Rise of the Tomb Raider is not only the sequel to 2013 reboot but also brings back feel of classic Tomb Raider back to modern Era.
Lara has come a long way in her 20 years’ journey, Lara evolved and so have the devs. No longer are there any horror filled scenes and neither is Lara weak, instead this Lara knows how to handle pain and is well versed with fire arms.
The Level design of Rise of the Tomb Raider is more open as compared to Tomb Raider 2013 reboot. The reboot was accused of being too linear which Rise of the Tomb Raider correctly rectifies.
There are loads of side missions and mini quest to perform, also game gives a breather from time to time to take in thee view.
Tombs are brought back in Rise of the Tomb Raider and they are back in style. Game gradually introduces Tombs alongside the story but the Tomb Challenges surely take the cake.
Tombs in Rise of the Tomb Raider go back to basics. There is no hand holding and you cannot clear a Tomb just by using Lara’s Survival Sense. You would have to apply logic and skill and have some patience to clear the Tombs.
Clearing the Tombs has an incentive as well. Each Tomb cleared unlocks a power which would be added to Lara’s Skill tree, making her more well equipped to take on the Challenges. As you progress in the Game, you earn XP. More the XP, more stronger and well equipped Lara is.
The Bow and arrow is back from the Reboot with a number of upgrades. Lara will also master various Pistols, shotguns and explosives.
The RPG elements have been improved with Lara’s own upgrades include path like: Brawler, Survivor and Hunter. Stats of weapons can also be upgraded and Lara can also craft new weapons at the base.
Unlike the reboot, now specific plants or animals only provide specific resources. Like feathers from bird’s nest and poisons from mushrooms.
You can approach any combat situation in two ways, either stealth or all guns blazing. Don’t forget to stock up ammunition before entering any situation. As you improve Lara’s skills, traversal becomes more easy and varied. The World becomes your playground and you will quite enjoy it.
Only gripe though is the huge input lag initially, which resulted in deaths when QTE sequences were going on. But the latest update fixes that too.
The Graphics of Rise of the Tomb Raider is top notch. Environments range from snow storms, avalanches to bright sunny days and everything looks stunning. It is among the best-looking games on PS4. Lara’s hair sure do seem odd one out in terms of graphics as their motion seldom resembles the motion in the scene.
The Endurance coop mode is brilliant and fun. Whereas Expeditions provides much needed variety to the game modes. Expeditions lets you play all the missions in variety of ways without affecting you game saves. Scoring as high as possible and climbing in the leaderboards is thrilling to say the least.
Blood ties is a VR experience mode which can also be played without VR just like a normal exploration mode. It is a good change of pace and provides more knowledge about Lara and her past.
There is also Lara’s Nightmare mode in which croft manor is infested with Demons like creature. It is kind of similar to Zombie mode in various games.
