While not as popular as its predecessor, which helped redefine an icon in gaming,Rise of the Tomb Raideris an underrated title that had a bit of its shine taken off by odd launch circumstances. Released in 2015 and coming up on its tenth anniversary this year,Rise of the Tomb Raideris a sequel to theTomb Raiderreboot that saw Lara Croft get stabbed far too much and trade her dual pistols for a bow and arrow. This title brings Lar a tad closer to the one in the classics, although the bow remains her go-to weapon.
Developed by Crystal Dynamics,Rise of the Tomb Raiderfell under Square Enix ownership at the time,although the developer was sold to Embracer Group in 2022. Since the newTomb Raiderreboot trilogy ended, very little has been done with the franchise, and for those who have played the first installment in the trilogy but missed out on its sequel, now is the perfect time to check it out.Rise of the Tomb Raideris coming to Game Pass soon, and it’s a great way to scratch the itch that theUnchartedtitles might have left.
Rise Of The Tomb Raider Returns To Game Pass On July 1
And It Is Coming To All Tiers
Rise of the Tomb Raideris coming to all tiers of Xbox Game Pass on July 1, finally benefiting from its association with Xbox. In many ways, the game initially suffered from being an Xbox title, releasing as alimited-time exclusive for the Xbox One. This hamperedRise of the Tomb Raider’s initial success, and although its predecessor was all the rage, a lot of people ended up missing out on this game. It didn’t help that the timed exclusivity was given to a game that was the sequel to a multiplatform release, but it also disrespected Lara’s roots.
Lara Croft was born in Wimbledon, London, according to the 1996Tomb Raider’s manuals.
Lara Croft began life on the PlayStation andhas since become a PlayStation icon despite not being exclusive to the platform for over a decade. It’s difficult to get over this perception now, and it was even tougher in 2015. It’s a shame, too, asRise of the Tomb Raiderdeserves a bit more love. While it isn’t quite a masterpiece, it’s a great game that’s worth checking out for those who might have missed it back in 2015 or are looking for an incentive to give it a go now that it’s on Game Pass.
Why Rise Of The Tomb Raider Is Worth Playing (Or Replaying) On Game Pass
There Aren’t Many Puzzle And Tomb Exploring Games Out
Rise of the Tomb Raideris a great game with the main crime of being a little unfocused and not taking risks, but it still controls and plays very well. The combat is tight, an improvement on the predecessor, and it has quite a few puzzles, as expected of aTomb Raidertitle, something that feels like it’s missing in today’s age of gaming. Both thisTomb RaidertrilogyandUnchartedleft a bit of a hole in the tomb raiding genre of games, and there hasn’t been a title to pick up the slack in the same style since.
Graphically,Rise of the Tomb Raiderhas aged well for a game that’s ten years old, and while it is quite linear, it doesn’t feel that way because of all the side content and customization. The story is solid as well,following theTomb Raiderreboot and continuing Lara’s growth from a scared, rich English girl to a hardened survivor. It does play it a bit too safe in places and feels just a hair off theUnchartedtitles, but it’s well worth checking out, especially now that it’son Game Pass.
There just aren’t many big-budget games likeRise of the Tomb Raider, and after the Survivor Trilogy, as well asUncharted,finished, nothing else has clicked in the same way. WithTomb Raidergetting a few remasters in recent years, it could be the perfect time to run through the series and get immersed in the adventures of Lara Croft. She is a gaming icon, after all, and while she hasn’t had a new game in a while, revisiting the titles she has is never a waste of time — unless it’sTheAngel of Darkness.
