Rise of the Tomb Raider Reviews

Phil Hornshaw

Digital Trends

April 25, 2023

“Rise of the Tomb Raider is the best blockbuster game of 2015.”

JazmanGames

Game Skinny

February 6, 2017

9/10

Rise of The Tomb Raider is a beautiful and well-made game. With a gripping story, great acting and brilliant world design, there's plenty to do and you will want more.

Mike Mahardy

GameSpot

October 10, 2016

9/10

Adventure found me.

Justin Mahboubian-Jones

Stuff

October 10, 2016

The phrase ‘Optional Challenge Tomb’ says a lot about Rise of the Tomb Raider. This is what the game chooses to call its puzzle-driven chambers. Is Tomb Raider still a game principally about, err, raiding tombs when it treats its namesake activity like a side salad? One that comes with no croutons and way too much dressing.

Dustin Bailey

GameWatcher

January 27, 2016

9/10

Rise of the Tomb Raider has likable characters who have real struggles amid the mystical wonders they’re chasing down. It has beautiful, densely detailed environments that have a real sense of history. It has tense, exciting action that constantly forces you to think on your feet. It has a perfectly balanced selection of abilities and upgrades. It’s an expertly paced adventure from beginning to end, filled with optional objectives that add to the world and story rather than distract from ...

Richard Seagrave

GameSpew

December 16, 2015

9/10

Bigger, better and bolder; the only possibly negative thing I can say about Rise of the Tomb Raider is that it doesn’t exactly break any new ground. As an evolution rather than a revolution; it follows on perfectly from 2013’s Tomb Raider, and just like that game, it borrows themes and ideas from many other adventure games that came before it. In the end however, it’s all done so well that it doesn’t really matter. It may feel familiar, but it’s a warm and welcoming kind of familiar, building upon the best elements of any previous adventure games to create...

Clinton Bowman-Christie

The OuterHaven

November 10, 2015

Overall

Ozzie Mejia

ShackNews

November 10, 2015

8/10

In fact, like its predecessor, growth is the central theme of Rise of the Tomb Raider. However, while the 2013 reboot was growth for the sake of survival, Rise is more about growth on a more personal scale. Between a fantastic story that introduces some fascinating characters, its vast open world filled with hidden elements and wild game, and a greater emphasis on solving problems with brains as much as bullets, Rise of the Tomb Raider proves to be a remarkable follow-up to Lara's origin tale.

Dave Irwin

TheSixthAxis

November 9, 2015

8/10

Rise of the Tomb Raider is an action-packed tour-de-force that, while derivative at times, is a fantastic romp from beginning to end. This sequel learns some of the lessons of its predecessor by making the game more like a recognisable Tomb Raider game, while at the same time implementing some new features and impressive visual design. While not quite the globetrotting adventure some were hoping for, Rise of the Tomb Raider is well worth playing.

Jeff Williams

WCCFtech

November 9, 2015

Unscored

2013’s Tomb Raider reboot was a huge success, so much so that it was a little worrisome whether or not such a great game could actually have a sequel even half as good. The franchise was turned on its head with an almost entirely new direction, both in terms of artistic vision and narration style. Lara's new origin story was full of emotional climaxes and it had some very fun gameplay elements, too. Sure, it had its flaws, but it also set a very high bar for future installments.

Andrew Stretch

TechRaptor

November 9, 2015

8.5/10

A really fun game that you will be able to sink plenty of time into but once you complete the campaign there isn't much more to do.

Eric Van Allen

GamingTrend

November 9, 2015

90/100

Rise of the Tomb Raider continues Crystal Dynamic’s standard of excellence, and creates an introspective and engrossing journey that combines a compelling narrative with fluid, exciting gameplay. Lara Croft is back, better than ever, and this series definitely proves to be the best Tomb Raider experience around.

Giuseppe Nelva

DualShockers

November 9, 2015

9.5/10

While the Tomb Raider we got in 2013 wasn't by any means a bad game, I have no hesitation in saying that this is the game that finally does Lara Croft's glorious franchise justice.

Ravi Sinha

GamingBolt

November 9, 2015

9/10

Rise of the Tomb Raider is neither a revelation nor a revolution. However, it's still a gorgeous, solid and extremely fun action adventure experience. Even with its familiar platforming and combat, Rise of the Tomb Raider shouldn't be missed.

Lucy O'Brien

IGN

November 9, 2015

9.3/10

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...

Ken Barnes

Pure Xbox

November 9, 2015

9/10

Rise of the Tomb Raider is not perfect, but the areas in which it lacks are relatively minor technical issues and the story does a great job of picking the player up to ensure that they jump right back into the action if they fall foul of a problem. Once you've beaten the campaign, you'll be tempted by the addictive Score Attack mode, as well as having an eye on playing through the whole thing again to pick up a few more achievements, something which - rarely these days - is no chore. The switch to a style of play...

Sean Cahill

Gaming Nexus

November 9, 2015

9/10

With beautiful surroundings, a renewed focus on stealth and use of surroundings, and a fantastic story that will grip you, Lara Croft's latest chapter in the reboot will keep you entertained for hours upon hours and only make you want to keep trying to unlock every last secret.

Steven Hansen

Destructoid

November 9, 2015

7.5/10

Rise of the Tomb Raider is better than its predecessor, but only because of its additions; it doesn’t fix any of the things that were wrong with Tomb Raider (2013). The story is smoothed down, much of it hidden away in dull audio logs. It’s not about “survival” as billed, given the ease of mowing down dozens of folks and plenty of resources. But finding tombs wherein to clamber about ancient Rube Goldberg machines, coupled with the gorgeous visual flair and diverse environments, make Rise‘s wilderness one worth exploring and elevate Tomb Raider‘s otherwise perfunctory take on the third-person action...

GR Staff

Game Rant

November 9, 2015

8/10

Fortunately, Crystal Dynamics has put together one of the most riveting action/adventure titles of this generation. Even then, Rise of the Tomb Raider is a game that people will play, love, and be done with, and that's okay. It's said to take dedicated completionists over 30 hours of playing to gather all of the hidden treasures, survival caches, golden coins, and weapon parts, which makes for a solid bang for consumers' hard-earned bucks. Plus, who doesn't want to fight a bear?

David Jenkins

Metro GameCentral

November 9, 2015

8/10

The old style Tomb Raider is never coming back, but this is a more satisfying compromise than the reboot and a fun alternative to the Uncharted series.