This is an experience entirely focused on its gameplay, which offers the best realized parkour system I've experienced in a videogame, grouped with a robust and ever so satisfying melee combat system. Both of which are fairly upgradable, but at a sufficiently steady rhythm, based on your own experience with the game. Meaning, you gain experience to upgrade each of the game's systems as you engage more and more which each of them, which you'll want to do! Because, if in the beginning you won't manage to do everything you'll want, you'll soon realize how to keep pushing the boundaries, in order to get better and better at traversing the open world at ease. 15 hours in, and I haven't even unlocked the grapple hook, which is sure to give even more versatility to the movement system (Update: it so does!). And even the combat, that can get a bit overwhelming with the amount of enemies that can sometimes push you (if you're not careful at evaluating certain situations), is fairly deep, with an array of melee weapons and moves that lets you fight the way you want. After you get the feel for that one [type of] weapon you like, you basically won't want to use guns — unless you find a group of armed mercenaries, or some big brutes, in your path. Is also that enemy variation that keeps the moment-to-moment gameplay fresh. If you can easily outrun the simpler zombie enemies, when you hear those screams, you'll want immediately to get ready, be it at day or nighttime. You'll quickly understand to maintain several strategies at hand, and which skills you'll want (and need) to unlock to support them. The open world is also amazingly realized, with complete freedom to grab any climbable edge, but also breaming with a great atmosphere. Beautiful and haunting at the same time, as you take in the warm lighting pouring through the hollow streets, with only the sound of the wind and the dammed screams as you jump from one rooftop to the next. And that's only the first map...!
This is a game that revolves entirely on the player's reaction time and capability to maintain momentum, which demonstrates its clear and well defined objective, patent in its various aspects, from enemy placement to platforming. And the levels are always designed with several different recognizable paths to dispatch off the enemies more efficiently. This design offers enough freedom for the player to take various alternative approaches, taking into account each one's own preferences, but also the different powers offered throughout the campaign, that allow for further experimentation even within a same level segment. It is definitely a frustrating game at times because of its difficulty, but in equal terms rewarding when you can finally crack your best strategy to continue to the next area, as you further understand the patterns and timings of all the mechanics, all through a completely smooth and immersive first-person experience and wrapped around a stylized cyberpunk setting that gets richer the more you delve deeper into the story.
It's interesting to recognize the games to which the next entries within the same genre will compare to as a standard. In that sense, it is undeniable that Uncharted™ (and its sequels) became a staple to the action-adventure genre from 2007 onward. It was almost inevitable that the Tomb Raider series would take notes and inspiration from that other series, from which this reboot brilliantly resulted. Despite being much more focused in the action part of it (and recognizing its dissonance with the story, that tries to ground the violence since her first kill but ends up almost glorifying it), this game ends up offering a new Lara Croft, intentionally distant from its original iteration but, for that, much more interesting. Although loving the character and having played the Legend Trilogy from start to finish, I'm not as defensive as some may be for the original games (which I never got around to playing). I simply adore the way they have taken this character here, inspired clearly by the Uncharted™ series but never copying it. Instead, it leans on this character's distinct characteristics and personality, with a story that explores her vulnerability, hiding a clear dormant survival instinct, that would develop in the sequels. I've seen many point out the lack of the dual pistols as Lara Croft's signature weapon, even by the end of this new trilogy, but not only do I recognize the bow as an intentional departure from the old games, offering a new iconic weapon for the character, but its integration is ingrained in the platforming and is an added challenge to the game's combat. I found myself using that weapon for most of the time, as it helped develop my aim and take my time developing a a stealthier approach for some of the encounters. I couldn't be more in love with this franchise than I am with this game, revitalizing the different game mechanics but, most noticeably, the main character. Lara Croft definitely became a hero of mine from this point on.
I had a soft spot for this game from the start, as I liked the visual aesthetic they chose here. Not only through the choice of Shanghai as a backdrop for the story, with its neon lights filling the otherwise dower and dirty streets of the underworld you find yourself thrown into, its lens flares permeating your view; but also through the found footage style view of the action, which I found quite stimulating (even with the running's shaking effect eventual problems). The simple use of the blood turning the "camera" red, when you're getting shot, to signify your injuries, while not new is interestingly applied within this style. The problem then is that the story and gameplay overall are too simplistic and weak. Even all the moments that take advantage of the setting and cinematic inspiration, like the escape from the highway down into the city streets and the final level at the airport (the movie Heat continues to be a clear inspiration here), feel lessened by the underwhelming gunplay and clunky cover mechanic (too late, I realized sometimes was better to crouch behind something), which are the focus of the entire game. The feedback on the guns is poor, not being exactly clear when you've killed your target, if not for the crosshair indication. And if the inaccuracy of the guns makes some sense with the other style choices, it can be quite jarring when you carefully level your shot with more accurate weapons and only the third consecutive shot seems to hit your target, after a small recoil. Although some good and inspiring levels, with some vertical variations and (in case of Arcade Mode) different paths to take the objective, there are others where I got completely lost, with small corridors where the camera didn't help at all. In the end, the poor gunplay is what you'll be doing the entire game, and unfortunately it's not the most enticing feature, beyond the style the game primarily showed and the great setting and influences it takes inspiration from.
This is an experience entirely focused on its gameplay, which offers the best realized parkour system I've experienced in a videogame, grouped with a robust and ever so satisfying melee combat system. Both of which are fairly upgradable, but at a sufficiently steady rhythm, based on your own experience with the game. Meaning, you gain experience to upgrade each of the game's systems as you engage more and more which each of them, which you'll want to do! Because, if in the beginning you won't manage to do everything you'll want, you'll soon realize how to keep pushing the boundaries, in order to get better and better at traversing the open world at ease. 15 hours in, and I haven't even unlocked the grapple hook, which is sure to give even more versatility to the movement system (Update: it so does!). And even the combat, that can get a bit overwhelming with the amount of enemies that can sometimes push you (if you're not careful at evaluating certain situations), is fairly deep, with an array of melee weapons and moves that lets you fight the way you want. After you get the feel for that one [type of] weapon you like, you basically won't want to use guns — unless you find a group of armed mercenaries, or some big brutes, in your path. Is also that enemy variation that keeps the moment-to-moment gameplay fresh. If you can easily outrun the simpler zombie enemies, when you hear those screams, you'll want immediately to get ready, be it at day or nighttime. You'll quickly understand to maintain several strategies at hand, and which skills you'll want (and need) to unlock to support them. The open world is also amazingly realized, with complete freedom to grab any climbable edge, but also breaming with a great atmosphere. Beautiful and haunting at the same time, as you take in the warm lighting pouring through the hollow streets, with only the sound of the wind and the dammed screams as you jump from one rooftop to the next. And that's only the first map...!
I wasn't sure this was my type of game, but having started it, I can only say this is a brilliant game, and, "worse", incredibly addictive. It's not brilliant because of each of its individual parts (although very well crafted, even if apparently simple), but because of their combination, that sees each of its systems entirely intertwined and essential to get to whatever your next objective may be. Be it the combat, or the managing/survival aspects, you soon understand that you have to give attention to both parts equally, as one feeds the other, and vice-versa. Every decision is important given your longtime goals, as you may need a resource or building asap, but that may take from something else that will allow a more effective productivity later on. And that decision making is true for both the combat raids or the cult management. And what manages to make it addictive is, not only that all this doesn't somehow overwhelm you, but also that the art style, the narratives you create, and overall personality of the game enthralls you, in each character, in each task, in each moment.
What a simple but brilliantly engaging indie puzzle game this is! It's so original in its art style, and fun in the rapport between the two main characters. From Piper's naive but optimistic remarks, to Dusty's ironic responses, throughout their dynamic and interactions during the game, you really get a feeling for the story, from what so little but purposefully is presented in the beginning. All this, while traversing through levels very imaginative in their design and art direction, and vast in their inter-connectivity, that exploring them while engaging with the game mechanics feels rewarding enough, as this game embodies the literal definition of environmental storytelling to its maximum. Aligned with the brilliantly composed music and well written lyrics, this turns into a thoughtful and original exploration of our human nature, while being equal times funny and emotional, from beginning to end. In a way, this is the combination of Gris and Psychonauts, but with its own identifiable style, applied to memorable characters and moments. One thing that could eventually be welcome would be to have a map view in the pause menu, for example, because if you can easily remember the Freedom Isles area well enough to know where everything is, the Clockwork Town area is more intricate to remember every corner. Nevertheless, it's not a big problem at all, as you can get easily through the game without a map, and this would only be helpful for completionists, when revisiting previous areas for eventual memories or doors to knock. The truth is, I couldn't put the game away until I had finished it. What an unexpected but amazingly pleasant surprise! Can't wait to play the sequel!
