a perfect way, either she's shooting bad guys or if she's rappeling down a cliff. Gameplay feels familiar to 2013 and Rise's but improved. For example, the stealth sections where you cover Lara with mud will give you some great instances to avoid gunplay and use a more feel of hunting the hunter approach.
The great gameplay feature is the option to set up the difficulty as you please, so if you feel more confident on gunplay instead of puzzles, you can set up them in order to get the experience you want to play the game. Great addition.
¿Grand Finale?
It is certainly not the trilogy ending I expected after playing 2013 and Rise. The story completes Lara's journey on becoming the ultimate Tomb Raider she was when she was first introduced more than 20 years ago but does not convince at all. Also, the botch Square Enix made on shipping the game with a finale they didn't want to use and patching it the same day was not a correct move. The "original" ending is more it is a candy for die-hard fans that wanted more allusions of the original games, but they unexpectedly changed it in a move I still months after release I can't understand.
What will happen now to Tomb Raider? Only Square has the answer. But I hope -I really hope- this will lead to new Tomb Raider games with a now fully fledged Lara as the original Tomb Raider she is.
Pros and Cons
PROS:
CONS:
Final score: 7 out of 10
PD: First review here, I hope you liked it.
Tomb Raider in the shadows
The last chapter in the Square Enix's trilogy is the weakest from the three. In spite of showing us a more mature Lara, the story of the game constantly does not add up like its predecessors. For example, Tomb Raider (2013) and Rise were both more consistent in terms of story than this one, probably due to the changing of the studios developing this third game.
Eidos Montreal takes the lead on this one and instantly we can find some differences in the previously released games developed by Crystal Dynamics. The models used for Lara and Jonah change dramatically from Rise to Shadow to be similar to the ones used in the 2013's reboot.
So, we have a trilogy end of the evolution of Lara Croft told on three games. First, we got the Survivor (2013), then the Explorer (RotTR) and now we get the soon to be "final transformation" of the Tomb Raider: a Lara Croft that is both survivor and explorer, as well as an avenger and fully developed warrior.
Story in the hole!
Shadow of the Tomb Raider introduces us a Lara that wants to stop Trinity -again- from destroying the world in a formula already used by Crystal Dynamics in Rise. Similarities between Rise and Shadow show us that Eidos Montreal did not want to improvise here and went to the safe spot to use an already proven gameplay scheme. It is the same structure present in the two: a few sets of hubs where you have to do what Lara does best in a semi-open world that is a mere excuse to give us the sensation of "freedom" in a linear story.
The plot revolves around Lara trying to save the world coming to an end that herself initiated and trying to save Paititi from destruction. But in a game where you think the world is coming to an end soonish, it does not have such accelerated pace. I mean, everybody in Paititi seems to be calmed and unaware of what's happening and not even concerned about the world coming to an end. NPCs are not aware of the cataclysm Lara unleashed and mostly they seem to do not care if they die or not. There's no rush or fear for the end. The atmosphere for a world ending is not present here. I recall playing Majora's Mask way back in 2000 and during the third day everybody was freaking out because they were going to die and the world would end. Here everybody keeps their normal life if as nothing will happen to them. You never seem to feel it is the end of the world.
¿RPG-ish?
The skill tree returns, but it is unnecessary. There are tons of skills but only some of them are useful to perform good and finish the game without problems. Completionist may want to spend a lot of time collecting items and resources to obtain all of Lara's guns and skills, but truth be told, you don't need them. I played with the "stock" weapons and only some skills I found useful to complete the game. There's no need to such a skill tree on a relatively semi-open world and linear-story game. Most of the time, the story will unlock a "story unlockable skill" and you will use it after getting it, but you will not use it again in several hours because you don't have anywhere to use it.
Gameplay at its best
But plotholes and unnecessary skill trees don't stop you from enjoying the seamless gameplay that Shadow of the Tomb Raider presents us. It flows like a charm, controlling Lara is intuitive as it gets and she moves in a perfect way, either she's shooting bad guys or if she's rappeling down a cliff. Gameplay feels familiar to 2013 and Rise's but improved. For example, the stealth sections where you cover Lara with mud will give you some great instances to avoid gunplay and use a more feel of hunting the hunter approach.
The great gameplay feature is the option to set up the difficulty as you please, so if you feel more confident on gunplay instead of puzzles, you can set up them in order to get the experience you want to play the game. Great addition.
¿Grand Finale?
It is certainly not the trilogy ending I expected after playing 2013 and Rise. The story completes Lara's journey on becoming the ultimate Tomb Raider she was when she was first introduced more than 20 years ago but does not convince at all. Also, the botch Square Enix made on shipping the game with a finale they didn't want to use and patching it the same day was not a correct move. The "original" ending is more it is a candy for die-hard fans that wanted more allusions of the original games, but they unexpectedly changed it in a move I still months after release I can't understand.
What will happen now to Tomb Raider? Only Square has the answer. But I hope -I really hope- this will lead to new Tomb Raider games with a now fully fledged Lara as the original Tomb Raider she is.
Pros and Cons
PROS:
- Graphics are awesome and the world is beautiful to explore it
- Stealth gameplay is at its best
- Intuitive gameplay and control
- Difficulty custom settings are worth a try
- Challenging puzzles
CONS:
- The world inside the game is not as immersive as it could be (end of the world issue)
- Too many plot holes, especially on Trinity's side.
- The skill tree is unnecessary
- The original ending was better
Final score: 7 out of 10
PD: First review here, I hope you liked it.
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