Tomb Raider Review

Can this ambitious open-world platformer contend with the all-time greats?
A Survivor Is Born. Time and time again, we've heard that slogan tossed our way with regards to Tomb Raider, and it's safe to say that its main campaign segment echoes this sentiment of the new, reborn Lara Croft. This isn't the far-fetched world of Legend, Anniversary and Underworld- this is a realistic island plagued by an unearthly curse, where Lara's sole motivation is to outlive her enemies long enough to find an escape route. Can such a premise possibly carry an entire game?

For the most part, yes. There's a defining sense of isolation and vulnerability in the new incarnation of the world's most famous female archaeologist, with menacing packs of wolves and lusting warriors threaten to end her journey to become the hero we know and love from the moment Lara leaves the wreck of the Endurance. Perhaps it could be argued that Crystal Dynamics' writing team lose sight of this theme of survival in the storyline's latter stages, when Lara must race to save a friend from an untimely fate, yet the slight loss of direction doesn't completely hamper the effective cliffhanger-style ending.

Just as significant to Tomb Raider's success is its refined gameplay engine. Previous outings such as The Angel Of Darkness and Legend sacrificed a consistent combat-shooting mechanic in lieu of strong platforming setpieces, so it's great to see that this latest effort is about as close as Crystal have come to getting the balance just right. One problem, though, that comes with this renewed consistency is that again, the balance of high-octane platforming moments and all-out gun battles is again lost a bit in the final hour or so, which becomes something of a run of shootouts and boss battles and Quick-Time-Events. Again, it's by no means a deal-breaker, however it has to be taken into consideration so as to prove why this isn't quite a fully-fledged Game Of The Year contender.

Aesthetically, Crystal can be proud of what they've achieved. Although the odd visual hitch does prove that the next-generation's increased visual power should come as something of a relief to developers, beyond that the title looks, sounds and feels great to play throughout. The soundtrack in particular is pitched just right to reflect the elevations of tension, pathos and pure action that occur at regular intervals throughout the campaign. In terms of replay value, there's little to fault either, with a host of classic series-riffing Tombs placed across the island for fans to discover if they want to tap back into the franchise's roots.

Finally, we come to the multiplayer segment. I'm sorry to say that as per usual, Tomb Raider falls into the trap of including a needless and simply average online component that contrasts heavily in quality to the impressive main campaign. It hasn't affected the score below, but it has to be said that this reviewer doesn't envy the developers in terms of now trying to promote downloadable new maps and character skins for a fundamentally flawed and needless 'bonus' addition to the product. It's a shame that developers are so keen to adhere to the COD market, because in its single-player segment, Tomb Raider aspires to and for the most part reaches such better quality territory.

Nevertheless, there's too much in the way of positive feedback surrounding this game to possibly let its shortcomings overshadow its greatness. When Tomb Raider hits the mark it's aiming for with its now soon-to-be-iconic bow weapon and vulnerable reborn lead character, it attains a quality which most rebooted video game franchises could only dream of, to be honest. What's here is most certainly a very strong foundation for future instalments, the best incarnation of the series yet. However, this doesn't quite do for Lara Croft what Batman: Arkham Asylum did for the Dark Knight, with later repetitive combat sequences and a disjointed final hour of its narrative grating a little too much for a 10/10 score to be within its reach. Tomb Raider, then, is an extremely promising opening chapter in what looks to be an incredibly rejuvenated franchise, setting the wheels in motion for a potential Game Of The Year contender if its sequel can learn from the minor mistakes here and achieve even higher levels of mastery. A Survivor Has Been Born!
9/10