14. Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Shadow of the Tomb Raider didn’t quite bring the reboot trilogy to its highest peak yet, but it was nothing if not a confidently slick action-adventure title boasting a rich, teeming semi-open-world.
To an extent it’s easy to see why some fans were a touch indifferent about the game; new developer Eidos Montréal – taking over from Crystal Dynamics – brought little fresh to the table and those promises of a darker, antagonistic Lara Croft were mostly just marketing spiel.
SEE ALSO: Read our review of Shadow of the Tomb Raider here
However, the moment-to-moment gameplay was light-footed, gorgeously cinematic and massively toned down the monotonous action that verged on overkill in Rise of the Tomb Raider. The focus was geared more towards exploration and traversal, making for a breezily enjoyable, visually stunning threequel even if it fell unquestionably short in terms of its narrative and especially its generic villains.
But the sprawling hub worlds and solid array of side content bolstered a lean core package, and while perhaps not worthy of a day-one purchase, at least made for a damn fine rental.
13. Unravel Two
Despite being shadow-dropped during EA’s E3 show, Unravel Two mostly fell upon deaf ears on release, despite being one of the year’s most charming and relaxing platformers. Dialling back some of its predecessor’s frustrations while introducing adorable new co-op functionality, this is an improved sequel that’s fun for kids and adults alike.
SEE ALSO: Read our review of Unravel Two here
Though the story might prove a little too nebulous for some tastes and there are sure to be those who find the simpler traversal “dumbed down”, Unravel Two‘s beautiful art style, charming protagonists and smart, intuitive platforming add up to quite the meditative experience.
It’s a damn shame there isn’t an online co-op option, but clearly this is in the service of, like A Way Out, elevating the teamwork to a shared, tangible experience.
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