Underworld begins with you controlling Lara in Croft Manor as the manor is ablaze. As you finish making your way to the exit, Zip and Winston meet you. Zip takes shots at Lara, and thus the game truly begins. Flashback to a week prior, in which we find Lara continuing her quest to find Avalon and her mother. Throughout the game you will travel to not only the Mediterranean, but also Thailand, Mexico, the Arctic, and even explore deep beneath Croft Manor. Lara spends her time immersed in Norse mythology, to include finding and using Thor's gauntlets, belt and hammer.

The gameplay of Tomb Raider: Underworld will remain familiar to fans of the series. But this time around, the platforming elements are at their best. Crystal Dynamic utilized motion capture for Lara this time around and it shows. Controlling Lara now offers a higher degree of realism. Climbing, jumping and balancing all look and feels as you expect a person would normally act. When you really get the controls down, you can seamlessly traverse your way through the landscapes without faltering. The puzzles integral to the Tomb Raider experience are back, and while not as difficult, they don't feel like a chore and are always fun to solve. None of the puzzles should take too long to figure out and get past. The only real faults to the Tomb Raider gameplay are the aiming of jumps and combat. Various times, Lara can seem to have a mind of her own and when you tell her to jump one way, she decided to go another. This usually ends in death more than not. The combat is something that has never really seen the much needed improvements. It never feels comfortable and because everything has unlimited ammo (sans grenades), it makes it very easy to just continually dodge and shoot. There is no real skill needed to take down any opponent. This is a small element of the gameplay, and easily forgiven once the platforming elements pick back up.

Graphically Tomb Raider: Underworld makes huge strides. Dirt shows up on Lara now, footprints are left in the mud, and damage to the environment remains permanently. The environments composing each level look beautiful and set the tone perfectly. Levels never have the cookie cutter feel that many games fall in the trap of using. The lighting effects are also very well done, and look best when utilizing Lara's Flashlight. The flashlight becomes a key tool in helping Lara through her adventure, and is never too bright or too dark.

The voice acting in Underworld is very well done, and features solid dialogue. British actress Keeley Hawes does a brilliant job as the voice of Lara Croft. The sound effects used in the game are incorporated into the environments very well. Traps, doors, and other moving objects sound like you would expect, and not overdone. When animal growls, you can tell how near or far to Lara or it is. The soundtrack really stands out in Underworld, with its orchestral style. You will never hear the music on a generic loop, but instead is based around specific events. It helps to set the tone of what is happening currently and rarely, if ever, feels out of place.

In all, Tomb Raider: Underworld is a fitting conclusion to the current incarnation of Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider franchise. Crystal Dynamics does a great job bringing all questions to a close, previously left unanswered in prior installments. Lara proves she still has what it takes, by putting out a solid platforming adventure and an engaging story in a gaming landscape overflowing with shooters. I look forward to see the future direction Crystal Dynamics takes Lara and Tomb Raider in its remodeling of the series.

Rating: 8.6/10