Rise of the Tomb Raider (2015)

Como se nota cuando un juego es hecho con amor y con ganas.

Rise of the Tomb Raider hizo un salto inmenso desde su anterior entrega (de la survivor trilogy), Tomb Raider 2013. Además de mejorar visualmente, evolucionó en todo aspecto, ya sea en cuanto a combate, detalles en los artefactos, historia y gameplay. Es un juego que da todo lo mejor de un Tomb Raider.

Me fascina que la historia se de en Siberia, rodeados de nieve, con abrigos pesados mientras nos presentan a la Trinidad, el nuevo enemigo de Lara (aunque aparentemente siempre fueron el enemigo de ella aunque no lo sabía).

La historia de este juego personalmente la siento como la mejor y más interesante comparado a los otros dos juegos de la Survivor Trilogy. Me encanta el plot twist de la madrastra de Lara, es una lástima que sea tan hija de puta porque el modelo que le hicieron es simplemente hermoso. Los personajes tienen unos pelazos. El corte de Lara es el más hot, me hubiese encantado que hayan mantenido el mismo modelo para Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

No me canso de decir que el ambiente de Siberia es simplemente hermoso, ojalá hagan más juegos en donde ella esté en la nieve porque dios santo que paisajes.

5/5 ★★★★★

Rise of the Tomb Raider is all about its pacing. It’s a game that will throw you into a huge action sequence and then slowly ramp back up. You don’t have to worry about endless waves of enemies. Instead you will move from one area to the next, traversing the world, hunting so you can craft and upgrade, and scouring the world for treasure and tombs. Crystal Dynamics took what worked in Tomb Raider and made it even better. Rise of the Tomb Raider is one of the best games of the year. It’s absolutely beautiful and plays as good as any game on the market today.

The snow is impressive. Hair is also awesome. Everything else: not so much. And why Lara looks like Ellen Page now? She’s also annoyingly obsessed with her deceases father, talking to him all the time.
The bad guys are called Trinity and are literally Templars from Assassin’s Creed. Their leader is Konstantin, a Russian with a scar. And Ana, Lara’s stepmother, is his sister.
There are remnants of DLCs and lootboxes. So although Lara finds a scrappy Nagant revolver, she imediattely gets access to Colt Python as well. And there is some card-gacha system, which I don’t even try to understand. It’s funny how trained mercenaries scream “Push her back!” as they see Lara. An one-girl-army.
Ironic, that Lara supposed to be some kind of archaeologist, as she throws a Soviet truck into the abyss just to tear the door of an ancient church she was trying to get into.
The best part of the game are optional tombs. Those contain some interesting environmental puzzles. While the main storyline is mostly Lara wasting countless mercenaries.
The financial system is completely broken. Or I'm simply not patient enough to find all the money stashes. Throughout the game I was able to collect some 60 coins, while just the assault rifle costs 140. Luckily, the hunting rifle is more than enough to deal with any enemy in the game.
For a game that empathizes stealth, the frozen city does love to throw you into an arena with some Byzantine zombies a lot.
There's a helicopter-boss. I thought those died out some 15 years ago. But here we are. And a stealth/QTE Evil Russian boss on top of that.

Story doesn't make much sense. We start the game together with Jonah, who I guess I should remember from the previous game, but I don't. Then we loose him for some 10 hours. When he finds us again, he almost immediately gets stabbed by the Evil Russian Dude. But the player doesn't care about that, because he spent just a few minutes with that bland character.
Jacob, the guys we meet in a cell, turns out to be Jesus, sorry, The Prophet. Which also doesn't make much sense. Are we supposed to believe that he lived for a thousand years in a secluded village, and NOBODY NOTICED HE DOESN'T AGE?!
We're also supposed to believe that Ana put stigmatas on her brother when they were children. How do you stab ones hands without waking them up, I wonder?
Of course Lara breaks Artifact of the Week. This time, even without a good reason. I guess to stop the evil Bizantine zombies? Not sure.

TLDR at the end.

I am often dead wrong about what I predict my level of enjoyment to be for the next game I play, and Rise of the Tomb Raider is just the latest example on my ongoing personal ‘just shut up and play the game’ saga. I thought there was no way it could top my experience with the 2013 reboot, especially after some of the things I had read about it, but it absolutely did. There are problems in this game and, to be sure, changes in approach that won’t appeal to everyone. But I have to say I am still slightly stunned that I spent 27 hours with what is essentially a clear cut simple action-adventure game and experienced little to no boredom. A testament, really, to how entertaining Rise can be if some of its aspects don’t put you off.

Since I wrote about 2013’s Tomb Raider here, it’s probably easier to talk about the sequel in comparative terms. At its core, just like its predecessor, this is another iteration of cinematic presentation done right. There are tons action-packed segments that keep you glued onto the screen as you navigate through them, but even though Rise suffers from a similar overexposure to action intensity, things seem to go at a slightly slower pace this time around, perhaps the result of a somewhat more involved storytelling process and longer, more elaborate cutscenes. And story is actually something that Rise does better than the first game, not in terms of subverting your expectations - it is in fact incredibly predictable at almost every single turn -, but in terms of content. Gone is the darker, macabre visual and narrative tone that was so prevalent (and that I really enjoyed) in the first game, replaced instead with a) a more encompassing, holy grail-type tale rooted in alternative historical events, and b) a clearly more fleshed out Lara, resolute and hardened by her past trauma and experiences, and therefore much less at odds with what the game expects of you. This tradeoff, if you ask me, was definitely worth it, even though it comes with its own problems, especially in terms of pacing - there’s no need for the 3rd act to be that long, and Jonah’s ‘sidetrack’ also affected fluidity. Something worth mentioning due to its relation to story immersion is how unbelievably better facial animations are this time around. For someone who normally doesn’t notice it that much, it is a night and day difference between TR and Rise, and it truly makes the experience with the sequel more enjoyable in this regard.

To go along with the better narrative elements, the game now boasts an impressive visual and weather variety that was absent from the reboot. Events are often played out in the snow, but the moments where you get to experience completely different scenarios offer a nice respite from what would’ve likely been a duller backdrop otherwise. To add to this visual immersion, the fantastic minimalistic UI is back. Damage indicators aside, I honestly can’t get enough of how well they’ve designed it, and the TB trilogy is now my go-to reference when pointing to functional, cinematic, non-intrusive interfaces in action-adventure games.

Exploration in Rise, on the other hand, is somewhat harder to gauge in terms of how successful it is when compared to its predecessor. I can’t quite put my finger on it, though I can’t help but feel the maps are less intuitive, level design is less clear, and even menu navigation is a bit more confusing. This may well be a natural consequence of the game’s bigger, at times sandbox-like sense of scale, which takes away from linearity, and I was at odds with it throughout the first few hours of my playthrough.

What isn’t hard to gauge, however, is how better tomb exploration is. I had already enjoyed my time with them in the first game, but I was really glad to see they took it up a notch in Rise. They are more different from each other, both visually as well as in their puzzle elements (interestingly, there are a lot more water-based problems to solve), and the rewards come in the form of useful perks instead of generic XP or salvage, now offered via crypts. To top it all off, these rewards are contextualised by Lara’s narration of what she finds at the end of each tomb - a sacred book with words of wisdom -, a nice touch and a far cry from the quasi-blank facial expression she would offer at the end of every tomb in 2013. Awesome stuff overall, so much so that I feel they could’ve made a pure explorer game built around this tomb exploration system alone.

Environmentally, there is now a more prominent interaction with predators, which are effectively used as a means to add tension. Where you only had wolves to (easily) contend with in TR, now encounters with bears and snow leopards can be kind of terrifying. Both are fast, smart-acting and appropriately durable (engaging one with a bow is a hell of a ride), making for intense encounters that can sometimes catch you off guard.

Overall, even though it comes with a couple of issues, I’d say exploration in Rise feels better than in TR, mainly due to a trifecta of visual diversity, more rewarding engagements and, something I haven’t mentioned yet but is just as important, some useful QoL additions such as sprinting, swimming, rope swinging and grappling, all of which (swimming aside) are mechanically very well executed and really raise that bar for traversal enjoyment.

Combat wise, things also improve on what was already a pretty good experience. Enemy AI is now more aggressive and effective at flushing you out, and there are a number of fire and explosion-based additions to most weapons that are - pardon the pun - a blast to play with. Explosions aside though, my favourite inclusion are the poison arrows, which along with their explosive counterparts greatly build on the enjoyment that is firing a bow in these games (the devs clearly capitalised on that). The biggest improvement the game does to combat, however, is how it now allows - and often encourages you - to completely bypass it. Stealth is greatly improved and much more viable as a playstyle, even if still far from perfect. You can’t avoid all confrontations of course - nor should you in an action-driven game-, but Rise incorporates some really awesome, stealth-friendly sections in its 2nd half that almost harken back to a very light immersive sim experience. A visible, and very welcome, evolution to their original combat formula.

One other thing Rise does differently from TR is how it handles its survival elements. They are competently executed for the most part, so you seeing them as good or bad will mostly depend on the kind of experience you’re looking for when you play the game. Personally, I liked my time with them, but that’s also because I tend to favour survival elements in aesthetically fitting games. Compared to the reboot, survival is now a more involved affair, with foraging making a real difference with how it affects crafting of weapon upgrades, healing items, better ammo, etc. This is bound to piss some people off since it directly interferes with pacing and, on harder difficulties, requires more commitment from the player. However, the way I see it, if you’re going to include survival aspects, you either commit to it or you don’t include them. 2013’s TR did neither, resulting in a borderline filler experience that added nothing significant to the game. I personally prefer this approach.

Speaking of filler, this is one particular area where I have a bit of a bone to pick with Rise. For as many cool things that the game introduces and others it builds upon, there remains a fair amount of useless content that seems to exist for the sole purpose of inflating playtime. Documents and relics continue to be the epitome of world building and environmental storytelling, and I also enjoyed the side missions you can take on since they add insight to local struggles. But when you add these to tombs, crypts, survival grind, murals, strongboxes, caches etc etc, coupled with the wider nature of the level design, you get something that resembles a linear semi-RPG experience that may seem too detached from the franchise’s original concept. In other words, Rise isn’t as straightforward an experience as its 2013 equivalent is. How much you like or dislike it will ultimately depend on you.

One last point of contention. I don’t remember having this impression in the first game for the most part, but in Rise, Lara’s voice sounds very formulaic and emotionally forced on all things archeology. It is clear they tried to convey this sense of wonderment in how she engages with relics, discoveries etc, but it honestly just comes across as artificial. They could’ve done a better job here, because I do feel it’s used frequently enough to slightly deter from the experience. On the other hand, character likability and voice acting as a whole have been improved, which is a nice plus.

You win some, you lose some. Rise, I feel, wins a lot more than it loses, ultimately resulting in a hell of a good time from an action-adventure standpoint. I really enjoyed traversing its big, varied world filled with things to do and discoveries to be made. Even if some might consider it too long a game for the type of experience a Tomb Raider title should offer. If you liked the 2013 reboot, however, chances are you’ll enjoy this one as well. Some issues notwithstanding, I personally - and surprisingly - ended up slightly favouring it over the first game, which I also really liked. Since I almost always prefer first instalments, this speaks to how competent a sequel, and very recommendable, Rise of the Tomb Raider is. 8.5/10

An Ok Game, Compared to the original game. This lacks story but makes up with side quests, man the side quests there are too many side quests. some are just ridiculous for an extension pack or a new update.

Glad got this for free and didn't buy it, on epic games.

Standalone, this game has more mechanics and options but most are just for gameplay hours not story relevant. But still a good game you can play more than once.

I know a lot of people consider this to be the best of the trilogy, but I'm honestly having a hard time getting into it on the same level as the first one. I thought the first hit hard and fast and was really compelling. This one feels like it doesn't know what it wants to be--an open area RPG (optional quests??), a narrative driven action game, or a collectathon.

I like the story so far; I guess it's the pacing that is driving me nuts. I could be to blame for that, though, will my compulsive need to hunt for shiny things! :)

The main reason why this game gets five stars is because of the way they portray Lara in the game. FINALLY LARA IS HUMAN. She finally isn't treated like a sex symbol or an empty husk of a woman. She has SO MUCH EMOTION. The fact that they included so much of her PTSD is an incredible feat and I completely connected with it. It has been pretty unbelievable with many games that the characters don't show extreme trauma given what they've been through. With this Lara Croft, you see her suffer from her past, you see her traumatized by what is currently happening to her. She actually dresses for the extreme climate she finds herself in and not for the eyes of the lustful player. She is a full fledged character and it was exactly what I needed after the empty portrayal of her in Tomb Raider.

As far as game play goes, it's the same as every tomb raider game. You lose your weapons, you gain them, you get access to new places, you can't have access to certain places, etc. The combat is pretty forgiving. I enjoyed solving the puzzles, even if a few made me want to pull my hair out, and overall I just loved playing this game.

The second instalment in the rebooted Tomb Raider franchise. As with the first this one maintains a real high quality accompanied with an engaging and interesting story.

The visuals are really nice - same is true for sounds and voice acting. It takes everything that it had going in the original reboot game and adds some more without breaking anything.

The story is good and interesting. Nothing mind blowing but consistent and fitting the game very well. Lara is a bit more mature than in the previous game which is a good step up from the teen she was in the previous version. The story takes place for the most part in the mountainous region of Syberia with Lara on the quest to discover a lost city of Kitezh to in a way fulfil her fathers legacy in finding the city. On the way she gets tangled up with a mysterious organisation called trinity that's after pretty much the same thing.

The game mechanics are quite the mixture - apart from standard climbing and otherwise traversing the obstacles you get an array of optional tombs, hunting, fighting, crafting, and resource gathering going on. While all of them are well executed - they do feel a bit disjointed from the main story line. There are times when although you should be going into certain spot quickly but you go explore optional tomb and for a while forget about the enemies that are pursuing your allies at the moment. This happens frequently enough to be a bother if you invest heavily in the story but still don't want to loose any of the additional content.

I think the strongest part of the game are actually the optional tombs. The puzzles are interesting and it's the part mostly reminding the old tomb raiders. The whole crafting and resource gathering does seem a bit unnecessary. The fighting although sometimes forced is pretty well executed. There's also plenty of chances to take a stealthy approach which is very nice.

Overall it's a very good game. As close as you can probably get to Uncharted series on PC. And definitely worth picking up.

The first and most obvious thing that needs to be said about the Tomb Raider reboot is that it is stunningly similar to the Uncharted series, both in terms of gameplay and basic structure. That's not entirely a bad thing (if you're going to steal why not steal from the best) but it does raise a whole lot of issues. And because its influences are so obvious I'm going to focus my review around the question of how closely the game follows the Uncharted model and whether the game benefits or suffers in comparison to its progenitor.

Similarities For the most part this game follows the basics of Uncharted: lost artifacts, supernatural elements, missing cities, controlling narrative, exploration via platforming, third person shooting, pseudo-stealth manuevering, etc. It's all present to one degree or another. And for the most part it works. The lost city (Kitezh) is as beautiful as anything in Uncharted. The world is far bigger in scale than the first Tomb Raider game, even though the game really only has two distinct regions. Combat and stealth work as well as they do in Uncharted, although the melee combat is a bit awkward to use alongside ranged weapons. In general, if it is a clone it is at least a competent one.

The bad elements are those that work great with Nathan Drake but not with Lara Croft. Nate's just a great character; fun, witty, and always in over his head. Lara's more... generic. Like, she has a personality of sorts, but it's mainly that she's a good person who does the right thing and is always struggling to survive. Not in an over-her-head sort of way, but in a rugged survivalist mentality. And that's just not much. I found myself constantly questioning her motivation and wondering why we were following this bland and unmemorable character. Character motivation in general is handled poorly. There's a major twist involving a traitor that I didn't even respond to because the character was introduced so offhandedly. Lara's motivation to help the locals (all of whom seem oddly non-foreign with their American accents and cliched noble savage attitudes) is simply that it's the right thing to do. And certain interesting characters are left with no exposition to explain why they made the choices they did, they simply move on.

Plotwise, the game leaves much to be desired as well. The basic premise is strong: Lara's dad was disgraced searching for a lost artifact called the Divine Source, which apparently grants people immortality, and Lara wants to protect his memory and restore his name. But while they show this we never actually feel it. Worse still, Lara's motivations seem to vary depending on her mood, but are never really explained sufficiently to explain her determination. Other characters are even worse with regards to that. If you've seen any film of the type 'noble villagers protect secret from greedy outsiders' you'll understand the motivations well enough by instinct, and perhaps the cliched nature is what prevents them from expanding on it, but we really need more. The villains are a group called Trinity, a band of mercenaries which grew out of a band of knights with a murky origin. They too needed more exposition, particularly since they seem set to become a franchise villain.

Differences The first major improvement that this game has is the open world. Uncharted is a series that has a tightly constrained path that you need to follow but which does a remarkably good job of hiding this fact and letting you feel in control of your own destiny. Tomb Raider is the same way largely, except that there are large sections where you can in fact explore an open world. There are also dungeons (the eponymous tombs) which you can explore and certain sidequests. And you can go back to any region you've visited by use of campfires, which offer transportation via floo powder apparently (I mean, Lara is British. Can we be sure she never went to Hogwarts?). Calling this an open world game would be going too far, but it is definitely a much more open game world than the Uncharted one.

Another boon is the crafting system. And praising a crafting system is not something I normally do. But here it helps sell the whole survivor, alone in the wilderness aspect of the game. You start off trapped without supplies in the middle of the Siberian wilderness and have to slowly work your way back up to having an inventory full of useful gear. This is similar to the way you learn to survive in the first game, although I felt that the survivalist approach worked better there since the plot was built around it. Here the loss of all your gear seemed a little more forced, and it may well prove to become even more of a gimick in subsequent games (though I do at least give them credit for not starting you off with this loss and only bringing in the crafting scenario after you've been through Syria). Either way, crafting really works as a way of both progressing through the game and creating a feeling of accomplishment. And the highly limited ammo capabilities (was it always this limited?) for all your weapons does force you to rely on crafting to the point where it's more than just a gimmick. It may seem silly to rush around crafting arrows and even bullets in the middle of battle, but that's a realism compromise you just have to handle to make the game playable.

I think both of these changes work really well, and help to differentiate the series from that of Uncharted.

So if you're looking for a new game that borrows heavily from Uncharted but still manages to do its own thing then seek this one out. It needs to do more work on characterization and tone, but it has advanced gameplay and an excellent set of adventures.