Playing Tomb Raider (2013) honestly felt more like watching a really good TV series than playing a game. It's incredibly cinematic, with excellent voice acting, gorgeous scenery, and graphics that still look surprisingly good for a game that came out in 2013. I especially appreciated how often the HUD disappears during gameplay. It seems like a small thing, but it really helps with immersion.
The gameplay is solid across the board. Lara controls well, the gunplay is satisfying (if a little shallow), and the platforming is generally a lot of fun. There were definitely a handful of moments where Lara decided to jump somewhere I absolutely did not intend, usually because of an awkward camera angle or slightly delayed inputs, but those moments were pretty infrequent.
One thing I found interesting is that this game has an "Overwhelmingly Positive" rating on Steam, and I think it actually highlights one of the limitations of Steam's review system. This isn't a masterpiece or a 10/10 game. I'd personally give it a very solid 8/10. But at the same time, I also can't really imagine recommending against it. It's well made, well paced, and consistently entertaining from start to finish. Steam only asks one question: "Would you recommend this game?" And for Tomb Raider, my answer is an easy yes, even if I don't think it's one of the greatest games ever made.
I actually played about 75% of the game several months ago before putting it down for a while. I'm still not entirely sure why. I wasn't bored exactly, I just kind of drifted away from it. When I came back, I realized I only had about two hours left and finished the rest in one sitting. That probably says everything I need to say. It's not the kind of game that consumed my life, but when I sat down to play it, I had a genuinely good time.
It's a short, polished adventure that knows exactly what it wants to be, and I really enjoyed it. Looking forward to playing the sequels.
8/10.
