Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Cover artwork featuring Lara Croft in front of a solar eclipse
Developer(s)Eidos-Montréal[a]
Publisher(s)Square Enix Europe
Director(s)Daniel Chayer
Producer(s)
  • Mario Chabtini
  • Fleur Marty
Designer(s)
  • Daniel Drapeau
  • Michel Leduc St-Arnaud
  • Heath Smith
Programmer(s)Frédéric Robichaud
Artist(s)
  • Wilson Mui
  • Martin Dubeau
Writer(s)
  • Jason Dozois
  • Jill Murray
Composer(s)Brian D'Oliveira
SeriesTomb Raider
Platform(s)
ReleasePlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One
14 September 2018
Linux, macOS
5 November 2019
Stadia
19 November 2019
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is a 2018 action-adventure game developed by Eidos-Montréal and published by Square Enix's European subsidiary. The game is the sequel to Rise of the Tomb Raider and is the twelfth mainline entry in the Tomb Raider series, as well as the third and final entry of the Survivor trilogy. It was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in September 2018. Versions for Linux and macOS, and Stadia, were released in November 2019. After release, the game was expanded upon with downloadable content in both a season pass and as standalone releases.

Set three years after the events of Rise of the Tomb Raider, its story follows Lara Croft as she ventures through the tropical regions of the Americas to the legendary city Paititi, battling the paramilitary organization Trinity and racing to stop a Mayan apocalypse she has unleashed. Lara must traverse the environment and combat enemies with firearms and stealth as she explores semi-open hubs. In these hubs she can raid challenge tombs to unlock new rewards, complete side missions, and scavenge for resources which can be used to craft useful materials.

Crystal Dynamics would not return as the main developer (but did provide support), due to them working on Marvel's Avengers, instead Eidos-Montréal were chosen to be the lead developer. Development began in 2015 following the completion of Rise of the Tomb Raider, lasting until July 2018. Shadow of the Tomb Raider was designed to conclude Lara's journey begun in the 2013 reboot, with a key theme being descent both through the jungle environment and into her personality. The setting and narrative was based on Mayan and Aztec mythologies, with the team consulting historians to create the architecture and people of Paititi. The gameplay was adjusted based on both fan feedback and the wishes of Eidos-Montréal, incorporating swimming and grappling while increasing difficulty tailoring. Camilla Luddington returned to provide voice and motion-capture work for Lara. The game cost an estimated US$110–135 million to develop, making it one of the most expensive games ever made.[5]

Shadow of the Tomb Raider received generally positive reviews from critics, with particular praise going to the game's emphasis on challenge tombs and puzzles, although some felt that the series' gameplay had become stale and lacked innovation. While opening to slow sales, the game eventually sold over 8.9 million units.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Eurogamer announcement article was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference ShadowNixxes was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference EuroStadia was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference ShadowFeral was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Eidos Montreal: "We have to try new models for single-player games"". GamesIndustry.biz. 11 May 2018. Archived from the original on 11 May 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2021.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).