Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration

The Tomb Raider series is one of the most recognizable brands in the world of video games. After the excellent first few installments, the series went through a bit of a crisis and returned to fans' good graces in 2013 with an excellent production simply titled Tomb Raider. The title sold over 8 million copies, so Square Enix gave the Crystal Dynamics team (creators of the entire series and, for example, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver) the green light to produce another installment. This turned out to be Rise of the Tomb Raider for PC. However, the game was released first on Xbox consoles (360 and One) in November 2015, and the "tablet" version appeared on the market only after a few months, which is actually the only difference between these releases (not counting the much better graphics in relation to the Xbox 360).

Storyline

Rise of the Tomb Raider for PC, PS4, etc. continues the story told in its predecessor. The events that took place on the island of Yamatai left their mark on the protagonist, making her tougher and more ruthless, as well as a restless woman. This time Lara decides to set off to Siberia on the trail of the mysterious Prophet, her destination being the ruins of the city of Kitezh which is supposed to hide the source of immortality. The story is connected with the research conducted by the girl's father, his suicidal death and the Order of the Trinity - the eternal enemies of the Prophet and his people.

Mechanics

As for the gameplay mechanics in Rise of the Tomb Raider for PC, PS4, etc., the developers remained faithful to the solutions of the previous installment. Silent sneaking behind the backs of enemies and using tools such as the bow is still important, but there are also sequences in which we engage in a regular exchange of fire. What is important, the locations have become approximately three times larger - thanks to this we spend more time now on exploration, looking for various "finds" as well as diverse crafting materials. The developers have expanded the mechanics of crafting, giving the possibility to produce various items (e.g. bandages, Molotov cocktails, poisoned arrows) and more complex upgrading of equipment.

Game Modes

Rise of the Tomb Raider is a game designed mainly for solo play. Completing the campaign at 100% can take up to 40 hours, but in addition to it, the developers have also prepared other forms of play, including endurance mode, horde, as well as:

• Score Attack - passing individual levels on time, struggling with slightly changed game rules;
• Remnant Resistance - setting your own scenarios with the possibility of choosing some elements yourself (mission objectives, enemies, etc.). - It is possible to use Expedition Cards, which are special gameplay modifiers, for this purpose). Levels created in this way can be shared with friends, fighting with them later for the best results;
• Chapter Replay - repeating missions from the story campaign, using previously acquired equipment.

Language version

Rise of the Tomb Raider is available in full Polish and Lara Croft is played by Karolina Gorczyca known from the previous game.

Technical issues

Just like in the case of the previous installment, this time too the developers have done their best to provide a breathtaking visual experience. Technological novelties include the introduction of a dynamic daily cycle and changing weather conditions.