Lara Croft has made it to the PC, and the reviews are up. Rise of the Tomb Raider for PC is described as more realistically detailed, thanks to the high-end ambient occlusion technique called HBAO+. This rendering process was acquired through a partnership with Nvidia. It offers more textures to the terrain, more geometric accuracy to surrounding buildings, and a further view of Lara’s environments as she climbs, fights and raids her way through the Siberian elements.
Reviews for the PC version have been very positive. Gamespot gave it 9/10 saying, “The lighting is better, especially in dark environments, where shadows play across the walls and Lara crawls through glacial caves. Textures are slightly more detailed, from the footprints in Siberia’s snow, to the leaves in its ancient valley.”
So now we can see even MORE individual snowflakes on the ground!
“While it doesn’t fully eradicate the missteps around the edges of interactivity, it does let you spend longer enjoying the core action and exploration,” says PC Gamer in their honest but generous review of 83/100.
“It helps that the dev team has created one of the most gorgeous games I’ve ever played,” says VideoGamer, “with gigantic underground tombs that dazzle and far-reaching vistas that inspire. This aspect is all the more impressive on PC, providing you’ve got a decent rig to game on.”
So it’s looking like the consensus is this: Rise of the Tomb Raider is cinematically gorgeous on PC, thanks to HBAO+. And though it may give your PC a run for its money, every rocky crevice, individual leaf, and vivid terrain is worth it.
You can see the difference here in this PC Tech Feature.
Rise of the Tomb Raider for PC will be available on Steam, for $60, on January 28th.