A firm fan favourite
A great addition to the genre, Lara is as cute and flexible as ever. Could do with a few more and tougher enemies in the opening couple of hours, and the swim mechanic feels weird inasmuch as diving deep is no longer an option, but otherwise well designed with plenty of exploration, some nice puzzles and skill trees, the option to craft weapons and kit adds to the feeling of designable nuance, and I'm only 20% in.
Also a good selection of new game modes and side-games (accessible from the main menu) that add variety.
Would have liked to see some slightly better camera options for first person or aiming when shooting, which can complicate the sense of fluid motion in otherwise engaging gun battles.
The crouch mechanic is automated which generally works pretty well, but occasionally you worry she's going to walk out in front of oncoming bullets.
Running from cascading rock falls and collapsing tunnels are a personal highlight. These chase sequences just get better with each iteration.
Landscapes and geographies are immersive and draw distances are impressive. I'm hoping to see some well populated cities later in the game, as well as some really deep puzzles.
Verified purchase: YesCondition: New