REVIEW: Rise of the Tomb Raider

Tomb Raider was a triumphant return for the beloved franchise when it launched a few years ago. It was a technical marvel on Xbox 360 and the Definitive Edition enhanced that experience on Xbox One. The title introduced new gameplay mechanics and a story centered around survival. Rise of the Tomb Raider builds upon that and ties together many loose ends from the first game. It also gives us an interesting future to look forward to. While there may be minor flaws in the campaign, Rise of the Tomb Raider is a spectacular game in multiple ways. It might even be the first title that truly showcases what the next-generation of video games will be like.

The first thing gamers will notice are the visuals. They might be some of the best ever to make it into a video game and even rival Ryse: Son of Rome. In some ways, they even surpass that game. Ryse sacrificed movement and you always ran into invisible walls and other limitations. Rise of the Tomb Raider’s somewhat open world structure enables players to go anywhere and explore a multitude of different and diverse areas. You’ll travel through deserts, jungles, frozen landscapes, and crumbling ruins before the campaign is over. There are numerous tombs to explore and secrets to uncover. No game has looked this good and given this amount of freedom before. It’s a remarkable technical achievement. The facial animations have to be the best part.

Rise of the Tomb Raider might be the only game that has ever delved into Russian mythology and it’s a refreshing change from what other adventure games default to. For them it’s either always pirates or a famous lost city in Nepal that has been featured in countless films and movies. I can’t recall the last time the legend of Kitezh made it into a game or on the silver screen. The story is presented in a clear fashion and the collectibles enhance the lore. The best part is that I knew nothing of Russian legends before I went into this game so it was all unfamiliar territory to me. Pirates, South American civilizations, and Shangri-La we all know about. This is something different and that is what makes Rise of the Tomb Raider very special. It’s a thrilling sensation going in blind.

All you need to know is that the story is phenomenal. The ending will have your jaw drop on the floor and you’ll be on Twitter asking Crystal Dynamics when the next installment is coming out. The final few playable missions in the game are mind-blowing to say the least. I could talk about the story more but that would just ruin it for you. The ending will be a talking point for many months to come.

Stealth gameplay has been greatly increased since the Tomb Raider reboot. It’s now possible to hide in bushes and climb on trees to get the drop on enemies. Rise of the Tomb Raider incorporates elements from Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag but they work really well here. It adds a proper alternative approach to the game. You can go in guns blazing or take out enemies one at a time. The first Tomb Raider felt like stealth was tacked on but it feels like an important aspect this time around.

Controls are responsive and traversing the environment is easy. The movement system is excellent but shooting is difficult to begin with. Adding attachments and upgrading your weapons makes it easier as you spend more time with the game but it’s still not precise. It always feels like you’re fighting with the controls. The game still hasn’t nailed this mechanic and this will be a point of contention for many. What’s odd is that the bow feels precise and is easy to control, the rest of the weapons are a chore to operate.

The only other complaints I have relate to the voice acting and opening sequences in the game. From the trailers, we all know Rise of the Tomb Raider explores Russian myths and legends. Characters encountered in those regions tend to have American or British accents. Surely Crystal Dynamics could have found actors from the areas to voice those individuals. Listening to American accents when you know the game takes place in Russia is strange and made me question if I was even following the story properly. Were these people locals? Did they come here from the United States?

Additionally, the voice acting by some supporting characters, especially Jonah, is horrendous in the beginning. It sounds unnatural and, while it dramatically improves later in the campaign, it’s still quite strange listening to it. Crystal Dynamics could have gone back and rerecorded those lines.

The opening mission feels too much like a tutorial and the buildup to the proper action takes too long. I actually felt bored playing the opening few sequences. Maybe starting with a more spectacular set piece would have grabbed my attention and interest right away. It is a shame this needed to be brought up because the ending is quite possibly the most phenomenal action sequence ever incorporated into a game. They needed to start the game off with a bang. It’s a missed opportunity.

There are also certain moments in the story that could have been revealed sooner to shock the audience but they are revealed too late when we can piece the information together. It ruins the surprise and I wish Crystal Dynamics wouldn’t hold our hands as much. When I play a game I want to be surprised many times along the way, I don’t want to be able to predict the story because so many clues are dropped that it all becomes obvious. Hopefully this will be addressed in the next game.

Apart from that, I noticed a few frame rate drops during the opening cutscenes and strange artifacts around the character models. Hopefully a patch will be released to fix them but it is still strange when you encounter issues like these. People reading this review might be thinking this is such a minor complaint and why it needs to be brought up. It needs to be brought up because when you have a game that is as technically perfect as Rise of the Tomb Raider, issues like these are noticeable and take you out of the experience. Instead of being absorbed by the story, you notice these oddities and tend to focus on them because they are so bizarre and unexpected.

Don’t get me wrong, Rise of the Tomb Raider is a great game but these issues detract from the experience. They need to be highlighted because a game that is so story-driven needs to be perfect. Crystal Dynamics needs to focus on the voice acting in particular the next time around.

As you already know, microtransactions are part of the game and you can buy Expedition packs with real currency. They don’t impact the gameplay but they do increase the level of challenge if you want to replay a mission. They offer new ways to play but aren’t necessary at all. You earn plenty of credits in the game to earn multiple packs. I thought microtransactions would offer some sort of advantage to gamers who bought them but they mostly just make the game more difficult to be honest. I don’t see any need to spend anything on them unless you really like very difficult experiences. There are some cards that offer perks but most of them are just there to increase the challenge. I’m glad that’s how it is because anything other than that would be unfair.

Summary

Overall, Rise of the Tomb Raider is a great experience that is let down by its voice acting and certain key junctures in the story when the developers just tell us so much that we can guess what’s going to happen next. The good news is that these are few and far between and the spectacular final missions make up for everything. The puzzles and tombs require creative solutions you will have to use your mind to solve. The game requires dozens of hours to complete. Your heart will be racing, you will be terrified and pumped up at the same time. This title needs to be experienced by every Xbox One owner. This is the first game I think truly deserves the title of a next-generation game. You’ll know what I mean when you play it and will truly understand what I mean when you play the final sequence. Do yourself a favor and go pick this one up.