Tomb Raider (2013) - A New Origin

Welcome back to my coverage of the Tomb Raider series! The 10th entry was my very first Tomb Raider experience, and it's actually one of my favorite games on PC.

Developing a New Origin Story

With the completion of Tomb Raider: Underworld in 2008, the team at Crystal Dynamics had punched out three great Tomb Raider adventures. It wasn't long before Lara Croft would return, but not in the sense that players expected. The men and women at Crystal were split into two teams, and each team was given a project.

The first of these projects, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, was an isometric-style adventure game and was released in 2010. It was a very different type of Tomb Raider game, but it's very successful, and the fans were thrilled.

While Team 1 worked on Guardian of Light, the second team was tasked with developing the next mainline adventure in the series. Lara got a new look that toned down her proportions significantly and a new voice to go with it. Keeley Hawes didn't return for the next big adventure (though she was Lara in Guardian of Light and its sequel, Temple of Osiris). Instead, actress Camilla Luddington took over the role.

The game was released on March 5, 2013, and was met with acclaim. Players and critics alike loved the game's story and characters, although there was some criticism about the combat...we'll come back to this in a bit.

The Story is Great!

The mythical island nation of Yamatai is somewhere within the Dragon's Triangle (an area of the Pacific Ocean south of Japan). Many explorers have sought it out, but none have succeeded - until now.

A young and naive Lara Croft is part of the latest expedition and ends up shipwrecked in a storm. She and a small group of survivors quickly realize that they're on the island they're looking for, and find themselves forced into a fight for their lives with a group of cultists.

What Works?

So, what works here? Well...

• The graphics are really, really good.
• The music and sound design are great.
• Combat is remarkably satisfying.
• Story-wise, the writing is amazing. It's well-paced, and the characters are likable.
• The voice acting is also great. Camilla Luddington's portrayal of Lara is great. She gives the character some nice depth. She starts vulnerable and develops a real sense of confidence.
• World-building is fantastic. There are many documents and artefacts that you can find to give it some nice depth. Documents like diary entries tell us the stories about the survivors.

Is there Anything that Doesn't Work?

So, is there anything here that doesn't work? Yes, unfortunately, there are a few things that I wasn't too keen on.

Let's start off easy, the combat. Yes, it's satisfying, but it's also really out of place. Lara is meant to be uncomfortable with killing, but it's not even two or three seconds later that she's killing everything that moves with little to no hesitation. As dangerous as the island and the cultists are, it still feels out of place.

Tombs are another nitpick. The previous games focused on exploring tombs and solving puzzles. This time around, the tombs are still there - but they're optional. The puzzles are physics-based, which is interesting, but some of them are also frustrating.

Lastly, the final boss fight with Mathias is a bit disappointing. Mathias himself is built up significantly as a threat, so the final fight should've had a far stronger impact than it does.

300+ Hours of Gameplay

Overall, Tomb Raider is a great game, and it's one of my favorite games to play. I've put in over 300 hours of gameplay and like to revisit the game now and then. If you haven't played this one, I highly recommend giving it a go.