Lara Croft Go (PlayStation 4) Second Opinion Review

The basic premise for Lara Croft Go is that she embarks on another quest to steal a prized treasure from deep within a ruin. It brings the expectation of a typical Tomb Raider title and applies it to the turn-based system that the Go series demonstrates. Each stage is laid out with a series of connected nodes on a grid. Lara Croft begins at one end of the area, and must make her way across to the node at the end of the grid, which is signified by a glowing archway, or a glowing node on the ground.

In Lara's path are a series of obstacles and enemies who are there to protect the jewelled prize at the end. Some enemies, like the snake, simply remain idle on their node ready to strike if Lara occupies the node directly across from them. The spiders move up and down a row of nodes, while the lizard will begin to stalk Lara if she crosses over a node that is two across from the lizard's position. Each of these enemies and their precise locations on the grid attribute to a strategy game where Lara must think before making a step. The turn-based system results in all the enemies making their turn after Lara has taken hers.

Unlike the Hitman game, the grids in this adventure also scales up walls, and most stages have a second tier of grids above the first level with which Lara must navigate through. Such walls sometimes have razor wheels which move along a set path, ready to cut Lara up if she makes a wrong move. As the game progresses, pillars come into play which requires moving them into a more suitable position, while floor switches that activate moving floors or walled arrows add to the complexity of the stages.

What begins as an easy path to demonstrate the laws of the game quickly turns into a much harder experience than the predecessor. The difficulty ramps up by the third chapter and the continuous stream of new gameplay mechanics constantly keeps Lara on her toes. Soon, giant boulders are introduced which roll to the end of the grid and Lara must find ways to influence the direction of the roll to assist her in making her way deeper into the ruins. The challenge was somewhat inconsistent however. Some stages that appears early in the game are quite difficult to figure out the solution, while some of the latter stages appear to be too easy at times. Luckily, however, the pause menu does have a "Hints" option, which basically solves the entire stages for Lara, though it can be turned off midway through a stage to avoid spoiling the entire level, especially once the "Hints" have passed the hard part.

The graphical design is pretty and colourful, with the vibrant colours doing a splendid job in showcasing the ruins and the surrounding environment. The levels themselves look like locations straight out of a Tomb Raider game, and the ominous drab colours that form the background add to the high tension of exploring these dangerous ruins. The lack of any real music or sound apart from the occasional grunts and enemy snarls adds to the overall eeriness and unnerving emotions of the game.