Shadow of the Tomb Raider, our Lara is all grown up… *sniff*

This is number 19 in the Tomb Raider games (see: PlayStation One Tomb Raider Lot), and it’s also said to be the final chapter in Lara Croft’s career. It’s a sad farewell, especially since we’ve known her for so long and have come to respect the things she does and what she’s been through. And man has she been through a lot.

Maybe causing the start to the apocalypse would put a damper on anyone’s career, so it’s not like it’s a bad place to retire. Merely a bad thing to do before retiring.

I actually pre-purchased this game at the last minute because I was torn whether I should wait or not. Turns out after all this time, I also obtained it in Humble Choice December 2019 bundle.

Thinking on the title, they could’ve like, had her become pregnant, and then that child would fall into her shadow. Get it? Shadow of the Tomb Raider?

Boom. Mind blown.

Didn’t happen.

Gameplay

The gameplay in this was pretty epic. You get to tie bad guys up in trees. Go a stealth route. Full on load everyone up with bullets (or arrows, in case that’s more your thing).

There were several random dips in FPS where the game stuttered for seconds at a time, and there wasn’t really much rhyme or reason to it.

Climbing was also an issue at times. Lara didn’t want to jump to certain places or latch onto an edge. It might’ve been an issue of mine, with not being aligned properly. But it was rough going with her not wanting to move until she got to that proper spot.

Are there achievements?

99 of them. Woo!

What about DLCs?

  • Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Deluxe Extras
  • Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Croft Edition Extras
  • Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Upgrade

Graphics

The graphics are damn near amazing. Top of the line, in fact. They really went for a realistic feel with this game, and unlike with Rise of the Tomb Raider, the water graphics in SotR are, again, top-notch.

However, the graphics weren’t without some flaws.

Jonah lost his upper body at one point during my gameplay. Like, it flat out disappeared. He ate a Slim Jim and…it was frightening. He needed to pull himself back together and get a shirt on.

Lara’s face looks almost too perfect that it seems fake. Maybe that’s just me? But in some cutscenes she just looked…wrong.

Navigation

It’s a linear game, but there are a lot of side areas you can explore–and some you can even miss depending on if you don’t have the proper gear needed.

I think that’s one of my biggest grudges with these games. You have to back-track or do a New Game + to actually get everything done. It’s slightly annoying. But there are a lot of games like this, not just this series, so it’s a mere personal pet peeve.

One of the worst things are in those intense run-from-danger moments. Sometimes it’s hard to see exactly where you’re supposed to go or what you’re supposed to latch onto, which could cause more than one death.

I know if you’re first starting the game it’s a lot of trial and error, but it still feels janky with where to go. Even with Survival Instincts.

Soundtrack

It doesn’t get much more immersive than with the sounds of being deep in the jungle, or if you’re underwater. Running out of breath, the music turns a bit more urgent and provides a frantic pulse, I guess? Battle music is also good, as is are the intense run-scenes.

It’s all good!

Narrative

The voice actors were great (as always?), and there wasn’t much dip in conversation. Unless an FPS drop happened.

However, when it comes to a lot of the other NPCs in the game, they don’t have many qualifying aspects. Yeah, they may sound a little urgent. They may have a bit of an attitude. But looking at Lara’s acting and Jonah’s acting, they truly stand out above any of the other people you’ll meet up with, and it’s kind of sad.

I guess they do live in a dreary time and place though?

I mean…apocalypse and all.

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