Rise of The Tomb Raider 20th Year Celebration: PS4 Review

Rise of The Tomb Raider 20th Year Celebration: PS4 Review

Platform: PS4
Publisher - Square Enix

There's no disputing the brilliance that is Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Previously an exclusive on the XBox One, the PS4 version is finally here and well worth it.

Much like the first rebooted Tomb Raider received the same treatment, this 20th anniversary collection pulls together all of the previously released DLCs (including the Baba Yaga: The Temple of The Witch) as well as adding in some new expansions worthy of the platform and also the newly-launched VR experience.

In the previous review of the adventure , the feeling was With added tombs and challenges, this latest is simply one of the best of the year - and with its hidden treasures, it continues to grow the next gen legacy in more ways than one.

This time, it's about Lara trying to survive the machinations of a secretive group known as Trinity as their quest intersects in Lara's past with her father and the present with her rise to Tomb Raider.
Throwing a human element into the story makes all the difference and once again, the Square Enix guys really added more depth to the franchise and boosted what the series had with engagement, involvement and some truly stunning set pieces. It's no surprise the PS4 version benefits with a spit and polish that makes the best of the next gen graphics and grunt of the gameplay.

But one year on, there are no real surprises in the game's make-up and the gameplay remains as fresh and enticing as it ever did - this is an adventure that both embellishes and embraces Lara's mythology, creating an experience that's crying out for a cinematic makeover and a big screen outing.

It's the extra content in Rise of the Tomb Raider 20th Year Celebration that makes this set so worth buying.

From a new chapter called Blood Ties, which lets you look around Croft Manor trying to uncover secrets from the past and help you save the manor, to the Lara's Nightmare section which pits Croft against feverish and fiendish hordes, there's more to explore in the set than you'd first realise.
And the addition of the VR mode gives you the chance to look around the Manor too, exploring and embracing the immersiveness of the environment. Adding in Endurance Online is just the icing on the cake and shows that Tomb Raider has a long life still left within it.

It's these tweaks which make this adventure worth the time and give it a feeling of depth and scale that's befitting of the series.

Ultimately, it may have been 20 years since a rather gravity defiant pneumatic Lara hit the gaming screen - but the steps to evolve her and the depth of story-telling that's now in play make this one of the most impressive rebirths and emotional experiences on the console front. It may have been that a new title has been leaked (Shadow of the Tomb Raider indeed) but based on this complete collection, Lara's got plenty of life left within her - and that's a great thing.