Rise of the Tomb Raider

---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☑ Beautiful
☐ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS

---{ Gameplay }---
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't

---{ Audio }---
☐ Eargasm
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf

---{ Audience }---
☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Grandma

---{ PC Requirements }---
☐ Check if you can run paint
☐ Potato
☑ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer

---{ Difficulty }---
☐ Just press 'W'
☐ Easy
☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☑ Significant brain usage
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls

---{ Grind }---
☐ Nothing to grind
☑ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☑ Isn't necessary to progress
☐ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second live for grinding

---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☐ Average
☐ Good
☑ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life

---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☐ Short
☑ Average
☐ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond

---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☑ Worth the price
☑ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money

---{ Bugs }---
☐ Never heard of
☑ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs

---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☐ 7
☑ 8
☐ 9
☐ 10

Okay so first thing first... I'm totally biased towards the game, the "Tomb Raider" series has to be my favourite game series of all time. So we will talk about the pros first and of course there are few cons too, just one or two.
PROS: This game's atmosphere is stunning you know things are serious when everything is dark and serious kind of tone. The world building is amazing, when the game starts we are in Syria exploring a tomb which was perfect and then the snowy mountains where it became even better, the swimming into shallow waters and drowning the enemy was perfect. The gun-play became more better and the tomb puzzles became even tougher and the puzzles were very well curated, this time the dev's gave us more freedom with the weapons customization, the weapon upgrade system and the crafting was well detailed. The combat was engaging and the side characters were fascinating, the voice acting was fabulous and the cinematic cut-scenes were amazing because the graphics was better in this game compared to the last one. The story is also very well written and the progression feels smoother and not rushed. The villain in this game had a better story and background and felt stronger compared to the last one who was just a "cultist". Overall the game was fantastic and so enjoyable you would love every moment in the game because the world is so gorgeous it's worth exploring. And the dlc "Baba Yaga" was a chef's kiss, perfect dlc.
CONS: Last game "Tomb Raider 2013" you would have instantly felt an attachment toward Lara and would enjoy the emotions the character brings forward but in this game, I've played more than 40 hrs and still didn't feel the same attachment towards the character as I felt instantly in the previous game.. now that maybe subjective, but while everything around Lara changed and became more better and compelling she on the other hand remained same,, there was no character growth overall. What actually happened was that she lost more of her emotions, like in first game Lara cried, showed frustration which made her character show more depth but in this game it's very shallow, maybe because she became more strong with time, with the losses she overcame but seeing Lara all serious and show so little emotions just didn't feel right. Now this is all subjective and maybe it's all in my head but yeah that was all.
Great game 10/10.

This review is based on 100% completion and 63.2 hours of gameplay.
Recommendation:
Would I recommend this game? Absolutely. I admit I’m heavily biased when it comes to anything related to Lara Croft, but even without that bias, this is a well-crafted game with a strong narrative, amazing graphics and solid gameplay, so I would recommend it regardless.
Like other Tomb Raider games, this one boasts an engaging and well-written narrative that will keep you hooked from start to finish. The superb sound design and audio, paired with stunning graphics, really enhance the overall experience and work to complement each other in such an amazing way.
The gameplay is familiar if you’ve played other entries in the series. It feels intuitive and works well, with everything complementing each other smoothly. The puzzle-solving elements are not too difficult, and some puzzles are quite unique and enjoyable. The gunplay is decent, although it can feel a bit off on a controller due to the strength of the aim assist and the speed of the reticle movement. However, this can be adjusted and tweaked slightly in the settings, and you’ll get used to it over time.
The DLCs, such as Baba Yaga and Blood Ties, offer interesting additions to the game's narrative and are fun to play through. While the other DLCs, like Endurance Mode and Cold Darkness, didn’t add much beyond achievements, they weren’t bad either.
Unfortunately, like other Tomb Raider games, this one includes challenge modes. I’m not a fan of challenge modes in any game, and as you would expect this features your typical score and time challenges. If you enjoy that sort of thing, there’s plenty here for you to get into.
For issues with the game, I had quite a few crashes, mainly during expeditions. A big problem was that all my screens would go black, and then my GPU would throttle to the max. I was unable to diagnose the problem, so I’m not sure of a specific fix for it—it was basically a 60/40 chance of crashing when it happened. (Again, this was only during Expeditions for me)
Also, the game has an issue with the UI when using a controller—it can be a bit hit or miss, especially when trying to select cards and other items before a score attack or endurance run. So, just keep in mind that sometimes it’s best to use your keyboard and mouse in the menus, as it may throw you straight into the game when you’re trying to select a card to use.
One thing to note: if you’re planning to play Endurance Mode in co-op, you might need to roll back the game to version 811.3 (beta) to connect properly with another player. We had connection issues and found this solution online, so it might help if you run into the same problem.
Overall, this is a fantastic game with an amazing story and solid gameplay to back it up. If you take your time and play through thoroughly, you can easily invest many hours into it. The base price is reasonable for the amount of content you get, but since it’s an older game that frequently goes on sale, I’d recommend waiting for a discount if you can. However, if you’re eager to jump in, the base price is fair.
Achievements:
DLC is required for 100%, and there are also co-op achievements that will require one other player. Be mindful of a few missable achievements as well.
This game has a large number of achievements spread across the campaign, challenge modes, and DLCs. For my playthrough, I followed an excellent guide on TrueAchievements by Tranierx, which has detailed descriptions, pictures and videos to help with everything you need. The guide is well-organised, making it easy to find specific sections, such as the DLC content. You can view the guide here.
As for the achievements themselves, thanks to the guide, they are relatively easy, though some are missable. I didn’t encounter any major issues with achievements during my playthrough. However, for the co-op achievements, as mentioned earlier, we had to roll back the game to version 811.3 to play together, so keep that in mind.
The main hurdle you’ll face is the score attack achievements tied to the challenge modes. There are a lot of them, and if you’re not a fan of challenge modes like me, they will be tough to get through. They’re the reason I took such a long break between starting and finishing the game. These achievements will take some time, so it’s best to chip away at them gradually and take breaks when needed.
Overall, while the achievements might seem daunting, but thanks to the well-crafted guide by Tranierx, the journey is and was enjoyable—aside from the challenge mode achievements, of course! 
For more in-depth yet straight-to-the-point reviews, feel free to check out my curator page here.

Honestly didn’t think I’d get this hooked. Compared to the 2013 reboot, this one feels like it found its rhythm—less “survival horror,” more “Indiana Jones with a bow and a backpack.”

Exploration is super rewarding. The tombs? Finally feel like actual tombs—clever puzzles, atmospheric design, and just the right amount of challenge. Combat’s fun, stealth is viable, and the gear upgrades make sense without feeling too grindy (unless you’re going for 100%).

Story’s decent—not mind-blowing, but enough to keep me invested in Lara’s journey. Visually, it still looks amazing, even years after release.

If you're into adventure games with a mix of puzzles, action, and exploration, this is a solid pick. Better than I expected—and one of the stronger entries in the series.

I can’t believe this game is almost a decade old. It’s absolutely stunning — visually and mechanically — as if it was released this year.
I jumped into Rise of the Tomb Raider right after finishing the previous game, and the transition felt seamless. The gear remained mostly the same, with some upgrades. Here, Lara Croft is already an experienced adventurer, so most equipment is available from the start. With the updated graphics, it really felt like a better, stronger version of 2013’s TR Lara.
However, rushing into this game immediately after finishing the previous one was a bit of a mistake.
Don’t get me wrong, I really liked it. It’s visually beautiful, the story is decent, all the parkour/combat/puzzles present and accounted for. But the gameplay stayed essentially the same. I’d highly recommend taking a break between TR games to avoid falling into the “eh, more of the same” mindset.
This game is about twice as big as its predecessor. More locations, more activities, more tombs, more enemies — literally more of everything. If you’re a completionist, it can get overwhelming fast when trying to explore every nook and cranny.
Completionist Complain Corner
For me personally, there’s way too much additional content. You’ve got the main story, main story “chapter” replays, co-op levels, solo and co-op challenges, one story DLC, and a few DLC modes (which are kinda separate replayable “dungeon maps”). While this certainly adds replayability, most of it felt uninteresting or grindy to me. In my opinion, the main story, "Baba Yaga", and "Blood Ties" offer the best experience and are more than enough.
I also wasn’t a fan of the updated weapon upgrade system. Instead of just one gun or one bow, you now have 3–6 options for each. If you fully upgrade one rifle, you can’t just switch to another without starting the upgrade process from scratch.
To be fair, on normal difficulty, you can ignore upgrades entirely and use any weapon at any time.
The map is packed with activities, giving me strong Assassin’s Creed vibes, with tons of collectibles that can keep you playing for dozens of hours.
Conclusion
Rise of the Tomb Raider is a fantastic game. The fact that you can get it for as little as $5 is almost ridiculous. Definitely grab it if you see it on sale and save it for when you’re in the mood for an adventure!
But give yourself some time after playing the previous TR game — you’ll appreciate the sequel much more without the risk of burnout.

This game is literally so good. I thought the previous one was excellent and this one just blew it out of the water . I have never been so jazzed about 100% a game series. It builds on everything from the first game and just adds that touch of refinement. I am obsessed with this game and want to find every single thing. I got the art book today. Love everything about this game.

Another adventure with my wife (Lara Croft) but this time in communist lands. 100% Goty of the year, would recommend it over any other similar game. Good story, gameplay, characters, environment and puzzles.
PD: The Antialiasing in this game really sucks.