Why Rise of the Tomb Raider will make a fan out of youNov 16(AZINS) Rise of the Tomb Raider is a beautifully crafted cinematic action-adventure game with a focus on exploration and is packed with a lot of detail. Coming in during the 19th year of the franchise, this latest instalment came with a lot of expectations from the fans. The developers, Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal have delivered in spectacular fashion. Rise of the Tomb Raider follows Lara Croft, the protagonist of the series as she journeys in search of an artifact and a lost city, following her father's research after his death. She is not alone in this search, an organisation known as Trinity is also looking for the same things for less noble purposes.

Rise of the Tomb Raider is the follow up to 2013's reboot of Tomb Raider that ensured the revival of the series with it's action-packed gameplay and great visuals. Although the reboot was considered a success by most accounts, it failed to please many of the loyal fans of the series as the game lacked the exploration and tombs that made the series what it is today. Learning from the mistakes of the reboot, Rise of the Tomb Raider offers fan a balance of that action-packed gameplay and stunning visuals with equal amount of attention paid to the exploration, stealth and tombs. The scavenging and crafting system is also a great part of the game that allows you to really feel like an adventurer, especially because you can collect resources as you progress through the adventure and there are things to interact with and collect everywhere. Crafting the things you find to enhance your gameplay experience is one of the things I really did enjoy doing in the game.

As somebody who really enjoys problem solving, the return of the tombs is a welcome addition for me. Solving the puzzles in the tombs actually requires some thought which is great for loyal fans of the franchise as it is reminiscent of the previous games. Even though it's not technically a true open-world game, there is a lot of exploration to be found in the game's massive explorable hubs.

Rise of the Tomb Raider also offers more environments than it's predecessor and not only that, you also have a lot more to do when you visit those places. There are collectables that help you enhance your knowledge of the lore and things scattered around to help you put together new weapons or find coin caches that help you purchase upgrades. There is also a full-fledged side quest system to explore.

Although the game does not have a multiplayer mode, it offers replayability in the form of the expedition mode. This mode allows you to replay chapters with new challenges that can be modified in new and interesting ways. This game also gives players more freedom when compared to 2013's reboot, you aren't overly reliant on your firearm, instead you have many different ways in which you can play. Regardless of if rapidly shooting foes is what you enjoy or quietly sneaking up behind your enemies is more your style, Rise of the Tomb Raider is your game.