What struck me most while playing Rise of the Tomb Raider is that going back to the actual ‘PS3/Xbox360-era’ of gaming is rougher than we make it out to be. I was thinking, strangely enough, about PRAGMATA most of my time playing Rise. ’ Not because the games share a thematic overlap, but more so because they share a structural one: segmented zones with collectibles and lore to find around every corner, while moving between different combat encounters. It is something that I praised in my review of PRAGMATA earlier this year and making the comparison to this ‘lost’ era of gaming. Before the open world craze, already started by Skyrim, but popularized The Witcher III from the same year as Rise, AAA games adhered a lot to this structure. Do I think Rise of the Tomb Raider is great? Not particularly. But cracking open this eleven-year-old tomb was filled with plenty of surprises.

Rise of the Tomb Raider is the second installment in what has been dubbed ‘The Survivor Era’ of the series. Rebooted in 2013, it sees Lara Croft as an inexperienced adventurer. Rise of the Tomb Raider pulls on some dangling threads from the original game, but pretty much stands on its own. Delving into the history of her father’s research, Lara sets out to find ‘The Divine Source,’ an ancient artefact that is said to bestow eternal life to the user. Her father died along with his research and it has haunted Lara ever since. Set in the Siberian tundra, Lara has to fight off the mysterious Trinity organization who also wants to secure the treasure for global domination. The story isn’t that gripping and I’m fairly sure you can deduce the twists from a mile away, but it provides enough input for some entertaining setpieces and action-packed moments.

Combat tries to blend stealth and action but always feels fairly clunky. Guns lack the heft and weight of their impact and aiming tends to be awkward most of the time. The difficulty I had lining up shots with explosive barrels or simply tagging my targets with the bow never ceased, even as I upgraded my weapons to the max. Of course, the AAA action game has evolved quite a bit, so stepping back into 2015 comes with its own hurdles. Being unable to crouch at all times or it being near impossible to return to stealth once enemies have been alarmed makes combat quite a chore. While the game tries to throw some variety into the mix, the enemies and animals you encounter are really nothing more than arrow and bullet sponges. It’s a great ‘turn your brain off’ type of game, while giving you enough clues to find collectibles.

The highlights here are the environmental puzzles and challenge tombs. Finding these is often not as straightforward as you may expect. Some require specific tools and items but each presents an interesting challenge and offers some truly helpful rewards. Notable examples include a tomb that requires you to repair and use a pulley system to open a door, and one with minecarts that need to be crashed into a gate. While the overall palette of Rise is very predictable–browns and greys galore–some of the scenery is still stunning to behold. From ancient ruins hidden deep underneath soviet-era mines to lost civilizations buried beneath the ice, the story takes you through all of these like a rollercoaster ride, but you can return to some of the larger areas to explore and complete optional quests, which means plenty of breathing room.

On Switch 2 the experience is solid. Visually the game hasn’t changed much from its original release, so expect some lower resolution textures and simple geometries that were a common occurrence in 2015. My only real note is that the framerate can dip very occasionally, in particular when traveling between large zones or entering an encounter with a large group of enemies. But whether you play in handheld mode or on the big screen, the game delivers a consistent experience. Additional DLCs are all included allowing for some optional challenge modes and side-stories.

While I do think that playing Rise of the Tomb Raider is pretty clunky and has not aged particularly well, I still had a fun time experiencing the game for the first time on Nintendo Switch 2. Over the course of a weekend I completed the main story, explored all the hidden tombs and had a lovely burst of nostalgia for an era of AAA games that is slowly coming back into fashion. Game mechanics and the overall player experience have improved significantly over the past eleven years. Yet, Rise of the Tomb Raider is still not too far removed from that time, allowing you to easily pick up and enjoy the experience today. Given that it kept me entertained and enthralled for a full weekend does say something about the quality on display here. Even if I’ve had my fill of this particular type of game for now. I’d be happy locking it away in a tomb, hoping that someone else may stumble upon it in the future one day and get some enjoyment out of it.