[b]A Rough Start Saved by Giza[/b] 🪢🤠
I went into this game with high expectations after reading reviews, and for the first few hours, I genuinely wanted to turn it off and refund it. The story was incredibly boring, the game crashed frequently (thankfully, there are autosaves, but still unacceptable two years after release), and enemies somehow had x-ray vision. As a casual fan of the movies (I still love the chilled monkey brains scene!), it just didn't hook me. But then I reached Giza, and everything clicked. The environment and atmosphere there are beautifully crafted, and the game finally became fun. I am disappointed in many aspects, but I am rating the game objectively for what it is, setting my emotions aside. It's proof that it's better to go in with zero expectations.
In my personal opinion, the game is not worth the full price, and I highly recommend waiting for a sale.
➕ [b]Pros:[/b]
[b]Giza & Environments:[/b] The level design and environments are really well done. Once you hit the Giza section, the atmosphere completely changes, the slump breaks, and the game finally becomes genuinely enjoyable.
[b]Forgiving Climbing (mostly):[/b] The climbing mechanics are primitive and straightforward, meaning you usually can't mess it up and it flows quite well.
➖ [b]Cons:[/b]
[b]Price vs. Playtime:[/b] For a 70 euro base price, you are strictly paying for the brand. The main story is only about 15 hours long. I maxed out the game (all achievements, every house, every key, plus DLC) and it only took me 28 hours—and I'm no Sherlock Holmes when it comes to finding things.
[b]Frustrating Weapon Drops & Bugs:[/b] Indy constantly drops his melee weapons just to open a gate, forcing you to pick them up again—incredibly annoying early on. Additionally, the camera and journal are very buggy (I had to equip food just to make the inputs register), and the game randomly switches your tracked quests.
[b]Terrible Companion AI:[/b] NPCs constantly stand in the worst possible spots and block your path. During a light-beam puzzle, Gina literally stood right in the beam like a statue, making it impossible to solve.
[b]Clunky Ledges & Crashes:[/b] Despite the simple climbing, Indy often refuses to grab ledges, leading to countless deaths. Plus, the game still crashes quite a bit for a two-year-old title.
[b]Final Score:[/b] 6.5/10
[spoiler]I honestly completely forgot about Gina the moment Pailin appeared. There is no more beautiful woman in the game. Next to her, Gina looks and acts like an undeveloped young boy XD[/spoiler]
