By Matt Peckham
My favorite parts of Crystal Dynamics’ Rise of the Tomb Raider are the ones where you’re just quietly exploring the world at leisure. In fact most of the “2d 17h 5m” the game reports I played it involved doing what I love most in these kinds of part-action-but-mostly-adventure games: fighting nothing at all. Here’s a sample of what “quietly exploring” looks like, as—minor spoilers ahead!—I solve one of the game’s optional “challenge tombs.”
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Write to Matt Peckham at matt.peckham@time.com