PixlBit

 

Lara Croft has become a very iconic role, and we’ve seen her multiple times over— as an action heroine, an aristocrat, but always badass. This time, however, we see her on her very first adventure, just setting out to make her own mark in history. Her sharp mind and keen instincts bring her right to historical treasures, but this time, she encounters a lot more than she bargained for. Crash landing on an island, steeped in ancient curses, Lara Croft finds herself in multiple, near-death experiences, just managing to be the victor.

The story is absolutely fantastic. It’s intriguing-the flashbacks that Lara has, the history of the island Yamatai, the trials that Lara and her crew go through. It’s also beautiful. The visuals are stunning, and the game mechanics are wonderful. The whole game looks like a movie-the camera always pans out artfully to really capture the emotions and scenery in a way that makes you forget all the troubles poor Lara has been through. Her character development is wonderful. I was really able to feel for her, and I was shocked by the depth of emotion that the game actually had. The other characters were less developed than Lara, and you only had minor background stories for…maybe 2 other NPCs.

The combat is a lot of fun. For one thing, it’s easy. There’s no weird button combos that need be pushed in order to effectively kills someone. It’s just basic survival in this game-kill or be killed. My favorite weapon is probably the bow-I really enjoy being the silent killer. However, my sub-machine rifle did really well in a pinch (especially after modifying it a bit). I enjoyed that aspect-salvaging forgotten tools or equipment from either the people who once lived on the island, or the bad guys that got in my way. Gaining new equipment was always a plus, introducing quicker ways to get around the island, or new ways to take enemies down. I don’t really understand why the game introduced hunting and foraging. It was introduced right in the beginning as part of a mission, and then quickly abandoned. It was not needed throughout the game. The only really reason I could see was to get the achievement hunting specific animals. Other than that, pointless.

My favorite part though, my absolute favorite thing about this game, was the humanity in it. This is all new to Lara-she’s experiencing the death and torment for the first time. What’s amazing is you really feel that. The first time you cross a chasm on a precarious log, she is panicking, repeating a mantra the whole way across. When you finally make it to the other side, she takes a moment to collect herself. The first time she kills someone, she goes into shock-retching and crying over the horrible events that just transpired. If she’s in pain, she winces, grabs her side, and really shows for it. The fact that they put so much into this game is incredible. You see environmental effects throughout the game, and the damage toll is evident just by looking at her freshly cut and scarred body.

Raiding tombs! Of course! You are a beginning archeologist, and what better discovery than an ancient tomb? As Lara is quick to point out though, she hates tombs, but you push on anyways. The secret tombs are awesome- they are not particularly large or anything, nor are the tomb’s ancient puzzles difficult…but they are hard enough to make feel positively genius for figuring out it’s secrets. Finding all the notebooks is cool too, giving you insight into how your comrades REALLY feel about you, learning more about the baddies on the island, or discovering some ancient warrior’s scrolls. You can really explore in this game-and it’s fun.

Overall, I loved this game. It made my heart race, gave me an adrenaline rush, and kinda freaked me out at some points, and I loved every second (well, maybe not every second-I don’t much like being scared). It’s just a lot of fun, and it’s a fantastic experience…the combat is great, which is always a huge plus. I love exploring on this island, and I love the feeling of being right there with Lara, through every hold-your-breath-you-might-not-make-it jump, through every secret tomb, every single thing, I got to really feel the emotions, and the game just gets so intense. It’s such a great design, and I highly recommend it to anyone. UNLESS-you have a problem with graphic images, and then please just don’t play it. Other than the bloody areas and ‘gross’ images (sometimes it’s pretty graphic), it’s amazing.