It is a challenging game mode, which can be made slightly easier by playing in coop. Players must manage Lara’s warmth and food levels, hunting and gathering in the wilderness while searching for artifacts and landmarks. My favourite was the endurance expedition, which turns the game into a survival experience. However, some of these reference plot points and characters in the core game, so if you dive into the DLC before completing the game, you might experience some ludonarrative dissonance. These card packs can also unlock the different expeditions available, opening up enormous DLC maps that are used for a myriad of challenges and adventures for Lara. Simply playing the 20 year celebration unlocks a plethora of cards that can be used to make multiplayer experiences easier or more challenging, with the usual score modifiers attached. It’s still a relatively fun mode, but not one that I would return to without a big incentive.Īs for the other DLC experiences, they are heavily reliant on the card modifiers mentioned at the end of our original review. I wish I could say the tight halls and spooky atmosphere evoked a Resident Evil sensation in me, but it didn’t quick click the way I had hoped. For those of you who just want to run around shooting all the things as Lara, you will probably enjoy this experience. The map used for exploration doubles as an environment for a zombie mode DLC. There are, however, some collectibles that will only appear once the core game is completed. Plus, it feels incredibly creepy and stressful, even without any combat or imminent threats. Sure, longtime fans might be irritated by perceived “Daddy issues”, but once you discover more of the DLC you can see that it all goes much deeper than that and Lara’s motivations are much more nuanced than previously presented. In many ways, this was a Tomb Raider version of Gone Home, in the best possible meaning of the comparison. After playing through the combat-free exploration DLC I found myself with a greater appreciation for Lara character and experience I now understand so much more about what drives her. It is chock-full of franchise references, but more than that it explains much of the lore and storylines that are only hinted at in previous games. The main new chunk of content built around Croft Manor is a must-play for fans of the franchise. This edition, though, adds a ton of extra content for fans to enjoy.Īfter unlocking the first campfire in the core game, the DLC unlocked. However, the core experience is still as solid now as it was then. With the game coming to PS4 so much later, many were concerned that the game have lost some of its luster.

In the year since Rise of the Tomb Raider was released on Xbox One, a wealth of content has been added to the already excellent experience.

Rise of the tomb raider review