But it’s more fun to explore a dilapidated mansion, anyway. Crystal Dynamics/Square EnixĬroft Manor has seen better days - rainwater is pouring in through a gaping hole in the Grand Hall’s skylight - and some areas are blocked off by debris from crumbling woodwork. Her only recourse is to scour the old mansion for some evidence proving her right to the property.
It seems that Lord Croft left no written will, so his daughter may have no claim to the English country estate in which she grew up. Lara inherited the property after her father’s death, but in Blood Ties, she receives an eviction notice from her uncle. ( Blood Ties is available only after completing the main game’s Syria chapter, which is followed by that cutscene.) Rise of the Tomb Raider players may remember that Croft Manor made what amounted to a cameo appearance in the game: In an early cutscene, Lara returned there to reunite with Jonah, and had an important book stolen from her during a break-in. There’s no combat of any kind the story is the focus. Much of Rise of the Tomb Raider is spent exploring environments like Syria and Siberia, and Blood Ties takes that element to the extreme: This hourlong add-on is nothing but Lara walking around Croft Manor, à la Gone Home. Both of them bring Lara Croft to her childhood home, Croft Manor, but in very different ways. That continues with Blood Ties and Lara’s Nightmare, the two new expansions in Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration.
While the studio blended a wide variety of mechanics and genres together in the full game, it focused on a particular element for each piece of downloadable content.
If you’ve been following Crystal Dynamics’ series of add-ons for Rise of the Tomb Raider - which culminates today with the release of the game’s 20 Year Celebration edition - you may have noticed a trend.