I'll be honest, after finishing Tomb Raider IV, I had to take a break - something that didn't happen with the first three Tomb Raider games (even after I'd been playing them almost daily for a whole year). But after a couple months' rest period, I started to feel that itch to go exploring tombs again.
There's really no way to describe this game's premise without spoiling the end of the last game, so... fair warning. After her adventures in Egypt, Lara turns up missing and is presumed dead. So, a few of her closest confidantes gather after her funeral, and swap stories (the butler talks!), chronicling some of Lara's past adventures (that we haven't seen yet, despite their involving such high profile artifacts as the Philosopher's Stone and the Spear of Destiny).
Although tied together by this framing story, the individual chapters stand alone, allowing for considerable more variety (and alternate outfits!) than the last game. That said, I'm surprised you can't tackle them in the order of your choosing - like the middle chapters in Tomb Raider III - especially considering that you don't carry over your equipment from one chapter to the next. It's not like there's even a particularly climactic final boss in the last chapter!
As for new mechanics, there isn't much to speak of. Other than being able to "search" shelves for hidden pickups, the one shiny new gameplay mechanic is tightrope walking (oh, and swinging on the parallel bars - I almost forgot about that). Which is pretty neat, but honestly very tedious to navigate, so I'm not in love with it. There is a very late game addition of a grappling gun, used to create your own swinging ropes. It's a cool idea - I feel like they could have done a lot more with it. But again, swinging on ropes is a pretty clunky way of getting around.
In this game, secrets come in the form of golden roses hidden throughout the levels - like the dragon statues in Tomb Raider II. Bats and rats have been demoted from regular enemies you can shoot and kill to health draining hazards like the locusts and beetles from the last game. In addition to simply outrunning them, you can crouch down to avoid the bats (sorta), and climb obstacles or dive underwater to avoid the rats.
Now, let me direct some comments toward each of the four chapters. You start out on the streets of Rome, with only a cursory tutorial segment (which, to its credit, is entirely optional). These aren't the most compelling introductory stages (compared to, e.g., the snow-capped Andes, the Great Wall of China, or the jungles of India) - they're like a cross between Venice and Cairo, and those weren't among the most exciting locations Lara's visited. Pierre and Larson (whom you squared off against in the first game) make an appearance, but it puts a spotlight on the bad CGI in the FMVs (especially contrasted with the remastered in-game graphics) and even worse voiceovers.
Call me a spoilsport - I have no problem with the overt sexualization baked into Lara's original design - but the banter (I won't call it "witty") feels really inappropriate for two parties who are firing deadly weapons at each other. And when Lara tricks Pierre into saving her life, only to leave him to fall to his "death"... I like Lara's bad-ass attitude; I don't need her to become the simpering victim some players have accused her of being in later incarnations of the series. But I think there's a way to do it that doesn't involve making the hero act like a cartoon villain.
The second chapter puts Lara on a Russian submarine - but it's only a pale imitation of the Maria Doria levels from Tomb Raider II. I like the submarine's three-dimensional, maze-like layout. Portions of these levels emphasize stealth, which is a nonstandard tactic for Lara. The strong resemblance of the snowy shipyard docks to the setting of Metal Gear Solid (released two years prior) should have tipped me off, but I wish the game had telegraphed in some way that you have to slowly walk up behind a cook and whack him with a crowbar (used like a key and not a weapon) to advance through the level.
In the third chapter, we get another chance to control a teenage Lara in pigtails, as she navigates a haunted island. These are the most memorable levels in the game (it's telling that, even though I only ever played this game once before, so little of it is familiar to me). It's basically "the Halloween episode" of Tomb Raider. And the fact that teenage Lara is never given any weapons really enhances the survival horror aspect, as you're chased around by imps and werewolves and merrows and headless horsemen.
The final chapter channels Mission: Impossible, as Lara dons her catsuit and infiltrates the high-rise headquarters of a tech conglomerate that she has some personal business with (partly tying back to the events of the last game). These levels, while urban-oriented like the London levels from Tomb Raider III, are actually fairly fun. I don't even mind the stealth tactics this time around - you can silence your weapon and head-shot the guards, while navigating through the air ducts, tiptoeing around lasers in order to avoid setting off alarms. The only major drawback is the super cringey tech assistant who's always talking into Lara's ear.
The lighting issues I've had in previous games seems to have improved. I am, however, beginning to notice the rise of the dramatic musical cue to warn the player of impending combat that ruined Tomb Raider Anniversary (among other things). Forced camera perspectives also seem to be becoming more prevalent, which is annoying and disorienting (even if you can usually disable them by tapping the look button). One thing that didn't bother me about this game was the absence of vehicles.
Owing to the fact that this game was created as an afterthought (the developers intended the last game to be the finale, but the publisher demanded another title), this game feels shorter and lighter than average (with no expansion level(s) to speak of). Which is honestly a relief after The Last Revelation - which was overlong and overcomplicated. I had more fun playing this game, but it doesn't rise to the level of any of the games in the original trilogy. Developed for the next generation platform, I'll be interested to give the next (and final) game in this collection a try, as I've never played it before.
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