Tomb Raider (2013) is
the reboot to the long running and beloved franchise. It aims to
present the defining events that shaped Lara into who she is. Can
they pull it off and can they do it without
upsetting too many
people?
Lara and a few crew members are searching for the lost island of Yamatai which was home to mystical and ancient Japanese tribe. They find it at the expense of their ship which is wrecked by a storm. Lara and the crew quickly learn that they are not alone on the island, which is also inhabited by a strange and violent cult.
Lara is alone and away
from the other crew members for most of the game and has to quickly
learn how to hold her own. Initially she's quite shaky and platforming
sections which would usually be effortless for her are a bit of struggle. There
are plenty of ooh and ah moments where I could almost feel her fear - her
pain too! She goes through and immense amount of punishment which had me
wincing and looking away from the screen.
Action is a big part of
this reboot, something unusual for a Tomb Raider game. Lara's first
weapon is a makeshift bow. Her first victim is a deer which she kills for
food. There's a definite sense of power in being able to take a life, a bit
of sadness too.
Killing an animal is
one thing, killing a human is completely different. Lara is forced to kill
one of the island's cultists in self defence. She doesn't take this well and is
physically ill after doing so. However, this doesn't last long and she quickly
becomes quite skilful in eliminating those in her way while screaming threats at
them. This is not quite and overnight-badass transformation but it does seem a
little unrealistic. Tomb Raider is a game after all so it's not
reasonable to expect it to be
completely accurate in this regard.
I liked watching Lara
gradually become more confident and I liked the action.
In addition to the bow, a shotgun, pistol and assault rifle become available later
on. They are all very satisfying to use. Combat is fairly straightforward and
consists of a solid 3rd person shooter component with a bit of melee and QTEs on
occasion. Ability and weapon upgrades make combat and exploration a bit easier and
require experience and salvage, which is a form of currency.
Platforming and puzzle
solving take the back seat in this reboot. There are many on-rails, set-piece
events where Lara has to react quickly or die. On one occasion she is sliding down a
river and has to shoot obstacles in her way. There's not much player involvement
during these scenes but I found them to be quite enjoyable. Back in the day, these
would be pre-rendered cut scenes so even this slight bit of involvement is
appreciated. This is similar to what
Uncharted does so well and honestly this game does feel a lot like
Uncharted. Gone are the long tombs
and mind bending puzzles and grid based jumps. Replacing it is a more forgiving platforming
system with simple puzzles and mini (optional) tombs.
I was thoroughly
impressed with the way the game feels. There's definite weight to the
way Lara moves. Every step,
every jump feels real. It's amazing how often this is overlooked but
this small touch makes the
controls much more responsive and satisfying. There are still several platforming sections
which make use of Lara's new tools including a climbing axe and rope arrows. They aren't
that difficult but they are fun. There's also almost no fall damage
(except in critical sections)
which makes exploring even more fun and encourages... exploration!
Each area has mini
challenges where Lara has to locate a certain number of items. These
are optional but they're pretty fun
to do and the bonus experience makes it worthwhile. You can always
backtrack at a later stage and
take your time to completely explore each area. I found this
enjoyable and relaxing and it's the kind of
thing a traditional Tomb Raider fan will appreciate and want more of.
The story is simple but
well told and engaging, which will have you anticipating what happens next.Yamatai was once ruled
by a queen who was said to posses mythical powers. Lara and her team
aim to discover more about the
island and her queen. Unfortunately, the island is inhabited by
zealous hostiles who don't take
kindly to the new arrivals. There are several journals to discover
which help flesh out the
story a bit more and give different perspectives about the happenings
on Yamatai. The supporting
characters are not wildly original but they're likeable and realistic
enough to help things move along
without being overly clichéd.
Lara though, is
special. It's awe inspiring to see someone we think we know in a
totally different
light. Lara has always
had an illustrious history and her character and background were
always well documented but only as
Lara Croft: The Tomb Raider. It's surprising it's taken so long for
an origins story to be
made in the franchise. Even Uncharted briefly touched on Drake's past
in Uncharted 3. The brief
section where you played as young Lara in Tomb Raider: The Last
Revelation doesn't count.
In this reboot we see a
strong and assertive young woman who is also clearly scared and
naive. The design of her
physically is more realistic with Lara having a stronger-looking and
bigger build. Her voice actor sounds
younger and more casual, gone is the clipped Croft accent. There's a
definite sense of Lara being a
person and not a 3D model named Lara. To be fair, Legend and
Underworld did do this well too but
this reboot take it to another level.
There is multiplayer
which features standard team-based modes as well as deathmatch.
Unfortunately this could not be tested (a
result of online matchmaking which didn't find any matches at the
time) but it should provide kicks
for those who like that kind of thing. At least they didn't tack on a
co-op mode. Unobtrusive multiplayer
like this is the way to go if a traditionally single player game must
have a multiplayer component.
On the technical side
of things, there's little to complain about here. The game looks
magnificent and has great weather
effects. It's worth backtracking just to see the same area at a
different time of day. The sound is
excellent and has great depth. A boulder crashing will boom and
resonate deeply while small
stones will crackle down. The gentle pattering of rain against the
leaves is interrupted by loud
thunderclaps. I just wish there was an option to balance the sound
levels as the sound effects can
overpower the speech.
I found Tomb Raider to
be an engaging and enjoyable experience from start to finish. It's a
little short but it's one of
those never-a-dull-moment kind of games which inevitably always feel
short. I put in over 20 hours of time in my first playthrough but this was to get a 100% collection rate. It would take about 8 hours otherwise. It's worth pointing out that I actually enjoyed the backtracking and searching for hidden items. I didn't force myself through this just for achievements.
One common criticism is that
this is not be a real Tomb Raider game. The lack of puzzles and exploration being chief
concerns. This is a legitimate point but it's important to bear in
mind that this is a reboot
and also and origins story. The emphasis on this
game is to give insight into what transformed Lara Croft into the
person we know. In this regard, they did a fine job and I look
forward to what awaits her next.
Pros
Technically excellent
Interesting story
Bold re-invention of an
iconic character
Simple but enjoyable
combat
Cons
Easy puzzles
A bit short
Rating: 90%
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