'Perfectly balanced as all things should be': Tomb Raider

Lara Croft has been close to our hearts since the PlayStation 1 Era. Since then, Lara has been seen in various forms ranging from a badass fighter to a wise-explorer. This new game from Crystal Dynamics titled as Tomb Raider features a young Lara Croft on her first expedition. As the game progresses, we see Lara use her wisdom and sheer will to survive and proving her Croft ancestry. Lara faced many dangers to get her crewmates out of the dreaded island.

The game is excellently scripted and never feels boring. The character upgrades are based on advancements in the game. Lara is too afraid even to kill an animal in the start, but in the end, Lara doesn’t even blink to take on an entire army of Yamatai. Many components together made this game a true masterpiece.

Enemies – Tomb Raider is fully packed with different types of enemies. The primary guards, who are also stuck on the deadly island with you but still want to kill you. Natural enemies include wolves, leopards and the environment. There are more chances of you being killed due to the environment than the NPC’s. The game keeps surprising us at every corner on who you might have to kill to survive. Yamatai is the toughest to defeat. They use swords and fire arrows and land fatal blows whenever we come in their range.

Instincts – Although this ability is used neither during combats nor during exploration, but it is an integral part of the series. The best part about it is that it allows us to pin our enemies who stay hidden behind covers. It is mostly used to hunt for collectables and to get a general direction of where to go if you are stranded. Instincts help in improving the in-game experience by showing paths and collectables to be discovered.

Combat – 'Perfectly balanced as all things should be.' Starting with the climber aka lever. It lands a brutal blow directly into his head when used near an enemy. We acquire a handgun while guards keep searching for us in the beginning. Handgun has always been a backup gun if all other options run out. Good for mid-range combat. There were two types of bows used in this game and a total of three types of arrows. Then a shotgun and an assault rifle for short- and long-range combats. Crystal Dynamics has done a wonderful job here as each and every movement feels almost natural.

Lara has to use the environment in various situations to her advantage. Lara takes down entire buildings by just using a rope arrow and killing a bunch of people by lighting up a whole cave on fire. Upgrades in the game feel so natural as they were just a part of your surrounding and we don’t have the situation to analyse our newly picked weapon.

The Verdict – A perfect game with emotion, rage and patience. The game never feels predictable and not at all boring, repetitive. Best in class combat and stealth gameplay. One of the best sceneries in its genre. Unexpected and fantastic boss battles are a cherry on top.

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