Design of Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Design of Shadow of the Tomb Raider -
(NO SPOILERS)

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the 3rd installment in the Tomb Raider series and the game picks off from where Rise of the Tomb Raider ends.

Though the game’s action has less intensity than the previous games of the franchise, it still has the best pacing of them all. Meaning, the game transitions beautifully from intense combat to calmer puzzle solving sections to cut scenes to exploring and back never lingering too long on any particular gameplay section.

The game focuses on platforming, stealth, combat, puzzle-solving, exploration and an incredible story, providing players with an amazing experience in each of the mentioned gameplay sections.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider  has various difficulty options to choose from and also allows players to set the difficulty individually for each of the gameplay sections (Exploration, Combat and Puzzles) to have a more tailored experience.
The skill tree is now more complex than ever with skills that can be unlocked across 3 distinctive sections (Scavenger, Seeker and Warrior) allowing players to focus on elements that best suit their play-style.
Seeker skills focus on improving environmental awareness and resource gathering.
Warrior skills focus on survivability and combat prowess.
Scavenger skills focus on stealth. A combination of skills from all 3 sections can give players the upper hand in combat.

Accessibility - (GAMES ARE FOR EVERYONE)

Shadow of the Tomb Raider   features different accessibility options for people with auditory, visual, physical and cognitive challenges such as environmental subtitles, individual difficulty settings, remapping controls (including controllers), reduced camera shakes and vibration control, etc. All these features, though may seem small, make a huge difference for those who want to play games but cannot enjoy them due to their challenges. Love seeing designers work so hard to make their games accessible for everyone (something I want to see in all games). 

Some of the options are as follows - 

• Optional Y Axis Inversion.
• Toggling on and off Vibration.
• Reducing Camera Shake.
• The option to tap rather than hold left trigger to aim down the sights.
• The option to use right (default) or left stick to aim, when looking down sights (left trigger).
• The option to hold button press prompts rather than repeated tapping.
• The option to push the stick directionally for crank control prompts rather than rotate.
• Adjustable aim sensitivity.

Audio accessibility options include:

• Subtitles: Off, On with Color, On without Color.
• Environmental Subtitles: Display subtitles for all conversations taking place nearby, or only for critical conversations.
• Closed Captioning: Display additional or interpretive information such as sound effects, musical cues, and other relevant audio information.

Conclusion -

Shadow of the Tomb Raider excels in everything from combat to enemy design to story to pacing to progression and to the way mechanics are introduced to players as they progress through the game. In conclusion, I loved every minute of this game and would totally recommend playing if you haven’t done so already.