‘Rise of the Tomb Raider’ Continues Reboots Winning Ways

The majority of the time, a reboot of a game can be a good idea in theory and very poor in execution, like in the case of DMC: Devil May Cry. Taking what makes the character so timeless and cool and completely going in the opposite direction can ruin the game for you. While it wasn’t completely awful, it showed how you do not do a reboot. Luckily game studio Crystal Dynamics didn’t have that problem.

The Tomb Raider reboot in 2013 was an incredible game which showed the beginnings of one of gaming’s biggest and most known characters, with incredible gameplay, storytelling, well-paced action, and character development that does the character justice. So I am more than ready to play the sequel to that game. Rise of The Tomb Raider is continuing to tell the story of video game iconic heroine Lara Croft.

I got my hands on Rise at New York Comic Con this year and I was pretty impressed. After the events of the previous title, Lara is out to prove she’s not crazy after an organization named Trinity covers up what happened on the island of Yamatai in the previous game. Lara is now searching Siberia for the ancient city of Kitezh which is said to hold the secret of immortality.

It is good to see that the gameplay is intact. If it isn’t broken don’t fix it. But it is touched up. It’s much more clean and fluid. Exploring this tomb showing off the swimming mechanic, the jump scares are there, the design of the tomb is incredible, interesting puzzles, and tense moments. All done very well. This game does a good job showing off how much Lara has grown. I loved that she was able to snatch the detonator from the Trinity troops as she expertly traverses the crumbling tomb as water current is right behind her.

With a new weather system as well as day and night cycle. Lara will have to strategically hunt certain animals only found at certain times and weather conditions. This is an interesting mechanic that I wish to learn more about. Also returning is the crafting system in which Lara will use scavenged materials from plants and animals in the game’s harsh environment. And the combat has been redesigned to give more options for stealth attacks. Lara will be able to confuse enemies utilizing the environment, or avoid conflict by taking alternate routes.

So far Rise is looking like an amazing follow up to an amazing game. Not much longer until we get our hands on Rise of the Tomb Raider, as it is coming out November 10 for the Xbox 360 and Xbox One with later 2016 releases for Microsoft Windows and PS4. I am looking forward to seeing more of the beginnings of Lara Croft in this sequel and exploring these new tombs.