Rise of the Tomb Raider became one of the great games of 2015 on its own merits. It did so, becoming an excellent adventure that left behind those suggestions that the Tomb Raider reboot, in fact, was an inspiration to the model Uncharted.
The sequel starred by Lara Croft demonstrated a few months ago that has its own entity and is able to offer mechanics and situations different from other action adventures. The exclusive seasonality of Xbox consoles comes to an end this week
with the premiere of this great adventure on PC, where it comes with the same elements that made it succeed in Microsoft consoles and a more powerful and solid visual, something logical taking into account account for the differences between today’s high-end compatible and desktop consoles.
Lara Croft returns to the charge, now on PC, with an adventure that makes her intentions clear in her first hours. The zones of platforms are constant, they combine perfectly with elements of exploration, with puzzles and also with shootings.
But unlike the modern action adventures, the shots are not the main characters and the playable balance of Rise of the Tomb Raider during the twelve hours of the adventure is one of its great virtues. Everything that is not shooting matters a lot in this game and has a weight as capital as the available arsenal. And that, in a moment like the current one, is appreciated.
The plot focuses on the search that has been around Lara’s head for a long time, before his father died. But as usual in these adventures, nothing is as simple as reaching the specific point of a map and there is always someone who is looking for the same … and also has more resources than you. The Trinity, a non-transparent organization, also seeks the same artifact. In addition to
Lara and her enemies we will meet the Rebels, Croft’s necessary allies who have the opposite object to that of the others: that nobody gets that object. The argument is simple, has very gimmicky moments, flashbacks and some small surprise. We are not facing the best plot but it accompanies perfectly.
Lara the adventurer
The road that begins in Siberia and ends in an unknown and almost virgin place for contemporary humanity is full of game mechanics that provide rhythm and
variety in equal parts. Lara has a great mobility that allows you to jump on platforms, catch on ledges, go through small spaces and make balance so as not to fall while crossing a mast below which there is only the most absolute vacuum.
In addition to all these mechanics, those of being able to jump between branches, hang from frozen walls with our beak or use improvised zip lines, we can also use arrows to create alternative paths in our path.
The platforms are somewhat linear – especially in what the main campaign is concerned – but they are not simple automatisms that we overcome going forward, and if we do not calculate well the jump or the sequence to be made,
Along with this, an important exploration component is added. There will be several open zones with freedom of movement where we will first observe and then act. Without becoming an Open World game, it is true that many possibilities open up in this
regard. Both to advance the plot and to find dozens of extras that fill the universe of the game. Supplies to get better weapons or create ammunition,
healing elements and others; collectibles that explain the historical context of where we are, authentic relics that make you want to examine from the menu for its beauty and, of course, access to places that extend the adventure of Lara in the form of caves and tombs.
There is no lack of weapons, both melee and fire … and the bow. The system of shootings is similar to what we can imagine in any modern adventure, with more or less solid coverage, effective targeting system and the possibility of exchanging shots in the middle distance with melee shots, throwing objects or using contextual elements to our favor. Although it is not
the most inspired of the game, it is true that the possibilities they offer compensate for the simplicity of the shootings: we can always try to
sneak through several areas, mislead enemies with objects strategically located on the stage or go out in Rambo plan hard enemies but with an AI little worked. In all this role the bow has a fundamental role, both to play in stealth mode and to kill enemies at a distance.
