Game Review: 'Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration'

 

When Rise of the Tomb Raider originally launched back in 2015, I remember being completely blown away by how Crystal Dynamics expanded on their gritty reboot formula. It was a massive game that expertly balanced frantic firefights, desperate survival mechanics, and, thankfully, a much larger focus on actual tomb raiding. Getting to experience that epic journey again today, running natively on a handheld Nintendo platform, feels like a minor miracle. Aspyr has done a phenomenal job bringing Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration to the Nintendo Switch 2, delivering a definitive port that feels right at home on the new hardware.

The transition to Nintendo's latest system is remarkably smooth. Where the previous generation hardware struggled with high-end ports, the Switch 2 handles Lara's Siberian trek with impressive grace. Playing in handheld mode is an absolute joy. The snowy vistas of Kitezh and the frozen wilderness look crisp on the screen, retaining the dense vegetation, realistic weather effects, and detailed character models that made the original release a visual showpiece. There are some minor concessions in texture quality if you look closely at the distant mountain peaks, but when you are sprinting away from an avalanche or sliding down a muddy slope, the visual presentation holds up beautifully. More importantly, the frame rate remains rock solid during intense action sequences, ensuring that the precision jumping and fast-paced combat never suffer from frustrating stuttering.

The core gameplay of Rise of the Tomb Raider remains just as thrilling as it was a decade ago. Lara is a much more capable adventurer here, and the progression loop is incredibly satisfying. I always loved how the game rewards exploration. You are constantly hunting for resources, scavenging animal hides, and translating ancient monolithic structures to unlock hidden map secrets. The combat is dynamic and violent, giving you the freedom to sneak through bushes and execute silent bow takedowns, or go in guns blazing with crafted explosives.

What elevates this specific package is the sheer volume of content included in the 20 Year Celebration edition. Beyond the excellent main campaign, which follows Lara's desperate race against the shadowy Trinity organization to find the secret of immortality, you get every single piece of downloadable content ever released. The Blood Ties chapter is a fantastic, narrative-focused change of pace that lets you explore the iconic Croft Manor to uncover secrets about Lara's family history. If you want something completely different, Lara's Nightmare turns that same manor into a tense action experience against hordes of the undead.

The inclusion of the Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch expansion is another massive highlight, introducing a mind-bending side story wrapped in trippy hallucinations and excellent environmental puzzles. For players who love pure mechanics, the Endurance Mode offers a brutal survival test where you have to manage warmth and food. The fact that you can play this mode in online co-op with a friend on a portable console makes it an incredibly enticing package for long road trips or evening sessions on the couch. Aspyr even threw in classic low-polygon Lara skins from the original nineties games, which is a wonderful nostalgic treat for long-time fans of the franchise.

It is rare for a port of an older game to feel this essential, but Rise of the Tomb Raider on the Switch 2 proves that great game design stands the test of time. It bridges the gap between old-school puzzle solving and modern cinematic action perfectly. Whether you are a newcomer who missed out on Lara's second modern outing or a veteran looking for an excuse to jump back into the frozen wilds of Siberia, this release is an absolute must-play. It is a gorgeous, feature-complete, and wonderfully optimized version of one of the best action-adventure games of its era. Lara Croft's return is a triumph for the new platform.

Publisher provided review code.