Update Three Hundred and Twenty-Seven: 21 July 2019
Lara Croft GO
4.1 hours playtime, 17 of 17 achievements
6/10
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Lara Croft GO was not quite what I was expecting—it’s just a straight port of a turn-based mobile game where everything moves when Lara does, and you help her navigate through different caves and plateaus and, of course, tombs to get her to the shit she needs. There’s zero story to speak of, so it’s just straight puzzlin’, which was… let’s say… not INCREDIBLY riveting to me. The Tomb Raider stories aren’t groundbreaking, but I do like and appreciate them, and having just a straight game-game was a little boring to me. (Just me, though!)
The game layers on different mechanics, all to interesting effects. You can hit enemies from the front, you have to get them from the sides, but there’s levers and spears and eventually torches to combat them with. There’s different traps that you can set off that are hazards but ALSO help you make it through the level. The later levels get really complicated.
This is a complaint I don’t have often, but… even so, Lara Croft GO makes itself too easy. Its hint system, where there’s no penalty to use it, essentially forces Lara on the ‘correct’ path to solve the level, and you just have to swipe her along the red line it makes out. It means it’s not a HINT system at all—where you’re stuck at one particular snag and just want a little help to get past THIS small hurtle—it’s a ‘win the level for me’ system.
Did I use it almost exclusively bc I didn’t quite feel like engaging with the game and just kind of wanted a fast 100%? Yes. Did I also feel kind of cheap about it, in a way I don’t normally feel while cheating? Also yes.
Despite that, it’s a decent game. I put her in the Hitman suit and she looked fresh as fuck.
I finished my first week on the new job and I’m having an absolute ball. I like it there a lot, and people there like me. My cubicle is HUGE and private and secure and no one’s watching me from over my shoulder. I’m building my stamina again, and work is such where I can put in an honest effort all day, and still have enough energy to come home, maintain the house, play games, AND draw.
Tentatively, giddily, things are lookin’ up!
Next up: The past few games have been really story-light. Time to change that!
See you soon!
17 of 7 achievements?? Did you create new ones? :D
It’s very noticeable this has been created for mobile, I’m steering away from it (￣□￣」)
HA! Ooooops, thanks for the catch.
Yeah… the mobile-ness is a little annoying, where you have to click-drag Lara to move her to a spot, rather than just… clicking on that spot. Sometimes you DO have to click on one spot, though, and not click-drag (like to pull a pillar or do a lever). It’s… a little aggravating, yeah.
Glad your enjoying your new job! It really makes a difference when you enjoy what you do. I changed jobs at the end of last year because I wasn’t enjoying my previous one and ended up in a frying pan -> fire situation. Really looking forward to the end of the contract in December.
God, that sounds like it fuckin sucks. I hope December gets here quick for ya!
For me, the work isn’t, like, SPECTACULAR (it’s data management stuff), but data management is mentally engaging for me to do. What’s big for me is the culture, atmosphere, and my coworkers. This job is a MUCH better fit than my last one, people are nice, and I’m largely left alone and nobody’s watching me.
I hope you go from the fire into, I dunno, a pleasant spring day at your next contract.
Haha thanks. Not sure if I’ll go for a contract again. The increased pay is nice but I dislike having to track my hours so closely. Agree that atmosphere makes a big difference. I was really hesitant to leave my previous job after 5 years because of that. But when the company was bought over I went from being in charge of of large features (I’m a software engineer, so end to end requirements, design, coding, testing, maintenance, etc) to working on bugs and making existing software work together in was it wasn’t meant to. But the atmosphere was still pretty decent and the people were great. Now it’s nothing but fixing bug in appallingly written code, but only when I can get past the red tape. Anyway, end of rant.
I bet you’ll like Unavowed very much. I make 1 playthrough and it was brilliant. And I plan to make another Playthrough and hope, they’ll make a german localization.
Well, have fun!
I finished LR: GO back in March, still have to 100% it though someday. Also don’t blame you for on using the hint option, I ended up using it t halfway through or near the end and during some moments where the alligators (?) were chasing Lara lol.
Congrats on the new job! Sounds like you will have (and already are) a good time working there.
That’s great! It does sound like things are going good, and I’m happy for you =)
Also, thanks for reviewing this game! Off from the wishlist it goes. One less game to worry about in the future.
That’s very kind of you, thank you! I’ve had a lot of mopey updates in the past, so I’m very happy to have a more positive one!
Yeahhh, if just straight up, just-no-frills-puzzlin’ doesn’t do it for ya, I’d put your money into something else. I only have it bc it was in a Humble Monthly at one point.
HB Monthly explains why I’ve been seeing this game a lot lately! And yeah. I mean, if I had time/money to spare, maybe. But no, thanks. =P