Status:
Complete and Play Tested
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Rise of the Tomb Raider 20 Year Celebration (PS4) Review
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Publisher: Square Enix
Release Date (PS4): October 11, 2016
Genre: Action-Adventure
Modes: Single-player, Online Co-op (Expedition modes)
Gameplay & Mechanics
Rise of the Tomb Raider builds on the successful 2013 reboot by refining combat, traversal, and exploration. Lara is more agile and lethal, seamlessly transitioning between stealth, ranged, and melee combat. The bow remains a versatile and satisfying weapon, while crafting makes a meaningful returncollecting herbs, scrap, and animal hides lets players create ammo, explosives, and gear upgrades on the fly.
Platforming and climbing puzzles feel smoother and more natural, with improved terrain interaction. Tombstrue to the franchises rootsare larger, smarter, and more rewarding than in the previous game. These side challenges blend physics-based puzzles with environmental storytelling, often leading to valuable skill upgrades.
The game also includes survival elements, such as weather effects and day/night cycles in certain areas, though they are more aesthetic than gameplay-altering.
Career & FanHub
The games progression system is robust. Lara gains experience through exploration, combat, and discovery, unlocking new abilities across three skill trees: Brawler, Hunter, and Survivor. This allows for flexible builds tailored to stealth, combat, or survival-based playstyles.
The 20 Year Celebration edition adds "Blood Ties", a story-based DLC that explores Laras family estate, and "Laras Nightmare", a supernatural zombie-style survival mode set in the same mansion. These enrich the narrative and fan connection to Laras legacy, serving as a tribute to the series history.
Modes & Features
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Main Campaign: A gripping 1215 hour adventure set mainly in the frozen wilds of Siberia, with side missions and challenge tombs expanding the experience to 25+ hours. The story revolves around Laras pursuit of the lost city of Kitezh and her battle against the shadowy organization Trinity.
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Challenge Tombs: Optional but rewarding puzzles scattered across the map that unlock ancient abilities and artifacts.
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Expedition Mode: Adds replayability by letting players modify gameplay with collectible cards (e.g., Big Head Mode, exploding chickens) and compete in score attack missions.
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"Blood Ties" DLC: A non-combat, exploration-focused story set in Croft Manor that reveals intimate lore about Laras family.
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"Laras Nightmare": A combat-heavy mini-campaign with waves of enemies, set in an alternate version of Croft Manor.
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VR Support (PS4): "Blood Ties" is playable in VR, though it's more of a novelty.
Graphics & Presentation
On PS4, the game runs smoothly with rich textures, atmospheric lighting, and detailed character models. Environmentsfrom icy caverns and forests to forgotten tombsare lush and immersive. Particle effects (like snow and fire) are particularly well done.
Cinematic cutscenes blend well with real-time gameplay, and the camera transitions are nearly seamless. While not quite on par with the PS5 or high-end PC versions, the PS4 version holds its own admirably.
Sound & Commentary
The audio design supports the survival-adventure theme beautifully. Ambient noise (wolves howling, trees creaking in the wind, footsteps crunching in snow) immerses the player. Combat soundsespecially arrow impacts and gunfireare punchy and satisfying.
Camilla Luddington reprises her role as Lara Croft, delivering a strong emotional performance. Supporting characters like Jonah provide depth, though some of the villains feel underdeveloped.
The orchestral score is sweeping yet subtle, ramping up during combat and fading into the background during exploration.
Final Verdict
Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration is a brilliant follow-up to the rebooted series, improving on nearly every fronttighter gameplay, deeper exploration, and more satisfying tomb design. While the narrative occasionally dips into predictable territory, the emotional weight behind Laras journey and the improved gameplay loops make this a standout action-adventure title.
The additional content in this edition (DLCs, outfits, challenge modes) adds real value, making it the definitive version of the game on PS4.
Pros
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Refined, responsive combat and traversal
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Satisfying tomb puzzles and exploration
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Strong atmosphere and world design
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Emotional performance by Camilla Luddington
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Great value in the 20 Year Celebration content
Cons
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Story lacks originality in places
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Enemy AI is serviceable but not advanced
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Crafting and upgrades can become repetitive
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Some DLC (like Laras Nightmare) feels like filler
Recommendation
Highly recommended for fans of action-adventure, survival, or exploration-based games. If you enjoyed Uncharted, Assassins Creed, or the 2013 Tomb Raider, this is a must-play. The 20 Year Celebration edition is the best way to experience the game, especially with the emotional depth added in Blood Ties.
Final Score: 8.8 / 10
(A polished, thrilling adventure with excellent extras for fans and newcomers alike.)
