There’s some fascinating historical past about Tomb Raider on Nintendo consoles. We by no means actually bought a house console one till Tomb Raider was nearly a decade previous, however the Recreation Boy Shade was handled to a few actually nice interpretations of the collection. So now we’ve a Nintendo console that’s additionally a handheld, however with the ability of a house console – what will we get?
Tomb Raider: Definitive Version is a port of Crystal Dynamics’ 2013 reboot of the franchise. Lara is a younger lady right here, nonetheless inexperienced and determining who she is, on a journey to grow to be the Lara Croft we all know she’ll grow to be. As a result of it’s an early 2010s recreation there are just a few parts that haven’t aged so properly, and whereas the graphics nonetheless look trendy sufficient to get the job carried out, we had been hoping for extra.
After hitting a storm whereas looking for the fictional island of Yamatai, the place the Solar Queen Himiko is claimed to be discovered, Lara and her crew discover their ship cut up in two and wrecked on the island. Separated from the others, Lara has to seek out her approach. Between her and her associates stand the island’s present inhabitants, the Solarii Brotherhood, who’re a bit unhinged and really hostile. They’re caught on the island and can do all kinds of loopy crap to attempt to get off.
This rebooted Tomb Raider is much more motion targeted than the older video games within the collection. Whereas these earlier titles definitely had motion, they had been a lot quieter total with bursts of depth, whereas right here it’s the alternative and the quiet moments are fewer. There’s no doubting that the sport lifts a variety of concepts from Uncharted; the taking pictures, stealth and climbing all really feel very Uncharted impressed. As you play, you’ll additionally encounter one relic of the 2010s that hasn’t aged properly: QTEs or fast time occasions. These do-it-or-die mechanics weren’t particularly enjoyable after they had been first launched and have since been scaled again or redesigned in different video games, however they’re right here in full pressure all through the story.
The sport’s violence can be off the charts from the get-go. Miss a QTE and Lara could be impaled by means of the neck, or fall into the water and get shredded on coral. They put her by means of lots, and by the tip of the sport she appears like she’s been by means of a grater.
Talking of the story, the general plot is pleasurable sufficient, with solely a few of the facet characters feeling a bit skinny. Lara’s journey over the course of the sport can be a little bit of a stretch, as she goes from somebody who throws up after killing only one individual to yelling come at me bros with a rifle and grenade launcher what can be only a day later.
Tomb Raider begins off pretty linear, however you’ll quickly discover camps across the island as Lara explores, which you’ll fast-travel between. The one actual purpose to return is to seek out all of the collectables or collect extra supplies to stage up your weapons and talents. There’s a lot to discover and uncover, however should you simply wish to smash by means of the story then you’ll be able to, and also you don’t have to fret an excessive amount of about the remainder. This model of Tomb Raider additionally contains the multiplayer that launched with the opposite consoles. I’d let you know the way it holds up, however I wasn’t capable of finding a single individual enjoying it at any level.
So how in regards to the Swap 2 port, we’re coping with what’s ostensibly an Xbox 360 recreation, absolutely the Swap 2 can deal with it? Effectively there’s excellent news, and there’s not so excellent news. The excellent news is that the sport runs at a very nice clip and it’s 60fps for nearly all the recreation, and it appears good and crisp whether or not you’re enjoying handheld or docked. There are some slip ups within the framerate later within the recreation on the remaining boss, however given the situation of that struggle and what’s happening, and the truth that it was solely a little bit, we’ll give it a move.
The dangerous information is that the sport has had a variety of results dialled right down to hit that concentrate on framerate. Regardless of being the Definitive Version, we’re coping with Xbox 360-level textures and geometry in locations. Lara is the older mannequin from the non-Definitive Version, and her hair is lacking the TressFX therapy. Look, I’m not going to moan an excessive amount of in regards to the hair not being fancy, however the Swap 2 can clearly run these things – so what occurred? The present working concept is that the Swap 2 SKU is de facto simply the Swap model of the sport with the framerate and determination bumped up, and most proof means that’s true. May Aspyr, with extra time on the Swap 2 kits, flip extra results again on and enhance issues? Perhaps, however don’t purchase it hoping for one thing that may by no means occur.
There are additionally just a few different good Swap 2 options, together with movement controls… for the sport’s artefact viewer. Yep, there are not any precise movement controls, and for a recreation the place Lara makes use of a bow for many of the journey it’s a giant miss. Mouse controls are right here too, however they barely work at this stage — the sensitivity is totally off. Oddly, there are contact display controls for the menu, which is a bit random.
There’s a variety of enjoyable available on this port of Tomb Raider, though not for poor Lara who will get smashed round fairly a bit. The story, whereas a bit foolish at instances, is nice sufficient to carry your consideration for its size. The Swap 2 can undoubtedly do greater than this, and we’re left with a recreation that runs nice however might look higher. At the next worth they wouldn’t get away with it, however for the asking worth, it’s not too dangerous.
Ranking: 3.5/5
