'Rise Of The Tomb Raider': New Mode Adds Starvation

Ahead of the game's PC version release, Rise of the Tomb Raider has received a new 'Endurance' mode that, as the name suggests, tasks the gamer with enduring the hard landscapes of the game. In particular, Endurance makes it possible for Lara Croft to die of starvation or freeze to death if the player isn't careful, adding a whole new element of difficulty to an already excellent title.

Endurance Mode isn't free, but it comes cheap at $10 on the Xbox Store. The addition will appeal particularly to those who enjoy the survival aspects of games. After switching into Endurance mode, the game reads, "In the harsh world of the Siberian Wilderness you only have once chance to survive."

Gamers are put into the harsher parts of the landscape and forced to find resources that meet Lara's most basic needs: warmth and food within certain periods of time. All the while, predators pose risk to survive, as do other enemies.

Expect the whole artifact-hunting process to take much longer than usual, as gamers will be more concerned with not dying and losing their progress than with getting through the tasks quickly. As in real life, once you get too cold or too hungry you die, and that'll be the end of your progress.

SOURCE: Kotaku