Tomb Raider: a new twist to old adventures

“I hate tombs,” Lara Croft exclaims as she narrowly avoids yet another grisly fate in Crystal Dynamics’ Tomb Raider reboot. It’s something gaming’s leading female would never have said during the original playstation era, but having played through half of her 2013 outing I was inclined to see where she was coming from. The new addition is action packed as ever: when Croft isn’t falling off a cliff or being shot at, a tomb is inevitably collapsing on her head (if the inhabitants of said tomb have not already tried to eat her).

Certainly, the amount of physical torment heaped upon the poor woman will be unexpected for those used to the feisty, dual-pistol wielding badass of previous raids. The portrayal of a more vulnerable Croft is all in aid of a gritty origin story that manages to set itself aside from prior games while providing a stellar action experience. Although it can feel contrived and unoriginal at times, Tomb Raider’s addictive mixture of gunplay, exploration and platforming make for an exhilarating thrill ride that remains gripping from beginning to end.

The setting for Lara’s emotional journey from fresh-faced student to hardened survivor feels appropriately sinister and unsettling. After several days at sea, sudden disaster leaves the young Croft and her companions stranded on the remote island of Yamatai. It’s already a bad day by this point, particularly for Lara whose idea it was to head into dangerous waters in the first place. Things only get worse when the members of a mysterious cult begin to hunt the survivors, whilst storms prevent the group from leaving and events take a typically supernatural turn.

In pursuing a darker, more character-focused, tone the game initially seems to be sacrificing too much of what makes the franchise unique. There is little ‘raiding’ actually going on here, and in comparison to the labyrinthine brainteasers of past games, the tombs on display are restricted to relatively small, one-puzzle nooks and crannies that can be discovered as Lara advances across the island. Instead, the main focus is more linear and clear cut; Lara uses her scavenged weapons to fend off her attackers and climb her way through to the next objective, with an unyielding urgency to move forward. Often areas open out in an attempt to encourage wider movement, however, most collectibles found from these excursions are paltry at best, and are only likely to satisfy the most meticulous of achievement chasers.

It’s a shame that some may be put off by Tomb Raider’s movement towards being a more conformist third person shooter. However, the game pulls it all off so well that you’ll still have a great time playing, whether Lara is dangling off a rock face enduring perilous blizzards, stealthily dispatching guards with her bow, or running for her life as the ground explodes beneath her in one of several eye-popping set-pieces. Even the numerous button-bashing quick-time events are forgiven as they are produced in such an exciting way.

Everything about Tomb Raider is streamlined in tune with a perfect sense of pacing, giving it an unputdownable quality that only the best adventure games can boast. Shootouts feel both satisfying and varied as they are skillfully broken up. During these, Lara runs, climbs and jumps across the heavy forests, accompanied by a landscape of ancient ruins and shantytowns of the ominous Yamatai. Variety is maintained by a well-implemented camping system, which not only allows fast travel across any previously visited area, but also enables Lara to upgrade her weapons and use experience points to unlock new skills. Also, the addition of new equipment, such as rope-arrows for making zip lines, prevents the game from becoming stale throughout its ten-hour run time.

While the game appears to have nailed all the fine details of an engaging, modern action adventure, the same can’t be said for its multiplayer component. If there were ever an example of an undercooked multiplayer mode being tacked on to a game with no requirement of it, Tomb Raider would emerge front and center. It feels as though the effort directed towards a few boring, clichéd game types and uninspiring rewards for leveling could have been used instead to enhance the superior single player to even greater heights.

The new Lara Croft may ‘hate tombs’ for the moment, but this certainly won’t be the last we see of her. For most, Tomb Raider will breathe new life into an aging franchise, and, chances are, that you will want to relive the hell of surviving Yamatai again and again.