Lara Croft is the queen of the jungle

Shadow of the Tomb Raider

In the previous games, we saw Lara grow into the tomb raider we all have come to love. With Shadow of the Tomb Raider you can experience a more confident Lara Croft taking down enemies, scaling cliffs and solving gargantuan puzzles. The story, as with this reboot, is a little dark - it has a lot to do with Lara's past and the consequences of her raiding tombs, while trying to take down Trinity. The story unfolds in the Peruvian jungle, which developers Eidos Montreal have recreated in stunning glory.

It's a visual treat with animals, birds and insects, all layered into the landscape. The sound does a really good job of further immersing you in the jungle. This time around, you can also talk to some of the natives and get quests and find new things, thanks to information they give you. Some of the quests lead to interesting gear, which makes them a worthwhile distraction.

The voice acting is well done. Camilla Luddington has done a good job with emoting both the confident and the more vulnerable self-doubting Lara. The cut-scenes between Lara and Jonah (voiced by Earl Baylon) were entertaining to watch, mainly because of the subtle emotions and tensions that came through the voice.

There is a shift from the fighting in the first and second game to a more puzzle-like approach - a nod to the Lara of old. In fact, the fighting is mostly you, trying to take down trinity soldiers in the quietest way possible, with very predictable outcomes. It is slightly one dimensional and the enemies just seem to find themselves alone, all the time.

The game does a good job of helping you learn the controls, though this doesn't mean Lara isn't going to die. In fact, the game seems harder this time around - one mistimed step and you die. Thankfully, the game has plenty of save points, so you can just try and try again till you succeed. Another thing that has gotten a little harder are the puzzles - they start off easy enough, but by the end, they are very tough and rely both on speed and your ability to come up with a solution.

The exploration part of the game has really become good, especially with the added element of jaguars stalking you through the jungle. You can also harvest plants and animals for potions that temporarily enhance your abilities. These are really useful later in the game, though we found it useful while taking down jaguars as well. While the standard jump, grab and hammer have all been brought back, there is a new rappel system added. This in turn has added some interesting gameplay. Some of the exploration has also moved underwater, where Lara can swim for a long time in search of treasures or other resources. The controls for swimming are fairly easy to master and the underwater worlds are worth the time spent on them.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is a brilliant end to the trilogy and we can't wait for more adventures from Lara Croft in the future. The game is perfect for both fans and non-fans of the franchise - there is a fair bit of handholding for newbies and that makes the game very approachable. We wished the combat had more dimension to it than just taking down enemies one at a time, but this is a small glitch in an otherwise great game.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Rating: 4.5/5
Developer: Eidos Montreal
Publisher: Square Enix
Platform: PC, PS4, XBOX
Price: PC: Rs 2,999; PS4/XBOX: Rs 3,999

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates