Shadow of the Tomb Raider Reviews
While there are tiny additions to the experience and quite a noticeable upgrade in terms of visuals, Shadow of the Tomb Raider feels more like the two previous games than a fresh experience.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider is a solid ending to Lara Croft’s origin story.
The rebooted series' story and overall advancement of the games draw an interesting parallel to one another as the curtain falls on the trilogy. Lara grows from a frightened survivor to a ruthless hunter, while the games go from trying to find its footings to being at the forefront of the genre. Although Shadow of the Tomb Raider is not without its jagged edges and rough spots, it still aims to push the boundaries of what it can do without falling flat on its face. On its own, it's an amazingly fun game that feels a bit bloated with features at times. As part of a series, it polishes what the previous entries have done well and sets it up for any ambitious journeys ahead. Although the future of the series remains uncertain at present, I would gladly welcome another outing with Lara Croft.
The imagery used in several key scenes in Shadow of the Tomb Raider are still weighing on my mind days after finishing the story. I was invested from start to finish in this emotional journey Eidos Montreal is taking players on, and it was truly hard to stop playing.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider looks similar in many ways to Rise of the Tomb Raider, but Eidos Montreal opts for a darker story that make hero and villain hard to distinguish, and add some new stealth and explorations mechanics, making a very enjoyable game.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Shadow of the Tomb Raider is excellent, and so well balanced; from the combat, to exploring, to solving puzzles. It’s rare to have this balance that even the final boss is evenly constructed, and no difficulty spikes are present at any point during the game. Shadow of the Tomb Raider is constantly challenging Lara, forcing her to survive another harsh location. There are so many great moments, but the stealth is fantastic and so satisfying. With more tombs, more ways to explore and connect with the game world, and less of the junk that soiled prior entries, it’s everything you’d want. This final chapter in Lara Croft’s origin story comes to a close with maturity in tune with the character and the series. Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the quintessential action adventure, compounded by human emotion tying it all together to be at the top of its class.
Despite a new developer at its helm, Shadow of the Tomb Raider ends up feeling like more of the same. The new additions to stealth are great; the bow continues to be one of the best in all of video games. Then guns enter combat and the self-reflective story falls flat, making Shadow sometimes a chore to get through. The puzzles in those tombs are pretty spectacular though. I guess she really is the Tomb Raider now.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider stands as the best in a trilogy of excellent games.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the perfect conclusion to Lara Croft's origin story diving into the character's history and pushing boldly forward.