Playing Shadow on the Xbox One X provided one of the most vivid and stunning visual experiences that left me in complete awe. It wasn’t just the vastness of the game’s hub that led to the appeal of exploring every nook and cranny of the in-game environment but it was the visual splendour before my eyes that enthralled me to the point that I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen for even a second. This includes the opportunity to raid challenge tombs, participate in side quests, which unlocks rewards, such as skill points, and scavenge for resources, such as wild animal carcasses and plant debris, which can be used to craft useful materials. The game’s environment (or ‘hub’) is one of the largest in the Tomb Raider franchise, which provides players plenty to do outside of the main story campaign. I suppose one of the reasons stealth was enjoyable for me is because Shadow provided three different levels of difficulty and the easiest level, the one I played on, was actually easy, unlike other games I’ve played in the past where the easy setting isn’t completely noob or beginner friendly. I’ve never performed manoeuvres so easily and was rather shocked that the enemies didn’t make a sound when Lara stabbed them with her axe or slit their throats.
However, I was pleasantly surprised as to just how easy it was to stun enemies and attack them using stealth. Stealth has never been my forte so I was incredibly hesitant upon learning that it was an aspect in the game. Like the previous two games, Shadow is played from a third-person’s perspective where players must journey through the South American environment and combat enemies using a combination of bow and arrow, firearms, as well as stealth. In her attempt to prevent Trinity from getting their hands on the artifact, Lara accidentally triggers the Mayan apocalypse and must race against time to not only defeat Trinity, but save the world from imminent danger. On her expedition, she stumbles upon the paramilitary organisation known as Trinity, who are hell bent on using the Mayan artifact to reshape the world. Set two months after Rise of the Tomb Raider, the direct prequel to Shadow, the game’s story follows Lara Croft as she embarks on an adventure through South America to the legendary city of Paititi, to retrieve a Mayan artifact, which her late father had been connected to. Shadow of the Tomb Raider (“Shadow”), by Eidos Montreal and Crystal Dynamics, is the third game in the rebooted Tomb Raider franchise, which began in 2013, and acts as a continuation of Lara Croft’s story.
Having that burning desire to delve deeper into a game’s narrative, uncover mysteries and complete the character’s journey, is something that is truly exhilarating and I just can’t get enough. This feeling, of wanting to rush home each day to play a title I deeply enjoy, is one that I’ve not had since 2009, when I spent every afternoon for an entire week of University holidays playing Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. However, since the release of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, that’s all that I’ve been wanting to do every single day. It’s been a while since a game captured my interest so fully that all I wanted to do was escape my reality to spend hours traversing through the jungles of South America, raid hidden tombs, solve challenging puzzles and uncover ancient myths.