

#Shadow of the tomb raider images how to
It feels like Eidos Montreal wasn’t sure how to conclude this trilogy, resulting in a cavalcade of hollow yet lavishly produced cutscenes that take you from one set-piece to the next - all of which are, fortunately, an absolute joy to experience.Īside from a few bespoke locations, the majority of your time will be spent in the Hidden City of Paititi. It should have been the main focus, but instead finds itself on the sidelines as multiple, far less intriguing arcs are given prominence. It’s filled with history and a genuine care that shines through until the end. The relationship between Lara and Jonah is a brilliant one.

Jonah’s shoulder is the only one left to lean on, a close friend of Lara whose relationship is a pleasure to bear witness to. This immediately becomes clear as a rapturous tsunami tears through Mexico, killing thousands and leaving our heroine a battered, broken mess.

Upon stealing an ancient dagger, Lara is warned by her enemies of the cataclysm she’s set in motion. Shadow of the Tomb Raider begins with the literal apocalypse. Lara spends time either talking about her dead parents, realising her own misguided intentions or fending off Trinity, an evil organisation whose motivations are muddy and inconsistent. Things wrap up in a hugely anticlimactic final act that fails to deliver thanks to a clumsy narrative which juggles far too many elements when none of them have enough depth. Yes, Rise of the Tomb Raider could feel generic but it still managed to weave an excellent yarn regardless. Arcs are established without ever being paid off in a meaningful way, or otherwise prance around in limbo without being touched for hours. Troubled pacing and an odd mixture of performances kept me from getting truly invested, and the absence of Rhianna Pratchett’s writing talent is most definitely felt. That isn’t to say it’s bad, it’s consistently great, but it ends up sitting in the shadows of its contemporaries. Whether it’s narrative, combat or exploration, very little in Shadow of the Tomb Raider feels as good as I’d like. It’s simultaneously the most accomplished chapter thus far, but also continually trips up under the weight of its own ambition. The closing chapter of Lara Croft’s reboot trilogy is a complicated one. It’s a harrowing tale of Lara coming to terms with her own morality and realising the value of friendship, although it seldom gels together in a satisfying way. Developed by Eidos Montreal in collaboration with Crystal Dynamics, Shadow of the Tomb Raider follows Lara as she once again tries to stop The Order of Trinity from finding artifacts capable of destroying the world.
