![]() ![]() In fact, with Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the series has finally approached its contemporaries: Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us (with which it shares combat that I can only describe as action-stealth, the hero stalking their prey before unleashing a flurry of bullets, fire and sharp objects) and the Uncharted series (with which it shares its stunning nature vistas and teeth-clenching climbing). It’s refinement rather than revision, but considering the quality of the past two games, simply meeting the established bar, let alone inching above it, is an accomplishment unto itself. Even as their story darkens and becomes more introspective, the creators aren’t afraid to make Croft a little too powerful or the story a little too cartoonish, so long as it keeps a smile on the player’s face. The modern Tomb Raider games emphasize fun, particularly Shadow of the Tomb Raider. You still spend most of your time dangling from walls, thieving treasure and upgrading abilities, repeating this process until you evolve from superhero to demigod. But in exchange, the central throughline feels more authored and propulsive than in the previous game. ![]() The optional tombs and crypts - massive environmental puzzles that unlock new gear and abilities, typically free of combat - aren’t quite as memorable as those in Rise of the Tomb Raider. It has a deliciously melodramatic story, no fewer than a dozen stunningly drawn vistas and some excellent gunplay. Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the first entry to be developed by Eidos Montreal (in collaboration with trilogy steward Crystal Dynamics), builds neatly on the work of its predecessor. It also kept the snuff-film death sequences.Įidos Montreal, Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix 2015’s Rise of the Tomb Raider did more of the same, just better, developing Croft into a three-dimensional character, and expanding the scope and focus of the game, emphasizing exploration of a pseudo-open world and hunting enemies with brutally powerful weapons and kill moves. It’s a comparably empowering game, mired by repulsive death sequences that mutilate Croft’s body, borrowing from the aesthetic of low-grade torture porn. Strength, in this case, is measured by how well she can scale cliffs and choke out private military contractors. The modern Tomb Raider trilogy has an opinion of the broader franchise’s legacy that is most generously described as “love/hate” - each entry fluctuating more severely between reverence and disgust, asking the player, now and then, to take a breath and meditate on the repercussions of all the buildings and bodies they’ve destroyed along the way.Ģ013’s Tomb Raider rebooted Lara Croft, trading Barbie-doll proportions and a knotted backstory for a young woman with a simple albeit tragic past gradually discovering her inner strength. ![]() This sort of reflection is jarring to find in a big-budget sequel to a beloved series, but it isn’t new. If you want curated lists of our favorite media, check out What to Play and What to Watch. When we award the Polygon Recommends badge, it’s because we believe the recipient is uniquely thought-provoking, entertaining, inventive, or fun - and worth fitting into your schedule. Polygon Recommends is our way of endorsing our favorite games, movies, TV shows, comics, tabletop books, and entertainment experiences. ![]()
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