Review for Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Game for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 14/09/2018
Easy and understandable these days to get carried away by the hype for particularly innovative or original games, both in the triple A field (Spider-Man for PS4 is an example) and in the indie one (gems like Dead Cells), perhaps taking for granted or underestimating more "traditional" products like Dragon Quest XI or even this Shadow of the Tomb Raider. But you couldn't make a worse mistake because, at least in Lara's case, we are probably facing the best game of the series and without many doubts the highest point reached by this new trilogy, which this time with the title developed by Eidos Montréal closes, leaving us the doubt about the future of the most charismatic archaeologist in the world.
Tomb Raider and Rise of the Tomb Raider were two very good, if not excellent, video games. The work of Crystal Dynamics, with evident (and reciprocal) inspiration from the Uncharted series to bring such a historic brand back to the forefront of modern videogame was truly commendable. This new Tomb Raider course offers explosive gameplay between exploration and combat, a usually high-level technical sector and evocative settings, creating an adrenaline-fueled and extremely fun mix. However, there was always a very weak point before Shadow of the Tomb Raider: the story and the supporting cast. Even as fans of the series, we struggle to remember plot elements other than the more generic ones from past games, as well as the forgettable characters, often recognized as "that guy" or "the bad guy". Of course, Lara has had a notable evolution in this her origin story and is undoubtedly characterized very well, but the outline of her pirouettes has always left something to be desired. Ed this is already the first element where Shadow of the Tomb Raider stands out clearly on its predecessors.
A Peruvian apocalypse
After the Siberian events, Lara finds herself dealing with the Trinity again, this time in the lush forests of South America. During one of her classic excursions in search of historical artifacts, our heroine (who has recently returned to the big screen as well) comes across a mysterious and beautiful dagger accompanied by a series of cryptic messages left by pre-Columbian civilizations. What he doesn't know is that, by removing the weapon from its housing, it will unleash a veritable apocalypse, endangering the lives of millions of people; the same apocalypse that the Trinity would like to facilitate. At that moment, faced with the consequences of her actions, Lara begins to lose touch with her values, taking on not only the blame for the event, but also the unique responsibility of fixing things: a self-centered and selfish tomb raider that certainly clashes with the character we have come to love.
As was the case in particular in the first episode of the trilogy, where from a rebellious girl Croft gradually transformed into a trigger-happy archaeologist, also in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, following the interesting story among the pristine nature of Peru, Lara will undertake a moral and character growth, however not without surprises: now her every move is controlled by the worried Jonah (only remaining of the supporting cast of the first title), the only bulwark between her and a future as an outlaw rather than a heroine. It will be the interpersonal s and the people he meets on the way to shape his story, without making us miss in the story some tributes placed there for long-time fans.
Welcome to Paititi
And here we connect precisely to one of the greatest innovations of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and also one of the elements that make the game more empathic and complete: the side missions. During the story, Lara will come across three hubs, three human settlements of varying sizes, within which a good deal of time will pass. They will not be just excuses to continue the plot, collect some collectibles or meet key characters for the development of the plot, but the ideal place where Lara can have contacts with the locals, get to know them, understand their problems and help them personally. For the first time in the series, you will be able to talk to NPCs, from which to learn about hidden or secret treasures or even secondary missions.
Although they are a handful in the whole game, Shadow of the Tomb Raider side quests are a natural addition to the title formula and one of the most compelling points of the product. In fact, it is not a question of forgettable "fetch quests" or of solving the stupid problems of the inhabitants, but each of them will allow us to discover more about those populations and about the adventure in general, at the same time earning useful equipment (in addition to the now classic skill tree and upgradeable weapons, in Shadow Lara's costumes will be fundamental, equipped with passive and instrumental skills also to the narration in some cases). Most of these small storylines in the storyline will focus on the city of Paititi, the largest hub ever built in a Tomb Raider game and truly an amazing jumble of content that you can call home after a few minutes.
Subbacqui! (let's see who understands the quote)
Another place where you will spend a lot of time during Shadow of the Tomb Raider will undoubtedly be the seabed. For this chapter in fact the developers have placed an emphasis on underwater exploration, with entire sections of macro-levels (the game is not open world in the strict sense of the term) where you can swim and search for treasures, without forgetting to try to save your skin from the lack of air, from the terrible morays or from the piraña, which reminded us so much of Tomb Raider III. In addition to adding a whole other depth (haha, ed) to the game areas, Eidos must be acknowledged for having managed to integrate underwater animations and controls well, one of the actions that the gaming industry has always struggled to replicate.
Apart from this addition, if we want, the gameplay mechanics have remained almost unchanged compared to previous games, which is certainly not a bad thing, but maybe it is also theShadow of the Tomb Raider's only possible flaw, if we also consider that many of the animations - with fluctuating quality - have not changed. This does not detract from a playability that "works", and even well, but the possibility of rappelling from the walls (similar to what introduced in Uncharted 4 by Naughty Dog) is not enough to take away the subtle feeling of dejà vu from the head.
Fortunately, however, where Eidos Montréal has excelled in his work is the improvement of the rhythm and the division of the game phases between exploration, puzzles and fighting, one of the points that have made many fans of the series turn up their noses in the last two games. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider there is a clear return to the tradition of the brand: the firefights are concentrated in some clearly identifiable sections and with a much shorter duration than before and the rest of the time will instead be spent where Tomb Raider made history, i.e. in the search for ravines to explore or the solution of excellent puzzles contained in the numerous new tombs and crypts contained in the game. There have never been so many tombs in Tomb Raider and within these we will find some of the best enigmas and glimpses.
Wow. Such Jungle. Very foliage. Many Croft. So impressive.
Since the eye also wants its part, we can only spend a few lines on majestic graphic and artistic sector, particularly evident in our Xbox One X test, where the game is presented in native 4K + HDR. Abandoned the snows of Rise of the Tomb Raider, the development team was able to unleash in its realization both of the lush vegetation of the South American jungle, and in the incredible and very detailed pre-Colombian architecture that sprouts among the foliage. The level of polygonal models and textures is impressive (we didn't like just some of the human models, which also repeat themselves on multiple characters in a somewhat ridiculous way), as well as the handling of fluids - so central to this project - and dynamic lighting. The performance is also more than good and consistent for the entirety of the adventure, apart from some sporadic drop in the presence of flames and slight screen tearing.
All, as mentioned, also available in 4K on Xbox One X, at 30fps; for those who prefer to give priority to gameplay and frame-rate, always on the flagship of Microsoft you can change at any time to a 1080p and 60fps modes (we changed on the fly when we had to face firefights for example).
Shadow of the Tomb Raider results the most accurate, the most complete, the most coherent and, at the same time, the most spectacular game of the trilogy. The fears regarding the change of team, from the historic Crystal Dynamics to Eidos Montréal, proved to be absolutely unfounded. The twenty hours or so that it will take you to bring Lara's story to an end in South America will be among the most intense and exciting - as well as visually satisfying - you have ever experienced in a video game and the demonstration of how much our favorite pastime has grown. Lara Croft's debut in the now distant 1996.
► Shadow of the Tomb Raider is an Action-Adventure game developed by Eidos Montréal and published by Square Enix for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 14/09/2018
