. I have the same opinion about any media franchise. The series of games about Lara Croft is no exception. In light of the release of “Rise of the tomb raider”, I decided to take a little dip into the past. Repetition is the mother of learning, isn’t it??
The 2006 game – Tomb raider: legend – was chosen as a reference point. . . The game was favored by critics and well received by fans, which puts you in a positive mood. Unfortunately, all that glitters is not gold. I’ll try to sort it all out.
Gameplay — A fundamental part of any game. Crystal Dynamics did not reinvent the wheel and used the foundations laid in the very first game in the series as the foundation. Let me remind you that it came out in 96… The gameplay can be roughly divided into 3 components: platformer, action and world exploration. Sounds good right? But there were some nuances..
Firstly, platformer. By 2006, the “Prince of Persia” trilogy had appeared in this field, and if the prince developed the ideas of the genre, then Lara is more like a copy of it. Painfully familiar situations, similar animation and some rough edges that were not corrected. For example, on the screen Lady Croft moves with cat-like grace, but in reality it feels like you are controlling a clumsy elephant, looking for an opportunity to fly into the abyss. The camera also adds another layer of ointment to the barrel, as if living its own life, now showing off the sirloin parts of our traveler’s body, now huddling in a corner, making some jumps quite difficult. Despite these shortcomings, everything looks quite spectacular and does not get boring. Mechanics still work.
Second action is an important component. Everything is much worse here. The fact is that Lara can carry two weapons at the same time. Dual pistols with infinite ammo at all times and one additional weapon that drops from killed enemies. Shotgun, rifle or grenade launcher. The shotgun is powerful at close range and completely useless at long range. In contrast, the rifle is not only longer-range and faster-firing, but also performs quite well at short distances, which leaves the shotgun out of use. The grenade launcher does not manifest itself in any way, because “Tomb Raider” can already throw grenades at enemies, and its ammunition is quite rare. It turns out that you will potentially run the entire game with a pair of Pistols/Rifles. Not too much. In addition to this, the game is dominated by a strange auto-aim system, where you don’t even need to aim, just aim towards the enemy and press the shoot button, the game will do the rest. She is the one who decides whether you hit or miss. There is also a manual aiming mode, but you don’t have to use it, because in it the heroine turns into a target, freezing in one place, and, as I already said, it’s the game that decides whether you hit it or not. Nothing depends on your personal level. Accordingly, the concept of “Headshot” does not exist here. There is also no cover system, which negates any maneuvers, and the only tactic that is quoted here is rushing. Fortunately, all 2 types of enemies(. ) are deprived of even the rudiments of intelligence. Armed mercenaries are diligently shooting at the air in front of them, and representatives of the animal fauna are simply running around the room trying to bite you by the heel. There are also bosses in the game, but they are taken by banal starvation and are unremarkable. Alas and ah. Taken together, as you understand, this creates a rather sad picture, because even on maximum difficulty it’s too easy to play.
Third the pillar on which the foundation of gameplay rests is research. There are artifacts scattered throughout the levels. Bronze, silver and gold. The higher the value, the harder they are to find. They may be hidden in drawers, in dark corners, under your bed… Just kidding, but check just in case. In turn, they unlock various bonuses. Artwork, character biographies and additional costumes, of which there are a lot. And now, for such a variety, they would ask for 20 bucks… But do you need it?? The local “mysteries” can also be included in the research. . Yes, we will press plates and pull levers. Moreover, everything is quite obvious and difficulties should not arise.
A couple of additional elements https://casinobella.uk/bonus/ stand out in the gameplay. This is the QTE system and motorcycle rides that began to gain popularity back then. The essence of Quick Time Events is to press a specified key in certain cut scenes. Press left and Lara will dodge the trap, press up and she will jump over the dangerous area… In my opinion, the disadvantage here is excessive slowness, so it’s quite difficult to make a mistake. . Even then, Crystal Dynamics liked to mock the ward Motorcycle rides look like it would be better if they didn’t exist at all. Well, really, don’t sew a tail on a mare. All you need to do is just move forward, lazily shooting enemies passing by. Controlling a two-wheeled horse is more like rolling butter on a frying pan. Or on the radio. In attempts to curb the iron monster, you will experience deja vu, because the tracks are a small looped section. And now you pass the same boulder again. And again. And again. Mysticism, and only.
If you try to be objective, the gameplay looks quite controversial. On the one hand, we got some pretty lively acrobatics and the lion’s share of fan service. On the other hand, the action, which evokes boredom, dubious stages on a motorcycle, and acrobatic moments are not without drawbacks, and are an exploitation of other people’s achievements. .
Gameplay — 3.5/5
Being a restart of the series, the game does not care plot previous parts and starts the barrel organ in a new one. Meet Lara Croft, a carefree adventurer, an archaeologist and, judging by the gameplay, also a killing machine. We are shown how, while still a child, she and her mother suffer a plane crash somewhere in the middle of the Himalayas. Finding refuge in an ancient temple, they find a strange artifact and accidentally activate it. And as you know, jokes with unknown artifacts are bad and as confirmation of this, Lara’s mother disappears. Actually, the plot is as simple as two pennies: The matured Lady Croft is looking for an artifact similar to the one she saw as a child in order to investigate the disappearance of her mother. . Several scenario aspects contribute to this..
Firstly, poor character development and useless dialogues. In addition to the main character, Lara has two companions, Zip and Alistair. Throughout the game, these are the ones we will hear most often. Zip is a super hacker who only makes jokes. Alistair is a standard smart guy who knows everything, but is terribly cowardly. The stereotypes are off the charts. Level by level we will listen to similar dialogues. Alistair gives a “smart” idea, Zip laughs it off stupidly. . Then what are they for?? I haven’t seen so much “water” for a long time. The development of minor characters is no different. Antagonists with the motivation “I do evil because I am evil” cause confusion. .
Second this moment… At the beginning of the text, I wrote about the spiral of life, that sooner or later everything repeats itself. So, here it is taken to the point of absurdity. Dialogues are repeated, events are repeated. For example, conversation:
At least repeats on three different levels. Different words, but doesn’t change the essence. !"And our archaeologist in a skirt asks Zip and Alistair to pack her things, she goes there". We see this several times. Looks like a cheap attempt to justify a change of location. Lara might as well be shouting “Yaba-daba-doo” at the end of each level!”, it would make just as much sense.
I don’t really want to talk about the plot. The main problem is that it doesn’t captivate you at all. I bet the day after passing you won’t even remember it. But thank you for having it, yes.
. Artists’ work is top notch. Waterfalls, snow-capped mountains, ancient temples. It all looks great. . Technically, the game was not a breakthrough, but the design of Lara’s model was excellent. . The level in Kazakhstan doesn’t work with it either. And if the game crashes, that’s the problem too.
Visualization – 4/5
You can safely shout “Accused!”. The game is simple, the plot is stupid, the action game is completely unsuccessful. I didn’t like Lara’s voice acting (original) either. Duration can also be considered a controversial factor; it can be run in about six hours if you don’t look for secrets. “Tomb raider: legend” is a compilation of successful old ideas and unsuccessful new ones. .
Subjectivation – 3/5
Pros: Spectacular acrobatics, lots of fan service, beautiful visuals
Cons.