Review: This Tomb Raider reboot shows a new side to Lara Croft - but the bloodlust is still palpable

Michael Plant reviews the latest game in the Tomb Raider series

This reboot of Tomb Raider constitutes an attempt to raise Lara's profile back to the point where she can stand tall next to Uncharted's Nathan Drake.

Take the game's breathless opening exchanges, where a young and untested Lara is almost drowned, held up at gunpoint, and even kills for a first time. All a ploy by Crystal Dynamics to show that Lara Croft is relevant once more. Before long she’s trading axe swings and arrows with the best of them; even while finding time for a spot of tomb raiding; even if the puzzle-centric tombs now play second fiddle to a narrative that has Lara stranded on a bizarre island with an indigenous population straight out of Lost. The 'survivalist' aspect, as so brazenly paraded during the games development, never materialises however, with Lara’s reaction to cold or hunger largely being to shiver slightly. Similarly, the well implemented combat feels odd, as our heroine cuts down swathes of bad guys just moments after mournfully contemplating her first kill. Regardless of such grievances however, the neat camera work and blistering action sequences will keep fans happy.

Tomb Raider
Price: £34.99-£49.99
Format: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Publisher: Square Enix