I was able to pick up a copy of Rise of the Tomb Raider during the recent Black Friday Sales. Granted it was at a bargain price but the choice was also easy to make because I did enjoy the previous reboot in the form of Tomb Raider Definitive Edition. Currently the game is out on the Xbox One and 360 platforms, but a port of this will be made available to PC and PS4 owners next year (when the timed exclusive runs out). In fact rumours suggest the PC version will be out at the start of next year (Jan 29th).
While I’m not a fan of timed exclusives per-say it does at least allow the developers to optimise the game for the Xbox One platform. By this I mean graphically and performance wise.
Then again, as with most games these days there have been a few patches of various sizes released since its debut last month, but so far both have been under 1 GB which is pretty rare!
Additionally the game benefits from the fact that the previous title was a port, from a last-gen console, while this version has of course been developed for the Xbox One platform from scratch. To be honest despite the odd frame dip in certain cut-scenes, the game does showcase what the Xbox One is capable of when the devs put the effort in!
Loading Times
Firstly initial loading times were pretty quick, in fact I was up and running in next to know time, but sadly this process was short lived as subsequent loading times - the further you progress into the story - have started to slow-up. Then again it does not spoil the enjoyment of the game, so not a major problem.
Besides the opening cut-scenes (plus the mid-level cut-scenes) are also a great show-piece for the new facial and character movements that have been added to the game and the snow covered mountains have never looked so good! With ice that you feel like you can lick!
The cut-scene and in-game graphics also seamlessly blend into one, so you certainly won’t feel put-out by the graphical prowess of this title if you are on the Xbox One platform. Mind you the only gripe is that the cut-scenes can go on awhile (certainly the more you progress), but the story on the whole is still gripping!
Learning the ropes
For the most part if you have played the previous definitive edition you will be familiar with the controls and gameplay mechanics from the off - which I was. So expect climbing with ice picks (these are also used for weapons), scavenging for items and fast travelling between locations via the camp system (which is also used to upgrade weapons and add skill points to boost your character.
Combat is also similar (with a familiar set of weapons at your disposal, including pistols, a shotgun and your trusty bow and arrow) but there is an added element of using full stealth to get through sections; thus if you don’t want to brutally kick ass you don’t have to! Note: Additional XP bonus score is available for stealth kills.
I really liked the above mixture of combat and stealth. However the emphasis on tomb exploration has also been amped up a touch in this title, so you get to utilise your brain matter to solve various tomb-based puzzles on a more frequent basis. Of course the key aspect is to find the tombs in the first place and this invokes more exploration; additionally finding maps of the locations items also helps, as does unlocking new abilities, such as the lock pick/rope and arrow skill, to further unlock new locations.
Multiplayer
You won’t find any multiplayer on-board but to be honest I’m not going to cry about this as I wasn't a fan of the latter in the previous title; I feel this type of game is all about the single player experience. Though if you do want competitive action this takes the form of ‘Expedition’ online leader boards where you can see how you compete against your friends and others. Basically the 'Expedition' mode adds value to the game by allowing you to replay certain chapters with a different set of objectives i.e. speed run, collect certain items or kill enemies to get the most amount of points/medals. The latter also earns you more credits (the better you do) which can then be spent in the store to buy cards.....
Cards
Cards (similar to Titanfall and Halo 5) can be earned by completing certain objectives within the game or purchased with in-game currency or real money (though I recommend just earning these in-game). For the most part the cards are in place to modify the aforementioned Expedition modes (adding certain weapon types or making enemies tougher for example).
It's just another way to prolong the fun of the title, but another benefit of the cards is from a Twitch point of view. After doing some digging I found that if you stream the game in Expedition Mode via the Twitch app, your viewers will have the option to impact gameplay at various points by choosing between two Expedition Cards. The latter works on a voting system so after the choices are made the totals are tallied and whichever card receives the most votes will mean the card is activated for a period of five minutes; thus mixing up the streamer's experience by making things either more challenging, easier, or just unpredictable!
New Language & In-Game Shops
To go with the improved tomb raiding adventures you get additional experience by reading manuscripts or wall plaque's. Doing this can help build up your knowledge of certain languages and the more experience you accumulate, the more XP/rewards you can earn. Reading items can also reveal map items such as coin stashes.
You can use the latter to purchase new equipment or weapon upgrades. So the whole game is certainly encouraging you to explore and I don’t mind this. What can be a bind is that some items are revealed in areas of the map you have just come from, so you need to tap into the fast travel system to zip about a lot if you want to discover all of the hidden treasures!
Short lived?
I started playing the game on one but the hardest difficulty level, which hampers your health regeneration in combat, plus it beefs up the enemies with improved health and awareness. While in the press I've read certain reports that the game was a little short lived I don't think this is the case from my point of view. So far I've clocked in only 8 hours and I can't see the finish line just yet (with only 18% complete so far this game is certainly bigger than the original). I suppose this is because I explore the maps fully to get the hidden items and attempt the tomb challenges. Mind you the upcoming DLC is adding extra content to the game to boost proceedings, but of course you need to purchase this!
Summary
On the whole I feel Rise of the Tomb Raider offers a great single player experience (graphically spot on with an entertaining story to match) and the added puzzle solving elements for all the tombs is great. Granted its appeal is limited to the Xbox platform to start with and it did not help that it was released at the same time as Fallout 4, but if you own an Xbox One (I can’t vouch for the 360 version) or love the Tomb Raider series on the whole then it’s certainly worth getting hold of that's for sure!