Tomb Raider

The end credit started with,
"We hope you enjoyed playing Tomb Raider. We have worked our hardest to bring you the best game we could possibly make. Thank you for taking time to complete our game."
This is exactly what is missing from most of the modern game dev companies. They have no passion for their games and the game companies don't even care about creating "the best game they can possibly make". They are just busy forcing crappy propagandas and microtransactions with their games.
This is one of the best adventure games I have ever experienced. Crystal Dynamics really poured their heart and soul to create a masterpiece. I can't believe this is an 11 years old game, this still feels better than most of the modern AAA games.

---{Gameplay}---
☐ Try not to get addicted
☐ Very good
☑️ Good
☐ Nothing special
☐ Ehh
☐ Bad
☐ Just dont
---{Graphics}---
☐ You forget reality
☐ Masterpiece
☑️ Beautiful
☐ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Will do
☐ Bad
☐ Awful
☐ Paint.exe
---{Audio}---
☐ Eargasm
☐ Very good
☑️ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ Earrape
---{Audience}---
☐ Kids
☑️ Teens
☑️ Adults
☐ Everyone
---{PC Requirements}---
☐ Check if you can run paint
☐ Potato
☑️ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer
---{Difficulity}---
☐ Just press a bunch of buttons
☐ Easy
☑️ Significant brain usage
☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Not so easy
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls
---{Game Time}---
☐ Long enough for a cup of tea
☐ Short
☑️ Average
☐ Long
☐ Depends on you
☐ Endless
---{Price}---
☐ Just buy it
☑️ Worth the price
☐ Wait for sale
☐ Maybe if you have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ Dont throw money into a rubbish bin
---{Bugs}---
☑️ Never had any
☐ Minor bugs
☐ Few bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ Ruining the game
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs

This game grabs you by the feels and doesn’t let go. The story is solid, the characters are likable, and Lara? She’s an absolute sweetheart you just want to protect at all costs. Watching her suffer is borderline heartbreaking — but it makes her journey all the more rewarding.
Exploring the semi-open world is a blast — whether you’re raiding tombs, hunting for treasure, or just taking in the gorgeous scenery (before something inevitably tries to kill you). A great mix of action, adventure, and emotional storytelling. Lara Croft’s pain is our gain — though we’d prefer a little less of it for her.

Tomb Raider Reboot is a masterpiece. I love the story and everything else. Tomb Raider delivers an exhilarating journey with Lara Croft at her best. The stunning visuals, engaging combat, and clever puzzles are amazing. The combat and time events were intense. This game was breathtaking. 10/10

Oh man, where do I start with TR2013?
Like many in the recent generation of players, I got this as my first Tomb Raider game back in March 2020, during a 3-day free-to-keep promotion from Square Enix which ended up in the game hitting just shy of 90,000 concurrent players - the most it had ever recorded on Steam, and likely on PC overall. What a decision it was for them to do that, given that player numbers for Rise and Shadow saw equal peaks in the following days and weeks as players found 10 hours or so to set aside and experience a playthrough of modern Tomb Raider.
I look back on it now and I couldn't be more thankful that I grabbed this game on the last day it was free those 4 years ago. After I completed this game it left me with this pit-of-despair feeling that can only be expressed as my sub-conscious blaring:
"God, I fucking WISH there was more of whatever THAT was."
I haven't been able to pinpoint why I have such a strong psychological and emotional bond with this game over all others I've played, but in my latest bout of video game excitement droughts that I experience with more frequency than ever nowadays, I installed this game after 4 years and gave it another playthrough, this time 100%'ing the map (all collectibles and challenges). And what an experience it was to play this game again. So, what is it about this game that cements it with a special place in my heart over the subsequent releases in the Survivor trilogy? Well, I think I've finally cracked what sets this one above the rest.
ATMOSPHERE
One of the biggest gripes that I've realised I always had with Rise and Shadow compared to TR2013, was that those games delved a lot more into the sort of conventional open-world elements you see in modern games, which are present in the vast, expansive levels that pop up throughout the game, typically in the form of a large settlement such as the Soviet Installation in Rise, or Paititi in Shadow. The issue with these in the last two games, is that it pulls them away from what I think was a fundamental element to the "feeling" of playing through TR2013. Isolation.
Crystal Dynamics said they wanted a far more bleak, grim and gritty setting for the reboot and Yamatai feels like a perfect encapsulation of what they set out to achieve. Because beyond the intentionally bland colour palette that brings a sense of dread and despair, you don't really speak to anybody outside your friends and crew aboard the Endurance when you reunite with them in a one-on-one engagement or a group reunion, and it's pretty much only cutscenes save for a couple instances later in the game. There's no NPC's with side quests, nobody to talk to for "lore" and no alliances with other NPC's in missions. This game is lonely, and I feel like that couldn't be more perfect - especially considering Lara is known to prefer working alone.
On top of the loneliness and isolation that Yamatai presents, it's also incredibly unforgiving. Some of you may be aware of the brutal death scenes in this game where you can get crushed by a pair of boulders in the beginning, or impaled on a fucking branch, sliced by an aircraft propeller, executed by bow & arrow or being drawn up on a pike by a Stormguard. This may have been a touch menacing even for a Tomb Raider game, but I believe that they serve an ultimate purpose. It's to remind you that Yamatai is CURSED, and EVERYTHING wants to KILL YOU. There is nobody and nothing you can trust on this island except for your friends from your crew, and even then some of them have ulterior motives, deluded by ambition. After all, this island isn't present on modern maps ingame. It isn't supposed to even exist, a myth of an island cursed by an immortal queen, blinded by wrath.
Also, ARTSTYLE
The environments are so masterfully crafted and fitting for this game too. It's got that certain look to it that fits in really well with the grimey aesthetic of all the structures and geography of the island. Yamatai is meant to be a lost island, forgotten in time and its only legacy is as a myth known by only archaeologists, so it makes perfect sense that every environment is a dilapidated, neglected and borderline abandoned setting (i say borderline since Mathias and his followers inhabit the island, presumably being responsible for the Shantytown), it really helps seal the setting that outside of cutscenes with your crew, you are all alone out here on your quest to ultimately save as many of your friends as you can, and get the hell off the island whatever it takes.
All of the environments are so blatant, so instantly recognisable as "forgotten" or "lost to time" by the eye, whereas the last two games don't have this going for them, but I think this is mainly because of what I feel is the increased focus on conventional open world elements, as said before, it doesn't make sense for everything to be rotting away if there is a clear human presence dedicated to upholding their little piece of civilisation and their culture. Mathias' people have no care to settle, and would avoid committing as much as possible. You can often hear them talk about finally escaping the island if the "new queen" is accepted in the ritual, and how it'll probably be another cooked chick to presumably throw to the dungeon dwelling cannibals.
The actual design of elements such as the weapons didn't strike me as much as the environments did however. There's nothing wrong with them in particular, the guns themselves make sense and the upgrades fit right into the design of the game like a glove, but I think another thing that does contribute to my preference towards this game in the Survivor trilogy over the others, is the design of Lara herself.
If you're like anyone who went straight to Rise of the Tomb Raider after finishing this game, you'll have noticed that Lara looks slightly different in Rise and Shadow. That's because for TR2013, they actually used a model called Megan Farquhar for Lara's lookalike, not the voice and mocap actress, Camilla Luddington.
Because of this, Lara looks FAR younger in TR2013 and for me it's less that it makes sense for this point in the timeline, but more for the fact that it plays into the theme that Lara has to endure the trials that Yamatai throws at her to become the character we know she is today, and that obviously means she's younger, more naive, less battle-scarred/hardened. She's canonically straight out of university in this game, and Camilla's stellar performance absolutely adds to the isolation factor that I mentioned earlier. (However, some of you fucks tend to appreciate her acting for different reasons.)
This borderline rant is getting quite long, and if you've stumbled across my review and said "i ain't readin allat" then that's fair enough but I can't write a TL;DR because it will be another paragraph. So I'll just conclude this bollocks instead.
To sum up my feelings, Tomb Raider 2013 is a very special kind of game to me, because it's one that I actually think about a lot afterwards. Not many games can do that for me at all, and the last game to do that for me was Devil May Cry 5. But TR2013 is beyond that personally. It's one that would drive me to move heaven and earth to experience it for the first time again, and that's why even thinking about this game always leaves me with bittersweet embodied as an emotion, because I don't think any game will make me feel that way ever again.
10/10, would pay a brain surgeon to fry the neurons in my mind that remember this game so I can experience it for the first time all over again.

There are few games that can offer players a truly unique experience—the sense of inhabiting a body. Perhaps the second The Last of Us, Red Dead Redemption, and Tomb Raider stand out in this regard.

Medieval historians like Jacques Le Goff and Alain Corbin have long examined the body from various perspectives: the body and religion, society, sexuality, medicine, play, power. Similarly, in the recent Tomb Raider games, Lara Croft’s body tells its own story, not through overt sexualization, but through something far more intimate. The trembling of her hands as she shakes off water, the mud clinging to her skin, the way she hugs a wounded stomach, shivering from cold rain, and warming herself by the fire—all this transforms her body into a powerful cultural symbol, a means of communication. The camera no longer lingers on her hips or accentuates her chest as it did in earlier iterations. Instead, in cutscenes, there is a subtle focus on her neckline, suggesting an awareness of her femininity that refuses to diminish her strength. In moments when a hostile enemy pins her to the wall, scrutinizing her vulnerable figure with predatory intent, the game communicates a striking modern message: the confrontation between masculine and feminine is played out, and the latter is revealed not as fragile but as strong, whole, and determined.

Lara's body now possesses a social power reminiscent of Michel Foucault’s ideas on the body as a site of struggle. What once was an object—a body alienated from its owner—has now become a symbol of autonomy and resilience. There is a visible symbiosis between spirit and physical strength. In earlier games, Lara’s body did not entirely belong to her; it was subjected to the disciplinary gaze, manipulated by a series of power structures. The revival of her physicality, the integrity of the individual, is possible now because of a shift—an application of what Foucault might call a technology of self-care.

In terms of stealth and combat, Tomb Raider has achieved a new level of realism. Enemies now behave with a tactical awareness, ducking behind cover, firing in short, precise bursts, and sending arrows with deadly accuracy. The game doesn’t just immerse you in a world; it brings you into the flesh, the sweat, the sensation of being truly alive amidst danger, heat, and cold.

This evolution in Tomb Raider isn't just about survival; it's about reclaiming identity through action and consequence. Lara’s journey is a testament to resilience—a physical and emotional transformation that mirrors the changes in the player’s own experience. Every bruise and scar, every desperate climb and frantic scramble for cover, becomes a narrative of endurance. The landscapes she traverses, whether dense jungles or icy peaks, are not just backdrops but adversaries themselves—testing her limits and demanding a raw physicality. The game’s world feels alive with tension, challenging the player to read environments, anticipate threats, and make split-second decisions. In a sense, Tomb Raider becomes a dialogue between the character and the landscape, between the past and the present, between who Lara was and who she is becoming. The intimacy with her body—its exhaustion, pain, and strength—turns every leap into a statement of defiance, a declaration that she is not only surviving but mastering a world that sought to overwhelm her.

Even though this game is nearly twelve years old, it still feels fresh and exciting. The story is gripping and goes deeper than expected, keeping you hooked from beginning to end.
The map is amazing, with lots of different places to explore, fun parkour challenges, and hidden secrets. You can really feel the history in every part of it, the people who were there before, the events that happened, and the stories left behind.
I’ve always loved stuff about great wars and abandoned places, so the lore in this game really stood out to me. It’s the perfect mix of history and mystery, making the world feel alive and worth exploring.
The singleplayer is excellent, but the multiplayer is disappointing. Nobody really plays online anymore, and unlocking achievements can be frustrating unless you have friends to help. This game is definitely all about the singleplayer, and that’s where it shines.
Playing this reminded me of a time when games were made with passion, when developers cared about making something meaningful, not just about making money.
It’s sad to see how much gaming has changed, but this game is proof of how great it can be when done right.