Lara Croft is back in business, and this latest installment of the Tomb Raider series does not disappoint. Fighting her way through the dense jungles of South America, Lara embarks on a quest for an ancient artifact that has the power to end the world as we know it. Along the way, she will transform into the Tomb Raider that we know and love.
Two important elements make this game spectacular, and one of them is the constant adrenaline rush. The journey through the jungle is long, but lethal surprises around every corner keep you battling within the inch of your life, and therefore engaged in the action, the entire time. The dangers are not restricted to human enemies, either; jaguars, tsunamis, volcanoes, and plenty other natural perils await you. Luckily, Lara is still as fast and strong as ever, and she possesses the reflexes and capabilities to survive under your guidance. However, surviving still requires skill and speed with the controls—intricate jumps, time restrictions, and heavy enemy attacks all add pressure to your game, and you must keep a level head in times of extreme stress. But after playing this game for a while, your coordination, precision, and timing are bound to improve, and you get almost comfortable with the lush jungle around you. To be sure, the vast open spaces are beautiful, and they really make you feel as if you are in the open wilderness. It almost makes you want to go back and just explore the area—if only it weren’t for those nasty jaguars.
The second main aspect of the game is the mental challenge: now a trademark of the Tomb Raider series, puzzles and brain teasers force you to use your intellect in order to progress through the game. Shadow of the Tomb Raider presents you with some of the most intricate and subtle ones yet, and you often have to figure out multiple complex steps in order to arrive at the solution. The challenges rarely repeat themselves and often test your creative thinking skills; that being said, many of them involve Lara shooting arrows and attaching ropes to different pulleys and mechanisms to lift weights or use machinery in very clever ways. Personally, I am terrible at these types of puzzles, and sometimes I had to take a break after hours of wracking my brain. But there is definitely a sense of accomplishment when you finally see the answer and make everything work. I loved how this game made you exercise your mental muscles as well as your physical reflexes and showed that brains as well as brawn are necessary for survival.
There are so many other excellent qualities of the game: a rich and varied storyline, new weapons and costumes, elevated sensory abilities that allow you to forage in the forest, and a glimpse into Lara’s tragic past, which includes a playable flashback of Lara as a child. I highly recommend Shadow of the Tomb Raider to those who are itching for a rewarding challenge that improves their own skills as a gamer.
Rating: 10/10
Check Out the Shadow of the Tomb Raider Launch Trailer:
Created by a team of veteran TOMB RAIDER developers at Eidos-Montréal, in collaboration with Crystal Dynamics and Nixxes, the Shadow of the Tomb Raider will be available on September 14, 2018 for the Xbox One family of devices including Xbox One X, PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system, and Windows PC /Steam.
Related: Shadow of the Tomb Raider Review for Xbox One
Xbox One Review
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Overall Score - 10/1010/10
From the moment I first played Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy on the original Xbox, I have always had an avid curiosity and enthusiasm for video games. I admire their ability to immerse us in completely different worlds, and I am always eager to see how they integrate the newest breakthroughs in digital technology to make virtual reality feel real. I am currently a senior at UC Berkeley, but when I'm not studying I always make time to play Xbox One with my younger brother.
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