![]() The main challenge and the final component of gameplay comes from the game's platforming elements in traveling to difficult to reach places, which is where the bulk of the game's time is spent and where the majority of the game's failings come from. The difficulty in the combat is not too steep, thanks to the generous checkpoint system which brings Lara back with full health at the nearest checkpoint after she dies, and the game's infinitely regenerating ammunition supply ensures the player is never completely overwhelmed by enemies. That said, the puzzles are fairly basic even by pure action game standards, so it is difficult to consider this title to be a full-fledged adventure game based around puzzle solving alone. It even makes use of some entertaining tricks where the player can fire guns held by both right and left hands in separate directions simultaneously, and the game employs an adrenaline or energy meter system for bullet time effects. There are many combat sequences in which Lara has to fight off enemies, all done with the aid of an auto lock-on system that allows the player to fire whenever enemies are in view. There are some minor puzzles, generally based around retrieving objects and getting them to the desired place, or activating switches. The gameplay in Tomb Raider: Underworld tries hard to please fans of different game genres. The little visuals details in the game also add to the joy of exploration: Lara pushes plants out of the way of her face as she passes through jungle areas, her body can become wet or muddy and gradually dry off or have the dirt be washed away, and the particle effects done with water, fire, and lighting make a good deal of gameplay enjoyable just to watch. A good deal of the areas begin by presenting the player with an enormous wide open space and subtly steer the player towards the desired direction, all while allowing the player to enjoy how expansive the game world appears to be. In addition to the extent to which Lara herself has been obviously crafted to appeal to male gamers, the environments are gorgeously rendered: the player is treated to huge open vistas in the jungle with temples, towers, and statues on all sides of them, along with massive underwater environments that the player gets to enjoy approaching from a distance and observing all the details. The most striking attraction in Tomb Raider: Underworld is the eye candy. ![]() Cut scenes where Lara voices her thoughts or interacts with other characters move the story forward, but ultimately the characters are all exaggerated enough and the story campy enough to where it is difficult to take seriously, the player is mostly just along for the ride and seeing what will happen next rather than nervously anticipating a resolution to the plot arcs. The story is told with an initial gameplay segment set in the burning Croft manor, then flashes back to reveal how events have progressed to that point. She decides to retrace her father's tracks and untangle the myths concerning the underworld that will allow her to reach her mother and discover what has happened to her, all the while fighting off Amanda and her allies who are also searching for the underworld to serve their own evil plans. Laura soon discovers that her father had spent the end of his life searching for her mother as well. The plot in Tomb Raider: Underworld picks up immediately from the previous game, Tomb Raider: Legend, where Lara had learned from her rival and former college friend Amanda Evert that Lara's mother is still alive in Avalon. The story is clearly a take on the classic Indiana Jones formula, playing to the male fantasy of women rather than men: a buxom heroine rather than a macho male hero serves as the protagonist. The series has gone through 2 developers and a number of minor canonical revisions, but the theme of the series has ultimately remained the same: a sexy brunette with exaggerated physical dimensions must travel the world to exotic locales to retrieve mystical artifacts and keep them out of the hands of mischievous villains. The odds are good that even if you have not played any of the games you are likely to have heard about the main character Lara Croft through endless analysis and arguments in the mainstream media over the gaming industry's portrayal of women. The Tomb Raider franchise has existed for 13 years now, with 8 video games in the main series and 2 feature films based on the license. ![]()
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