Summary
- 🎮 Name of the game: Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
- 📅 Launch dateJanuary 28, 2014
- 🏢 Developer: Crystal Dynamics
- 📌 Publisher: Square Enix
- 🖥️ Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC (original 2013 version on PS3/Xbox 360)
- ⚔️ Genre: Adventure, Action, Exploration, Survival
- 🌍 ContextReboot of the classic saga Tomb Raider. It follows the origins of Lara Croft, a young archaeologist who becomes trapped on a mysterious island after a shipwreck.
History and narrative
The story follows Lara Croft, who is shipwrecked with her crew on a lost island in the Pacific. Surrounded by dangers, armed enemies and ancient rituals, Lara must adapt to survive, evolving from an inexperienced young woman to a determined warrior. The premise is interesting and has a darker tone because of the mysteries of the island, but in essence, the story is quite simple and without much depth. It's entertaining, gets to the point and serves its purpose, but don't expect anything groundbreaking or shocking, because it's not.
Lara's development is, without a doubt, the best in this aspect. The evolution of the character from the beginning to the end of the game is clearly noticeable. The rest of the secondary characters are there. They bring variety, but feel more like filler. The main villain is forgettable, and the ending too predictable. The dialogue is well written, but all the focus is on Lara. No other character stands out, so if it's not her, there's not much else to grab you in that sense.
Compared to the classic Tomb Raiders, this one focuses more on narrative and survival, leaving aside exploration and puzzles. It's more linear, more direct and well-paced, which keeps you interested, although yes... it's not a story we haven't seen in another game or movie.
Gameplay
This is, without a doubt, the strong point of the game. It has a simple gameplay, with easy to learn mechanics and a basic but functional menu. Sometimes simplicity is best, and here it works wonders.
It has third-person combat, firearms, bow, basic stealth, cover system, climbing, resource gathering, weapon upgrades and skills. Everything you need in a game of this style. Special mention to the bow and the climbing pickaxe, which make combat and movement feel very natural. The skill system allows you to progress well and smoothly.
The controls are precise and fluid, especially if you play with a controller. Melee combat is simple but satisfying. Climbing and moving around the environment is very intuitive, and unlike other Tomb Raiders, it's much clearer where you need to go, which is appreciated.
It has an accessible learning curve. The tutorial is well integrated and the skill progression teaches you everything in a natural way. It doesn't saturate you with information or endless tutorials. Now, if you're a fan of exploration or puzzles, this is the weakest of the saga. The tombs are few and quite simple, so don't expect big challenges.
The combat is entertaining, although the AI is irregular: sometimes they don't even see you, even if you pass by them, and sometimes they have a superhuman aim. Despite that, it's a fun, straightforward and satisfying gameplay. Yes, it has a multiplayer mode, but honestly it's dead. I tried to play it and it's like it doesn't exist. It adds nothing to the experience.
Graphics and visual design
I played the Definitive Edition, which improves the models, textures and lighting effects. Even so, in some environments it looks like a previous generation game. Lara looks excellent, but the rest of the characters and enemies are not at the same level.
The visual style is a raw realism, with wet, dirty, violent and very natural environments. The island has a hostile and dark climate, which perfectly conveys the feeling of constant danger.
There is a good variety of scenarios: jungles, ruins, caverns, abandoned military structures. My favorite was the area of the cable cars, because it is not something common in this kind of games and this part caught my attention.
Sound and music
The soundtrack does its job with tense melodies and tribal sounds that accompany the moments of danger well, but honestly it's not memorable. There is no theme that says “wow, I'm going to remember it”. It just accompanies, but doesn't stand out.
The sound effects are fine, the crunching, explosions, screams, everything feels natural and contributes to the immersion.
Camilla Luddington's voice acting as Lara is very good. She brings the character to life with strength and conviction. The Spanish dubbing is passable, but not outstanding. The problem is that the rest of the characters don't have as much screen time to shine in this aspect.
Difficulty and accessibility
It has several difficulty levels. On easy it's a breeze, on normal it's accessible but challenging, and on hard you have a good challenge, although it's nothing extreme compared to other games.
In terms of accessibility, for the year it came out, other games were more advanced. Options such as customizable subtitles, text size, visual aids, etc. are missing. It can be played without problem, but it could have offered more in this aspect.
Additional content
The main campaign lasts between 7 and 10 hours if you go straight to the important stuff. If you start exploring tombs, looking for collectibles and upgrading your equipment, you can extend it to 15 to 20 hours.
It has low replayability. Once you get everything out, there's not much reason to play it again. This edition includes all the DLCs, but most of them are cosmetic or maps for multiplayer, which as I said before, nobody plays. So, in practice, there is no real additional content.
Technical Aspects
The game runs stable at 30 FPS on PS4 and Xbox One. I played it on PS5 (PS4 version) and it runs much better. Loads fast and no noticeable problems. I had some minor bugs, especially with enemies that didn't even know where they were standing, but overall it's a well polished version. It has good optimization, even on PC.
Value for money
At launch it cost $60 USD, but today it is almost free. I bought it for $3 on sale, and for that price it's a bargain.
The value for money is excellent. I wouldn't pay more than $15 for it today, and honestly $60 always seemed like a lot to me. Some $30 or $40 back in the day would have been better if you were planning to take advantage of online. If you're just going for the campaign, wait for a good deal and you won't regret it.
Trophies / Achievements
- Platinum obtained: No
- Percentage of trophies: 25%
- Estimated time: 20-25 hours
- Platinum difficulty: 3 of 10 (Easy). It does not present major challenges, the most difficult are those related to multiplayer and today it is abandoned.
Conclusion
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition is a brilliant reboot of one of gaming's most iconic franchises. It combines cinematic action with moments of
intense survival and an emotionally effective narrative. Despite certain unpolished side elements, the core experience is very satisfying. Incredibly this was the last of the trilogy I tried and to tell the truth, it is the simplest I would say in everything, but the one I enjoyed the most and the one I am most likely to play again.
My final rating for Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition is:
4.0 / 5.0
