I tried revisiting Tomb Raider (2013) a few months back, and didn't get awfully far: while my first playthrough ended in very high praise, coming back felt ... dull. I was no longer shocked by the brutality of Lara's plights, nor intrigued by the openness of its explorable areas. Knowing what to expect from it, the game's "leisurely" beginning was too boring to keep my interest.

Unfortunately, now that I'm finally starting Rise of the Tomb Raider, I'm bordering on that same disinterest. The game's pacing and environmental themes feel overfamiliar with the 2013 reboot -- seriously, can Lara try visiting someplace other than a secret Soviet military installation?

(It doesn't help that the game's opening moments also feel very borrowed from Uncharted: Lara starts on a frozen mountain, then flashes back to how she got there (Uncharted 2); then after some storytelling in London, she travels to Syria (Uncharted 3). It's too much to be coincidental, and more pervasive than a "homage" really should be.)

The main story is also pretty underwhelming. Like her last adventure on Yamatai, the foundation of this plot is a mystical legend that most people believe is pure bunk; and like in 2013, Lara spends more time trying to survive than trying to solve an ancient mystery. But this time, her drive isn't to rescue her friends, but to ... vindicate her dead dad? Or maybe to save the world? When she explains herself in cinematics, the dead dad tends to come out on top.

Her character comes across as more pitiable than noble. It doesn't seem like she has a good reason for being here.

And the villains aren't narratively engaging, either. Trinity is frequently implicitly compared to the Nazis, on a magic treasure hunt that they believe is a divine mission. About as two-dimensional as bad guys get. There was some flavor text that hinted at a story of strife within the organization ... but that turned out to be a simple backstory for your weapon shop, run by a defector.

There are friendly NPCs, too, with optional quests. Like go to a place and save 2 people. Or kill 5 wolves. These optional quests are as immersive, and as relevant to the plot, as a dwarf asking you to gather rat pelts in return for a jacket.

I haven't talked a whole lot about gameplay, because there just isn't much to say about it. The game plays competently, for the most part, but it's not terribly innovative or exciting. Out of habit, I've been doing a lot of collectible-hunting in my current area; but neither the gameplay to find these items, nor the items themselves, feel very rewarding. (Like the sparkles that litter an Assassin's Creed map.)

So next time I sit down with Lara, I'll probably skip the collectibles and soldier on with her story. I hope that story gets better.

Progress: following Jacob.

Rating: Meh