SotTR brings up mixed feelings. I go into an area and think I'm sure I've been here before. I'm in the Yaaxil pit and it reminds me of the Geothermal Caverns in Rise of the Tomb Raider. The Mountain Temple reminds me of the Path of the Deathless area in Rise. Maps have been reused and upgraded but a confident gamer knows the tricks. The water-run of Tomb Raider 2013 is repeated as a mudslide run (REALLY devs?). The Yaaxil have the same clicking sound as the clickers in The Last of Us.
(FYI I have played all the Tomb Raider games.
Screenshots are of my own gameplay.
I play on pc.)
PROS:
Lovely scenery and architecture and objects and collectibles.
Interesting fmv's and character dialogue.
Save system has improved, does not carry Lara back to base camp but often back where you last were.
Tombs are hard but a nice change. If only they'd added these particular ones earlier in the trilogy.
Game is clever in using mud to conceal Lara.
(FYI I have played all the Tomb Raider games.
Screenshots are of my own gameplay.
I play on pc.)
PROS:
Lovely scenery and architecture and objects and collectibles.
Interesting fmv's and character dialogue.
Save system has improved, does not carry Lara back to base camp but often back where you last were.
Tombs are hard but a nice change. If only they'd added these particular ones earlier in the trilogy.
Game is clever in using mud to conceal Lara.
CONS:
(VERY glitchy: Lara gets caught on objects, jumps are not guaranteed, rope arrows do not always latch on, W + Multiple Space clambers up walls to ledges often don't execute therefore you think you can't go that way)
The map:
* Quests are difficult to follow via the map
* The basecamp map does not show collectibles, the while-out-in-the-world map does show collectibles. So I ended up looking for where exactly the collectible was, memorising it, and then travelling to that spot via the basecamp, where I couldn't see on the map where the item was.
* Can't see missions and map at same time at base camps
* Waypoints cannot be used just anywhere, only where the map allows
Not open world, extremely linear
Areas close behind you so you have to go forward
Areas close in front of you during combat but are opened once ALL enemies are dead, so you can't come and go and be clever in combat
Lara is forced to wear certain outfits for certain quests, even though they have no benefits like endurance or protection from damage added
Lots of quest givers look the same
All the boys in Paititi look the same
Have to stand in front of people to talk to them
If Lara has her back to you, tips are hidden "behind" her so you can't read them
For some of the jumps you're not controlling Lara eg mudslide, the game takes over
Many scramble moves were not possible
One scramble move up a wall required W+A which I only discovered how to do via online, the only jump of its kind in the game
Most shootouts feel like a losing battle. If enemies discover you while you’re trying to sneak past them, you’re usually forced to scramble to a new hiding place or die
Lara crouches and gets her knife out when there's nothing threatening around, making her hard to control
No enemies to shoot from a distance even though you can hear them, they don't appear til you get closer
Why doesn't TAB close as well as open the map?
F to talk, why not E which is already "interact"?
Lara repeats herself when in a new area and using Q
The sound of pressing Q every time you want to see objects and waypoints is super annoying
Can't use weapon in tunnels (a repeat of previous games)
Grapple is difficult to master causing Lara to lose the rope and die
Trial of the Serpent "gotta be a way to burn that barrier" but of course Lara can't use her fire arrows
Why are throwables found on the fly? I want them in my inventory! Is this so I can't get an advantage in the game, so I can't use my own intelligence as to when it would be a good idea to murder someone with MY well-thought-out plan?
(VERY glitchy: Lara gets caught on objects, jumps are not guaranteed, rope arrows do not always latch on, W + Multiple Space clambers up walls to ledges often don't execute therefore you think you can't go that way)
The map:
* Quests are difficult to follow via the map
* The basecamp map does not show collectibles, the while-out-in-the-world map does show collectibles. So I ended up looking for where exactly the collectible was, memorising it, and then travelling to that spot via the basecamp, where I couldn't see on the map where the item was.
* Can't see missions and map at same time at base camps
* Waypoints cannot be used just anywhere, only where the map allows
Not open world, extremely linear
Areas close behind you so you have to go forward
Areas close in front of you during combat but are opened once ALL enemies are dead, so you can't come and go and be clever in combat
Lara is forced to wear certain outfits for certain quests, even though they have no benefits like endurance or protection from damage added
Lots of quest givers look the same
All the boys in Paititi look the same
Have to stand in front of people to talk to them
If Lara has her back to you, tips are hidden "behind" her so you can't read them
For some of the jumps you're not controlling Lara eg mudslide, the game takes over
Many scramble moves were not possible
One scramble move up a wall required W+A which I only discovered how to do via online, the only jump of its kind in the game
Most shootouts feel like a losing battle. If enemies discover you while you’re trying to sneak past them, you’re usually forced to scramble to a new hiding place or die
Lara crouches and gets her knife out when there's nothing threatening around, making her hard to control
No enemies to shoot from a distance even though you can hear them, they don't appear til you get closer
Why doesn't TAB close as well as open the map?
F to talk, why not E which is already "interact"?
Lara repeats herself when in a new area and using Q
The sound of pressing Q every time you want to see objects and waypoints is super annoying
Can't use weapon in tunnels (a repeat of previous games)
Grapple is difficult to master causing Lara to lose the rope and die
Trial of the Serpent "gotta be a way to burn that barrier" but of course Lara can't use her fire arrows
Why are throwables found on the fly? I want them in my inventory! Is this so I can't get an advantage in the game, so I can't use my own intelligence as to when it would be a good idea to murder someone with MY well-thought-out plan?
SUMMARY:
The game is pretentious in a way - you can see the devs' thinking behind events, their making it tougher and frustrating for gamers just to show off their "expertise" eg obstacles, video clips where control is taken away, runs in earthquakes, mud slides, tsunamis - "oh this is a good idea, let's do this even though it's so obvious and contrived'.
I've had to look up, like many others to our frustration, youtube videos on how to solve some tombs.
The game well and truly lags in story midway. I've decided to not buy another TR game until I've well and truly researched it.
Not planning to complete at the moment.
You? Play it if you're prepared to be bored here and there and find yourself thinking "Is this the Tomb Raider I loved?"
Last thought, shouted: IMAGINE IF LARA CROFT ENDED UP IN AN OPEN WORLD GAME!!!
