'Rise of the Tomb Raider' epitomizes high adventure

When we were first introduced to her in 1996, Lara Croft was your typical ‘90s anti-hero: someone who veered a little too close to the “psychopathic” end of the morality spectrum, and who was blessed with a humorously exaggerated physique that could only appeal to hormonal 13-year-olds.

In the two decades she’s been gaming’s leading lady, however, every “Tomb Raider” release has added more nuances to her character and backstory. Then, in 2013, we got the reboot that finally gave us a heroine we can all root for – a character with as many strengths as weaknesses, as imperfect as she is brave, intelligent, and resourceful. In other words, a Lara Croft who’s as close to human as a fictional character can get.

For the franchise’s 20th anniversary, Square Enix saw fit to release “Rise of the Tomb Raider” for the PlayStation 4 – a relaunch of what was originally a timed exclusive for the Xbox consoles, but with all the juicy DLCs and other goodies attached. The resulting package is the best “Tomb Raider” has to offer, and a strong reassertion of Lara Croft’s status as video game icon.





All adventures begin in the past

History may be one of the greatest sources of awe-inspiring tales, but it’s also a wellspring of sadness. This can’t be any truer for Lara Croft, who’s haunted by memories of her father’s tragic demise. The desire to honor his legacy serves as her impetus to search for the mythical city of Kitezh, where lies the Divine Source – an object said to have the power to bestow immortality upon its possessors.

Lara’s quest takes her to a frigid Siberian valley, where she finds a world lost in time. Amidst the snow, a Soviet installation lies in ruins. Beneath the ice, the remains of a once-proud civilization crumble.

But Lara isn’t alone here. The wilderness is home to wolves, bears, and yes, even human remnants of a bygone age. There’s also a paramilitary group of religious zealots hell-bent on taking the Divine Source for themselves, and murdering anyone who gets in their way. And as the past meets the present, Lara must face threats both ancient and modern to survive.

Lara’s no longer the young, frightened woman that she was in 2013’s “Tomb Raider.” She has emerged from that harrowing experience tougher and more willing to bloody her hands.

But she’s also damaged. While there are subtle clues that show you everything’s not all right with Lara, it’s her almost manic obsession with her quest that says it all. You know there’s a part of her that not even the Divine Source can fix. It’s sad, yes, but it’s also what makes you gush with admiration every time she chooses to do what’s right instead of succumbing to internal turmoil. This is what heroes are made of. Not to mention it’s nice to see a Lara with depth and complexity.

The other characters aren’t as fleshed out, but they’re provided motivations that make their choices believable. One of the main villains, for example, is equal parts infuriating and sympathetic. There’s a broad range of greys here, as opposed to your boring black and whites. Needless to say, “Rise of the Tomb Raider” is an improvement over its predecessor in the characterization department.

A land fraught with beauty and mystery

There’s an excellent game to go with those great characters and story.

Exploring the Siberian wilderness is a joy. The world map is split into several hubs, each of which is a large area littered with secrets, collectibles, and obstacles to surmount. You’ll be scaling mountains, zooming down zip-lines, sliding down slopes, swinging on ropes, and more. And of course, there are the challenge tombs. These are vast, subterranean zones rigged with traps, and which revolve around clever environmental puzzles that must be solved if you’re to access the treasures they house.

Unlike similar games, searching every nook and cranny for hidden relics makes practical sense in “Rise of the Tomb Raider.” Unraveling secrets rewards you experience points, allowing you to unlock new skills. From ancient tomes you’ll learn useful new abilities. Storage containers and sarcophagi cough up weapon parts to craft unique guns or bows with.

The tools you acquire during your journey are integral to exploration. In true “Metroidvania” fashion, the hubs feature areas that can’t be accessed until you’ve obtained the right equipment. Opening up new locations to ransack for valuables is more than enough reason to come back to previously discovered places. Rarely is backtracking this gratifying – not to mention convenient, thanks to strategically placed campfires that enable instantaneous travel between hubs.

Some friendly NPCs supply side missions. Though most of these are fetch quests, they do grant you the opportunity to stray from the beaten path – a reward unto itself, as it permits you to take in the many majestic sights in “Rise of the Tomb Raider.”

Simply put, “Rise of the Tomb Raider” is one of the best-looking games in recent years. Watching sunlight lance through smoke, campfires throw dancing shadows on the walls, cascades gurgle and froth, and frost-tipped mountains reach skyward will leave you breathless.






Survival of the fittest

It’s not all exploration and sightseeing in “Rise of the Tomb Raider.” The action is even more explosive this time around, yielding plenty of opportunities for death-defying stunts and impossible scenarios.

Majestic set pieces splinter and collapse under Lara’s feet as helicopters bombard the environment with missiles, forcing you to think and act quickly. Spring-loaded traps seek to impale you, testing your firearms proficiency under duress. Intelligent enemies work together to riddle you with bullets.

The beautiful thing about combat is the freedom it gives you to approach problems in any way you choose. Enjoy stealth tactics? Hunker down in a bush, lure a thug to your position, then ambush them when they’re close enough. Or sit atop a tree branch and prey on them from above, sniping gun-toting fanatics from your vantage point, and leaping down onto those who wander into your shadow. You can pick up items – such as bottles or fuel canisters – which you can use either for distraction, or to craft explosives with on the fly.

Unique antagonists and circumstances will encourage lateral thinking. For instance, there’s one enemy type that seems invincible until you figure out his weakness: poison arrows. Certain situations compel you to use the environment to your advantage. In one, you can dispatch heavily armed foes by pulling them under the water through holes in a sheet of ice, instead of engaging them directly.

I’m not a big fan of the game’s cover mechanics, though. “Rise of the Tomb Raider” lacks a button that orders Lara to stick to cover. Instead, every time Lara approaches cover during battle, she automatically ducks behind it to avoid gunfire. With the absence of this “stickiness,” it’s extremely easy for Lara to accidentally leave cover – which can put her in more danger than she’s already in.

Despite this small issue, “Rise of the Tomb Raider’s” combat is exhilarating, thanks to adrenaline-pumping gunplay, and the flexibility you’re granted to invent creative ways to off your foes.






Arisen

“Rise of the Tomb Raider” is by far the best offering from the franchise in its 20 years of existence. The vast, beautiful, and intricately designed game world rewards exploration and daring. The combat is invigorating, immersing you in the action as it encourages creativity and experimentation. And Lara makes a wonderful lead – someone who truly earns her place in the pantheon of gaming legends. Sure, the last two decades of “Tomb Raider” were a blast. But with a heroine like Lara Croft at the helm, we can only imagine the amazing directions she’ll take the series going forward.

“Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration” for the PlayStation 4 is the comprehensive “Rise of the Tomb Raider” experience. It boasts several skins (including classic polygonal Lara variations), modes (including one where Lara fights off zombies in her manor), outfits, weapons, and all the DLCs. — TJD, GMA News


Rating: 9/10
Platforms: “Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration” exclusive to PlayStation 4;
“Rise of the Tomb Raider” available for Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows