Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Lara's origin story ends in a lukewarm fashion. It lacks thrills and its early story potential is wasted. [Nov 2018, p.76]

A rich, vibrant world despite its lacklustre campaign. [Issue#205, p.78]

Shadow Of The Tomb Raider is a mixed experience. The plot is weak but the solid gameplay and challenge tombs will make you want to come back and finish the last entry in the trilogy.

Lara Croft’s final adventure in her revival trilogy is easily her weakest yet. Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s story fails to critique the heroine in the many ways it attempts, while aging gameplay mechanics and troublesome new additions undercut deeply satisfying exploration and an exquisite visual presentation.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider shines in exploration, offering stunning scenic views that enrich the pursuit to walk among the greater open world. It's filled with rewarding puzzle platforming tombs that emphasize the return of new and old gameplay mechanics. However, the same can't be said for the story, as Lara's journey is concluded with a tired and tried formula that never reaches the potential it displays in certain cutscenes, despite its promising beginning.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is a familiar thrill ride with new scenery. It’s good at what it does, it’s simply not big on surprises.

As a final blowoff to the Trinity saga, I couldn't help but walk away feeling that the resolution to the story and to Lara Croft's character could have been so much better. But in terms of a pure "Tomb Raider" game, Shadow of the Tomb Raider is everything a bold explorer could ask for, giving players a vast jungle to explore and daring them to master it.

An enjoyable action-adventure for the most part, yet frequently falls victim to a haphazard narrative and structural pacing that stops the trilogy’s finale from truly standing out.

Despite a new developer at its helm, Shadow of the Tomb Raider ends up feeling like more of the same. The new additions to stealth are great; the bow continues to be one of the best in all of video games. Then guns enter combat and the self-reflective story falls flat, making Shadow sometimes a chore to get through. The puzzles in those tombs are pretty spectacular though. I guess she really is the Tomb Raider now.

In regard to Shadow of the Tomb Raider's gameplay, there's no doubt that Crystal Dynamics has perfected the kind of game that Tomb Raider should be in the 21st century.

Culturally tone-deaf themes and few innovations hamper a genuinely fun experience.

Shallow story aside, Shadow of the Tomb Raider has the best tomb exploration in the series, and that’s what it’s all about.

Still very good, but in some ways weaker than the previous game. Still, fans shouldn’t miss it, just because it is the conclusion of the trilogy. [Issue#289]

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is entertaining enough to be worth the price of admission, but it's an action-adventure title that follows the same beats as any action-adventure title. While the story may be new, the characters, the set-pieces, and the dramatic ending, are all things we've seen before.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider takes Lara Croft to the most beautiful locations of the Peruvian jungles, rewarding players that search around with well-made and challenging tombs. For a change, it actually feels like you are a treasure hunter grappling and platforming through ancient ruins. Unfortunately, this is all offset by a forgettably weak and over-dramatic story, and simple combat sequences that do little to push creativity, underutilising what is otherwise a cool stealth and camouflage mechanic. In many respects, it is the best in the trilogy - but it is also so severely lacking in other areas that it just doesn't reach its full potential.

Α hasty job with tons of work but little inspiration. Battles are scripted and confusingly superficial, Lara is a troubled child with killer instincts, and Jonah is the Maori magician who always finds another way, where Lara tries for hours and hours practicing her Tomb Raider skills. Don’t leave your child with a stepparent.

The core mechanics are strong and locations are stunning, but the game's pacing and surprising lack of gunplay seems like a bit of a missed opportunity that makes the gaps in action even more apparent. Nevertheless, we're sure fans of the previous games will enjoy closing out the trilogy.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is a strange and vaguely disappointing game, but not a bad one.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider lacks the feeling of innovation and change its predecessors brought with them. Lara is still an agile and powerful character, but the world and mechanics feel aged, giving us little more than more of the same.