Don’t feed the witch!
If players are finally done going through the huge adventure with Lara and solved everything that needs to be solved, the question might be “what else do I have left to do?” If players have the season pass or an extra $9.99 to spare, the new DLC Baba Yaga has just released, adding new, story driven content to the adventure. Is this one urban legend worth exploring, though?
Once players download the DLC a new icon will appear in a familiar hub arena towards the start of the game. Lara comes across some soldiers she can hear trying to find someone. Once Lara takes them out, she stumbles across a young lady and discovers her plight. She is trying to save her grandfather and that means going up against the witch that took her grandmothers life. It’s an interesting scenario and one that I ultimately could predict the twist story moments from the start, but it’s enough to get the scenario and unique gameplay situations set up.
MSRP: $9.99
Platforms: PC, XB1
Price I’d Pay: $6.99
Multiplayer: n/a
How long to beat: Two hours
Some old, some new
If players go into this DLC expecting some huge new area or insane amount of new gameplay, they will be sorely disappointed. It’s not to say the new content isn’t good, it’s just a mix of new and old. Lara has to trek through a few old areas to get to the new parts and those parts are really interesting and even a bit darker than anything the games have thrown our way in the past, but they are over far too quick. Also there is a unique puzzle for the DLC that had me scratching my head for a few minutes. I was hoping the DLC offered a bit more than one, but that’s all we get.
Thankfully the end sequence is a boss battle that takes place again within the context of this new, interesting set up which I’m purposely being vague about because it’s what makes the whole DLC interesting and is by the most interesting thing about the DLC. Otherwise there isn’t much else to it and most people will see the whole thing in two hours at most, with maybe a third if looking for all the collectibles.
DLC done…OK
There isn’t too much I can complain about with this DLC and the amount it cost. The production value on it seems rather high for such a short experience. I almost wonder if the developers were toying with doing more side missions like this in the main game, each with their own little story, before changing their mind and adding this to the DLC pile. The side missions in the main game were an interesting distraction but ultimately were just as a side distraction and for bonus items. If the next Tomb Raider decided to have more side missions in the same vein as the Baba Yaga DLC, each with their own self contained story or tie into myth and urban legend, I’d be happy. The DLC isn’t the best I’ve played but it’s not the worst, it got me really excited, but then was over before I knew it.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
