Review of the shadow of the tomb robbers

Shadow of the Tomb Raider PS4

The reboot of Tomb Raider in 2013 was one of my favorite games from the previous generation of the console. I loved her darker and more granular narrative direction and the decision to make Lara Croft something deeper and more complex than her 90s, a fantastic design with incredible proportions. He gave life to a franchise that felt more and more out of date. The mechanics of gameplay and level design were also brilliant, modernizing the series with a model that sought to balance exploration, problem solving and combat in a satisfying loop.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the third installment of the new restarted series and I was particularly keen to see how the developer Crystal Dynamics had rehearsed on the basis of a formula he had set up so successfully five years ago. After only a few hours of play, I have no doubt in my mind that this is the most successful culmination of this design that we have already seen. What was less clear, however, was how much the experience would go beyond the familiarity of his formula to show me something new.

The story of Lara Croft's age is now officially over. She is indeed a hardened archaeologist of badass – young, but confident in her abilities and matured of her experiences during the last two games. At the beginning of Shadow's story of the Tomb Raider, she performed a major reality test, but her thirst for an ancient artifact unwittingly leads her to launch a series of cataclysmic events. who have devastated an entire city and threaten to destroy the world. . This is a very important issue, and the development of Lara's character throughout the game focuses on her ability to take responsibility for her actions and cope with the consequences of her behavior. It is sometimes dark and shocking, and the urgency of Lara and Jonah's best friend is desperate.

The dubious Trinity Order, led by Pedro Dominguez, returns as the main antagonist of the game, but this time, his clash with Lara Croft takes place in a radically different setting. The exotic Peruvian jungle is the backdrop for Lara's return to lush forests, ruined temples and interactions with indigenous tribes who feel much more than the mountains of Russia.

This should please fans of the series. In particular, if you wanted something closer to the aesthetics of the 2013 reboot. In fact, both the story and the location, this last game is quite reminiscent of this experience. From dense forest vegetation to the incorporation of indigenous peoples and tribal cults.

It's certainly prettier. In fact, it does not do justice; Between superbly detailed character patterns and stunningly illuminated environment textures, Shadow of the Tomb Raider is absolutely beautiful. In combination with the twittering and whistling sounds of the jungle, you get the impression that you are really in the heart of the Amazonian vegetation. I could not get tired of exploring the many spectacular waterfalls, mountain peaks and mysterious temples and aboriginal ruins. There are even urban centers, and Lara is free to move in several towns and villages.

However, in the jungle, Shadow of the Tomb Raider not only looks like the best, but it is also wonderful to play. Traversal is once again the best, challenging players to master much more than just holding a button to catch and jump between traversable surfaces. He is skilled at swinging from start to finish with the grapple ax, swaying up and down the rocky cliffs and saving it from countless falling ledges. This is nothing I have ever seen before, however, it must be said. But it is certainly not less fun to leave.

This is a good thing too, as you will be exploring the open spaces and exploring the ancient ruins at Shadow of the Tomb Raider. There is really a wealth of content to explore, with dozens of optional areas that stand out from the game's major hubs. The level design will be familiar to anyone who has played the previous two games, but this time, Crystal Dynamics has made things happen with crypts, tombs, monoliths and all kinds of documents, murals and relics to locate. I especially enjoyed the Tombs, scattered generously throughout the world, which offer fun and sometimes long distractions, accompanied by puzzles.

There are also side quests that allow Lara to interact with local people and help them with various tasks. Of all the content, however, honestly, I did not find this particularly meaningful or satisfying. They add nothing more than to give you more goals to check, especially since the arcs of history are not so interesting.

While we are about to "check", even though the volume of content lends itself to replayability, I'm not sure I like the way the entire experience is essentially indexed and segmented according to check by box. or in percentage, I should say. It's addictive, the process of working slowly through all the activities and goals of the game, but it makes the exploration less special. This is compounded by the fact that you can always rely on your survival instinct to get an idea of ​​what you are supposed to interact with and where to go. So, even though everything looks good, I often felt like I was making my way through the content, obsessively trying to increase my percentage and tick the boxes.

Of course, you will also work to defeat these extra areas to improve Lara's skills, weapons and items. Shadow of the Tomb Raider incorporates an XP system that rewards players for virtually everything they do in the game, to varying degrees. The progression system is part of the restarted series from the beginning, and they work well in tandem, with a focus on lightweight survival mechanics. Although they are many in number, I never really felt that many of them were absolutely necessary to the experience apart from some pretty vital improvements to Lara's fighting abilities.

In terms of combat, Shadow of the Tomb Raider is best played as a stealth game and it was designed with the intention of the players to opt for this strategy. Sneaking is hassle-free, Lara automatically hiding behind the blanket, and it's very easy to draw a deadly path through your enemies using bushes and walls covered in grapevine or mud. There is a good mechanic that you score early in the game and that allows you to cover yourself in the mud for extra coverage, and Lara feels like you're solid in camouflage while waiting to hit unsuspecting victims. The demolition operations are violently violent and cinematic, as she plunges her knife into her victims.

Most of the time, it's almost too easy. The enemies appear to be deliberately placed in search of Lara's position or patrolling near areas where they can attack them. They are also almost always close together to facilitate a chain withdrawal (a skill you should probably acquire as soon as possible). Of course, there are times when you have to use the age-old jet-a-bottle-distraction-enemy, and the game later introduces much more difficult enemies to pass, but it's rarely difficult. I only found myself in front of a shot B a few times outside the shooting scenes. When the action is triggered, the shot is actually very good, and the number of weapons that reign there is nice. Although, for my money, it is only during these moments of despair, it seems appropriate that Lara chain Trinity activists or indigenous tribes.

While the management of Crystal Dynamics clearly wants to bring Lara Croft into the broader context of the story, the new Lara School has no qualms about committing mass murder. It's a little out of sync with his character, and I can not help but think that there was a missed opportunity to incorporate a non-lethal game option. Maybe even introduce a mechanic who has had consequences in both cases? Instead, you are forced to send your enemies without mercy in the same way as the previous games. Of course, many series are guilty of excessive violence, but this new Lara Croft is supposed to be slightly more grounded in reality, right? Even though the slaughter was reduced a bit this time, I could still do with more Tomb Raiding and fewer serial murders.

I also wanted to see Lara's personality shine a little more than in the past. Of course, it's a deliberately serious and moody story, but that does not mean I did not expect it to develop a bit of that sassy charm as it matured through this trilogy . She does not have any. She does a lot of insolent things, but there is no attitude – just anger and dozens of men in pieces. His dialogue is often a little bland and writing throughout the game is nothing more than decent.

However, not everyone is going to share this feeling and, overall, I still very much appreciate what Lara Croft has become. I think my main complaint with the game is that Tomb Raider was the most polite and the most entertaining without being really brave and moving the show forward. Yes, the dark and dark story changes Lara Croft into a character, and yes, Crystal Dynamics has found a nice balance between every gaming mechanic, but judged against the 2013 reboot, not to mention Rise of the Tomb Raider. .

That being said, Shadow of the Tomb Raider still deserves to be played, and it's an easy recommendation. There is a challenge to its gameplay, which every facet feels good to control. The graphics are sublime, the world beautifully detailed and there are sensational moments that will put you on the edge of your seat. I've also enjoyed most of the story, although the serious theme that runs through his plot can sometimes be a bit grueling. All in all, it's a great finale for Lara Croft's trilogy of adventures, sure enough, but she does not seem to want to take too much of a risk apart from the iconic character of the series through a dark and macabre story.

Score: 4/5 – Super

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