A teenage archaeologist, Lara Croft, travels on the ship Endurance with a crew to find the prehistoric Japanese kingdom of Yamatai and the secrets of the Sun Queen Himiko and her supernatural powers. Lara ignores the group’s warning and travels to the Dragon’s Triangle, a place afflicted by unusual storms. Everyone is stuck on a seemingly lonely island after the ship is hit by one of the storms. Lara’s mission is to reunite the crew and learn more about the island. She must combat the Solarii, a cult by a mysterious figure interested in Lara’s friend Samantha Nishimura.
Tomb Raider is the ninth installment in the long-running series, functioning as both a reboot and a prequel. It is an action-adventure game starring Lara Croft, just like its predecessors. The gameplay differs from previous entries in several ways. Much more emphasis is placed on stringing together stylized action sequences involving shootouts and fleeing through a disintegrating landscape, similar to the Uncharted series, as well as combat against human foes. Animals are still there, but as a minor menace that is mainly hunted. The puzzle-solving goal of manipulating things to construct paths to progress is substantially toned down. Puzzles are still present, although they are primarily limited to using different tools on pre-determined items. Optional regions can be discovered and explored, but exploration is limited to interconnected hubs that eventually provide linear progression rather than the open world of modern blockbusters like Far Cry 3.
Lara can explore the island in a linear method through several places. There is always a precise aim to achieve, but some areas can be freely explored in the interim. There’s a forest, abandoned cities, bunkers, and massive temples. Lara can climb, duck, hang from ledges, use an axe to move up rocks, build and use zip lines, and much more. Instinct can be used to emphasize goals. It renders the entire area monochrome but illuminates key objects, opponents, and the current location’s purpose. Each hub area is made up of one or more checkpoint campsites. These can speed up travel, spend skill points, or upgrade equipment. A mini-map can also be used to view the entire environment. Aside from the core action, several scripted scenes include fast-time events where Lara swims through a stream, parachutes through trees, runs over disintegrating bridges, and flees burning buildings. These frequently have varying camera angles and necessitate rapid reflexes. There is no health gauge, but the screen fades to greyscale when Lara is injured. When you take out insurance, your health is automatically repaired over time.
This title’s action emphasis is more robust, and the battle sections are significantly longer. Lara can use a pistol, a shotgun, and a rifle. Her primary weapon is the bow. It is used to launch long-range attacks with optional flame arrows but may also distract foes and build improvised bridges. A cover mechanic is utilized for stealth and is enabled automatically when you get close to an object. The numerous opponents can be eliminated from a distance by targeting various body regions or using melee attacks and finishers. Opponents leave behind extra ammunition. The countless weapons, as well as other modifications, can be upgraded in base camps. These are obtained through salvage, looting adversaries, or spotting crates in the environment. At base camps, experience points can be turned into skill points in three categories: Survivor, Hunter, and Brawler, each with a separate tier. Upgraded weaponry and talents give you additional and improved alternatives. Lara, for example, learns how to avoid attacks, locate things in the environment, and use sand to confuse opponents. She also carries a torch to illuminate dark areas; fire is crucial in some riddles.
There’s a lot of optional treasure-seeking. Each region has several documents, artifacts, and GPS caches that can be found for more experience points. Each location also has its own set of challenges, such as burning flags, stealing eggs, or damaging specified things. The map screen allows you to track the completion progress. Spotting hidden objects becomes more manageable later on by employing instinct and a high level of survivor abilities. In keeping with the series’ roots, several optional, isolated tombs mimic those from previous games. These distinct locales are placed in compact, enclosed surroundings, necessitating more puzzle-solving than usual to discover and steal the prize.
There is online multiplayer for up to eight players, with many characters. An overall experience system is in place, with leveling up rewarding you with new weapons and skills. A load-out can be defined before each game using several elements. It also contains team-based Rescue and Cries for Help modes, free-for-all, and team deathmatch. They pit the Scavengers against the Survivors. In Cry for Help, the Survivors must activate and maintain radio transmitters distributed over the map, while the Solarii interrupt the process and steal batteries. The Survivors gather medical supplies in Rescue while the Solarii try to stop them.
