There are not too many things to say about this sequel that couldn't be said about the first entry. While the 2013 game surprised in a good sense with a gritty version of Lara Croft focused on survival, Rise gives up some roughness for a more neutral, sterilized tone that takes little to no risk. Still, in the middle of that mishmash of (dated) climbing and escape scenes there is a tiny bit of character development that I personally welcomed.

The game cannot escape the tendency of its own time and is bloated with icon-filled open world maps and game modes that recycle content with the intention of dressing up as a GaaS. Even so, I had good fun throughout the entire thing. Some infamous levels have big technical issues but the most polished parts of the game have a level of quality in terms of graphics, animations and sound that could pass for current gen.

Ah, did you know there is a walking simulator DLC? Way more interesting than firing arrows at a private army for the fifth time.

As a two decade long fan of Tomb Raider, since i was a kid, I waited eagerly and played the rebooted trilogy when they came out. Completed all they had to offer, and played through them again in the last two weeks.
So finally, with the knowledge of how these games are in their full picture, and with a refreshed memory of their story and mechanics, i’ll try to do an objective complete reveiw, with hindsight. A perspective of the new trilogy of Tomb Raider, and how it went forward. I’ll try to keep it short.

The Rise of the Tomb Raider

As the sequel to the amazing Tomb Raider (2013), this game had a lot to deliver. And deliver it did.
This game is just better, it’s what a sequel should be! It’s a great new story that features more areas instead of just one, and it’s the start of something new for the Tomb Raider serie: open maps. The game is still linear, but at times, it stops offering a big area to explore with some side missions, tombs and it still has all the collectibles 2013 had.
The tool-kit of Lara is the same, but expanded with new abilities and ways to use her tools, which adds up to the improved stealth and the countless types of enemies in the game. It also was the start of water sections for the game! It’s not really swimming underwater if not for some sections, but we can swim and go down the surface for some stealth.
The story is different than the previous title, it’s less about surviving and more about discovery, following Lara’s father steps now that she knows there’s more to the world. It’s has some great moments, and it’s probably my favorite of the three games.
The game offers all that 2013 did, but in pompa magna. It still has a metroid-like progression along side what you find during the story, it still features upgrades to weapons and a simple skill tree, but it has more survival mechanics. Like crafting arrows, granades or healing items. Talking of crafting it also features upgades, like bigger ammo pouches, and costumes directly in the game, which can be crafted with items the player finds around. And
The graphics are just an upgrade from 2013, and it featues my favorite iteration of the hair system - PureHair - which i think looks stunning.
This game doesn’t feature multiplayer PvP, but it has a coop DLC, and the multiplayer functionalities are mostly point scores. The game went with the idea of replaying levels with modifiers to get high scores, which would translate to points that you can use to get better modifiers. Just like for the multiplayer of the first game, it’s not for everyone, but choice is always better than none, in this case, allowing to replay a section of the game without having to play all of it again.

DLCs

When it comes to DLCs, RotTR feature an actual season pass, with real DLCs, so i’m gonna quickly touch on them and if they are worth money and time. Let’s start by saying that most of the “packs” are useless, and if i remember correctly it’s stuff you can get in the game for free, so i’m not gonna touch on them.
20 Years Celebration Pack add a new difficulty, costumes, ecc. but most importantly it adds Croft Manor. It’s a new long mission in the iconic Croft’s house, trying to solve a mistery. It also features an extra mode, also in the house, with...zombies. I'm just a bit sad there's not a version of the house we can climb around like in the old games.
Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch, it’s a good DLC, connected to the main map, with an extra area and tomb to explore, and a mistery to solve. What makes me a bit bitter about it is not the map itself, mostly the “mistery”, that is easily understandable in the first diary the player finds in the DLC. I just think it could have been done a bit better.
Endurance Mode is the coop DLC, which features and enchances the survival aspects of this game in a survival mode. One of my favorite, since it does really play like a survival game, with hunger and cold meters, and it also features the end goal, which is to find relics in tombs in the area. I may be wrong, but i also think the map is kinda “procedural”, even though there’s not much variety possible in the tundra.
Last but not least Cold Darkness Awakened, which is another zombie mode.

Conclusion

Overall the game itself it’s what a sequel should be: better. It’s an improvement over everything, even for the DLCs. Though unless you REALLY wanna play more Tomb Raider, i don’t really suggest them cause i don’t feel, beside Baba Yaga and Croft Manor, they add much. Maybe Endurance if you like survival games and want to play with friends.

8.8/10