Guide: Shadow of the Tomb Raider Release Date, Story, New Features - Everything We Know So Far

Square Enix shined more light on Shadow of the Tomb Raider during its E3 2018 press conference, and it's looking pretty gorgeous we have to say. It's the latest game in the rebooted Tomb Raider trilogy, and it's due for release later this year.

In this guide, we'll run you through exactly what it is, when you'll play it, new features to expect, and the platforms you can play it on. We'll update this guide as we learn more so keep referring back to it to stay up to date, and feel free to use the comments section for impressions and speculation. Go crazy!

Shadow of the Tomb Raider - What It Is

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the latest entry and final chapter in Square Enix's rebooted Tomb Raider trilogy. You'll once again play as Lara Croft and spend most of your time murdering enemies, jumping and climbing over things, and crafting equipment using resources you'll gather whilst playing.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider - Release Date And Platforms

Shadow of the Tomb Raider will launch on September 14th, 2018 across PS4, Xbox One, and PC. There will be no Xbox One exclusivity this time around.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider - What's New

Shadow of the Tomb Raider takes place in South America this time around, and has Lara exploring the environment as she searches for artefacts.

There will be a greater focus on tombs, and Square Enix has reported that each of them will offer more danger than before. There'll be more puzzles to solve and traps to avoid if you plan on making it out alive.

Apparently, it will be the most difficult Tomb Raider ever, and that directly ties into the puzzles. We'll actually witness Lara solve her first ever puzzle inside the first tomb, and it only gets more difficult as you progress.

Combat will focus more on stealth this time too. During the E3 trailer, we saw Lara perform a stealth kill from water, and while camouflaged in a jungle, and with her bow.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider - Gameplay

If you've played either of the two reboots, Tomb Raider or Rise of the Tomb Raider, you'll know exactly what to expect here. The gameplay will be a combination of shooting enemies, sneaking about, environmental navigation, platforming, and puzzle solving.

Though combat will have a greater focus on stealth and sneaking about this time, there's still plenty of shoot outs. They're just more dangerous than before, so it pays to play it safer this time around.

Platforming sections will still make an appearance, including climbing with your pickaxe and rappelling down vertical surfaces.

Finally, the puzzles will be a lot harder this time around too. Many will also involve the environment, with Lara having to pay close attention to it in order to figure out what the heck is going on.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider - Story

Shadow of the Tomb Raider represents the final chapter in Lara's origins trilogy, and will see Lara reach maturity. At that point, she'll more accurately represent the tomb raider us golden oldies grew up with back in the day.

The plot itself has Lara chasing the Trinity organisation to South America, where she has to save the world from a Mayan apocalypse. We know that the apocalypse is tied into a solar eclipse, and that the first stage will feature a massive tsunami.

As such, the story will focus on Lara facing her personal demons, and realising the responsibility she holds.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider - PS4 Pro Enhancements

Square Enix hasn't announced any PS4 Pro enhancements just yet, but given that Rise of the Tomb Raider allowed you to pick from a whopping three different visual options on Sony's beefed up console, we'd wager that will happen again this time around.

For reference, you could pick a 4K mode if you had a compatible TV. HD users had the choice between enhanced visuals or 60 fps, with the former boosting the lighting, shadow, tessellation, and hair physics effects.

Are you stoked for Shadow of the Tomb Raider? How do you feel about the increased challenge and focus on puzzles? Let us know in the comments section below.