Tomb Raider returns again for another dangerous adventure.
Welcome to the Skilled channel and today we're talking about Rise of The Tomb Raider.
It's the sequel to the 2013 reboot of the franchise and this one progresses the story
and Lara Croft's character even further.
We're seeing a whole new setting, new combat features, and strong cinematic elements.
So let's take a look at 9 cool features in Rise of The Tomb Raider.
09 Siberia / The Arctic Environment One of the biggest changes we've seen in the
Rise of The Tomb Raider is the switch to the Siberian Wilderness.
This location is even more treacherous than the last making survival an even more important
motif.
The new location redefines certain aspects of gameplay such as climbing and traversing
on icy mountains.
The in-game environment will include a weather system that will effect when certain humans
and animals are present.
For example, to create a winter coat Lara must hunt a wolf which only comes out during
a specific time of day and specific weather condition.
Lara is shown using dual Icepicks to ascend cliff walls, and jumping or leaping to catch
adjoining walls.
There are also returning elements of rapidly maneuvering through dangerous terrain, and
having to platform between crumbling ledges and around explosions or debris.
08 Syria / The Desert Environment We've seen the arctic conditions of Siberia,
but that's not the only location in the game.
The game also takes place in Syria which is primarily a desert environment.
This area will be vastly different from the Siberian tundra and have different tombs to
explore.
But it's still just as trecherous.
In the Syria footage, we see Lara traversing across ancient structures that are falling
apart as she climbs.
The explorable areas in both Syria and Siberia will be significantly larger than the last
game.
07 Story Rise Of The Tomb Raider picks up a few years
after the events in the 2013 game.
Lara Croft's experience with the supernatural leads her to continue her search for the truth.
She arrives in Siberia, searching for the ancient city Kitezh which she believes has
more information about immortality.
Her rival is the well funded organization known as Trinity, who is also after the supernatural
secrets.
The last game focused on the vulnerability of Lara, but this one is more about defining
her place as the Tomb Raider.
She's truly searching for her destiny, even if that means battling against the environment,
the animals, and trinity in the Siberian Tundra.
06 More Tombs / To Raid And Loot There is a push for more actual tombs in the
new game.
There will be plenty of open exploration areas in the game world, but also challenge tombs
and smaller puzzle oriented crypts where players can discover rare collectible resources.
05 Stealth / Techniques Stealth is a much more powerful technique
this time around.
She'll have to use stealth against both animals and humans to survive.
Lara can confuse enemies using the environment by hiding behind bushes or in trees.
Or she can avoid combat altogether by climbing trees or traveling across roof tops.
She can also stealthily swim underwater and come up for a stealth takedown on enemies
standing near water.
04 Salvage / The Crafting System Salvage returns for weapon crafting and upgrades.
But now Lara will have to collect specific materials found in the environment to craft
certain items and upgrades.
Some of these materials can only be found in hard to reach areas at a specific time
of the day.
Clothing will also play an important aspect to the game as different outfits will allow
for different perks and bonuses.
03 Multiplatform title The game was originally announced as an Xbox
One and 360 exclusive which really drove fans nuts.
But it was later revealed that the exclusivity was only time sensitive.
The PC version is intended to launch in early 2016 and the PS4 version is planned for holiday
2016.
The only version that hasn't been announced so far is the one for the PS3.
So fans on any of the current major platforms will have a chance to play Rise of The Tomb
Raider.
02 Graphics / And TressFX The graphics in this game have been built
strictly for this current generation.
There's been a great focus on making the environments look lush.
In addition they've focused on making Lara's player model looks as human and realistic
as possible.
And comparison screenshots between the Xbox One and Xbox 360 versions really highlight
this.
There's a big difference in both the environments and the effects on the player models.
It will also include an updated version of TressFX which is the hair physics engine.
The physics system treats each strand of hair as a chain with several links, making it possible
for gravity, wind, and head movement to effect Lara's hair in a realistic manner.
01 Combat / And New Additions Lara will have her classic weapons such as
bows and pistols, but combat also has several new additions.
Melee is now a viable option with the ability to attack with a knife, tackle enemies, and
drop down on them from trees.
Some melee attacks can be used for non lethal takedowns.
Takedowns can also be performed on enemies standing near water.
Lara's health no longer auto regenerates.
Severe injuries need to be treated with bandages, made from salvaged cloth.
Of course she'll still have access to heavier weapons such as shotguns & rifles.
There' also explosive items such as gas cans, lanterns, and molotov cocktails.
The climbing axe that we've seen used for traversal can also be a viable weapon.
The skill tree is similar to the previous game with the main skills being Survivor,
Brawler, and Hunter having a total of 17 skills each.
Lara Croft is one of the most iconic heroes and this adventure is another one we don't
want to miss.
What are your favorite features from Rise of The Tomb Raider?
Are you picking up the Xbox version early or waiting for PS4 and PC?
Let us know in the comments.
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