Tomb Raider (2013) is a cinematic reboot that aims to redefine Lara Croft’s origins, focusing heavily on storytelling and character development, though not always successfully.

I’ll start by saying I don’t really have much history with the franchise. The only real exposure I had before this was getting completely stuck in Tomb Raider: Underworld as a teenager, specifically in that room with the giant octopus, and dropping it shortly after. So I can’t really judge how this entry stacks up against the rest of the series or whether it does Lara justice in a broader sense.

As a standalone game, though? It’s… fine.

The presentation is solid, and it’s clear the game leans heavily into its cinematic approach. There are a lot of cutscenes. Maybe too many, and while they help tell Lara’s story, they also hurt replayability quite a bit. Once you’ve seen it all, there’s not much incentive to go through those slow, scripted moments again.

What stands out more, though, is the disconnect between the story and the gameplay. The game constantly emphasizes survival. Cutscenes show Lara struggling, learning to hunt, barely getting by. But in actual gameplay, hunting just turns into another way to earn XP. It doesn’t feel necessary. It feels like a mechanic.

The same goes for combat. The story treats Lara taking her first life as a huge, traumatic moment. It’s framed as something serious, something that changes her. Meanwhile, just minutes later in gameplay, you’re clearing out entire groups of enemies, getting bonus XP for headshots like it’s an arcade shooter. The gap between narrative and gameplay is hard to ignore, and it does take you out of the experience.

That said, the game isn’t bad. It’s polished, it plays well, and it does enough right that it never becomes frustrating. But it also never really excels at anything. It’s the definition of middle ground. Nothing to strongly praise, but not much to truly complain about either.

Unless you’re a completionist.

Because then the achievement list becomes a problem. A big one. A significant chunk of achievements, 15 out of 50, are tied to multiplayer. That wouldn’t be so bad if the multiplayer was active or particularly engaging, but it just turns into a grind. It feels unnecessary and, more importantly, like a waste of time for anyone who just wants to fully complete the game.

In the end, Tomb Raider (2013) is a competent, cinematic action game that plays it safe. It’s enjoyable enough for a single playthrough, but it’s not something that leaves a lasting impression.

Tomb Raider holds up really well for a game that came out thirteen years ago. As someone new to the franchise who hasn't played the original games, this title provides a strong standalone experience.

This game is the first entry of the survivor trilogy, and follows the journey of Lara and her crew as they explore the lost kingdom of Yamatai. The voice acting and cutscenes are very well-directed so it feels like you're playing through a movie at times. While the quicktime events do get repetitive, the gameplay strikes a nice balance between exploration and combat. Most achievements can be obtained in a single run, but the multiplayer is disgusting and makes you question why the mode ever released.

8.1/10

its perfect in every way I've played the game many times and am about to again. look at my pc specs i can run all the games with this JUNK