After her return to video games as an inexperienced archaeologist in 2013’s Tomb Raider, Lara Croft is back in Rise of the Tomb Raider. The game takes place after the 2013 game as we see Lara, more confident in herself and her tomb-raiding skills, tracking down some myths that her father was obsessed with before he died.
Rise of the Tomb Raider has Lara traveling to a number of locales including Syria and Siberia in order to find what her father was searching for. Much of the gameplay will remain the same as the previous game, and that’s not a bad thing. The biggest addition to the gameplay is the massive tombs to explore. These were a hallmark of the Tomb Raider franchise since the beginning, but didn’t seem to have a place in the 2013 game, which was focused much more on establishing the new Lara’s character and personality.
Rise of the Tomb Raider lets you choose a few different ways to get Lara through the game. She can level up in three categories: Hunter, Survivor, or Brawler. Each category will give her access to some cool new abilities. Specializing in Hunter, for example, will eventually give Lara the ability to fire two arrows at once and get a double headshot.
There’s definitely going to be a lot of action in the game, but that’s not to say the story is ignored. From what we’ve seen, Lara’s chasing after her father’s obsessions is helping to give us a piece of her past while we learn what she’s capable of in the future.
The game is definitely violent. Lara uses guns, bow and arrow, and melee weapons to defeat her foes. There’s blood, gore, and non-stop action. The game will be rated M for Mature.
Rise of the Tomb Raider will be released exclusively on Xbox One on Nov. 10. It will be released for the PlayStation 4 and PC in 2016.
