Of the nearly 150 hours I have in Rise of the Tomb Raider, I spent plenty of them jumping off ledges, investigating corners, staring up at empty ceilings, and trying to get just the right angle to peek into a crack in a room to find the next obscurely hidden collectible. Exploration and all the challenges area that came with it were a great post-game activity in Rise of the Tomb Raider – that is, until exploration eventually became tedious and I realized how bloated Rise was with collectibles and other extra tasks. Shadow of the Tomb Raider touts a bigger and more immersive setting, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s narrative director, Jason Dozois, and level design director, Arne Oehme, assured me that a focus on building out the game’s fictional culture will help keep exploration interesting.
Source: IGN.com Shadow of the Tomb Raider Doubles Down on Puzzles and Exploration