Shadow of the Tomb Raider Review Xbox One X

Verdict

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is an enjoyable action-adventure for the nigh part, yet ofttimes falls victim to a haphazard narrative and structural pacing that stops the trilogy's finale from truly standing out.

Pros

• Absolutely gorgeous world to explore
• Claiming Tombs are a joy to find and conquer
• Gunplay and stealth make for some strong encounters
• Lara Croft continues to be a stiff, well acted heroine

Cons

• Narrative is weak, disjointed and throwaway
• Pacing undermines exploration and mechanics
• Fails to capitalise on by game'due south characters and story
• Yet no dinosaurs...

Cardinal Specifications

• Review Toll: £39.99
• Programmer: Eidos Montreal
• Release Date: September 14, 2018
• Genre: Action Adventure
• Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC

Lara Croft is all grown upwards, again.

Developed by Eidos Montreal in collaboration with Crystal Dynamics, Shadow of the Tomb Raider follows Lara every bit she one time once more tries to stop The Society of Trinity from finding artifacts capable of destroying the world. It's a harrowing tale of Lara coming to terms with her ain morality and realising the value of friendship, although it seldom gels together in a satisfying way.

The closing affiliate of Lara Croft'south reboot trilogy is a complicated one. It'due south simultaneously the virtually accomplished chapter thus far, just too continually trips upwardly under the weight of its own ambition. Whether it's narrative, combat or exploration, very little in Shadow of the Tomb Raider feels as good equally I'd like. That isn't to say it'southward bad, it's consistently groovy, only it ends upwards sitting in the shadows of its contemporaries.

Troubled pacing and an odd mixture of performances kept me from getting truly invested, and the absence of Rhianna Pratchett'due south writing talent is almost definitely felt. Arcs are established without ever being paid off in a meaningful way, or otherwise prance around in limbo without existence touched for hours. It's frustrating. Yep, Rise of the Tomb Raider  could feel generic but information technology yet managed to weave an excellent yarn regardless.

The opposite is true here. Things wrap upwards in a hugely anticlimactic terminal act that fails to deliver thanks to a clumsy narrative which juggles far too many elements when none of them have plenty depth. Lara spends time either talking near her dead parents, realising her own misguided intentions or fending off Trinity, an evil organization whose motivations are muddy and inconsistent.

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Shadow of the Tomb Raider begins with the literal apocalypse. Upon stealing an ancient dagger, Lara is warned by her enemies of the cataclysm she'due south prepare in motion. This immediately becomes clear equally a rapturous tsunami tears through Mexico, killing thousands and leaving our heroine a dilapidated, broken mess. Jonah'due south shoulder is the just one left to lean on, a close friend of Lara whose human relationship is a pleasure to acquit witness to.

The relationship between Lara and Jonah is a brilliant 1. It's filled with history and a genuine care that shines through until the stop. Information technology should have been the chief focus, just instead finds itself on the sidelines as multiple, far less intriguing arcs are given prominence. Information technology feels like Eidos Montreal wasn't sure how to conclude this trilogy, resulting in a cavalcade of hollow nonetheless lavishly produced cutscenes that take you lot from 1 set up-piece to the side by side — all of which are, fortunately, an absolute joy to feel.

Aside from a few bespoke locations, the bulk of your time will be spent in the Hidden City of Paititi. Discovered in the opening hours, this ancient abode is positively huge, acting as the primary hub expanse you'll return to once more and again as the story progresses. It's cleverly designed and humming with life as citizens become about their daily routines. Lara is a stranger in a strange country, and its occupants react appropriately.

You'll receive questionable glances while exploring, whether peering through an empty household or discovering ruins that accept remained untouched for decades. At that place'due south a comedic element to Lara Croft digging through primitive huts similar a student on her gap twelvemonth, but it'due south likewise where the greatest part of Shadow rears its head: exploration. Stumbling across hidden crypts (essentially miniature tombs) to detect a useful upgrade and a few tidbits of lore is an engaging care for, developing the game's world in means I didn't look.

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Challenge Tombs are the real highlight. Hugely expanded from previous games, they now feel like levels inside themselves equally yous can spend upward of 30 minutes trying to solve a fiendishly crafted puzzle.

Tomb designs tin range from a crumbling Castilian Galleon amongst the boundaries of a cliff to a mixture of labyrinthian waterways that will enrapture you in seconds. Every unmarried one is polished to perfection, idyllically placed when encountered throughout the story. Some are hidden away in and around Paititi, and you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't seek them out.

Eidos Montreal made a point of emphasising the sheer size of Shadow of the Tomb Raider's hub world prior to release, and it was worthwhile to do so. You tin easily lose hours finding all the hidden relics, crypts and tombs scattered about the place. Citizens can provide you with side quests, simply these are painfully boring, crippled past the same lacklustre writing weighing down the chief campaign. Information technology's pitiful that dialogue feels so inconsequential. The history of this metropolis is fascinating, yet it'due south hidden away in artefact descriptions and rarely excels exterior of them.

The solo campaign is arguably the to the lowest degree compelling role of the entire package. Spectacular action sequences aside, information technology'due south a whistlestop tour of a earth I was waiting to be unleashed in. Within of seconds of unlocking the ability to fast travel, I returned to previous locations to sweep upward annihilation I missed. Doing so is an exercise in satisfaction, largely thanks to Lara's upgrade progression which does an fantabulous job of maintaining interest in the wider universe.

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Split into three distinct skill categories, Lara can upgrade and acquire abilities that will become key to gainsay, exploration and the gathering of resources. Each one feels similar a substantial footstep forward, particularly if information technology results in you now being capable of chain takedowns or firing off three arrows with a moving picture of the shoulder button. Despite making a real deviation to how you lot play, upgrades to hunting and plant gathering feel footling as I e'er had plenty crafting components, and going out of your way to slaughter animals feels largely pointless as a outcome.

When Lara Croft isn't destroying monuments or raiding tombs she's constitute with an assault rifle in manus and countless corpses at her anxiety. While a trivial less gratuitous than past entries, Shadow of the Tomb Raider still takes a morbid pleasure in Lara's talent for slaughter. She'll hang enemies upward by treetops before slitting their throats or set them afire in an explosion of fire. The tonal shift betwixt a timid adventurer who's near ashamed of her own actions to a mass-murdering psychopath is difficult to swallow and doesn't take the charm of Uncharted to help pull it off. Don't even get me started on her death animations.

At to the lowest degree combat is serviceable. Armed with a bow, pistol, shotgun and assault burglarize, Lara is a forcefulness to be reckoned with equally she blows away soldiers almost twice her size. Weapons can be upgraded, too, providing a reason for mixing things up with different attachments and quirks. A personal favourite of mine was a flare zipper for pistols that could both distract foes and gear up the derisive buggers alight. I found stealth to exist the well-nigh enjoyable route, though.

Nearly all encounters tin be conquered without a unmarried bullet fired thanks to new stealth mechanics. Lara tin can now cover herself in mud before sinking into a nearby wall, waiting for Trinity to stumble into slaughter. This feels fantastic and chaining together a dozen or so attacks as you hibernate in bushes or atop copse never gets quondam. So it'southward a shame that gainsay encounters are surprisingly few and far between this time around equally nevertheless some other victim of Shadow's mediocre pacing.

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Enemies range from cannon fodder infantry to more than powerful variants you'll need to think strategically to dispatch. Those with helmets can shrug off headshots while heavily armoured foes aren't as vulnerable to stealth attacks. There'southward a reasonable corporeality of nuance here, only but if you're willing to play by the game's rules. Otherwise, a constant hail of bullets will make mincemeat out of anything .

Traversal in Shadow of the Tomb Raider is a real accomplishment, fifty-fifty if sure segments can be choosy. Climbing jagged mountain sides with your ice picks before precariously grappling downward into a minor, tight ravine are just some of the vertigo-inducing sights y'all'll have in.

Visually, it's a masterclass in environmental detail and genuine spectacle. I played on Xbox One X, which is capable of running things at a native 4K resolution with HDR aslope it. Aside from a few operation hiccups, it ran without any bug at all at 30fps. If you're a sucker for a juicy framerate, in that location's an option to prioritise this above resolution to run the game at 60fps, and it still looks wonderful.

Verdict

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is an enjoyable activeness-hazard for the most part, yet ofttimes falls victim to a haphazard narrative and structural pacing that stops the trilogy'south finale from truly standing out.

The evolution that was steps abroad from reaching its crescendo in Rise of the Tomb Raider is pushed aside here in favour of an feel that feels needlessly disjointed, making the principal campaign feel similar a distraction from the otherwise exceptional side content.

Challenge Tombs are a joy to navigate while the ample amounts of relics and treasures waiting to be found in and effectually the city of Paititi are a frequent blast to uncover. I'll be going back for more than, and I'grand excited to see where the series goes next, but I can't assistance but feel disappointed when all'due south said and done.

Trusted Score

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