None of the cards can affect anything you do there. There are no micro-transactions in the main campaign. With the influx of micro-transactions into full-priced games a seeming inevitability, I actually felt that the way they were implemented here was comparatively refreshing. (Two examples: A “Big Head” card makes everyone’ head big (and easier to shoot) and a “Half-Vampire” card which means Lara has to hit enemies to regain health.) Instead of a competitive multiplayer mode, RotTR ‘s “Expedition” mode reformats all of the game’s levels as score-based challenges that can be modified by various cards to be easier, harder or just plain weirder.
![rise of tomb raider lara croft rise of tomb raider lara croft](https://images.cgames.de/images/gamestar/256/tomb-raider_2786961.jpg)
Rise instead doubles down on the actual core Tomb Raider experience: the single-player levels. Seemingly tacked on at the last-minute to the 2013 reboot, the mode wasn’t so much bad as it was completely superfluous, and obviously added as a means to stop trade-ins and foster a community for the game. One thing that RotTR doesn’t bring over from the 2013 game is competitive multiplayer.
![rise of tomb raider lara croft rise of tomb raider lara croft](https://9images.cgames.de/images/gsgp/226/rise-of-the-tomb-raider_2715478.jpg)
And it’s to RotTR ‘s credit that I’m inclined to go back and boot the game up on the hardest difficulty, and try my luck. Of course, if you’re playing on harder difficulty levels, those extra skill points are a necessity to become strong enough to beat the game. The actual combat itself remains similar to the 2013, game though you almost always have the option of approaching combat more stealthily. The fact that the game re-enforces skill in combat by making enemies be worth more points if you dispatch them in harder ways means that there’s always an element of challenge even in the easier encounters. In fact, if you are playing on easy or normal, there’s little mechanical reason not to, as the game is eminently beatable without all of the bonuses from exploring. Of course, you can just run directly toward the next main objective and get a brisk, action packed rush toward the story’s finish.
![rise of tomb raider lara croft rise of tomb raider lara croft](https://img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/a8Md9XZ_460s.jpg)
You’re still getting into firefights a lot more than you did in the 90s or 2000s Tomb Raiders, but not so much that it outweighs everything else. Instantly, it feels less violent and more adventurous, even if you have to fire a gun every once in a while. This rebalancing of what you’re spending your time doing changes the entire tone of the game. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.