Tal qual a campanha de marketing de Shadow of the Tomb Raider, vou desdobrar meu conteúdo em uma ordem diferente no blog. O pontapé inicial esta aqui: uma opinião sobre o jogo base. Por favor, esteja ciente que esta pseudoanálise pode conter um mínimo de spoilers.
As motivações de Lara Croft ainda giram em torno de sua família, com certas cenas um tanto mais... presenciais... do que antes, mas o principal eixo da história é Paititi, uma antiga cidade maia perdida ao tempo e intocada pelo mundo moderno. Em palavras, é a mesma forma que descreveríamos Kitezh, admito, mas a experiência é muito diferente.
Além da possível ameaça de invasores externos, Paititi está a mercê do culto de Kukulkan, devoto ao deus da criação e destruição. Os cultistas criaram uma divisão interna na população da cidade, e eles planejam "recriar" o mundo a sua maneira: eliminando qualquer forma de ameaça existente além das fronteiras da cidade.
Sem a caixa prateada para realizar o ritual, ela simplesmente dá início a um apocalipse previsto pelas profecias maias. As catástrofes fazem com que ela seja confrontada seguidamente pela tragédia que ela causou à centenas de inocentes em seu caminho. A Trinity, naturalmente, consegue dominá-la e fugir com o artefato, determinados a completar o ritual para recriar o mundo antes que ele acabe.
A Trinity, como sabemos, é uma ordem religiosa supostamente ligada ao catolicismo, e o jogo insere esse elo de maneira engenhosa. Eu tenho dúvidas sobre o real proveito de histórias complementares (como o romance, ainda não publicado), e aparentemente nada de Survivor's Crusade ou Inferno foi usado. Não existem referências à Nadija, por exemplo, mas a forma como Dominguez é descrito nos documentos parece corroborar com a nomenclatura de "cardeal".
Houve um grande foco em Paititi durante a campanha promocional do jogo, mas existem outras duas cidades no jogo (três, se contarmos a bela introdução em Cozumel). Todas são repletas de vida e atividades, como colecionáveis, desafios, missões secundárias, tumbas e criptas ocultas. Existe uma grande diversidade de atividades entre os NPCs, dando um ar de autenticidade aos locais.
Essa inserção de hubs habitados pode parecer contraditória em uma franquia que se estabeleceu pela sensação de isolação, e Lara até comenta que não se sente muito confortável no meio de multidões, mas como um todo é uma excelente adição, principalmente no formato adotado pelo reboot. NPCs podem revelar informações dos arredores, histórias locais sobre áreas e tesouros perdidos, animais selvagens ameaçando a segurança dos residentes...
O sistema de combate recebeu um foco em stealth, é verdade, mas mesmo o sistema básico para confrontos abertos foi retrabalhado e aperfeiçoado. E a voz dos fãs novamente foi ouvida: espere uma quantidade muito menor de confrontos com inimigos humanos.
A quantidade de tumbas existentes no jogo base pode parecer relativemente pequena, mas acredite, elas são muito maiores e mais complexas. Tudo no jogo favorece a exploração, e não se espante caso se encontre andando em círculos na selva. O design das áreas é bem orgânico, e pode ser combinado com a remoção de auxílios de navegação, o que certamente torna a experiência muito diferente do que estamos acostumados.
Não posso deixar de mencionar as mudanças na caracterização de Lara. São melhorias sutis aqui e ali, mas que juntas a colocam no ápice desde seu reboot. Em Rise, além de sempre ofegante, ela parecia estar fazendo tudo contra sua vontade. Em Shadow, ela transparece uma autoconfiança até então ausente e, em diversos momentos, me peguei sorrindo com suas ações e reações. Existe ao menos uma cena que me causou calafrios, e imagino que o mesmo irá acontecer aos demais fãs de longa data.
Como um dos poucos jogadores que completou todos os mais de 750 desafios do modo Expeditions de Rise, admito que fiquei chateado com sua remoção. Entendo que o modo Score Attack talvez não tenha sido a melhor alternativa para prolongar a vida útil no lugar de um desnecessário multiplayer competitivo, mas agora nos vemos com uma única alternativa: o modo New Game +.
Através desse modo, você pode iniciar uma nova partida retendo habilidades e armas, bem como algumas peças de equipamento, mas seu progresso com os colecionáveis é perdido. Assim, é sábio se aproveitar de um slot de memória separado. Como um incentivo, existem algumas novas habilidades, armas e trajes que somente podem ser adquiridas nesse modo.
Uma das maiores críticas contra Rise era a falta de variedade nos seus trajes, que em sua maior parte eram peles animais ou armaduras medievais, e, infelizmente, esse é um problema ainda maior em Shadow. Com exceção de dois trajes modernos (relevando quaisquer DLCs), todas as vestes de Lara são tribais, tais como vestidos cerimoniais, mantas e capuzes animais. O guarda-roupas de nossa aventureira atinge novos patamares em exotismo.
Fãs da franquia são recompensados com pacotes de lealdade, que destravam até 14 trajes de acordo com dados salvos no seu sistema: um traje de TR2013, 10 de Rise — 9 dos quais são táticos, não se preocupe —, e 3 das skins retrô do DLC 20 Year Celebration. É um ultraje que não tenhamos uma representação da trilogia Legend.
Para fins de transparência, deixo explícito meu eterno agradecimento à Crystal Dynamics e a Eidos Montréal, que gentilmente cederam uma cópia antecipada do jogo. Deixo registrado, também, que eu já havia feito a pré-compra da Edição Croft tanto para Steam como para PS4.
[EN]
Following the different marketing campaign used to promote Shadow of the Tomb Raider, I'll roll out my content on the blog in a different order from the usual as well. The first step is here: an opinion of the base game. Please, be aware that this pseudo review might have some basic spoilers.
Lara Croft's motivations still gravitate around her family, and we have scenes with a lot more... presence... than before, but the central core of the story is Paititi, a lost ancient Mayan city, untouched by the modern world. Down to words, this might be the exact same way we'd describe Kitezh, I admit, but the experience in itself is very different.
Besides the threat of invaders from the outside world, Paititi is under the mercy of the cult of Kukulkan, devoted to the god of both creation and destruction. The cultists have created a rift within the population, and they have a plan to "recreate" the world in their own way: eliminating any form of threat that exists beyond city borders.
To do this, they need two artifacts: the key of Chak Chel and the silver box of Ix Chel. Lara, on a mission to dismantle the order we know as Trinity, follows leads left by her father and reaches Cozumel, where she finds the first of said artifacts. Blinded by her compulsion, she takes the artifact and is faced with immediate consequences.
Without the silver box to perform the ritual, she simply sets off an apocalypse foretold by Mayan prophecies. The catastrophes make her think about her role and guilt for the tragedies she has caused to hundreds of innocents in her way. Men from Trinity, naturally, overtake her and escape with the artifact, claiming they'll complete the ritual to recreate the world before it comes to an end.
Trinity, as we know, is a religious order supposedly tied to catholicism, and this link is ingeniously inserted into the game. I have doubts that any of the complementary stories actually tie in (such as the upcoming novel), and apparently nothing from either Survivor's Crusade or Inferno storylines made the cut. There are no references to Nadija, for instance, but at least the way Dominguez is described in game documents seem to corroborate with his "cardinal" title.
There was a great focus on Paititi throughout the marketing campaign, but there are two other cities in the game (three, if we take the beautiful intro in Cozumel into account). All of them are filled with life and activities, such as collectibles, challenges, side missions, and hidden tombs and crypts. There is a great diversity in the activities performed by the NPCs, which bring a certain authenticity to the locations.
Inserting populated hubs might seem contradictory to a franchise which was self-established by its sense of isolation, and Lara herself comments how uncomfortable she feels surrounded by crowds, but as a whole it's a terrific addition, especially with the gameplay style adopted by the reboot. NPCs may offer information about the surrounding areas, local tales about lost treasures, wild animals threatening the security of the people...
And then there's the economy system, which is a natural evolution of what we've had before. Actually, I believe everything in the game could be described as a natural and organic evolution from Rise. Disdaining Shadow as merely "more of the same" is a huge disservice, because it is so much more than that.
The combat system has received a new focus on stealth, it's true, but even the basic systems for open combat have been reworked and perfected. And fans have been heard once again: you can expect a much smaller amount of encounters against human enemies.
The number of tombs in the base game may seem relatively low, but believe me, they're much bigger and complex than before. Everything in the game favors exploration, so don't feel alarmed if you find yourself walking in circles in the jungle. The level design is very organic, and it can also be combined with the removal of navigation hints, which certainly make this a very different experience from what we've gotten used to in previous entries.
I couldn't ignore the changes in Lara's characterization. There are subtle improvements here and there, which altogether bring her to her apex since the reboot happened. In Rise, besides being always gasping for air, it seemed as though she did everything against her own will. In Shadow, she transpires a self-confidence which was absent until now, and, more often than not, I caught myself smiling at her actions and reactions. At least one scene gave me goose bumps, and I suspect the same will happen to other long time fans.
The full immersion mode, in which NPCs speak their native languages, works to a certain extent. I particularly felt the illusion was broken as soon as Lara would interact with the NPCs, as the conversations then take place in two different languages. For a future game (if there is one), I'd like the developers to take the language proficiency system to the next level and get Lara's voice actress to speak in these local dialects and languages — with the same difficulties that come along with learning a new language, and maybe even the odd joke about her accent.
I couldn't ignore the changes in Lara's characterization. There are subtle improvements here and there, which altogether bring her to her apex since the reboot happened. In Rise, besides being always gasping for air, it seemed as though she did everything against her own will. In Shadow, she transpires a self-confidence which was absent until now, and, more often than not, I caught myself smiling at her actions and reactions. At least one scene gave me goose bumps, and I suspect the same will happen to other long time fans.
The full immersion mode, in which NPCs speak their native languages, works to a certain extent. I particularly felt the illusion was broken as soon as Lara would interact with the NPCs, as the conversations then take place in two different languages. For a future game (if there is one), I'd like the developers to take the language proficiency system to the next level and get Lara's voice actress to speak in these local dialects and languages — with the same difficulties that come along with learning a new language, and maybe even the odd joke about her accent.
As one of the few players to have completed all 750+ challenges in the Expeditions mode from Rise, I admit I was upset with its removal. I understand Score Attack wasn't exactly the best alternative to extend the game lifespan in place of an unnecessary deathmatch multiplayer mode, but right now we only have one single option: New Game Plus.
Through this mode you can start a new playthrough, retaining skills and weapons, as well as certain pieces of gear, but your progress towards collectibles is lost. That being said, it'd be wise to use a different save slot when starting a NG+. As an incentive, there are some skills, weapons and outfits that can only be obtained in this mode.
One of the biggest problems with Rise was the lack of variety in terms of outfits, which were mostly animal furs or medieval armors, and, sadly, this is an even bigger issue in Shadow. With the exception of two modern outfits (ignoring DLCs), all of Lara's outfits are tribal, such as ceremonial dresses, animal cloaks or cowls. Our adventurer's wardrobe has reached a new peak in exoticism.
Fans are rewarded with loyalty packs, unlocking up to 14 outfits based on data saved on their system: one outfit from TR2013, 10 from Rise — 9 of which are tactical, don't worry —, and 3 of the retro skins from the 20 Year Celebration DLC. It's outrageous that we don't have any representation from the Legend trilogy.
At some point in April, when all the Season Pass content comes to an end, I'll write a second opinion piece, focusing on the DLCs. I'm not entirely sure what to expect right now, to be honest, but apparently some sort of cooperative mode will be available for five of the seven packs. We'll see.
For full transparency, I'm eternally grateful for Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montréal, who have provided me an advance copy of the game. I'd also like to go on record that I had already pre-ordered two copies of the Croft Edition, one for PS4 and one for Steam.