Confession time, this is the only Tomb Raider game I've put any significant time in. With that in mind, I liked this game. Its inspiration from Uncharted does make it feel like a snake eating its own tail, but I think it does differentiate itself.

Its combat is actually better than the OG Uncharted trilogy, and some of its levels are a bit denser and less linear. The downside to that is I found them a bit difficult to orient myself in. The plot leans more into the struggle of being lost on an island, being hunted and in danger, than the more knockabout silliness of Uncharted. I think it works well despite people parodying or criticising the suffering. I don't think it's as bad as they say.

The downside is that it removes some of the uniqueness and puzzle solving of the older games, to my understanding. This is very much an action adventure first, with over the top stunts to boot. It's also just not as memorable as other games. In making Lara relatable, they made her less memorable.

On the whole, I like this game quite a bit, but it doesn't have that X factor that makes those other games last. It doesn't surprise me that sequels to this game struggled to grab people's attention in the same way, despite it being a quality game overall.