United States – Tomb Raider’s reboot, Rise of the Tom Rider, will finally hit Sony’s console, PlayStation 4, on October 11, after a year-long wait.
The release is meant as a 20 Year Celebration edition, and will include the previously released downloadable content (DLC) plus a new story chapter called “Blood Ties,” a new co-op Endurance gameplay, extra Expedition Cards, outfits and weapons, and a limited edition art book as an anniversary gift for fans.
The reboot of the original Tomb Raider franchise, Rise of the Tomb Raider was at first a Xbox-exclusive that came on in November 2015. A PC version was released in January 2016, and now, after a year-long wait, PlayStation 4 fans can buy the title.
In the 2013 Tomb Raider, Lara Croft wants to find the lost kingdom of Yamatai. Her quest will lead her to the Dragon’s Triangle, east of Japan. The continuation, Rise of the Tom Rider, picks up where the last game left off. Lara is now in search of the legendary city of Kitezh, in Siberia, which supposedly grants immortality.
The game has already two DLC, the first, called Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch, focuses on an investigation Lara must do within a Soviet mining facility and ends up in a valley haunted by Baba Yaga, a figure from the Slavic folklore.
The second DLC, Cold Darkness Awakened, follows Lara through a decommissioned Soviet bunker, which was used to store weapons, and must fight zombie-like people, who are infected by an unstable air pathogen.
The 20-year edition will include a new chapter titled Blood Ties, which in which Lara has to explore her childhood home, Croft Manor, and discover her father secrets as well to prove herself worthy of inheriting it. Then, in Lara’s Nightmare, she has to fight a zombie invasion.
First-person perspective for the first time
Blood Ties will feature PlayStation VR support, which means that for the first time since the franchise starts, players will be able to control Lara in a first-person perspective. A new Endurance mode was also included, which lets players play online in duos.
“Two players must team up to survive the harsh elements by day, as well as lethal threats from enemies by night […] Battle to the top of the leader-boards, as others try to beat your longest survival run,” according to Square Enix.
Finally, a special card pack will allow players to go through the main quest with the 1996 low-poly Lara model, which offers a nice contrast with the high-quality cutscenes.
However, Rise of the Tomb Raider had sales that were lower than expected when it was originally released; but PlayStation 4 is more popular with gamers than the Xbox One, which leads to believe that the 20-year edition will help the game’s sales.
Sources: PlayStation.Blog