Shadow Of The Tomb Raider Review: 7 Ups & 3 Downs

3. The Hub Cities Are The Easy Highlight

The hub areas from Rise are back with a vengeance, and they're by far the best-accomplished aspect of the game. The several settlements Lara visits throughout the adventure allow her to chat to the locals, help them acquire materials, buy garb from merchants and even track down some hidden extra tombs.

The standout hub is without question Paititi, the lost city around which much of the game's plot revolves. In addition to being surprisingly large and sprawling, the scenery is absolutely jaw-dropping, and the sheer number of NPCs scattered around the city makes it feel staggeringly lifelike.

If there's any area of the game that could be expanded upon in future titles, it's surely this, because the hubs ultimately end up far more interesting and inviting than the main story path.