![]() ![]() That grand opening outlined above sets one hell of a scene, one that’s not to be taken lightly. There’s a few elements that felt somewhat out of place and not baked for long enough, as well as a few story beats that just didn’t have the intended impact, but for the most part, Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s story is top notch, excellently written and very well presented. This very specific arc allows the story to breathe and flesh out at a solid pace, rarely outstaying its welcome throughout. ![]() The game starts big and ends small(er) and although that might not sound as though it would work on paper, in practice, the end result makes for a wild ride. Unlike most games that start small and build to something grand and final, Shadow of the Tomb Raider takes the direct opposite approach. Moving back to my praise for the storytelling, I have to say that the rather bold premise makes for some very interesting and emotional moments. Light spoiler warning for those that wish to go into the game spoiler-free. Instead, I’ll dance around the specifics and talk briefly about the material shown in pre-release footage and via press feeds. Worry not, I wont dive into heavy-spoiler territory here. Foolishly, Lara sets off a Mayan apocalypse in the process and in a race against Trinity’s will to reshape the world in their own image, a nonstop power struggle ensues. Taking Trinity head-on, Lara finds herself in the midst of Latin America as she searches for a Mayan relic that seemingly has ties to her father’s research and movements shortly before his untimely demise. Determined to find answers, Lara sets off on her most daring and deadly adventure yet. However, the suspicious circumstances surrounding her father’s death still haunts her. Lara’s experience throughout Yamatai and Siberia has truly hardened her, so much that she’s a loose canon driven by her unwavering motivations.įollowing the events of Rise of the Tomb Raider, Lara has returned to Croft Manor to settle her affairs and take some time to reflect on her past, both distant and recent. Shadow of the Tomb Raider flips the script. Rise of the Tomb Raider, on the other hand, saw our protagonist in a determined yet somewhat fragile state of mind, largely due to the events in the preceding title. Tomb Raider 2013 introduced a very innocent and naive Lara, making that game a game of self discovery. There’s an overarching evolution when it comes to Lara, across Tomb Raider 2013, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. In fact, it’s something I feel needs to be commended. Not entirely, but that’s not at all a criticism. The question is, does Lara’s origin tale go out with a bang? Now, here we sit at the origin’s conclusion with Shadow of the Tomb Raider. By and large, Tomb Raider 2013 went down a treat and despite some minor criticisms, so did its 2015 sequel, Rise of the Tomb Raider. Thus, Tomb Raider 2013 was born, the first in a trilogy that focuses on Lara’s origin story. ![]() You see, following the release of Underworld, it was clear to Crystal Dynamics that amidst (at that time) shifts in modern gaming, Lara was in much need of a fresh lick of proverbial paint. In fact, Tomb Raider 2013 was a much more necessary reboot than that of Legend. Now, Legend itself wasn’t nearly as much of a reboot as Tomb Raider 2013 was. ![]() Since then, Crystal Dynamics have proven their worth time and time again, beginning with Legend and taking us up to the newly released Shadow of the Tomb Raider – which has been developed by Eidos Montréal in conjunction with Crystal Dynamics. Up until Legend, developer Core Design worked on most titles prior until the critical failure that was The Angel of Darkness, at which point, Eidos transferred development duties over to Crystal Dynamics. To date, we’ve seen a total of two reboots Legend and 2013’s Tomb Raider. Much like any franchise that spans a great deal of time, our favorite tomb raider’s had her ups and her downs. Lara Croft’s been on one hell of an adventure since her debut title back in 1996. ![]()
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