The Tomb Raider franchise has progressed hugely during the past decade, further fostering Lara Croft's backstory that formed the iconic adventurer. It's driven a darker tone for the franchise, capturing her shift from a budding archaeologist to a conflicted predator.

A engaging dive into Lara Croft; Outstanding presentation; Smooth; cinematic gameplay; Stays fresh with new mechanics

Gunplay is still weak; especially when forced; Some segments enforce overly strict linearity

closes out Lara's saga in a wonderful fashion. With the darkest entry in the series, we get a look at what it means to be selfish, what obsession does to people and the repercussions that follow. While one chapter closes, hopefully, we'll see where the next chapter takes us.

The plot of Shadow of the Tomb Raider - the culmination of one of the more perplexingly introspective trilogies in big-budget video games - makes an argument so self-critical and biting that I half wonder if its creators believe this will be the final entry in the long-running franchise, at least...

Unfortunately after 26 hours I stopped playing Shadow of the Tomb Raider... Massive spoiler alert for both Shadow of the Tomb Raider and the prequel Rise of the Tomb Raider! The previous game I did finish (Rise of the Tomb Raider) although the heavy mistranslated christian symbology was already a...

Since 2013's Tomb Raider reboot, Lara Croft has been trying to find herself and her role in the world. Thrust into one ordeal in the first game, before chasing after her father's legacy and butting up against Trinity in the second, not much has changed as Shadow of the Tomb Raider open.

Exploring the hidden city of Paititi; Deeper; darker challenge tombs and traversal; Hit and fade combat techniques; Customisable difficulty and accessibility options; Llama petting

Redemption story doesn't always gel with brutality of combat; Lara often sounds detached from conversations; Immersion Mode leads to ironic immersion breaks

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is an interesting step forward for Lara, and the stealth combat works well, although it's under-used. Meanwhile, the idea of speaking to numerous non-playable characters and quest-givers creates a whole bunch of human-geography for her to discover, alongside those lonely...

Once mechanics, presentation, and overall flow are established for a franchise the question then becomes - how long until all of that no longer feels fresh or engaging Looking at a wide range of genres and titles over the years, the answer to that varies and often comes down to how much is changed,...

The thrill of this modern Tomb Raider series has always been its pacing and refusal to have you doing one thing for too long. Bored of rock climbing? Here are some goons to fight. Bored of unloading on goons? Let’s go for a swim. And now I’m doing a rope puzzle. It just knows how to keep you entertained. You can’t shake the feeling that you’ve done it all before, though, and this is no radical reinvention. But Shadow of the Tomb Raider is without doubt the best of the bunch, a veritable roller-coaster of a game that gives players a lush South American jungle to explore, challenge tombs crafted with real care, and set-pieces that’ll rival anything you see in the cinema this year. Granted, there’s nothing particularly original going on here, and Lara just isn't as good company as Uncharted's Nate. But if you’ve followed her story this far, you're going to have a load of fun seeing it through to the end.

Peru makes for a fantastic setting; Graphically stunning; Improved stealth options ; Large hub areas to explore; Challenge tombs are still great;

...but they might still be a little bit too easy and short lived for some; Writing a bit on the cheesy side; Shooting is good, but not great; It’s a greatest hits package rather than a brave new direction; Wonky narrative;

Peru makes for a fantastic setting; Graphically stunning; Improved stealth options ; Large hub areas to explore; Challenge tombs are still great;

…but they might still be a little bit too easy and short lived for some; Writing a bit on the cheesy side; Shooting is good, but not great; It’s a greatest hits package rather than a brave new direction; Wonky narrative;

Peru makes for a fantastic setting; Graphically stunning; Improved stealth options ; Large hub areas to explore; Challenge tombs are still great;

…but they might still be a little bit too easy and short lived for some; Writing a bit on the cheesy side; Shooting is good, but not great; It’s a greatest hits package rather than a brave new direction; Wonky narrative;