Still a great game, even a decade later! It still controls like a dream, and the gunplay is satisfying (though it only really starts to throw a good amount of enemies at you in the latter half). I like that the story isn't a bog-standard "let's go find treasure" pulp adventure thing, but more of a survival story where you're trying to get you and your friends off this Lost tier island filled with cultists. That said, it's perhaps too easy to figure out the big mystery way before Lara does (I know I'm saying this having replayed it, but this happened on my first playthrough too). The island itself is 100% my aesthetic, featuring constructs from ancient Japan, WW2 era bunkers, and the crazy building that cultists have crafted out of the remains.
I only really have two big issues: the sliding sections (the last one of which took me 20+ attempts on both playthroughs, even knowing what was coming) and that going for 100% is a massive chore that isn't even that rewarding. If I ever replay this a third time I think I'll just ignore the collectibles for a nice breezy 6 hour adventure.

Reviewed on Jun 30, 2024


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