Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider games hold a special place in my heart. It was the first ever game which I played that involved 3D-Style graphics. It was the first game I played moving away from the 2D Nintendo days, on my Windows PC running Millennium, and I still remember the awe and adventure the game had to offer along with a decent story-line and an amazing lead, Lara Croft. That's why I was hugely disappointed with the Lara Croft games of the PS2 era. The controls and the game-play were really bad and it was frustrating to play them. This was until the 2013 reboot and things were looking good for Lara, especially after post-Uncharted, developers knew what needs to be done and kept pushing the boundaries. We had some really amazing games after that like God of War, The Last of Us and the 2 Tomb Raider games (Tomb Raider & The Rise Of Tomb Raider). Now, after a long wait, we have the third instalment, Shadow Of The Tomb Raider. I couldn't have been more excited so I pre-ordered the game and was one amongst the first to get my hands on it.
So around 20+ hours of game-play later, I was left with mixed-feelings. Once again, the issue being game-play and the dynamics on which the platform is designed. We are living in the era of games like Uncharted and The Last Of Us, so anything less brilliant is not acceptable. Sadly, the new Tomb Raider game is not as fluid as the ones from Naughty Dog and the game-play, especially the shadow-hunting feels underwhelming.
So lets me get the bad out of the way. The major action sequences in the Shadow Of The Tomb Raider rely on stealth attacks. There is no option for you to go guns blazing as the enemy will gut you in seconds if you do so. So you have to stick to the shadows, muddy walls and dense bushes to make your silent move. About 90% of the action is based on this technique and it really feels very inconsistent. You can sometimes take out guards who are very close-by to others as the system cues that he is out of sight and at other times you get spotted even when you take out a guard who is isolated from everyone. There was this once where I hid against a muddy wall and took out a pack of 10 soldiers from the same spot as they kept coming seeing the first body on the ground but filed to spot Lara. This felt very funny and almost like a bug in programming.
Then the cover-aim-to-shoot, this is almost non-existent. This is a technique which Uncharted series mastered and in this game, it is almost non-existent. You kind of get in back in maybe 2 action sequences in the end and this makes you feel what this game was missing right from the beginning.
Then the visibility of the shadows, the game is very dark so make sure you play in a dark room or crank up the brightness as most of the areas are very poorly lit.
When you are not hunting from the shadows, you are taking obstructions and animals head-on. Here the combat style reverts back to the 90s. You leap, run, jump and run just like the old games. There is nothing clever or innovative here.
Finally, the platforming, even this is very inconsistent. When Lara is reaching out for the ledges between the gaps, it always feels like she is aiming in the wrong direction. The navigation is not smooth or fluid and at times it feels a bit frustrating. Like this one jump, where she had to jump and throw the rappel and jump again. I must have played this over 50 times to get it right. It is not the first time in the game doing that or even a tricky jump, it was a simple one but for some reason, just that one jump needs to be done in the right angle, at the right time with the right camera view. It almost felt like a bug. Not sure if I was the only one who had this issue! Added to that, the loading time, I thought the technology has advanced to that level where the loading times are mostly non-existent but in this game, it really feels substantial. It almost takes about 50 seconds to a minute to load the game if you die in game-play. That is really bad. Big games like God of War or Uncharted 4 didn't have such loading times!
Ok, that's quite a few negative points but what can I do. The recent similar adventure-style game which I played was Uncharted: Lost Legacy and that game was amazing in comparison. It was not even the main one, it was a spin-off based on Uncharted series and everything in that game was simply brilliant.
Now, let me talk about the positives. Playing as Lara is always a delight and this time, it was no less. You cannot stop loving her character and making sure that she succeeds in everything. The childhood Lara level was brilliant and right up Uncharted alley. But sad that there is only one of such level leaving you wanting for more. The puzzles are well designed and take a bit of time but completing them is satisfactory. The environment and sound design is top notch. You can feel the lush jungles of Peru, the crystal clear waters and abundant wildlife roaming around. The main story-line was decent and the tribes you encounter in the caves were truly terrifying. There is a nod to old-time Lara where you can change you character to the one from Angel of Darkness or older games, but the novelty quickly wears off making you wonder about the advancements we have in the graphics department! Another thing brought back from the old games is Lara's encounter with wild-life. You hunt down Panthers, wrestle with Eels and evade deadly Piranhas.
Camilla Luddington does an amazing job as Lara, especially playing her for the third-time and it was a delight to watch Lara emerge as this bad-ass from flaming waters. The cinematic action sequences are awesome and keeps you on the edge of your seats.
So, its really a shame that the game-play lets you down otherwise this game would have been a straight 10. After the first 2, I was hoping that the 3rd one would be even better but sadly, this is not the case. The shadow hunting is really inconsistent and had this been just one or two levels, it would have been fine but you have to put up with this for over 90% of the game's action.
Still, I would recommend this game as how many times do you get to take an amazing, exciting journey with the gorgeous Lara Croft, which makes you feel that you are not just watching a Hollywood blockbuster but also playing it?? So, if you put up with the little inconsistencies you will have an amazing time!
So around 20+ hours of game-play later, I was left with mixed-feelings. Once again, the issue being game-play and the dynamics on which the platform is designed. We are living in the era of games like Uncharted and The Last Of Us, so anything less brilliant is not acceptable. Sadly, the new Tomb Raider game is not as fluid as the ones from Naughty Dog and the game-play, especially the shadow-hunting feels underwhelming.
So lets me get the bad out of the way. The major action sequences in the Shadow Of The Tomb Raider rely on stealth attacks. There is no option for you to go guns blazing as the enemy will gut you in seconds if you do so. So you have to stick to the shadows, muddy walls and dense bushes to make your silent move. About 90% of the action is based on this technique and it really feels very inconsistent. You can sometimes take out guards who are very close-by to others as the system cues that he is out of sight and at other times you get spotted even when you take out a guard who is isolated from everyone. There was this once where I hid against a muddy wall and took out a pack of 10 soldiers from the same spot as they kept coming seeing the first body on the ground but filed to spot Lara. This felt very funny and almost like a bug in programming.
Then the cover-aim-to-shoot, this is almost non-existent. This is a technique which Uncharted series mastered and in this game, it is almost non-existent. You kind of get in back in maybe 2 action sequences in the end and this makes you feel what this game was missing right from the beginning.
Then the visibility of the shadows, the game is very dark so make sure you play in a dark room or crank up the brightness as most of the areas are very poorly lit.
When you are not hunting from the shadows, you are taking obstructions and animals head-on. Here the combat style reverts back to the 90s. You leap, run, jump and run just like the old games. There is nothing clever or innovative here.
Finally, the platforming, even this is very inconsistent. When Lara is reaching out for the ledges between the gaps, it always feels like she is aiming in the wrong direction. The navigation is not smooth or fluid and at times it feels a bit frustrating. Like this one jump, where she had to jump and throw the rappel and jump again. I must have played this over 50 times to get it right. It is not the first time in the game doing that or even a tricky jump, it was a simple one but for some reason, just that one jump needs to be done in the right angle, at the right time with the right camera view. It almost felt like a bug. Not sure if I was the only one who had this issue! Added to that, the loading time, I thought the technology has advanced to that level where the loading times are mostly non-existent but in this game, it really feels substantial. It almost takes about 50 seconds to a minute to load the game if you die in game-play. That is really bad. Big games like God of War or Uncharted 4 didn't have such loading times!
Ok, that's quite a few negative points but what can I do. The recent similar adventure-style game which I played was Uncharted: Lost Legacy and that game was amazing in comparison. It was not even the main one, it was a spin-off based on Uncharted series and everything in that game was simply brilliant.
Now, let me talk about the positives. Playing as Lara is always a delight and this time, it was no less. You cannot stop loving her character and making sure that she succeeds in everything. The childhood Lara level was brilliant and right up Uncharted alley. But sad that there is only one of such level leaving you wanting for more. The puzzles are well designed and take a bit of time but completing them is satisfactory. The environment and sound design is top notch. You can feel the lush jungles of Peru, the crystal clear waters and abundant wildlife roaming around. The main story-line was decent and the tribes you encounter in the caves were truly terrifying. There is a nod to old-time Lara where you can change you character to the one from Angel of Darkness or older games, but the novelty quickly wears off making you wonder about the advancements we have in the graphics department! Another thing brought back from the old games is Lara's encounter with wild-life. You hunt down Panthers, wrestle with Eels and evade deadly Piranhas.
Camilla Luddington does an amazing job as Lara, especially playing her for the third-time and it was a delight to watch Lara emerge as this bad-ass from flaming waters. The cinematic action sequences are awesome and keeps you on the edge of your seats.
So, its really a shame that the game-play lets you down otherwise this game would have been a straight 10. After the first 2, I was hoping that the 3rd one would be even better but sadly, this is not the case. The shadow hunting is really inconsistent and had this been just one or two levels, it would have been fine but you have to put up with this for over 90% of the game's action.
Still, I would recommend this game as how many times do you get to take an amazing, exciting journey with the gorgeous Lara Croft, which makes you feel that you are not just watching a Hollywood blockbuster but also playing it?? So, if you put up with the little inconsistencies you will have an amazing time!