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Understanding how to climb properly is essential, as a slipup means instant death for Lara.
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Thankfully, the game has frequent checkpoints, so missing a jump will usually just put you right back where you attempted it.Ĭombat is a standard part of the game, but Lara can almost always use stealth tactics instead to dispose of her foes.
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When hidden, Lara can easily kill enemies with a single button press, preempting a fight. Hiding from armed mercenaries in mud and overgrown vegetation is key to the game, because Lara rarely has the firepower to take down multiple enemies at once.Īs Lara, you can choose among four basic weapons: bows, pistols, shotguns, and rifles. As in many survival games, a bow is often the best option, because gunfire attracts enemies.Īs easy as climbing is in the game, gunplay often feels stiff, and most shootouts feel like a losing battle. If enemies discover you while you're trying to sneak past them, you're usually forced to scramble for a new hiding place or die in the immediate hail of bullets. Puzzles are a staple in the Tomb Raider series, and those interested in flexing their brain muscles will not be disappointed. The puzzles scattered through the game's tombs are not as open-ended as those in games such as "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild." But they are intricately designed and make good use of Lara's full tool set. They also leave it up to you to make the right choices with their own perception. Making the wrong choice usually means triggering a trap that leads to a gruesome death. In "Shadow," players can set the difficulty levels for its various gameplay components, including for combat, puzzles and climbing.
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When you set those to lower levels, the game offers helpful prompts. It will let you know what climbing tools you need to advance, for example, and certain areas will be clearly marked to guide the way.
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