The Icon Returns: Rise of The Tomb Raider

Developer: Crystal Dynamics

Publisher: Square Enix

Platforms: PC, PS4, XB1, X360

Initial Release Date: November 10, 2015

Square Enix raised a storm over the internet two years ago when they announced that the sequel to the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot, Rise of the Tomb Raider would be a timed exclusive to the Xbox One and Xbox 360 systems. While the PC version did come out later in early 2016, the release date for the PS4 version was still pretty ambiguous. Recently, the game released for the PS4 as a "20 Year Anniversary Edition" on October 11, 2016. 

Rise of the Tomb Raider is set after the events of the 2013 reboot. Lara Croft is looking for the lost city of Kitezh and the key to immortality that is hidden in that city, something her father died pursuing. Matters get complicated when Trinity, an ancient order of knights which is now a para-military organisation, start an aggressive search for the artefact as well. Lara must supress Trinity and fulfil her father's legacy by finding the artefact. 

The gameplay is quite similar to the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot. What I appreciated the most about Rise of the Tomb Raider is that all the gameplay set pieces can stand on their own and do not feel repetitive for even a single moment. 

For a game that is almost a year old, Rise of the Tomb Raider looks absolutely fantastic. From how the snow on the ground scattered while Lara walks to the teardrops coming out of Lara's eyes during emotional scenes, Rise of the Tomb Raider is easily one of the most visually detailed videogames in this generation. 

There are very few negatives that drew my attention while playing through Rise of the Tomb Raider. My most major complaint about the game is the lack of comic relief throughout the entire game. Granted, the Tomb Raider franchise is quite darker in comparison to the Uncharted franchise but it can get quite tedious to sit through intense moments for around 15 hours without a single comic relief to ease the tension. Also, the jump-scares in the game were pretty predictable and this is something that needs to be improved in the future entries.

The improvements in visual quality and plotline and the clever gameplay set pieces have made Rise of the Tomb Raider a near perfect experience and a definite improvement over its predecessor which was not that bad itself. If Crystal Dynamics can keep up the good work, I can easily see the rebooted Tomb Raider franchise becoming one of my favourites.

Nony Khondaker is an introvert with immense passion for tech and music. Feel free to send your constructive feedback at nonykhondaker@live.com or follow him on twitter.com/NonyKhondaker