Shadow of the Tomb Raider is a 2018 action-adventure game developed by Eidos-Montréal and published by Square Enix. As the sequel to Rise of the Tomb Raider (2015), it is the twelfth mainline entry in the Tomb Raider series and the final installment of the Survivor trilogy. The story follows Lara Croft as she ventures through the tropical regions of the Americas to the legendary city of Paititi, battling the paramilitary organization Trinity while racing to stop a Mayan apocalypse she inadvertently unleashed. To survive, Lara must traverse treacherous environments and combat enemies using firearms and stealth across various semi-open hubs. In these areas, players can raid challenge tombs to unlock rewards, complete side missions, and scavenge for resources to craft essential gear.
Because Crystal Dynamics shifted its focus to Marvel's Avengers (2020), Eidos-Montréal took over as the lead developer. Development began in 2015 following the completion of Rise of the Tomb Raider and lasted until July 2018. The game was designed to conclude the origin story that began in the 2013 reboot, centering on the theme of "descent"—both into the physical depths of the jungle and the darker aspects of Lara's personality. The setting and narrative were based on Mayan, Incan, and Aztec mythologies; the team consulted historians to authentically depict the architecture and people of Paititi, and conducted field trips to Machu Picchu and the Yucatán. Camilla Luddington returned to provide voice and motion-capture work for Lara. With an estimated budget of US$110–135 million, it remains one of the most expensive games ever made.
The game was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in September 2018, followed by versions for Linux, macOS, and Stadia in November 2019. It received generally favorable reviews, though it was not as highly acclaimed as its predecessors. Critics praised the gameplay, level design, and the renewed emphasis on puzzles and challenge tombs, but some criticized the story, Lara’s characterization, the progression system, and a perceived lack of innovation. Despite a slow start, the game eventually sold over 8.9 million units worldwide and was expanded through several downloadable content releases. An animated television series, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, premiered on Netflix in 2024, and the next mainline entry, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is scheduled for release in 2027.
Gameplay
Shadow of the Tomb Raider is an action-adventure video game played from a third-person perspective. In the game, players assume control of Lara Croft, who ventures through the tropical regions of South America to stop a Mayan apocalypse she unleashed. Lara faces a variety of enemies, including soldiers from the paramilitary organization Trinity, hostile indigenous tribes, and dangerous animals such as jaguars and moray eels. The game prioritized stealth over direct combat with enemies. Players can use Lara's Survival Instinct to scan the environment to identify enemies and objects of interest. They can hide behind cover and vine walls to ambush enemies, and sneak through tall grass and bushes to avoid being detected. They can also use mud to camouflage themselves. Certain items can be thrown to distract unsuspecting enemies, while smoke bombs can be used to confuse them. Lara's Survival Instinct can also be used to identify if a stealth takedown will alert nearby enemies. If direct combat is inevitable, players can also use Lara's bows and arrows and a variety of firearms to defend her. They can also roll or dodge to avoid incoming attacks, and disengage from combat when they escape from enemies' line of sight. As players return to stealth, the artificial intelligence of enemies will begin searching for Lara starting from her last known position.
Players navigate intricate environments to progress. Lara is equipped with a pickaxe that allows her to climb surfaces and hang over ledges, and a grappling hook to swing across gaps in the environment. She can also use her rope to abseil down a cliff. The game features several large hub worlds where players can converse with other non-playable characters, discover side quests, and trade with merchants. Lara's outfits also provide her with added gameplay perks and bonuses. While exploring, players can collect raw materials and hunt wild creatures for crafting arrows, consumables, and other upgrades. Herbal plants can also be mixed and consumed to add certain benefits, such as restoring her health and briefly increasing her perception. Players can also craft two arrow variants: Fire arrows, and Fear arrows that cause enemies to hallucinate and attack their allies. If the player has to explore underwater, they must come up for air at specific air pockets in time to avoid suffocation. The difficulty of the gameplay experience—including exploration, puzzles, and combat—can be separately adjusted.
By completing missions and playing the game, players will gain experience points (XP). If they have enough XP, they receive a Skill Point, which can then be spent on three skill trees to upgrade Lara's skills in combat, stealth, and exploration. allowing her to perform actions such as consuming less oxygen during swimming underwater or placing booby traps on defeated enemies. As players explore, they will discover campfires, which allow them to rest, manage Lara's resources, and upgrade weapons. Certain areas in the game may be closed off until players acquire the necessary tools to overcome the obstacles blocking access. Puzzles in the game are physics-based, and the game features two types of optional puzzles: Challenge tombs are self-contained dungeons with elaborated puzzles that reward players with a unique skill, and Crypts, which are smaller variants that reward them with outfit blueprints. By finding collectibles, Lara's language skills will increase, allowing her to decipher the text found on monuments. An Immersion mode enables players to hear the background conversations of the locals in their native languages; when turned off the conversations are heard in players' chosen voice-over language.
Plot
In 2015, months since the events of Rise of the Tomb Raider, Lara Croft (Camilla Luddington) and her friend Jonah Maiava (Earl Baylon) have dedicated themselves to stopping the activities of paramilitary organization Trinity. The two track a cell to an island named Cozumel in Mexico, led by Pedro Dominguez (Carlos Leal), the head of Trinity's High Council. At Trinity's excavation site, Lara discovers a temple containing the Dagger of Chak Chel and references to a hidden city. Murals adorning the walls allude to the Silver Box of Ix Chel and warn of "the Cleansing", a Mayan apocalypse culminating in a permanent solar eclipse. Lara ignores the warnings and takes the Dagger to prevent Trinity from acquiring it. Dominguez catches her and reveals that by taking the Dagger, Lara has triggered the Cleansing. Dominguez takes the Dagger, intending to unite it with the Silver Box to stop the Cleansing and use the power it grants him to remake the world in his image. Lara and Jonah escape a tsunami that destroys Cozumel and foreshadows the coming apocalypse.
Despite growing tensions between them over her actions, Lara and Jonah pursue Dominguez into the Amazon. Their plane crashes in the Peruvian jungle during the second cataclysm—a massive storm—and the two find their way to Paititi, the hidden city shown in the murals. Exploring local tombs reveals that piercing the Silver Box with the Dagger will grant the user the power of the god Kukulkan, which must be used to halt the Cleansing. When Lara saves a boy named Etzli (Kamran Lucas), she and Jonah are brought into Paititi by his mother Unuratu (Patricia Velásquez), who is the queen of the city. Dominguez is revealed to be the leader of a cult dedicated to Kukulkan and Unuratu's brother-in-law Amaru, who was taken by Trinity as a child. Unuratu directs Lara to the Silver Box, but Lara realizes it is missing. Believing the cult already has the Silver Box, Lara and Unuratu attempt to steal it, but Unuratu is captured by the cult. Lara also encounters strange humanoid monsters identified as the Yaaxil, guardians of the Box, and their leader Crimson Fire.
Lara learns that the Box was taken centuries ago by Andres Lopez, a missionary sent by Trinity during the Spanish conquest of South America. She rescues Unuratu and realizes that Amaru does not fully understand the ritual; rather than merely imbuing Kukulkan's power, the ritual sacrifices it to stop the Cleansing. Unuratu is shot by Commander Rourke, Amaru's second in command. Before she dies, Unuratu implores Lara to complete the ritual but warns her not to let the Box influence her. Rourke attacks Lara and Jonah, who are separated as they leave Paititi. The two reunite at an oil refinery and figure out the Box's location, at a nearby Christian mission established by Lopez.
Lara and Jonah find a secret catacomb beneath the mission leading to Lopez's tomb and the Box. Amaru intercepts them and forces Lara to surrender the Box. He admits that he ordered her father's death to prevent him from finding Paititi and revealing it to the world. Lara tries to persuade Amaru to use the ritual to benefit the world. He refuses, as the Cleansing will only affect Paititi. He leaves Lara and Jonah to escape the third cataclysm, a massive earthquake that causes a landslide.
Back in Paititi, Lara and Jonah help the newly crowned Etzli lead a raid on an underground temple complex. They plan to disrupt Amaru's ceremony while avoiding the fourth cataclysm, a volcanic eruption. Lara is forced to go on alone. She encounters the Yaaxil and Crimson Fire, convincing them to help her stop Amaru. Rourke and the Trinity High Council are slaughtered by the Yaaxil while Lara makes her way to the temple summit. Amaru starts the ritual and absorbs Kukulkan's power as the solar eclipse begins. After a lengthy battle, Lara overpowers Amaru and fatally stabs him. Accepting defeat, Amaru transfers Kukulkan's power to Lara as he dies. True to Unuratu's warning, she is tempted to use the Box to revive her parents, but instead lets Crimson Fire symbolically stab her, sacrificing Kukulkan's spirit and stopping the Cleansing.
In the aftermath, Unuratu is buried, and Jonah decides to take a vacation. Lara stays in Paititi to help Etzli make the city life return to normal.
Development Development of Shadow of the Tomb Raider began in 2015, shortly after the release of Rise of the Tomb Raider. Unlike previous entries in the Tomb Raider reboot series which were primarily developed by Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montréal assumed major development duties for the game while Crystal Dynamics provided additional development. Eidos-Montréal estimated the game's development costs at between $75 and $100 million, making it the studio's largest project at the time. It was built using the Foundation engine, which was previously used to create Rise. The game was directed by Daniel Chayer-Bisson, one of the co-creative directors for the 2013 reboot. Development was completed on July 24, 2018, with Eidos-Montréal confirming that the game was declared gold (indicating that it was being prepared for duplication and release).
Story