It also kept the snuff-film death sequences.Įidos Montreal, Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix 2015’s Rise of the Tomb Raider did more of the same, just better, developing Croft into a three-dimensional character, and expanding the scope and focus of the game, emphasizing exploration of a pseudo-open world and hunting enemies with brutally powerful weapons and kill moves. It’s a comparably empowering game, mired by repulsive death sequences that mutilate Croft’s body, borrowing from the aesthetic of low-grade torture porn. Strength, in this case, is measured by how well she can scale cliffs and choke out private military contractors. The modern Tomb Raider trilogy has an opinion of the broader franchise’s legacy that is most generously described as “love/hate” - each entry fluctuating more severely between reverence and disgust, asking the player, now and then, to take a breath and meditate on the repercussions of all the buildings and bodies they’ve destroyed along the way.Ģ013’s Tomb Raider rebooted Lara Croft, trading Barbie-doll proportions and a knotted backstory for a young woman with a simple albeit tragic past gradually discovering her inner strength.
This sort of reflection is jarring to find in a big-budget sequel to a beloved series, but it isn’t new. If you want to see the very best of the best for your platform(s) of choice, check out Polygon Essentials. When we award a game the Polygon Recommends badge, it’s because we believe the title is uniquely thought-provoking, entertaining, inventive, or fun - and worth fitting into your schedule. Polygon Recommends is our way of endorsing our favorite games.
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