I finished this game on Sunday, June 29, 2025, 10:30:00 AM.
I’m writing this years after release, so this isn’t a traditional buying recommendation. I picked up the Definitive Edition for free on the Epic Games Store (EGS), which included all DLC costumes and content.
The story never clicked for me. I watched the early cutscenes, but Lara’s motivations against Trinity (lol) felt vague and the plot never came together. The situations Lara ends up in are extremely contrived—enemies repeatedly fail to kill her when they easily could, giving her impenetrable plot armor from the very first plane crash onward. The writing is poorly directed, the supporting characters (especially the native kid) have bad voice acting, and I ended up mashing the space bar every time they appeared. Camilla Luddington’s voice acting for Lara is quite good, but everything else is weak. In the end I completely tuned out the narrative and just enjoyed the ride.
I think I figured out why the story is awful…
Core gameplay is fun. Combat works well enough, puzzles are satisfying, and exploration feels rewarding. The problem is all the extra stuff they bolted on. The half-baked RPG/crafting system is boring filler that adds nothing of value—it feels lazy and clearly exists only for marketing. The attempt at open-world elements is shallow and pointless; it just pads the game instead of focusing on what Tomb Raider does best. The young Lara flashback sections should have been skippable cutscenes but instead waste your time. The initial Mexico sequence is a bit of slog because you are just walking and talking. It is pretty though. Some set pieces (like the jaguar attacks) take control away from the player, and a few stealth sections feel goofy. It was surprising and disappointing to see the iconic dual pistols absent once again. I’d honestly prefer the “goofy” weapon systems of the old Core Design games over the current implementation.
Jaguar
The music is decent but forgettable—nothing on the level of the classic Core Design games.
Now for the things that make this game good, and sometimes borderline great - visuals and level design.
This is where the game truly shines. Shadow of the Tomb Raider is easily the best-looking Tomb Raider game ever made. The environments are vibrant and detailed, the locations feel exotic and alive, and the underwater sections are incredible. South America is an excellent choice, and I like the art direction. The level design is excellent, and when you combine the top-tier visuals with strong puzzle design, you get a genuinely great action-adventure experience. Exploring these environments made me imagine how incredible a remake of Tomb Raider 3’s India levels would look in this engine.
Despite the weak story, bloated systems, and padding, the game is still a solid recommendation, especially if you get it cheap or free. It’s the best-looking Tomb Raider ever made and a lot of fun when you overlook the narrative and RPG bloat. The stunning visuals, strong level design, and enjoyable core gameplay completely carry it. I had more fun with Shadow than I did with Rise of the Tomb Raider.
If you can ignore (or skip) most of the story and just focus on the adventure, it’s a very good game. I would happily have paid $5 for it—anything more feels like overpaying for all the unnecessary filler.
The only Tomb Raider game left for me to finish now is Tomb Raider Underworld. I don’t think I will ever play Tomb Raider Anniversary.