Just under a year after first wowed us on Xbox One and PC, Rise of the Tomb Raider

see deal Rise of the Tomb Raider - Xbox One $14.99 on Best Buy

IGN gave Rise of the Tomb Raider a 9.3, and said this of the sequel to the 2013 reboot:



“Rise of the Tomb Raider raises the bar set by Lara’s last outing with a rollicking adventure story, strong villains, gorgeous vistas, and smart puzzles – go off the main path to find the best stuff in dastardly optional tombs. Though the mandatory combat doesn’t distinguish itself with challenging enemies unless you crank up the difficulty, Lara’s newfound versatility on the battlefield makes fighting a lot more fun. Once again it’s Lara herself, however, who steals the show, her complex ambitions and hardened resolve showing new sides to a character who has well and truly grown from survivor to the most fascinating action hero in video games today.”

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That score and that sentiment still rings true a year later. Crystal Dynamics’ sequel ups the ante and remains a packed, enthralling adventure, one that smartly increases the emphasis on puzzle solving and exploration while also continuing to build on the strong character work done in the original 2013 reboot. Check out our full Rise of the Tomb Raider review from last year to see more.

On top of the Cold Darkness Awakened and Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch DLC expansions, 20 Year Celebration also adds a short new story-focused chapter: Blood Ties. (It’s available as DLC for Xbox One and PC owners, and included in the season pass.) Split into two parts, the first half is an exploratory search through Croft Manor in which Lara is trying to uncover the secrets of her parents and the estate’s past to save it. There’s no combat or treacherous caverns to navigate, but I appreciated the stripped down, quiet character study.

“ There's no combat in Blood Ties, but I appreciated the quiet character study.

Croft Manor, despite its years of wear, is a gorgeous location to explore in first or third-person perspective. The way most players will likely experience it, in third-person, is certainly an intriguing opportunity for someone already invested in this reboot series’ take on Lara. Experiencing it in first-person with PlayStation VR, however, can be an even more impressively immersive affair — when it’s not nauseating, that is.

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Blood Ties’ VR component has two control options: Comfort and Free modes. Played in Comfort Mode the VR experience is, as its name suggests, pretty comfortable and easy to learn. You point the controller to a spot in the environment, push a couple of buttons, and Lara teleports around. Getting to take in the beautiful architectural detail of Croft manor from Lara’s viewpoint makes up for a lack of one-to-one mobility.

“ Blood Ties can be impressively immersive in VR — when it's not nauseating.

We also get Lara’s Nightmare, in which the manor is infested with nightmarish demons. This replayable mode offers a few fun challenges to chase, and is a smart way to reuse a well-constructed environment. But, while fun, combat was never Rise’s most impressive aspect and it can lose its luster here quickly enough.

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20 Year Celebration also throws in an online cooperative version of the Endurance DLC, which was already one of the more fun additions to the originally released Rise of The Tomb Raider. Endurance proves to be even more enjoyable with another survivor on hand to fight through the wilderness with you. Co-op adds the interesting twist of allowing both players to extract themselves and their rewards from the situation before their partner, adding even more tension to what can already be a fraught yet exciting mode.