Casting a Familiar Shadow
When considering the most iconic characters in the history of gaming it’s impossible to leave out Lara Croft. Since 1996 when gamers first had the chance to raid tombs in short shorts, Tomb Raider has been a staple of the gaming world. While there was a period of time when Lara was quickly becoming a shadow of her former self, that all changed in 2013 with a bold reboot of the classic series. Since then things have been looking up for Tomb Raider, and at this year’s E3 the series publisher Square-Enix looks to be continuing that trend with the next chapter in the series: Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
The available demo starts at the entrance to a cave, a voice heard over a crackling radio beckoning Lara to explore the inside. Immediately upon entering the graphics and sound design compete for attention by providing compelling and naturally beautiful surroundings. In fact, the aesthetics of the game are just attention-grabbing enough to make it easy to forget about the dangers posed by the deceptively beautiful surroundings. More than once I found myself accidentally walking through a booby trap and barely avoiding being impaled by spears.
Further exploration brought another mainstay of the series: puzzles. Tomb Raider has always been known for puzzle-solving mechanics, and this newest title is no different. Using Lara’s bow-and-arrow to connect various pieces of ancient machinery, then using her climbing axe as a crank to solve physics-based puzzles is a pleasure.
A new mechanic that has been added to the game is 360-degree swimming. Diving into the water and swimming in any direction is a truly seamless experience; something many games fail to achieve. The controls provide a button for swimming toward the surface, a button for diving downward, and the rest is exactly the same as the controls on land. Simply pressing forward and moving the camera to adjust Lara’s trajectory is as effective as it is simple.
To sneak or not to sneak
Lara’s moves on land have received a few improvements as well. The game’s stealth mechanics are on-point, and easy to understand. Fans of stealth gameplay will immediately feel at home using shrubs and crates for cover, and throwing empty bottles to create distractions. Unlike certain stealth games, however, Lara isn’t afraid to leave a few dead bodies in her wake. While the game provides incentive to remain hidden, there are plenty of reasons to consider the opposite approach. Guards whose backs are turned can be easily dispatched by a quick stab to the neck, and those empty bottles can also be crafted into molotov cocktails.
The demo concludes with Trinity soldiers descending from a helicopter in an effort to capture Lara. At this point Lara pulls out an assault rifle, and it’s time for a shootout. The game’s aiming feels tight and responsive, and although it can take more than a few bullets to put an enemy down, the end result is a compelling part of the Tomb Raider formula.
Everything gamers have come to expect from Tomb Raider is present. In addition to being technically solid, the playable demo available at E3 is thematically on-point. Fans of action, stealth, exploration, puzzle solving, beautiful graphics or Lara Croft should all be keeping an eye on this one. Shadow of the Tomb Raider will be available for Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC on September 14th, 2018.
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