This is kind of like Crystal Dynamics' take on the Uncharted formula (which itself took inspiration from earlier Tomb Raider games). Comparisons of the gameplay are easy to make, and though it doesn't have the polish of the Uncharted games, it's very "cinematic" in a similar way, and constantly tries to engage the player. Platforming feels pretty good, and all of the outdoor areas are suitably large and sprawling. In combat, the game doesn't really take any risks with the mechanics, but it's fairly satisfying and packs a punch. Overall, the gameplay is solid but nothing special, and there are too many QTEs and repeated set-pieces, which are often identical to each other and require the same actions from the player. The brown and grey coloured world has a kind of suffocating, depressing atmosphere, which I'm sure was at least partially intentional, so I guess that's effective. But on the other hand, exploration is an aspect of the gameplay, and the world just isn't very inviting to explore, apart from a few more memorable areas.
The writing isn't very good. The dialogue is cheesy, Lara's friends are all massive stereotypes, and there's a "twist" with one of them that I predicted the moment he opened his mouth. Lara's transition from normal girl into deadly killing machine happens in the blink of an eye, freaking out over her first kill, then effortlessly killing six more over the next minute. Throughout the story there is a weird disconnect between how easy it is to kill hundreds of people in gameplay, and how vulnerable Lara is portrayed in cutscenes. It's probably the most underwhelming thing about the experience, especially with how they built up that this is supposed to be a game about survival. Only the cutscenes tell that story, while the gameplay makes her out to be a female Nathan Drake... The tombs are disappointing too, consisting of easy physics puzzles contained in small areas, which Lara gets pointlessly sidetracked with while her friends are in terrible danger. For a game called "Tomb Raider" the tombs are really just brief distractions, and yet another disconnect between the gameplay and the narrative.
Although I was not the biggest fan of the older TR games, one thing I always really liked was Lara as a character. Yeah, she was overly sexualised, but she was also totally badass. "Sarcastic and wisecracking protagonist" might be a cliché, but games haven't done that very much with female leads, so she always stood out. She was also intelligent and independent, with a deep back story. If that's not a strong female character, I don't know what is? The new Lara is fine, and I like her too, narrative issues aside - but I will miss the old Lara, and I don't feel like this one will become her.
A decent game, above average, that remains entertaining enough to the end; but it doesn't capitalise on its potential. The gameplay is solid but nothing very special, and there are several missteps and sloppy narrative choices.