'Shadow of the Tomb Raider' for Xbox One might prove to be the best in the series' history

Square Enix has officially revealed the third and final entry in the mod Tomb Raider series, paired with a heart-racing teaser of what's to come up. Promising a journey with the highest stakes still, Shadow of the Tomb Raider will wrap up the trilogy that divers Lara Croft's condition as an iconic adventurer.

Though a few months remain until its September fourteen debut, we had the opportunity to get hands-on with a pre-release Xbox One 10 demo to experience what's changed this fourth dimension around. After spending an hour on an early on level, we're eager to see where this journey is headed – provided it isn't afraid to introduce.

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Back stronger than always

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the culmination of Lara Croft'south journey so far, tying together the foundation of her origin story. Over the previous two games, nosotros've seen Lara develop as a protagonist, shaping her foundations and adapting to the challenges presented to her. Showcasing her shift from an unknowing archaeologist to a ruthless fighter willing to impale, the journey about recently halted on a much darker tone after the events of 2022's Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Lara Croft is now in her prime number, mightier than ever, with the feel of several perilous expeditions backing her cause. Having established potent motivators against the mysterious Trinity arrangement, she finds herself amid a conflict with far-reaching consequences.

Despite her successes so far, Shadow of the Tomb Raider also begins to explore a new side of the story – considering the wider effect of her deportment. In contempo games the focus has laid with Lara, exploring personal hardships and the bulldoze to follow her family legacy. But afterward awakening a Mayan relic and kickstarting a chain of cataclysmic events known every bit "the cleansing," we see consequences with a heavier weight than always earlier. Earthquakes, floods, and tsunamis could be rampant, with damage on an apocalyptic calibration. Throughout the game, we're expecting to see Lara exploring Mayan ruins in pursuit of answers while holding off hostile forces.

Familar foundations

The fresh locale of Shadow of the Tomb Raider is looking to be i of its near promising features, taking the adventure to the modernistic-day Americas. Kicking off in Mexico and spanning farther s with Peru, its narrative is strongly influenced by ancient Maya culture and traditional mythology. As seen in recent Tomb Raider titles, the Mayan ties too add together a familiar supernatural angle to events that unfold.

Our easily-on session kicked off in a small Mexican town, amid a Twenty-four hour period of the Expressionless celebration bustling with locals. Afterward navigating through the carnival and sneaked into an sectional area, Lara eventually pinpoints Trinity excavators stationed at a relic dig site. Descending into the cave network, she needs to explore while unnoticed and race to the treasures stowed below.

If you've played any recent Tomb Raider games, the mechanics at the centre of Shadow of the Tomb Raider will be very familiar. The same balance of exploration, platforming, and combat is however present and our demo rarely deviated from this formula. The game also retains the cinematic style that divers this trilogy, preserving those tense moments filled with panic and rapid push button mashing.

Platforming is still a primary component of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, requiring quick responses and planning. These mechanics are left by and large unchanged from predecessors, but a new rappel mechanic makes a welcome addition. Activated while on whatever climbable surface, this implements an added layer of verticality to Lara's motility set. Players are at present required to expect upwardly and down and not just what lies ahead.

This rappel organisation also makes room for several other tricks, including swinging and wall running for momentum, to reach further ledges. While our fourth dimension mostly centered around dark underground environments, it's articulate how these mechanics could translate to jungles too.

Similar puzzle design also makes a return, slowing down the pacing and taking total advantage of its platforming sandbox. Puzzles focused on weights, carts, and winches accept all been revived, post-obit a heavy presence in Ascension of the Tomb Raider. While nosotros're yet to see any hugely innovative puzzle types, it will exist crucial for these to remain fresh in the full game.

For those who loved what Rise of the Tomb Raider had to offering, this could be a deserving determination to the origin story trilogy. Shadow of the Tomb Raider is built on a strong foundation, taking advantage of the well-crafted formula that left previous games feeling so impressive. But admittedly, without context, clear similarities mean this could laissez passer equally an expansion for Ascent of the Tomb Raider. Without major overhauls outlined, this is shaping upwards to be an incremental continuation of Lara's story, rather than something revolutionary.

Despite this, Shadow of the Tomb Raider feels merely equally great to play then far, leveraging strengths of previous titles. Provided a stiff storyline can exist delivered with equally captivating gameplay in the long term, this could be a promising new risk.

Rise of the Tomb Raider is on track for a September 14, 2022 debut, on Xbox I, PlayStation 4 and PC. Preorders start at $59.99, with several higher-tier additions as well in the works.

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Notation: This preview was based on a pre-release demo of Shadow of the Tomb Raider running on an Xbox One 10 evolution kit.

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