Rise of the Tomb Raider: Baba Yaga - The Temple of the Witch Reviews
Baba Yaga has more of Rise of the Tomb Raider's fun platforming and gorgeous Siberian cliffsides, but the condensed format only strengthens its problems.
Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch is a brief, but mostly entertaining chapter in Rise of the Tomb Raider's lore. While I would have happily swapped the return to the Soviet Installation for a new challenge tomb, its supernatural elements added a noticeably different feel and a welcome sense of tension to Lara's new adventure.
Rise of the Tomb Raider – Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch is a short piece that properly reflects its price point.
Overall, Rise of the Tomb Raider's first real DLC is quite a trip. The final confrontation with the Baba Yaga takes place in a large vertical spire that's harder to complete than many of the main campaign's boss stages. As expected, players will need to shoot, jump, climb, all of it, with only seconds to consider the best approach. It's an exhilarating finale that's made even better in the smaller moments that highlight how Lara Croft continues to grow as a character. Bring on the next DLC!
So, here's the deal with Rise of the Tomb Raider's newest DLC. If you're looking for several hours of story content that's supernatural in nature, yet offers very little additional content post story? Well, Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch is probably your thing. Just be aware it reuses some assets in that two hour length and offers very little in the way of options for using your weapon once the story is over.
Rise of the Tomb Raider – The Baba Yaga: Temple of the Witch DLC's content could have been a little meatier, but it should be satisfying enough for those looking for more adventures with Lara Croft.
Rise of the Tomb Raider's "Baba Yaga" DLC is a relatively short return to Lara's adventure, but an enjoyable one nonetheless. While the story doesn't quite hook you as much as that from the main game, and the lack of a new challenge tomb was disappointing, you'll still be glad that you had the chance to return to the Siberian wilderness. Once again you'll find yourself wanting the next piece of Lara's story.
The battle with Baba Yaga alone is worthy of the price of admission.
The DLC isn't the best I've played but it's not the worst, it got me really excited, but then was over before I knew it.
Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch is a great reason to return to Rise of the Tomb Raider, assuming you can look past its short playtime.
Baba Yaga is a good excuse for another adventure with Lara, but it doesn't hook quite as deep as its base game. Besides an excellent boss fight and a few major moments, nothing here stands out from the fold.
This may be the first substantial DLC for Rise of the Tomb Raider but it also sets a high standard. The incredibly cool hallucenogenic sequences that occur within are very much worth experiencing, even if Lara has no real part in the story. Nabbing a few extra items after completing it is pretty neat too, given their usefulness.
'Baba Yaga' is a capable, if small, piece of aftermarket content for the already excellent 'Rise of the Tomb Raider'. It was thoughtfully constructed even if it comes up a bit short in some places (and another bonus tomb would not have been remiss), but should not be missed by those who enjoyed the base game.
If you didn't like Rise of the Tomb Raider, the Baba Yaga DLC isn't going to change your mind, but fans of the base game will find plenty to love here. The content is finely polished, the additional rewards are worthwhile, and the story fits in well with the world, even if the finer bits are a tad predictable. The Baba Yaga DLC is also priced right, retailing for $9.99 when purchased by itself, ensuring that you'll get your money's worth with this one.
This DLC is a must-buy for any major fan of the modern Tomb Raider games with its fairy tale plotline and visuals bringing something fresh to the series.