Introduction

Lara and her supporting Cast

• Lara Croft is young, and this game functions as a reboot, meaning she hasn’t had much time to grow into her name. As you play the game, Lara slowly grows, becoming more confident and determined.
• Dr. James Whiteman is a celebrity archaeologist and one of the most annoying characters I have ever met. James is trying to avoid bankruptcy, so of course, he betrays his friends and ends up getting himself chopped up. When he died, it was the best.
• Conrad Roth is one of the best characters in the game! He has close ties to the Croft family and is Lara’s mentor throughout the game until his epic death. Roth is one of the few characters who helps Lara in a meaningful way.
• Samantha Nishimura is the young woman who gets kidnapped. At the start of the game, she is the one filming the documentary. Samantha doesn’t bring much to the table, but she is an excellent friend to Lara and doesn’t do much harm.
• Joslyn Reyes is the mechanic and one of the biggest assholes in the game. Her whole character revolves around her being an ass. Tossing remarks at Lara and not listening when she is warned of things. Her character “growth” happens at the end of the game, and it was such a joke.
• Jonah Maiava is a fisherman and one of the only people to believe something weird is happening on the island. He functions as the voice of reason for Lara and aids her when he can, mostly with words.
• Angus “Grim” Grimaldi is a bad ass. No really, he goes down fighting! Again, this character is one of the few to help Lara.
• Alex Weiss was comic relief, I think. He does end up dying like a hero though! We don’t get nearly enough time with this character.

Combat

The combat in Tomb Raider is weird. When playing on hard mode, enemies turn into bullet sponges, and melee combat becomes this last resort thing you would rather not use. Melee combat could’ve been so cool, and trust me; it works better in the next game. In this game, melee combat only works when it’s upgraded. The big problem with going in for a melee hit is that it feels like it does nothing. You use melee to set up for a finisher, and the finishers are cool and feel satisfying. 

Gunplay was satisfying at first, and landing headshots in the game is always satisfying. However, the shotgun leaves much to be desired. At times it feels like the shotgun either does a lot of damage or none at all. The pistol was reliable throughout the game and is still one of my favorite weapons. At a certain point, landing body shots with Lara’s bow becomes pointless, which was a real shame. 

As you play through the game, you will upgrade Lara and her weapons, and those upgrades will save your life. The upgrades slowly turn the guns into useable objects: However, this doesn’t save the weird damage ratio you run into on the hardest difficulty. 

Stealth killing is extremely rewarding and an absolute blast to perform. Lara can get in close and strangle people with her bow; this kill takes a few seconds. If you upgrade this move, Lara will use her climbing ax for a quicker kill.

Exploration

Exploring Yamatai was simply amazing, with a few caveats. Lara seemed to always have to run on breaking objects, run through fire, or cross large environmental gaps. Sometimes it was utterly immersion-breaking. How did other people who were stuck here even get around? No one knows. 

Sliding around on ropes was so fun, and eventually, you can zip up ropes with speed. I could play a whole game revolving around Lara doing parkour! There was a lot of sliding in the game, and I loved every second of it. However, the water rapids were gross. Tomb Raider has a lot of vivid death scenes when Lara dies. Most of them didn’t bother me but watching her get impaled was a little much. 

You are rewarded for exploring; often, you will find treasure or parts for upgrades. Exploring is worth your time, and so is doing the tombs!

Character Development

Lara goes through so much character development it isn’t even funny. When she kills a man, she goes into shock; you can see it on her face. The whole encounter with the man is gross, but when the shot pans out to Lara standing over his body, you’re hit with a rush. She killed him and felt terrible. 

As the game goes on, Lara stops feeling bad. Instead, she understands that she has to survive, not only to save her friends but to save herself. Lara becomes a survivor; she learns new skills and pushes herself further than ever before. 

The most significant development comes when Lara realizes the island has power and the supernatural may exist. For a moment, she struggles with the idea until she finds evidence that groups before them thought the same thing. The revelation about Himiko having real power, and her soul being passed from vessel to vessel, leads Lara to believe her father was onto something within his studies.

Score

Tomb Raider is getting a 95/100

• Character Development: Lara grows throughout the whole game. You can see her character and motivations shift throughout the story.
• Design: Yamatai felt alive and lived in.
• Sound: The sound effects were spot on.
• Story: Although the story didn’t make sense at first it comes together in a beautiful way.
• Enjoyment: There are little aspects to the game that pull it together. Each tomb is fun and you’re offered just enough lore to keep you going, without anything being forced on you.
• Character Upgrades and XP: Gaining new levels and upgrading your gear is made easy. The interface is easy to navigate and you can see the difference each upgrade makes.
• Stealth: Stealth combat is the most enjoyable combat in the game. Although you only have a few options you’re rewarded handsomely when you complete a stealth kill, making it worth doing.
• Tomb Raider is a dynamic game. Characters react to events around you and are constantly on the move in some way. Each time Lara enters a new area you get to see something new. The weather in Tomb Raider is one of my favorites, and brings the game to life.

Tomb Raider is an excellent introduction to the trilogy and a fantastic introduction to Lara Croft. Despite the background characters being mainly useless, they bring their charm to the table and propel the story forward. No character stalls and each action seems to have been created to push the narrative further. 

Large gunfights often feel like a drag; enemies take a lot of shots to go down. Often they feel like bullet sponges. The enemy variety helps this issue a little, and when Lara goes in for a kill after a perfect dodge, the moment is sublime. Upgrades make combat smoother and add to the illusion that Lara is growing and learning. 

Tomb Raider has an exciting story, and although it’s not overly complex, it serves its purpose. Lara grows into her name, and in the end, wants to learn more. She is searching for something. The story is a catalyst for the character and ends in a satisfying way. Every character died for something, no death felt random, and I am thankful for that. However, aspects of the story felt random. The samurai especially felt like they came out of left field, even with the story explanation. The final boss was a complete joke; the last boss suffered because Tomb Raider didn’t feel like it was made for combat. 

However, the experience was enjoyable, and I look forward to finishing this trilogy.