Rise of the Tomb Raider on Switch 2 – “The Empire Strikes Back of Tomb Raider games”

“We learn, we accept, we lose our ability to wonder”. This is Rise of the Tomb Raider’s opening monologue, but it might as well apply to all the ports of older games coming to Switch 2. For every impressive feat of engineering – like last week’s Final Fantasy VII Rebirth – there’s another that doesn’t, or can’t, translate the full experience from other consoles across to Nintendo’s lower-powered platform. Rise of the Tomb Raider sits somewhere in the middle, and while it’s a great game for Nintendo owners to experience, you will find better versions of it elsewhere.

Rise of the Tomb Raider is arguably the Empire Strikes Back of the modern Tomb Raider trilogy, meaning it’s the best one. And it’s in the middle. And Lara has clear daddy issues. And she gets her hand chopped off. Well, maybe not that last one, but you get the idea. This is the 20 Year Celebration version of the game,  that…. look, I hate to do this to you, but it’s basically 10 years old in its own right. This edition bulks out the game up with all of its DLC, including Lara’s Nightmare and Endurance Mode, and a host of different outfits to dress Lara up in as you lead her to her repeated deaths.

Rise of the Tomb Raider on Switch 2 looks pretty good, though there are still the edges of the handheld’s limitations. From the fluffy hood on Lara’s coat, leafy boughs and branches through to the mountainous rock formations in the opening moments of the game, some elements look a little rougher than I remember them being before. There’s some clear anti-aliasing shimmer, and some light pop-in, but for all of that, it presents a smart image, with impressive draw distances, decent hair effects, and dynamic shadows.

The Switch 2 edition is targeting the same 30fps as the PS4 version, a platform to which it is roughly analogous in terms of raw power, though it’s a shame to lose the different graphical options that PS4 Pro players were privy to. It does reliably hit that 30fps target throughout, which is great, but it is disappointing in a game where movement and accuracy play such a big role not to have found a way to implement a 60fps or even a 40fps option by leaning on DLSS upscaling in some way. There are occasional drops or wobbles, but I think they are fairly consistent with the earlier versions of the game, and pop up more prominently when the game transitions between gameplay and cutscenes.

What hasn’t lost any of its feel is Rise of the Tomb Raider’s audio. From the cast’s excellent voice acting through to the drama-soaked orchestral strains of the soundtrack, Rise of the Tomb Raider sounds like a blockbuster production from beginning to end. Combine it with a surround sound system, and it feels truly cinematic, and definitely helps to strengthen your perception of the game on Switch 2.

Aspyr have included some Switch 2 specific functions, but as we saw with the release of the first game in the trilogy, there’s no consistency to the way they’re implemented. There’s HD rumble, and that adds a satisfying additional layer to your interactions, but while there are gyro controls, they’re not implemented in the place you’d want them: aiming. Instead, all you can do with them is twist and turn objects you’ve collected as you look at them. It’s nice enough, but everyone wants to aim Lara’s bow with a gyro control, and for some reason Aspyr don’t want to let them do it.

That might be mildly made up for by the inclusion of mouse controls, and these are a major step up from the implementation in the first game. Mainly because they work, and you can choose from different button setups to tailor the experience to how you play. While Rise of the Tomb Raider isn’t the type of game that I immediately think of playing with mouse controls, it’s great to have the option.

Rise of the Tomb Raider is a top class production, and whether it’s your favourite Tomb Raider game or not, it’s well worth revisiting, or indeed, checking it out for the first time before the upcoming high-profile remake of the original Tomb Raider game. The Switch 2 version dispenses itself well, and while I really wish Aspyr would push a little harder with their ports, this is a great game whether you’re playing at home or on the go.

Tags: Rise Of The Tomb Raider, Rise Of The Tomb Raider 20 Year Celebration