Well, here I am, just finished the game.

I'll be honest with you, I was really looking forward to this game, and whilst I did most certainly enjoy it, im still disappointed. Im going to start this review with the negatives, and end on a more happy note.

Though the game length isn't short, took me about 20 hours to complete around 75%, it still feels a lot shorter than Rise of the Tomb Raider. I can't really explain why, but I found myself quite suprised as to how fast the story was progressing.

Speaking of the story, I hate to say it, but it's really quite bad. All the characters are pretty much bland and without any character or personality (with the exception of Lara and Jonah). I guarantee you you won't care about anyone else. Also the story just really lacks depth, I didnt get invested in it, at any point.

Then we get to another really weird issue. The dialogue. Whilst the quality of the audio is excellent, I can't help but notice quest givers pause a lot longer inbetween sentences than what I would declare a normal way of speaking. It get's really bad when you are sitting at camp when Lara is narrating, sometimes she pauses like 5 seconds before saying anything. Literally half the time I think shes done talking and then suddenly theres more. It's just weird and feels unnatural.

Then we get to the gameplay, first of all, I find there to be a lack of enemies. Sure you do fight quite regularly, whether it's stealth or combat, but, I just ended the game feeling like I hadn't really done much in the way of combat.


Then we get to the "hubs". Do you feel like talking to everyone? I most certainly didn't because of the bad story, so good luck with that. I literally walked past most random civilian dialogue people simply muttering the phrase "I dont give a sh*t". Sure it gives you information about secrets and possible tomb locations, but as I said, I just didnt care.

Then theres another issue: You will be locked from selecting certain outfits and using certain weapons for a big portion of the game. Now don't get me wrong, I understand the reasoning behind this, it's to "blend in", but I just found it really , really annoying.

To end on a more positive note:
The tombs are excellent.
The new climbing mechanics work well
The graphics are amazing.
Excellent voice acting for Lara and Jonah
Stealth is just as good as it was, though really easy due to bad AI.

To sum up, if you liked Rise of the Tomb Raider, you will like this, BUT, you will feel it is inferior.

I do recommend this game, but I would wait for a sale, especially if you loved Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Seeing as though this is the last game in the trilogy, I do want it said that I really do hope they make more of these games, they are a joy to play.

Well, here I am, just finished the game. I'll be honest with you, I was really looking forward to this game, and whilst I did most certainly enjoy it, im still disappointed. Im going to start this review with the negatives, and end on a more happy note. Though the game length isn't short, took me about 20 hours to complete around 75%, it still feels a lot shorter than Rise of the Tomb Raider. I can't really explain why, but I found myself quite suprised as to how fast the story was progressing. Speaking of the story, I hate to say it, but it's really quite bad. All the characters are pretty much bland and without any character or personality (with the exception of Lara and Jonah). I guarantee you you won't care about anyone else. Also the story just really lacks depth, I didnt get invested in it, at any point. Then we get to another really weird issue. The dialogue. Whilst the quality of the audio is excellent, I can't help but notice quest givers pause a lot longer inbetween sentences than what I would declare a normal way of speaking. It get's really bad when you are sitting at camp when Lara is narrating, sometimes she pauses like 5 seconds before saying anything. Literally half the time I think shes done talking and then suddenly theres more. It's just weird and feels unnatural. Then we get to the gameplay, first of all, I find there to be a lack of enemies. Sure you do fight quite regularly, whether it's stealth or combat, but, I just ended the game feeling like I hadn't really done much in the way of combat. Then we get to the "hubs". Do you feel like talking to everyone? I most certainly didn't because of the bad story, so good luck with that. I literally walked past most random civilian dialogue people simply muttering the phrase "I dont give a sh*t". Sure it gives you information about secrets and possible tomb locations, but as I said, I just didnt care. Then theres another issue: You will be locked from selecting certain outfits and using certain weapons for a big portion of the game. Now don't get me wrong, I understand the reasoning behind this, it's to "blend in", but I just found it really , really annoying. To end on a more positive note: The tombs are excellent. The new climbing mechanics work well The graphics are amazing. Excellent voice acting for Lara and Jonah Stealth is just as good as it was, though really easy due to bad AI. To sum up, if you liked Rise of the Tomb Raider, you will like this, BUT, you will feel it is inferior. I do recommend this game, but I would wait for a sale, especially if you loved Rise of the Tomb Raider. Seeing as though this is the last game in the trilogy, I do want it said that I really do hope they make more of these games, they are a joy to play.