By Rob Dolen – Staff Writer
“Rise of the Tomb Raider” is the next step in the brand new Lara Croft adventure, and it feels like the gaming icon has returned to the spotlight in the series reboot.

The momentum from the previous game is the strongest it has ever been for the franchise, as “Rise of the Tomb Raider” signifies Lara Croft’s transformation into her titular persona. The story takes place a year after the events of the previous game; Lara Croft is driven by the desire to finish her father’s research into the legend of “Kitezh” and ancient immortality.

She’s devoted to her father’s work in order to cope with the previous game’s traumatic events. A paramilitary organization named “Trinity,” the modern day successor of an ancient order of knights, is also searching for the secret to immortality and is fighting Lara every step of the way.

Gameplay isn’t totally revolutionary, borrowing mostly the same third-person shooting and platforming from the previous “Tomb Raider” game.

Crafting is much more involved in “Rise of the Tomb Raider,” featuring multiple resource types and higher reliance on hunting and scavenging environments in order to upgrade weapons and create better equipment. A similar skill system returns where Lara Croft can use skill points to unlock techniques that can help during exploration and fighting.

The tombs in “Rise of the Tomb Raider” are still challenging, but this time they feel as if they have a larger importance in the story. Where the previous game had a hardened focus on survival, the plot of “Rise of the Tomb Raider” encourages discovery in side quests and open areas as an explorer rather than a survivor.

“Rise of the Tomb Raider” is graphically stunning in multiple aspects. The character models feature enhanced textures and face-mapping technology that seem like real people.

Environments are dense and react to weather effects and player contact. Secondary characters and animals have natural reactions to anything that occurs around them. There’s a sense of high production values in the programming and attention to detail in “Rise of the Tomb Raider.”

The world feels authentic to the player, and every set-piece moment is somewhat cliche, but engrossingly intense.

The player begins the game in Syria, but spends the most of it in Siberia. Areas range from sprawling open forests, cramped Soviet-era installations, slippery vertical glaciers and fascinating ancient ruins.

“Rise of the Tomb Raider” is mostly a single player affair, with a deliberate focus on the story with minimal focus on the online activities.

An “Expedition” mode exists where you can compete in side challenges, but after about an hour it’s easily forgettable for the main story. It also omitted the largely panned multiplayer mode featured in the previous game.

“Rise of the Tomb Raider” expands on the steps forward made by the previous game, but still feels authentically fresh despite the lack of multiplayer and reliance on familiar action tropes.