An angry, guilty Lara Croft could stop Shadow of the Tomb Raider being just more of the same

Me and Lara Croft go way back. We've been hanging out since 1996 when I had to fit her in between math homework and calling boys on the landline, and I've never seen her like this. In this final part of the reboot trilogy, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, it feels as though Lara's character has finally caught up with the day to day murder that being a video game hero requires. She's angry, confused, poisoned by a apocalyptic level guilt, and it's much more believable to think that - with the end of the world very much nigh - she'd have no problem jumping out of some ferns and slitting a throat.

This time the action takes place in Peru, so picture rustic towns, jungle, lots of natural water features - all the better for showing off her new swimming skills - and tombs, puzzles and lots of wildlife to slaughter in the name of crafting. Honestly, you spend your entire childhood sponsoring a panda through the World Wildlife Fund and then as an adult you're chasing llamas and shooting arrows at frogs. The worst part? The only thing I got for killing that frog was a cold sense of remorse.

Killer cat lady 

The game starts with that classic negging move, taking all your gear away from you and then making you get it back. You quickly fashion a blade out of airplane wreckage (suck it Bear Grylls) and then it's just a quick explore to find your box and climbing axe, box, and a massive murderous set of leopard twins. It's seems like a bold early move, forcing you to take on such a formidable predator, but the game fumbles the delivery a bit by grabbing control to show you a cutscene right when your blood is up. Luckily not long after fighting the Tiddles duo, the training wheels come off and you're into crafting and the basics of guerilla warfare.

Swappable outfits are always a nice touch, but the first you craft, from the pelt of the freshly killed leopard, had me worried. Yes, it was stylish in a recently divorced sort of way, but it must have smelt awful. As I watched Lara running around in the ensemble I couldn't get it out of my head. I know she's dealing with bigger problems, but she's not going to endear herself to the locals smelling like hot roadkill. 

Learning the ropes 

As well making questionable fashion choices, Shadow's Lara has been taking lessons from Batman, and has a penchant for stringing Trinity soldiers from trees like unconscious fairy lights. The stealth combat still doesn't feel as slick as something like Assassin's Creed or even Batman: Arkham Asylum, and when you grab a gun it feels clumsy. It's best when you give into the game's preference for stealth, and slathering on a full body mud pack and picking the generic, safely predictable mercenaries off from a safe vantage point.  

Storywise, Lara is dealing with having made a huge archaeological faux pas, so her friend Jonah has been promoted from annoying sidekick. Lara might have evolved enough to be a darker, tougher character, but girl has zero jokes. It's up to Jonah to provide the comedy relief, and to give Lara an ally and connection to humanity. As you arrive in the towns, or 'hubs' that dot the world, and interact with locals, Lara has to face the fact that she's responsible for many of their woes. The developers said the hubs would be important places, but the one we saw was just a small taste. There was a local that needed help with some "pillagers," a few anecdotes that hinted at the location of treasures, and a market where I could trade my resources for weapons, ammo bags, or new clothes. 

Of course you can't become the Tomb Raider without monuments and caverns to desecrate.  One of my more puzzle focused experiences in Peru involved a huge rotating mechanism that was part of an ancient trial. Think a killer rotary clothes dryer but made out of stone and ropes. As Lara, you have to scale it to find a lever here, a switch there, and it had me completely baffled. I started making increasingly desperate leaps, retracing my steps, before I remembered that Lara can rappel down from walls she's hooked onto with her climbing axe. Oh. 

Darkest Peru (minus the Paddington) 

Once I'd got the hang of that, it was everything you could want from a Tomb Raider puzzle, it felt physical and weighty, and just tough enough to restore my faith in my own cognitive abilities after the whole rappelling embarrassment. The same was true of the titular tomb - they're hidden throughout the world - and this one had chunky, satisfying problems that required brains and biceps that have learned a lot from Assassin's Creed over the years. 

So far, so Tomb Raider. The game did grab my attention when towards the end of our preview we came across a massacre of Trinity soldiers. We got just a peek at some vaguely bestial creature, one with a haunting hiss and a talent for gutting generic NPCs. I always appreciate a bit of supernatural waffle in my adventures, though god knows what the bastards will be like to try and slot an arrow in. 

This is my first time with Lara since the reveal back in May, and I'm much more excited about the game after these four hours in the jungle. It still lacks some of the gloss that made my last jungle expedition, Uncharted Lost Legacy, such a looker, and it still has a nasty habit of wrestling control away from you right when things are at their most exciting, but the jungle playground, child sacrifice and monster vibe means there's hope that Lara will end this trilogy with a bang, rather than a llama's whimper. 

Shadow of the Tomb Raider will be released on September 14, on PC, PS4, and Xbox One

Rachel Weber
Contributor

Rachel Weber is the former US Managing Editor of GamesRadar+ and lives in Brooklyn, New York. She joined GamesRadar+ in 2017, revitalizing the news coverage and building new processes and strategies for the US team.

Read more
A screenshot shows Lara Croft jumping in the air while shooting duel hand guns.
Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered trapped me in a cave for over an hour, but at least it taught me a valuable lesson in following instructions
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has a survival horror surprise that echoes Cyberpunk: Phantom Liberty's – and I loved every second
Lara Croft stands in front of blue flames and a city vista in the Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness key art used on the box, cropped to fit a thumbnail
Over 20 years on, Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness devs talk Lara Croft's PS2 debut: "The pressure was on to create something new and visionary"
Naoe hides around a corner while infiltrating a hostile area in Assassin's Creed Shadows, watching ally character Yaya pummel an enemy
Assassin's Creed Shadows hands-on: Stealthier and bloodier than ever
Assassin's Creed Syndicate screenshot of Evie and Jacob Fyre
After 10 years, I can't wait to see how Assassin's Creed Shadows has built on Assassin's Creed Syndicate
Looking over the countryside in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Assassin's Creed Shadows review: "More confidence, texture, and purpose than we've seen since Assassin's Creed pivoted into RPG territory"
Latest in Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider
5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs
Fortnite's Lara croft skin in front of a building
Fortnite has had Tomb Raider's Lara Croft locked away in battle pass exclusivity jail for almost 4 years, but she's reportedly getting a new skin very soon
Lara Croft stands in front of blue flames and a city vista in the Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness key art used on the box, cropped to fit a thumbnail
Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered restores some cut content to hopefully make Angel of Darkness a little less hated this time around
Screenshot of Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered showing Lara Croft in a leather jumpsuit.
The Tomb Raider series has sold 100 million copies and is now getting three more remasters - including Lara Croft's worst-reviewed game
best Tomb Raider games
Tomb Raider publisher says "things are progressing" with the next Lara Croft game and that Crystal Dynamics is "fairly sheltered" from the layoffs wracking Embracer
Tomb Raider
News on the next Tomb Raider game and The Lord of the Rings MMO isn't "too far away," but Amazon Games doesn't want them to "be rushed out"
Latest in Features
Naoe kills a target with a black and white filter over the camera highlighting the red of blood spray in Assassin's Creed Shadows, with an On The Radar orange frame
Assassin's Creed Shadows "has a little bit of Tarantino flavor", but its real secret ingredient is intrigue: "It's almost like you're watching an episode of Shogun"
Helldivers 2 Borderline Justice Warbond helldiver using hoverpack to shoot down with hunting rifle
Talking points from the Game Developers Conference 2025 and how they could impact the future of gaming
Flexispot E7 Plus with plant, monitor, soundbar, and controller on top next to white wall lighting.
Gaming desks vs regular desks: which surface should you buy?
Google Pixel 9a smartphones on a beige background
One Google Pixel 9a feature could make it a better gaming phone than most budget mainstream models
Yasuke and Naoe ready to fight on the Assassin's Creed Shadows On The Radar thumbnail
On The Radar: Assassin's Creed Shadows coverage hub
Captain Planet #1
Captain Planet is back after 33 years with a "sexy" makeover and a message that's as important as ever: "Reality has gotten a lot less subtle"