In the run up to its release I had low hopes for the rebooted Tomb Raider, but ended up being very pleasantly surprised.
The reimagined and reinvented Lara Croft is probably as far a cry from the original Lara as you can possibly get. Gone is the confident wise-cracking Bond-esque sex bomb that we came to know and love. In her place we find ourselves meeting a natural and believable girl who goes on a personal journey from an unsure and worried girl out on her own to a battle-hardened survivor who can take on waves of enemies with military precision.
Truth-be-told, this doesn't feel much like a Tomb Raider game - but that's okay. The series' has been rebooted and it's obviously going to take time to adjust to a new heroine (let's face it, she only really shares the name and very little else) and new themes and premise. The old Lara was about over-the-top acrobatics and coming out with hilarious one-liners in sexy dulcet tones as she searched for artefacts and faced off against either endangered species or knuckle-headed villains. The new Lara is about facing off against insurmountable odds and still coming out on top, even when faced with the hardships of nature and ruthless mercenaries - she is all about survival.
The storyline is somewhat predictable, but because of the new tone and unique approach to Lara's origins and motives the supernatural side of things comes across as even more fantastical and (although a staple of the series) unexpected. As you traverse across a dangerous and mysterious Japanese island, full of beautiful sights and frightening scenarios, you will come to know and love this new setting. Especially because the art direction is incredibly well-thought-out and you can really see that this game has been a labour of love from people who understand that in order to survive Lara needs to evolve and keep up with modern gaming trends.
The gameplay itself is simple enough, and definitely inspired by other games on the market (the similarities to Uncharted are undeniable). But what Tomb Raider does, it does very well. The added touches and leveling-up system that might, at first, seem out of place in Lara's world actually brings great depth to the gameplay that you might not have expected at first glance. The platforming, while nothing new or unique, is definitely an advancement on previous entries in the series and is backed up by a simple but brutal combat mechanic that really gives Lara an edge over her enemies.
What really made this game a surprise to me was the fact that it got me immersed in the storyline and the characters - I actually started to care about what was going to happen to them. This is coming from somebody who was massively skeptical about the new direction the franchise was being taken in and had previously stated to friends and fellow-gamers that I would be surprised if the game scored higher than 7/10 upon release. Well, I was surprised! But it couldn't have been a more pleasant one.
Tomb Raider is actually a great game, filled with immersive gameplay, wonderful sights and sounds, and a storyline that (while predictable) will keep you engaged throughout the adventure. If I were to pick up on one negative it would be - and this is going to sound harsh and perhaps super critical - that sometimes Lara's in-game rendering looks a bit ugly. Bordering on looking like she was born with some kind of disability. Another thing I might nit-pick on is that Camilla Luddington, although a surprisingly good voice-actress and (for a girl who has lived in America and picked up their accent) decently British enough for my tastes, sometimes misses the mark and comes off sounding like she's trying a little too hard - which can occasionally be distracting when you're attempting to feel involved in the story and absorb the atmosphere.
Still, despite it's few shortcomings Tomb Raider still manages to come out on top of most of its competitors and has brought a new dynamic to the series that you might not expect. Having completed the game (and enjoyed a thrilling and hopefully foreshadowing ending of events to come) I can only say: When are they going to announce the sequel?