Tomb Raider by Crystal Dynamics came out in early 2013 and was a reboot of the critically acclaimed franchise. The game received high praise from almost every gaming outlet due to the game shining a new light onto who Lara Croft is and how her tomb raiding days came about. Most expected the game to feature a Lara Croft the badass, but it was more about woman vs. wild. Well, Lara is back in a new adventure, and she's learned a lot from her last.
Although the demo we were given for The Rise of the Tomb Raider wasn't hands-on, we still got a good sense of the game and where it's headed. First off let me say this, Tomb Raider on next-gen hardware is gorgeous! The vistas and landscapes will take your breath away.
In the last Tomb Raider, Lara found herself trapped on a strange island with no way to escape besides taking down the supernatural force that were keeping them captive. In The Rise of the Tomb Raider, that incident has been covered up, and an organization that goes by the name of Trinity has accused Lara of being insane. To fend off these acquisitions, Lara is on a mission to prove that there are other supernatural places on earth.
Since we're super excited for the game, we decided to give you guys our top reasons that you should be excited for Rise of the Tomb Raider when released this fall on Xbox One.
Tombs, tombs everywhere
In 2013's Tomb Raider, the game focused more on getting off of the island and less about raiding tombs. There was maybe one mission that made you raid a tomb. Other than that, all tombs that were raided were secret areas that players had to look actively for the tomb and if it was successfully raided it would give you some extra salvage points.
In Rise of The Tomb Raider, tombs are no longer an after-thought and instead have taken the forefront. Most tombs that will be raided will require you to avoid traps while trying to solve an environmental puzzle at the same time. Just like tombs in past installments, they will become harder to solve the further you progress.
Lara's new abilities
To help her solve some of the harder puzzles, she's going to need some new abilities. For example, Lara can now hide in bushes, traverse and climb trees, and also can swim. That being said, that's only the beginning of Lara's new repertoire.
Perhaps what is her most important new ability, is the fact that she can now craft items on the go. Need more arrows? Chop down some wood and craft them yourself. Need to make camp? Hunt some deer and use the hide to give you some shelter. Lara's new crafting system is said to be pretty deep, but we weren't told exactly how many different items she will be able to craft.
The crafting system ranges from simple crafts to more complex crafts. Perhaps a simple arrow won't do the trick. What you can do is then gather some poisonous arrows and craft them with the arrow to create some poisonous arrows that can take down even the most fearful foe.
Speaking of arrows, Lara now can choose the bow of her liking. That means if you're a fan of a quick-draw bow that has a shorter range, you can keep that bow with you at all times. For those that like a bow with a longer range but takes more time to draw, you can stick with that one too. Again, it wasn't stated how many different types of bows there are in the game, but the fact that we can pick and choose is a plus.
Hardcore mode?
Many agree that 2013's Tomb Raider was good, but more people agreed that it had the possibility to be great. Most of us felt that the game didn't reach this level due to its fairly easy gameplay. I mean even if you played on the hardest mode you could breeze through the campaign. So had one big question for the guys at Crystal Dynamics. Will Rise of the Tomb Raider be harder? Will it have a specific mode for those who want a hardcore experience such as scarce ammunition or having Lara trying to survive the elements that she finds herself in?
My question was met with a simple, "We have nothing to announce today, but we have been listening to the feedback that players have given us in the first game." I mean that in itself says nothing. But I can't help but imagine playing a hardcore version of the new game. In some ways, it makes more sense this time around especially with the new crafting system.
Imagine Lara having to sift every nook and cranny to find ammo, and if there is none to be found, this will cause you to rely on stealth and environmental takedowns to immobilize enemy forces. Or this would force one to look for materials of use to craft certain items. But the crafting ability is also limited in one way or another. This would easily become the most rewarding Tomb Raider experience yet.
Wrap-up
From the looks of it, Crystal Dynamics has taken everyone's feedback to heart and tried to implement the best of it all in one way or another. What sticks out most to me though is the fact that they want players to be able to play the game whichever way they want from using stealth or going guns blazing, to choosing your bow. This may also include the ability for players to experience a hardcore gameplay mode. But as of right now that's simply wishful thinking.
All in all, Rise of the Tomb Raider is sure to exceed the ranks of its predecessor. So if you were a fan of the last game make some space in your budget for the game when it drops this fall on November 10.
