**Warning this article may contain spoilers read at your own risk!**

As I have stated before, Tomb Raider has always been a favorite game of mine since I was a little girl. Just as I have grown so has the Tomb Raider franchise. It’s really exciting to see the changes especially when they are so positive. I am always a bit nervous when one of my favorite games comes out with reboots or sequels due to me not wanting to be underwhelmed, but I must say Rise of the Tomb Raider did not disappoint! In fact, it left me wanting another game immediately.

Rise of the Tomb Raider begins with Lara scaling an icy mountain with Jonah, a companion from the first prequel Tomb Raider. The climb proves difficult, but Lara manages to reach the top of the mountain and in the distance she can see the ruins of Kitezh. Lara only gets to stare at Kitezh for a moment when an avalanche separates her and Jonah.

It then takes us back two weeks earlier in London. Lara is walking to her father’s apartment when she sees a figure with a flashlight inside; she decides to investigate.

While the figure is snooping through Richard Croft’s things, they come across a recording.  The figure plays it and Lara’s father begins telling us that we are all taken too swiftly from life, “We age, we decay, we die.” He proceeds to say, “what about our soul? Does it endure beyond our earthly existence?” He believes it does, and that there is a truth behind myths and stories.  He believes that there is a supernatural truth and a key to unlocking everlasting life, and he believes he found the next piece to the puzzle that would lead him to it. He also tells us that he has figured out who the group is that is watching him. Their name is Trinity, and they are a dangerous religious sect that will take any means necessary to retrieve ancient mythical artifacts that have supernatural power.  They wish to control the future of humanity (they were briefly mentioned in Tomb Raider in Shantytown during the No One Left Behind mission). Lara opens the door to find no one there and a window opens. She looks around and hears someone at the front door.  She grabs her ice axe and waits by the door, only to see that it is Ana, Richard Croft’s girlfriend. She tells Lara that the “Gutter Press” was attacking her again,and shows her the magazine which reads “Another crazy Croft!” Underneath the headline reads: “a daughter just like her father?” This is obviously attacking her after the event on Yumati.

Lara tells Ana she believes the myth of the Prophet being real and that her father was right.  She believes she found the tomb. Ana tells Lara that her father was just unwell, and Lara tells her no and that he was close to finding the “Immortal Soul.” Lara tells Ana that her father was right and that either way she is going to find the tomb, which is in Syria. Ana warns that this obsession is what ruined her father. She tells her to go back to the mansion. Lara then tells Ana that she saw something she can’t explain (refering to Yumati), and that she’s not giving up now.

As Lara heads to Syria she is followed by Trinity, who attacks her by gunning down the car she is in. She escapes and heads towards the tomb. Once she opens the tomb she discovers its empty! She hears Trinity above her and hides in the tomb. Trinity begins placing bombs around the tomb and the leader of the group walks to the tomb telling his men to be careful. As they open it, Lara jumps out pointing her gun at them. She explains there was no body or artifact in the tomb to the leader who we, later, find out his name to be Konstantin. She steals a detonator from him and as he turns away she sets the charge making the tomb fall in on them. You lead Lara to safety and she sees a symbol marked on the ground and recognizes it.

Back in London, she tells Jonah what happened and starts telling him she saw the symbol and she knew she’d seen it before. She shows him her fathers books, and tells him of Kitezh and how it disappeared in Siberia in the 12th century sunk beneath a lake after the Mongol horde invasion. Jonah asks what that has to do with anything, and she shows him the symbol she had seen at the tomb was in the pictures of Kitezh. Lara is determined to find the “Immortal Soul” telling Jonah all the possibilities it could do for the world. She is set on proving her father right, no doubt feeling guilty about her father’s death. We later learn he had commit suicide, or … was it suicide?

Lara knows the risks, but is determined to get to the “Immortal Soul” before Trinity.  Lara and Jonah head to Siberia in search of the lost city of Kitezh.

Back in Siberia, as Lara journeys to find the “Immortal Soul” we meet a couple more characters such as Jacob, a kind wise man who wants nothing more than to protect his people and his village. We also meet Sophia, Jacob’s daughter, who has a strong mistrust of any new face to the land. We have already met Konstantin, but it goes more into depth as to why he is seeking out the “Immortal Soul”.

The game is fast paced and the storytelling is wonderful. You really see Lara developing as a character, and even notice some flaws which I believe a good character should have. You understand her wanting to share her discovery with the world which would remove any bad name the media had given her father, but later understands that the power she seeks is far too strong for any one to possess.

The game is a semi open world with hidden Tombs, Challenge Tombs, Coin Caches, and Supply Caches as well as documents, murals, and relics to discover. So there is plenty to do to keep you occupied, and if you are a completionist like me, you will want to do it all!

The weapon you start out with is a bow that Lara makes using materials you gather in the snowy wilderness. The bow was my preferred weapon to use.  To me it’s the most satisfying weapon to use for hunting or fighting Trinity’s men. (I love getting those silent head shot kill streaks!) You also get handguns, shotguns, assault riffles as well as two ice axes and a tactical knife. You find weapon parts throughout the game.  Once you receive all the weapon parts, you can create a complete weapon or if you save enough gold that you find at coin caches or just laying around you can purchase weapons from a supply shack. You also have the ability to upgrade your weapons with gear you find in supply caches or in crates that you can loot.

There are also lots of outfits for Lara.  Not only do they look awesome, but some even have special bonuses, which can be very helpful throughout the game.

There are two multiplayer modes one lets players replay levels from the game but have new rules attached. You can play to earn medals or get better times than your friends. The other multiplayer mode is called Remnant Resistance which allows players to make their own missions and allows other players to play your level. I’m not going to lie, I just couldn’t get into the multiplayer mode as much as the rest of the game. I am a sucker for a good story and love getting to be the protagonist.

There are four levels of difficulty on the single played mode:

Adventurer– combat has aim assistance enabled and enemies have lower health and damage.

Tomb Raider– Combat has aim assistance disabled and enemies have normal health and damage.

Seasoned Raider– Combat has aim assistance disabled, health regeneration is only available outside of combat, enemies have increased health and damage, and enemies also have increased senses.

Survivor– Combat has aim assistance disabled, health regeneration is disabled, Enemies have increased health and damage, enemies have increased senses as well as more difficult enemies will be present.  Lastly, there are fewer resources and upgrades, and they are more expensive.

I originally played it on Tomb Raider mode and got through the game fairly quickly.  I enjoyed the play through however the second time I played on Survivor’ mode and I had more fun. It was a little more challenging, but not so much to the point where I would throw the controller at the TV *cough*Darksouls* cough*.

All in all I absolutely loved this game, I thought it complimented the previous game Tomb Raider very well. They seamlessly went hand in hand. I also loved the ending so make sure you sit through the credits!

The landscapes are beautiful, and the challenge tombs are fun (kinda wanted more of them), and the action is non stop. Not only does Lara have to fight Trinity, but she also has to faces the dangerous animals in the wild. Now I know I have said it probably to many times, but I absolutely love these games, and can not wait to see what kind of adventure Lara will get into next!