The first reboot in the newest Tomb Raider trilogy, also known as Tomb Raider 2013, was released in 2013. It came out just before the new consoles but still showed just how much power the PS3 and Xbox 360 still had in them. The success of this Tomb Raider reboot was great enough to greenlight two sequels.
Rise of the Tomb Raider was released in 2015 whereas the finale, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, made fans wait a little longer. That was a 2018 release and since then the series has been quiet. The developers are hard at work on several Marvel properties right now which is understandably the bigger cash cow. Lara Croft will return undoubtedly. For now, let’s remember the best things about these three great titles in the reboot trilogy.
6 Tomb Raider 2013: A Successful Reboot
The best thing about this first game is that it was a successful reboot. It took the standard Lara Croft formula and turned it on its head. It now adhered to more Uncharted style of controls, making it easier to get around.
It also has the essence of a Metroidvania because the game took place in an interconnected map that unlocked as Lara gained new abilities. There were various hook and arrow upgrades for example. Not every series that gets a reboot works out well. Thankfully this one was for the better which mashed these gameplay styles well while staying true to Lara Croft as a character.
5 Tomb Raider 2013: The Horror Elements
This reboot drew from one last game too, Resident Evil 4. Lara is a young treasure hunter that is in over her head. She thought she could pick up where her father left off, but it became too much. She got shipwrecked and then chased around an island by bloodthirsty pirates.
Some scenes in Tomb Raider are horrific, especially the death animations. That’s something the sequels could never get quite right. The horror aspects disappeared and were replaced by more action-heavy segments. This haunting angle applies to the story as well. The first game is a coming-of-age tale whereas the other two are just more adventures with Lara Croft. That’s not a bad thing though.
4 Rise Of The Tomb Raider: Cold Weather
There are some snowy segments in the first Tomb Raider. That island had a lot of varying weather patterns on it. However, most of Rise of the Tomb Raider takes place in a snowy region. It adds to the harshness of Lara’s plight, which was already tough, to begin with.
Not only does she get stranded again, but she does it in a region that could kill her just by standing still. There aren’t many games that purely take place in the show and this game is right at the top with the best. The snow physics were some of the most jaw-dropping effects at the time. They look a little dated now but still pretty.
3 Rise Of The Tomb Raider: Better Puzzles
One of the biggest complaints about the first reboot was that it didn’t have tombs for Lara to raid. It made the title of the series seem silly. The developer course corrected that issue by adding in a lot more into Rise of the Tomb Raider.
Overall, the puzzles were more challenging. From simple door problems to actual tombs, this game could get the brain cranking. Thankfully none of them were so tricky that they would melt the brain though. Of the three, Rise of the Tomb Raider found the right balance. And if a puzzle was too hard for some, there were hints.
2 Shadow Of The Tomb Raider: Stealth
Stealth has been an important part of this reboot trilogy since the start. Lara had to learn how to kill or else she would be killed. It always didn’t make perfect sense how she went from barely being able to kill a soldier to massacring hundreds by the end of Tomb Raider.
Lara must be a fast learner. Part of how she became so resilient was her stealthiness. Shadow of the Tomb Raider took these mechanics to a new level. Lara could hide in more areas from tall grass to trees to vine coveted walls to puddles of mud. Because the game took place in the jungle, it made it feel like Metal Gear Solid 3. That’s a high compliment.
1 Shadow Of The Tomb Raider: NPCs And Quests
This finale made the Tomb Raider series seem bigger. That’s because it added in NPCs. These weren’t NPCs for show either. There were plenty of big and small hub towns where Lara could interact with them. They even gave Lara side quests.
None of these missions were as grand as some of the best in RPGs. However, they did add a nice flavor to the mix. It helped remind players that Lara was not the only person in this universe. Somewhat related, this was the only game in the trilogy to have a true New Game+ mode. There were ways to replay sections in the other games, but it was more complicated than it needed to be whereas Shadow of the Tomb Raider was simpler.