Rise of the Tomb Raider (2015): The Review

Overview

Rise of the Tomb Raider builds confidently on the 2013 reboot, pushing Lara further along her journey from survivor to legend. With a deeper emphasis on exploration, improved tomb design, and expanded crafting systems, it hits many of the right notes that were missing from the original. While the story can feel a bit predictable, the polished gameplay and stunning environments keep the adventure compelling enough to make Rise stand out.

Score: 8 out of 10

The Positives ✅

This time around, the game really nails the sense of adventure known of Lara. The optional tombs have been properly expanded: they’re bigger, trickier, and feel rewarding to solve, bringing back that classic Tomb Raider puzzle vibe that the last game barely touched. The locations help too. From snowy Siberian peaks to underwater ruins, the world feels varied and atmospheric, with environments that make exploring feel worthwhile just for the visuals alone.

Movement’s also seen a solid upgrade. Lara’s climbing, swimming, and general traversal feel much smoother, making it easy to lose yourself in the flow of exploration. The crafting and gear systems get a boost too, giving you more flexibility in how you handle survival and combat. And both combat and stealth feel tighter overall: fights are more balanced, and stealth actually works as a viable strategy now. On top of it all, Camilla Luddington’s performance continues to carry Lara’s story, adding more depth to her obsession without losing that sense of resilience.

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The Negatives ⚠️

If there’s one thing that holds the game back, it’s the predictable storyline. Ancient artifacts, secret societies, and Lara wrestling with her inner demons, it’s all stuff we’ve seen before, and the game doesn’t do much to surprise you along the way. It also doesn’t help that the side characters barely register. While Lara gets plenty of attention, the supporting cast feels like background noise most of the time, adding little to the actual story.

Exploration has its issues too. The world’s packed with collectibles, but not all of them feel worth grabbing, which can make exploration feel more like busywork than actual discovery. And while everything’s been refined and polished, the game doesn’t exactly push the series forward. It’s fun, sure, but if you’ve played the reboot, you’ve basically played this. Lack of real innovation holds it back from feeling like a true leap forward.

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The Experience 🎮

Rise of the Tomb Raider is a confident sequel that enriches the rebooted formula with more exploration, better tombs, and refined gameplay. It may not take bold narrative risks, but it delivers a consistently entertaining and visually stunning journey. 🧊🏹💎

A rock-solid adventure that perfects the climb even if it doesn’t always surprise. Lara’s legend continues to rise.