The title is misleading. Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration was a name given to the game and its DLC when it was compiled into one complete package for the Xbox One, PC and PS4 back in 2016. Considering that it was just shadow-dropped during the latest Nintendo Direct, this should really be called the 30 Year Celebration version, but the lack of an appropriate title change is confusing and doesn't leave a good first impression for those looking at this port. Fortunately, that faux pas is quickly forgotten once you start playing the game.

For those unaware, this serves as the second part of what has been dubbed the "Survivor" version of the series. Lara has recovered from the incident at the island back in the first game, and while she's still fairly inexperienced in being an explorer, she remains hellbent on proving that her late father's research on eternal life was leading to something. The journey leads her to a lost city in the Siberian mountains, where she's trying to uncover the mystery behind the artifacts that are supposed to have the answers to eternal life before the shadowy organization known as Trinity gets its hands on it.

We've reviewed the game before on both the Xbox One and PC, and the opinions expressed in those reviews still hold up today with this port. Except for a brief episode in the Syrian desert, the game spends a bulk of its time in the Siberian mountains, and the game really takes advantage of all that open space by giving you a number of optional things to do, from hunting game for resources to exploring small tombs for character buffs to taking out some Trinity installations. You'll do loads of climbing up cliff walls and solving lots of environmental puzzles, all of which don't feel like they're too obtuse in their solutions. Stealth is a powerful tool, and the ability to use both a hunting knife and your bow for silent kills remains satisfying. Less satisfying is the gunplay, which works better as a puzzle-solving tool than something for combat because the aiming feels slower than expected. Crafting is enjoyable, as there's an inherent sense of joy in creating smoke bombs out of stuff that's just lying around. All of this feels good and is helped by a compelling story that feels at home with previous adventures in the series. The game had loads of nominations for awards and "Best Of" category mentions when it was released a decade ago, and it's easy to see why that was the case.

Since this is a complete edition of the game, you get access to all of the game's DLC and patches, but the former only appears once you've obtained the necessary tools and made related progress in the main adventure. The Baba Yaga DLC offers more of the same stuff you'd see in the main game, but the major highlight is the boss fight against the titular creature from Slavic lore. That fight is exciting due to its difficulty and multi-stage approach, and it remains satisfying once you take her down. The survival and puzzle elements before that are fun in their own right, and the new buff for the poison arrows makes it a little more fun to fight against the Trinity forces in the main game.

The next two extras couldn't be farther apart in tone. The first is Blood Ties, which sees you return to Croft Manor. There is no combat present, and there any no enemies; this part tells the tale of how Lara has to prove that she is the new legal owner of the Croft estate. Most of your time will be spent walking around and solving a few light puzzles to obtain legal documents that validate your ownership. Fans of walking simulators will be right at home, but this is aimed at those who want more lore out of the Tomb Raider universe.

The other extra is Lara's Nightmare, and although it also takes place in Croft Manor, this takes on more of a survival-horror tone. The setup is that a family member has cursed the mansion, and it falls on you to expel this curse. You'll try to find and destroy the artifacts that cause the curse, but it also means that you'll be running into and dispatching the various undead that have appeared on the estate, either via melee attacks or with several gunshots. The affair is short and fun, but it feels like a quick diversion from the main quest since there's nothing that ties into the main series.

There aren't many exclusive features for the Switch 2 version. The touch-screen support for the menus works fine. Gyroscope controls only seem to work when looking at artifacts in the menu, which makes the feature fall under it being nice but otherwise non-essential. Mouse controls also work fine in menus and when looking at artifacts, but it feels strange during gameplay. Part of that is because of the design of the Joy-Con 2 in mouse mode, but part of it is because mouse acceleration doesn't feel as precise when compared to the normal analog sticks. Again, it's nice to see some support for the system's exclusive features, but you're not missing much if you never use them.

The audio is just as good on the Switch 2 as it is on other platforms. The music gives the game a sense of grandeur whenever you see any immense structures or look over any picturesque wilderness settings. It also does a great job of enhancing the mood, whether it's the discovery of something big or a heightened sense of danger when trying to outrun an avalanche. The voice acting is well done, with every performance nailing the tone perfectly, and all of this is supported by a script that doesn't have any memorably terrible lines. All of this plays out nicely in surround sound, making a game that's already rich in content feel even richer.

As far as visuals go, there was a question about which version of the game this port would take inspiration from. After all, this was a game that was initially released on Xbox One, but it was also released on Xbox 360. The content was the same, but the graphics were downgraded but remained impressive overall. The result is that this port is somewhere between the Xbox 360 and the Xbox One when it comes to graphical quality. For example, the lighting matches up with the Xbox One version, and you will see some advanced effects like the flowing hair, but some of the details — dirt and scratches on Lara's body and face, and environmental effects like snow deformation — lack the detail seen on Microsoft's more powerful console at that time. The thing is that those downgrades are very minor, and you'll only notice those things if you have both the Xbox One and Switch 2 versions of the game side by side. When playing, those differences are minor enough that they won't distract from how good the character models and environments look. What is surprising is how good the graphics look even today, which is indicative of Crystal Dynamics' skill in making a game that still impresses graphically after all these years.

The big drawback is the frame rate. A locked 30fps is still good, as there are only a few quick dips during heavy scenes before everything returns to normal. However, many people will point to the PS4 Pro version of the game as having achieved 60fps, so it can be disappointing to see the Switch 2 version only reach 30fps. That argument can be considered fair when looking at the Switch 2 from a docked perspective, but as a portable, 30fps remains impressive. Using the Steam Deck as a comparison point, the frame rate can fluctuate wildly from 60fps on the highs to 22fps on the lows, and the game's built-in benchmark shows the average around 35fps. Having a more stable 30fps in portable mode is certainly more desirable than a widely fluctuating frame rate, especially since the Switch 2 version sports a higher resolution compared to the lower one seen on the Deck.

In the end, this port of Rise of the Tomb Raider is as good as the game itself. The scope of the environments and presence of side tombs make the world feel ripe for exploration. The combination of stealth and combat works well, but shooting still feels a tad off. The inclusion of different extra modes and content gives you enough of a reason to return to the game after finishing the main campaign. The presentation is very solid, even if it falls a step below the original Xbox One iteration. If you've somehow never experienced this title before, the Switch 2 version is a good way to do so. Here's hoping that it doesn't take a new console release before Shadow of the Tomb Raider makes its way to a Nintendo platform.

Score: 8.0/10