I love the reboot Tomb Raider game, but I only "like" the reboot Tomb Raider trilogy.
It's a question of distracted purpose. Lara had a whole character arc in the first game, emerging from what was more or less a war zone. Everything is very carefully and deliberately paced out, both from a mechanics and a narrative standpoint. So Rise comes along and does what a sequel must do and be more Tomb Raider (2013), only without the context that made its predecessor so compelling. Since Lara's now diving into hostile situations, she's gone from a hapless set-upon girl who survives because she has to, to a skilled killer going on the offensive. It isn't really something that this narrative focuses on, but there's an interesting story somewhere here, where Lara goes after treasures and Trinity because she has to do so. She only feels alive when she's under threat by supernatural terrors or PMCs. Shadow gives this idea lip service, but it's hardly a thought here.
But I don't object to "more Tomb Raider (2013)", and Rise delivers on that. Rise isn't able to replicate the character arc and growth from its predecessor, but it has a couple fun systems of its own. I like the expansion of the crafting system - almost completely disposed from the original game after the opening segment. Yeah, crafting systems are a dime a dozen in a post-Minecraft world, but there's something fun about cobbling together a molotov cocktail in the middle of a firefight. I really like the idea of a skill tree and the modular weapons/upgrades. Fun to be able to switch between fire and poison arrows as the situation calls for. The whole language system I don't love as much - feels a bit clunky in its implementation - but I at least appreciate the attempt at making the artifacts more relevant to the gameplay progression. All of these don't exactly make up for the change of intent, but they go a ways there.
The bow continues to be far and away the most fun combat option, particularly with its expanded kit. I'm kind of torn on this. On one hand, the point of the last game was to get Lara to the point where she was dual-wielding pistols, so putting so much emphasis on the bow feels like a step back, character-wise. But the bow really is that much fun, and the developers were smart enough to not try and retread what the first game was doing, so I can't complain too much.
Story itself is fine. Incorporating more of a Christian-based legend is an interesting choice (I thought "The Prophet" was literally supposed to be Jesus at first), sort of a Greco-Russo-Byzantine bend to this game's fantasy angle. While it's weird that Sam is a no-show from here on out after how important she was in the first game, I'm glad Jonah's at least here to stay for the long haul. Trinity makes for a solid enough enemy organization, learning more about Richard Croft is probably the best thing to focus on for Lara's continued character arc.
My thoughts are kind of all over the place on this one, I guess? Probably no surprise to learn that this is the entry in the trilogy I think about the least. Which is a shame, given this game's (eventual) role as the franchise's 20th anniversary celebration. Not a bad game in the least, just one that didn't much stick with me.
I didn't play all of the DLC, but I did play "Baba Yaga: Temple of the Witch" and "Blood Ties". The former's a fun little adventure, oddly rationalist for this series, but I love Baba Yaga stories. "Blood Ties" is a very fun anniversary celebration; Croft Manor was a conspicuous absence in the first game, and bringing it back as a casual campaign is a great way to pay the original series tribute. Bonus points for acknowledging the meme of shoving the poor butler in the freezer.
It's a question of distracted purpose. Lara had a whole character arc in the first game, emerging from what was more or less a war zone. Everything is very carefully and deliberately paced out, both from a mechanics and a narrative standpoint. So Rise comes along and does what a sequel must do and be more Tomb Raider (2013), only without the context that made its predecessor so compelling. Since Lara's now diving into hostile situations, she's gone from a hapless set-upon girl who survives because she has to, to a skilled killer going on the offensive. It isn't really something that this narrative focuses on, but there's an interesting story somewhere here, where Lara goes after treasures and Trinity because she has to do so. She only feels alive when she's under threat by supernatural terrors or PMCs. Shadow gives this idea lip service, but it's hardly a thought here.
But I don't object to "more Tomb Raider (2013)", and Rise delivers on that. Rise isn't able to replicate the character arc and growth from its predecessor, but it has a couple fun systems of its own. I like the expansion of the crafting system - almost completely disposed from the original game after the opening segment. Yeah, crafting systems are a dime a dozen in a post-Minecraft world, but there's something fun about cobbling together a molotov cocktail in the middle of a firefight. I really like the idea of a skill tree and the modular weapons/upgrades. Fun to be able to switch between fire and poison arrows as the situation calls for. The whole language system I don't love as much - feels a bit clunky in its implementation - but I at least appreciate the attempt at making the artifacts more relevant to the gameplay progression. All of these don't exactly make up for the change of intent, but they go a ways there.
The bow continues to be far and away the most fun combat option, particularly with its expanded kit. I'm kind of torn on this. On one hand, the point of the last game was to get Lara to the point where she was dual-wielding pistols, so putting so much emphasis on the bow feels like a step back, character-wise. But the bow really is that much fun, and the developers were smart enough to not try and retread what the first game was doing, so I can't complain too much.
Story itself is fine. Incorporating more of a Christian-based legend is an interesting choice (I thought "The Prophet" was literally supposed to be Jesus at first), sort of a Greco-Russo-Byzantine bend to this game's fantasy angle. While it's weird that Sam is a no-show from here on out after how important she was in the first game, I'm glad Jonah's at least here to stay for the long haul. Trinity makes for a solid enough enemy organization, learning more about Richard Croft is probably the best thing to focus on for Lara's continued character arc.
My thoughts are kind of all over the place on this one, I guess? Probably no surprise to learn that this is the entry in the trilogy I think about the least. Which is a shame, given this game's (eventual) role as the franchise's 20th anniversary celebration. Not a bad game in the least, just one that didn't much stick with me.
I didn't play all of the DLC, but I did play "Baba Yaga: Temple of the Witch" and "Blood Ties". The former's a fun little adventure, oddly rationalist for this series, but I love Baba Yaga stories. "Blood Ties" is a very fun anniversary celebration; Croft Manor was a conspicuous absence in the first game, and bringing it back as a casual campaign is a great way to pay the original series tribute. Bonus points for acknowledging the meme of shoving the poor butler in the freezer.