Lara Croft is back in possibly her most intense journey yet.

“Tomb Raider” is a reboot of the series, going back to a new beginning. The main character, Croft has been recognized as one of the most recognized video game characters since originally appearing on the Sega Saturn and then the Playstation in 1996. In this new adventure, Croft is on an expedition to find an ancient civilization with a research team. As a recent graduate, she hopes this new discovery will help put her on the map. However, as the team approaches an island, an intense storm approaches and destroys the ship. Lara wakes up injured and alone after the shipwreck, and she has to learn how to survive the dangerous terrain and find her friends. To add to her problems she has to avoid being killed by a cult group on the island that has kidnapped one of her friends.

“Tomb Raider” is an action adventure game that tests players survival skills on the mysterious island. The beginning of the game is focused on basic survival tests: Players must stay warm by building a fire or hunting in order to eat. Survival tests only last for a short period, as gameplay goes from only having a bow for hunting to using a handgun to take down those who are trying to kill the character. Croft is seen as being an outsider of the island by the cult group. It’s a bit of a quick transition in gameplay.

The nice part of moving around the island is that it is a semi-open world. You can go back to any previous parts of the game by resting at a camp and using fast travel to camps you have visited before. In order to traverse areas, the player has to climb rocky surfaces with a climbing tool and use a rope with a bow and arrow to create ways to travel between gaps. While resting at camps the player can increase or add skills using experience they have gained. They can also take salvage parts to make modifications and improvements to their weapons, allowing players multiple choices to create inventive weapons. While traversing the land there are all kinds of side missions. You can collect a series of collectables that build experience or get background information about the mysterious island and the cult that lives there.

There are also a series of optional tombs player can access; this should have been a larger part of the game. The player has to traverse one or two rooms of puzzles that really allow the player to think about their next move. While it is fun to jump around from area to area and to take down bad guys, it seems the game focuses more on these minor things. I wish the game included more tombs to discover secrets. Then again, this is a reboot, and none of the past games explored the beginning of Croft.

The only true negative portion of this game is the multiplayer mode that can be played with others online. It is sadly one of the worst examples of online multiplayer and was obviously added quickly at the end. Without a doubt, one can ignore the multiplayer and still have a fantastic time enjoying the game. While the story can be dark at times, it’s a story with a young Croft who hasn’t been exposed to desperate situations before. The story shines, showing the progress of a character overcoming an extreme amount of challenges. The game progresses from a character who is alone and scared to a hardened woman who will do whatever it takes to survive and save her friends.

“Tomb Raider” is an action-packed game filled with hours of fun. If more games like this come out the only thing that needs to happen is an increased amount of tomb exploration, but it’s the start of something great.