Shadow of the Tomb Raider

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 1696 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 997 out of 1696
  2. Mixed: 475 out of 1696
  3. Negative: 224 out of 1696
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  1. arrivist
    Aug 6, 2023
    0
    The graphics are great, and a bit more colourful than the previous games in the series, which had a brown sludge filter over everything. The strength of the previous games was the combat, it was satisfying, and lots of it. In this game, the combat is scarce, and you spend most of the time holding UP on the joystick, while Lara plods behind an NPC, or you wait for an unskippable cutscene toThe graphics are great, and a bit more colourful than the previous games in the series, which had a brown sludge filter over everything. The strength of the previous games was the combat, it was satisfying, and lots of it. In this game, the combat is scarce, and you spend most of the time holding UP on the joystick, while Lara plods behind an NPC, or you wait for an unskippable cutscene to finish. Apart from the underground level, the story isn't very interesting or engaging.… Expand
  2. Bigwillyhaver69
    Jul 21, 2023
    7
    Good graphics but not as good gameplay wise as other tomb raider games.....
  3. Ozzy-
    Jul 19, 2023
    8
    Visually Stunning! I play these games for the adventure/exploration mostly & this game delivered on that front. The kind of vibe you get when exploring in the first two games & reminiscent of Uncharted series, for visuals it's a 10/10. I captured so many spectacular pics & videos.

    I didn't do all the tombs & mostly stuck to the main story, took me 16-17 hrs. Like others have mentioned,    Visually Stunning! I play these games for the adventure/exploration mostly & this game delivered on that front. The kind of vibe you get when exploring in the first two games & reminiscent of Uncharted series, for visuals it's a 10/10. I captured so many spectacular pics & videos.

    I didn't do all the tombs & mostly stuck to the main story, took me 16-17 hrs. Like others have mentioned, compared to the TR & RoTR, there's A LOT LESS combat.

    The first two games had a better balance imo. I was put off by some of the other reviews tbh, BUT SoTR is worth checking out, especially if you can get it on sale.    … Expand
  4. Warrior_of_Doom
    Jul 19, 2023
    8
    The overall score is based on how much fun I personally had with every component of the game
    and the overall experience.
  5. Bizancio_Askatu
    Jul 17, 2023
    4
    A monotonous stroll through the Peruvian jungle, with little action, clunky platforming, repetitive puzzles, a forgettable plot and an insufferable Lara that is just a shadow of her better times.

    This game takes 2 steps back from Rise in terms of combat and rhythm and it's miles away from the 2013 reboot in terms of Lara's charisma and appeal. Let's start with Lara, changing the    A monotonous stroll through the Peruvian jungle, with little action, clunky platforming, repetitive puzzles, a forgettable plot and an insufferable Lara that is just a shadow of her better times.

    This game takes 2 steps back from Rise in terms of combat and rhythm and it's miles away from the 2013 reboot in terms of Lara's charisma and appeal.
    Let's start with Lara, changing the face/body from Megan Farquhar to Camila Luddington was an atrocious mistake already made by Crystal Dynamics on Rise under the excuse of "allowing better motion capture" although we all know the reason behind it. Now it seems that was not enough and Eidos uglyfied her even more, messing with her body proportions and designing the most hideous clothing ever present on a video game, clothing that is mandatory during long sections of the game even if you have purchased DLC outfits! This results in a Lara with 0 charisma, super weird facial expressions, no agility or gymnastic skills, it feels like handling a space marine, and an utterly monotonous voice acting. On top of that they give her a dislikeable and selfish personality. The legendary iconic Lara is gone.

    Eidos also stripped most of the combat from the game mechanics, making 2/3 of the skill tree useless, but forgot to replace it with something else apart from collecting garbage to upgrade the weapons that you will rarely use. The writing is atrocious and the history has a lot of obvious plot holes. The enemy AI is also very poor, being most of the time just lemmings that can be taken care of one after another on a corner.

    On the positive side, I liked the dark tone of the game a lot, like Indy and temple of doom, some scenarios are gorgeous, especially a couple of tombs and the executions are brutal.. On PS5 there is a free upgrade to play it on 4K and it offers impressive moments, except the NPCS, they still look consistently terrible. Another nice feature is that if you have save data of the previous Cristal Dynamic tomb raider some outfits will be automatically unlocked, even the 2013 PS3 Lara skin.

    I recommend playing it on "one with the jungle" difficulty and doing all tombs and side quests, this makes combats more frequent and gives a reason to upgrade Lara's skill tree, also removes the white painting on the platform sections.

    In summary, if this would be a new franchise I think it would deserve around a 6-7 score but being a Tomb raider with circa 100M budget (the 3th part of a trilogy!) the result is really disappointing. As a fan that has purchased and completed every tomb raider since 2006, even the isometric ones, it leaves me really worried about Lara's future.    … Expand
  6. spaghettiwest
    Jun 27, 2023
    3
    un passo indietro rispetto i predecessori. poche sparatorie, gioco noioso, la storia è brutta. si salva solo la bella grafica. aspetto il prossimo tomb raider sperando che sia come rise e il primo.
  7. Kostas_Spirou
    Jul 17, 2022
    7
    The Black Sheep of Tomb Raider.
    Unfortunately it's indeed the weakest game in the trilogy but it's still a pretty good game, just lacks the charm and the things that made the previous games iconic.
    The game repeats itself many times, you'll climb and swim a lot in this game... A LOT, to the point where I got exhausted. There are barely any gunfights, most of the game is either exploring    The Black Sheep of Tomb Raider.
    Unfortunately it's indeed the weakest game in the trilogy but it's still a pretty good game, just lacks the charm and the things that made the previous games iconic.

    The game repeats itself many times, you'll climb and swim a lot in this game... A LOT, to the point where I got exhausted. There are barely any gunfights, most of the game is either exploring or killing enemies from the shadows, and the pacing felt weird, it takes way too long for the game to pick up which is a shame because the core gameplay is great, and the stealth mechanics are very fun.

    The story is quite nonsensical, similarly to the previous games it's just another adventure, but I enjoyed the dark atmosphere, and there are some scary moments which actually creeped me out.

    The puzzles are even better than before, and the game mostly focuses on raiding tombs instead of fighting hordes of enemies. There are also actual side quests you can do, which aren't anything special but they're a welcome addition.

    And lastly, this game contains the single best moment in the entire trilogy in my opinion, Lara Croft's development really shows here, and yet again, she is the star of the show.

    Overall, I think I prefer this game more than the first game (Rise is still my favorite one though), I like how the trilogy ends, it could have been better but still, the game has some very strong moments, its highs are pretty high, but sadly the lack of innovation is disappointing.

    Final Rating: "Good" ~ 7/10.    … Expand
  8. tanonero
    Jun 4, 2023
    7
    The game appears to intentionally blend elements from Uncharted 4 and Assassin's Creed Origins, taking inspiration from these titles but falling short in terms of execution. Shadow of the Tomb Raider doesn't excel in any particular aspect, but it still offers an enjoyable experience worth playing, especially if you can overlook the forgettable plot.
  9. Alex_Pilgrim008
    May 28, 2023
    7
    Not the best Tomb Raider installment, but very underrated. There is less action and more emphasis on exploration and puzzles. The change in direction recalls the original PS1 games which should please some fans. However, the controls are a bit iffy and none of the side-quests are too exciting. After a solid beginning, the game's pace slows down. Still, there is more good than there is bad.Not the best Tomb Raider installment, but very underrated. There is less action and more emphasis on exploration and puzzles. The change in direction recalls the original PS1 games which should please some fans. However, the controls are a bit iffy and none of the side-quests are too exciting. After a solid beginning, the game's pace slows down. Still, there is more good than there is bad. I liked the addition of the grappling hook and all the fancy upgrades. Like Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and Horizon Zero Dawn, "Shadow" is a must play for action fans. I would rate this with a 7.7 out of 10.… Expand
  10. paradagon768
    May 27, 2023
    7
    The gameplay is the same as in the other series, but there is one annoying detail: Lara Croft walks slowly when talking on the walkie-talkie or talking to someone, and this slows down the game.
  11. juniortiger
    May 17, 2023
    10
    You need check game out one the best game and lot action game and excellent graphic and good music and haptic feedback control In the game and good day
  12. greenbeard
    Apr 1, 2023
    8
    Good saving system. Very intense story with and acceptable amount of things happening. I wish slightly more freedom but I know is difficult to keep tension.
  13. p1nkhouse
    Mar 12, 2023
    8
    Great story and visuals - my first Tomb Raider game in probably about 15 years, and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Takes a while to complete if you are looking at doing side stories!

    The only cons are: gets a little repetitive, going around collecting resources - you will probably spend half your gameplay time doing just that. Sometimes the characters' lip movements are out of synch.
  14. cirospm
    Feb 10, 2023
    3
    Square Enix Ruined Lara. Too much "humanization". 1st, Tomb Raider is a Platform-Action-Adventure game. This one is another interactive-movie (the plot is also very bad) and the gameplay is something like 80% pre-scripted. You don't need to look at your surroundings and think where to jump or parkour to find a way. No. There's always that specific texture almost saying "Climb Here". AfterSquare Enix Ruined Lara. Too much "humanization". 1st, Tomb Raider is a Platform-Action-Adventure game. This one is another interactive-movie (the plot is also very bad) and the gameplay is something like 80% pre-scripted. You don't need to look at your surroundings and think where to jump or parkour to find a way. No. There's always that specific texture almost saying "Climb Here". After you find that texture, just follow the unique way possible. The combat is mediocre. Then comes another explicit cutscene, and more mediocre combat, or find again that Climb-Here Texture. There's some random puzzles in the way. The graphics are cool (better on the cutscenes, of course), and Lara's teeth are so beautiful, but not enough to compensate the mess they did with Tomb Raider and Lara herself. You need to watch Lara talking with her psychologist or something. LoL. Nobody's perfect and Lara has some kind of mania with rare archeological arctifacts and her therapy is travel to the Egypt pyramids to steal pharo's stuff because she likes these objects. Very dangerous. It's called Exposure's Therapy. More than Brave, she's also a good person because she's not satisfied with staying at her family's huge mansion with all the servants doing the job while she takes selfies for instagram etc, no!!!, she has (had) social conciousness, very cool Patty... Also she was very athletic. Now, when she falls on the water is something odd and even ugly to see, she crafts the arrows crouching like a monkey... wtf happened to you, Lara?! You need to be in better shape, Lara. If someone is reading this, don't be fooled by the first 15min of this game, this part is very well done, you can see the oranges rolling on the floor individually when you hit them individually, accidentally or not, also the general ambience of that mexican party is great, really beautiful, but the quality for the rest of 95% of this game is simply bad and is very nameless what they are doing with Lara's Character.… Expand
  15. Zezman
    Feb 8, 2023
    8
    Shadow of the Tomb Raider, I played the game as a good action adventure with a lot of interesting details of the mystery that is revealed.. In my opinion, it is a very interesting game, I would definitely recommend it, with all the praise from me, and I have to say for the graphics that is at a fairly good level
  16. sambalamba
    Jan 31, 2023
    10
    Sehr gutes Spiel
    Hat eigentlich gar keine Kritikpunkte und vor allem die Story begeistert hier Auf jedenfall Lohnenswert
  17. Angelfuk83
    Jan 7, 2023
    9
    Juego terriblemente infravalorado, no se si se debe al compararlo con otros juegos recientes de la saga, pero al lado de otros muchos juegos del sistema es un gran juego, merece más nota.
  18. Joe2539
    Jan 3, 2023
    10
    Very Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good
  19. goodgriff33
    Dec 24, 2022
    6
    Answer: 75 characters is between 10 words and 19 words with spaces included in the character count. If spaces are not included in the character count, then 75 characters is between 12 words and 25 words.
  20. evands
    Dec 22, 2022
    2
    When you start the game and the first thing you see is a text saying this game was made by a bunch of diverse people, you know right there that 'fun' is not their first priority.
    This game should be called "jonah!", because that's what you hear the entire game jonah! jonah! jonah!.
    Tries so hard to be uncharted 2 and filled with non sense puzzles with trial and error success, specially    When you start the game and the first thing you see is a text saying this game was made by a bunch of diverse people, you know right there that 'fun' is not their first priority.
    This game should be called "jonah!", because that's what you hear the entire game jonah! jonah! jonah!.
    Tries so hard to be uncharted 2 and filled with non sense puzzles with trial and error success, specially the automatic scaping events. You have to play like intended by the developers, specially the stealth areas,
    And for god's sake, someone kill that jonah, please.    … Expand
  21. brokencinho
    Dec 21, 2022
    8
    Fanatico desde hace tiempo de esta saga es increible 100% recomendado. Es una pelicula.
  22. aczinoepc
    Dec 18, 2022
    5
    This is a game that feels so bad in the gameplay, It's like it does a lot od things wrong, and nothing great, just good. The story is a very reused story with nothing interesting. Only recommandable to the lovers of this saga.
  23. superpyro296
    Dec 18, 2022
    8
    More a 7,5/10. Shadow of the Tomb Raider was a great experience with outstanding action segments and first-class graphics. I finished my playthrough in around 16 hours (I did a few side quests and completed 3 optional tombs). I think however a game is more than the sum of its parts. Shadow of the Tomb Raider has a great combat system, interesting crafting mechanisms, good platformingMore a 7,5/10. Shadow of the Tomb Raider was a great experience with outstanding action segments and first-class graphics. I finished my playthrough in around 16 hours (I did a few side quests and completed 3 optional tombs). I think however a game is more than the sum of its parts. Shadow of the Tomb Raider has a great combat system, interesting crafting mechanisms, good platforming overall and challenging puzzles. The problem here is that you won't have so much opportunities to test your different weapons or special techniques as the combat is not as frequent as the previous entries. I felt that the game was designed for those who like to do new game plus or multiple playthroughs (there are some metroidvania elements).

    Most of the time, a developed skill tree system and crafing system are more relevant in an open world game IMO. It can be good also in a linear or semi-openworld game but we need enough opportunities to test the gear, unlocked skills and abilities.

    For the story, I thought that was pretty average.

    I still recommend this game, especially for those who played the other tomb raiders. I think the normal difficulty and hard difficulty are well balanced (I switched between those two difficulties in my playthrough). It's really nice also that you can even more customize the difficulty by selecting specific difficulties for exploration, puzzles and combat.

    A quick last note....We feel a lot of inspiration from Uncharted franchise in this one (more cinematic cutscenes and similar vibes in specific parts of the story)    … Expand
  24. RolandOG
    Dec 3, 2022
    10
    This is arguably one of the best games ever made. The thought and detail put into each moment is spectacular. I have no idea how this can be rated so much lower than so many lesser games. The graphics are breathtaking, the action sequences incredibly complex, smooth and detailed. Stealth options like wall clinging and covering Laura with mud add something more than your typical crouchingThis is arguably one of the best games ever made. The thought and detail put into each moment is spectacular. I have no idea how this can be rated so much lower than so many lesser games. The graphics are breathtaking, the action sequences incredibly complex, smooth and detailed. Stealth options like wall clinging and covering Laura with mud add something more than your typical crouching in the shrubbery status quo. Laura is incredibly lifelike and they could not have done a better job. Kudos to Crystal Dynamics for a job so well done, they more than exceeded all expectations for what you get for a $50 game. Even scenes that most players only glimpse for a few seconds have so much loving detail. Millions of people love your games like I do- do not listen to the haters.… Expand
  25. trinovatic
    Nov 27, 2022
    7
    Muy divertido el uncharted en mujer xd, la neta esta perro, historia muy genérica de exploradores pero me encantó la neta.
  26. SnowShad0382
    Nov 14, 2022
    9
    Excelentes graficos, mecanica de juego, bien entrentenido; para mi concepto nada que envidiarle a los uncharted que son de mis juegos favoritos y ahora sumo esta saga.
  27. deathstramding
    Nov 8, 2022
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Masterpiece Masterpiece Masterpiece Masterpiece Masterpiece Masterpiece… Expand
  28. Bisher123
    Nov 4, 2022
    10
    اللعبة روعة حرفيا يلي ماجرب اللعبة يجربها بسرعة تقيمها ١٠/١٠ افضل لعبة في سنة ٢٠١٩
  29. NxtDoc
    Oct 13, 2022
    9
    After completing Shadow of the Tomb Raider back when it originally launched in 2018, I felt that it wasn't quite as good as it's 2 predecessors; 2013's Tomb Raider, and 2015's Rise of the Tomb Raider. Which both I thought were among each respectives generations best games. After replaying it recently, it has shifted my perspective quite a bit. The graphics still hold up very well on aAfter completing Shadow of the Tomb Raider back when it originally launched in 2018, I felt that it wasn't quite as good as it's 2 predecessors; 2013's Tomb Raider, and 2015's Rise of the Tomb Raider. Which both I thought were among each respectives generations best games. After replaying it recently, it has shifted my perspective quite a bit. The graphics still hold up very well on a PS4 in 2022, even better on a PS4 Pro. But on a PS5, it looks great! The soundtrack is excellent, sound effects are very good, as well as the voice acting. And the set pieces are absolutely stunning!

    The game play and puzzles are a complete blast. There were some cool mechanics that I wish would have been expanded upon (mud and leaf walls for camo), but they were still fun additions.

    To close, and to avoid spoilers, the story is quite interesting., and it was a solid "closure" for Camilla's Survivor Lara Croft. By far the best in my opinion.    … Expand
  30. Jattaman
    Oct 5, 2022
    7
    Discreto capitolo, a mio parere però il meno riuscito della nuova trilogia.
    Ad ogni modo godibile e da giocare per chiudere la trama avviate con i precedenti due capitoli.
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Awards & Rankings

12
#12 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2018
25
#25 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 63 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 40 out of 63
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 63
  3. Negative: 2 out of 63
  1. PLAY! Zine
    Mar 11, 2019
    60
    Shallow story aside, Shadow of the Tomb Raider has the best tomb exploration in the series, and that’s what it’s all about.
    Read full review
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Dec 31, 2018
    60
    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]
  3. Gaming Nexus
    Oct 22, 2018
    74
    Shadow of the Tomb Raider should leave us wanting more from the rebooted Lara Croft game, but with some clunky controls and a lazy combat system, what saves the game from being below average are beautiful visuals, fantastic puzzles and tomb layouts along with true adventuring. It’s as mixed up of a bag as one can get.
    Read full review
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