Update 24-08-2007:
I have just released my third level in the series: Lost Chambers.
It only took 6 years LOL but eventually I got there. During the
past few years I have been working on it sporadically, sometimes
not touching it for many months. I managed to add a little Title
screen, a short cutscene and ending credits, so it turned into a
little mini-game on it's own. This new level actually contains 3
parts where Lara level-jumps back and forth. Because this third
level took such a long time to make, I don't know if there ever
will be a next one. I promised myself to stop after this one, but
I guess you never know if that "itch" can return. To be
continued....?
Here is a video preview by Piper
of Lost Chambers:
A while ago
I bought Tomb Raider Chronicles with the Level Editor and I've been
creating levels whenever I had the time. I've made a little maze for
trying out how the Editor really works. It's only a small level and
the textures are way off, but it turned out to be a funny level. Currently
I'm working on my third level, which will be in a series of many levels
that will ultimately be a full game with a story line and smooth level
switching. I will also try to include soundFX and ambiance music from
previous Tomb Raider games and maybe even other games. I'm also thinking
of making a whole new title screen flyby to make it a real standalone
game. With every level I publish here, notes on how to install the
level will be included and a walkthrough will also be released.
Level 1+2 zipfiles contain a self extracting executable which makes
the installation of my levels very easy. Further instructions on how
to install is described in the README.TXT in each zipfile. Level 3
zipfile is comepletely stand-alone and does not require the LE to
be installed.
Notes:
The level 1 zipfile contains
2 extra files: logo's for the title screen. There's also a separate
zipfile for these new custom designed logo's for people who have the
old version of level 1.
Level 2 has a couple of
small "bugs." The "sign-sequence-puzzle" in the
Puzzle Room can make the doors go open prematurely and if you fall
off the bridge or fall off the rope in the Firechase Room, you won't
be able to do the Firechase again. Just save before doing the Firechase
and if you do fall, just reload the game and try again :)
These "bugs" aren't lack of devotion, but due to limitations
of the level editor, which were discovered after building the level.
If anyone know a way to solve these "bugs", please let
me know!
As I get more experienced
and completed the tutorial, I will be able to create more bigger and
complex levels. I will also try to not make levels push the limit
of the size, but rather make more levels, giving you a more spread-out
of new levels as Core is planning on the next generation Tomb Raider
for the Playstation 2.
Enjoy the levels and if you have any further question or remarks about
my levels, you can drop
me a line or write it in my guestbook.
* * * The story so far
* * *
In the first level, Excavation Site, Lara
is just at the outskirts of Cairo and begins to explore the desert in
search for an excavation site where locals stumbled on a secret entrance
to the tomb of Ramses. The first level might seem short, but Lara will
return here later in the game, which is planned in level 4 or 5. After
fighting off a few baddies who are patrolling the site and try hard to
keep strangers away, Lara finds a dark hole in the ground and decides
to check it out, unaware of the dangerous situations that lie ahead.
After sliding down the long slope at the beginning of Underground Tomb
Of Ramses, Lara stumbles upon an ancient mind boggling puzzle. With her
witty mind and agility she tries to work her way through the underground
tomb to find out the truth about an ancient legend.
In the end of level 2 Lara falls into a deep hole and ends up in a mysterious
place called Lost Chambers, many kilometers underground where she is looking
for an ancient gem, the Crystal of Orion...
*
* * Tomb Raider - Ancient Legends reviews * * *
Excavation Site & Underground Tomb Of Ramses:
Now this is more like it! In fact,it's just the thing. A 2 level adventure;the
first taking place entirely above ground in a well crafted Egyptian desert
setting,the second in Ramses' tomb. The first level is very short but
fun,although apparently incomplete;I finished it with half a Cartouche
piece in my inventory. The Designer informs me(via his Web-site)that more
levels are on their way,so hopefully there will be a point to these incomplete
pick-ups. There's also a large metallic structure that serves no apparent
purpose. The second level is one of the very best I've played;whether
professional or not. The puzzles are absolutely ingenious,although somewhat
exasperating.. particularly a timed run to a locked door. I almost applauded
the wealth of ideas here. Superb. Play it! Marksdad
“This is the first level of the larger Ancient Legends game and I find
this hard to rate at the moment because this level will be incorporated
later on in the larger game so it hasn’t shown its full potential here.
Lasting at around 10 minutes the aim is to find one half of a cartouche,
make a couple of jumps across a sandy dune and slide down beneath the
sand to begin the second level. I will revise this review when future
levels are produced and this level is then taken further but for the moment
this is all I can rate it.” Sash
Being the second level in the larger Ancient Legends game this was just
a whole lot of fun to play. This hour long level revolves around a large
coded push and pull object puzzle that with different combinations opens
up gates to four separate puzzles all set in immense rooms where you need
to find a Hand and pull a lever to progress to the end. Along with 4 secrets
the other puzzles were also quite interesting especially the fire run
where tiles ignite right at your heels as you try to escape them while
making jumps to grab ropes or ledges, and a timed gate run that will also
keep you on your toes. This really was an ingenious idea and I can’t believe
it hadn’t been used before, well I haven’t yet come across it, anyway
go check it out and have some fun. Sash
This level was fun to play. I loved the puzzles. They were well thought
out; especially the puzzle with the flames that burn right behind you
when stepped on tiles and if you do not hurry you will get burned. Good
texturing, some stretched textures but that doesn't hurt. Normal enemies,
lack of pickups but there were no weapons so only medical pickups are
handy, enemies were scorpions, which aren’t that hard. Minor points were,
the level was too short, such a great level, well made up, nice game play
and still short, I finished both in less than an hour, pity because the
author could make it longer, another minor point is the "Flare Bug", which
I encountered, I knew that the flare bug will appear because there were
too many flame emitters activated, maybe the author should decrease or
anti-trigger them, any way a good level to play, worth to download. Yasin
I have just finished playing the two levels you made with the Level Editor
and they are good, not so much the first part, which is really just like
one room, but the second is ingenious and thoughtful, I like the way you
have kept the number of bad guys low but the puzzles and problems sharp,
very professional, I never had any particular problem with the bugs, but
before the fire run seems like a good place to save anyway so I missed
that one, I particularly liked the timed door sequence and the complex
structure of the tower in room 3 I think it was, may have been 2, anyway
it's the one you have to swim through a couple of tunnels to get to, I
found the star almost immediately but the small hole in the wall; up near
the ceiling where the flares were placed had me intrigued and I remained
here until I was sure I had been everywhere, one tiny detail though, when
I was in the Fire run room, and the Scorpion room at the top of the pole,
my flares wouldn't work unless I dropped them after lighting (by drawing
the guns), this wasn't enough to spoil it though, keep up the good work,
and I'm quite sure as long as you want to keep making new levels there
will be someone grateful person who wants to play them, I am just starting
to get somewhere with the Level Editor myself, so I know the amount of
work you have put into your two levels, but I reckon they were worth it,
and I enjoyed playing them, there are at least four other people here
waiting to play your two levels, my wife, sister, daughter and my grandson
and they will all doubtless be waiting for your next installment. I believe
that using the LE is definitely a form of artistic expression, the results
are like animated 3D sculptures, look at your Bryce Artwork, the Tomb
Raider world is very similar in a way, maybe not quite so abstract but
it has the same abstract feel to it. Reg Redfern
“Being the first part in a two part series, I can only hope the next level
is quite a bit longer than the ten minutes I spent here. It could be a
bit confusing as I found half of the cartouche and the door where you
use the cartouche, which could lead you to believe that you have left
the other half somewhere out in the desert. I'm assuming the other half
will be in the next level. I also found another door leading to a room
full of crates that I was unable to open. Either I missed the key or crowbar,
or it is opened in the next level as well. You'll find few enemies here,
scorpions and a few ninjas, and no puzzles. I did enjoy the interesting
jumps needed to get around the excavation site, which reminded me of the
Giza levels in The Last Revelation. The level was well lit with plenty
of places to explore. I found one secret consisting of the shotgun and
a large medi-pack. On to the Underground Tomb of Ramses.” RaiderGirl
“I'll admit I wasn't expecting too much from this level, assuming it would
just be a longer version of the first part. Not that the first part was
bad, it was just too short and easy. However, I was pleasantly surprised.
You can expect a good solid hour of entertaining gameplay from the underground
tomb of Ramses, filled with clever puzzles and some deadly traps to keep
you on your toes. Your objective is to retrieve four hands in order to
open the final door. Sounds easier than it really is, as in order to get
those hands you have timed doors, flaming tiles, rope swings, deadly spikes,
boulders, and flaming lava to get through. It's obvious the creator put
a lot of time and effort into this level and I highly recommend it to
anyone and everyone.” RaiderGirl
“Very short, but I like it. The textures and atmosphere are great. You
have to find half of an artifact and find the end, but it's not that easy,
there are deadly drops into pits and a spike trap room, which you have
to survive. There are a few baddies which are well placed. Overall this
level is quite good! I just love those sand textures! I can’t wait to
play the sequel. Download now.” John Lincoln
“Fantastic level! One of the best I’ve played. The main aim of the level
is to find 4 hidden artifacts, but to get to these artifacts you have
to solve several pushable object puzzles. On the way you encounter several
traps and puzzles you have to get through like timed runs and spike and
fire filled rooms. Some of the puzzles in this level are rarely seen in
others and it has also been superbly made and textured. This is a level
which I would like to replay again some time in the future! Download now!
You won’t regret it!” John Lincoln
“A nice desert level with well crafted atmosphere and beautiful exchange
of light and shadow. It seems to be only part of a series of levels, as
it is quite short with about 15 minutes playtime and you still have a puzzle
piece at the end.” Qwendo
“Great job! It was fun to play in the desert - OUTSIDE! yep.
The lighting and textures were good and there were not many enemies. The
ravine was great to play. Overall a nice level.” Henk Eland
“The 18 rooms of this level offer you a short and crisp 10 minute adventure
in the sand desert. The dunes are nicely done and the jumping around the
deep chasms was fun. Found one secret there, too. Other than that it is
shooting a few scorpions and ninjas (one nicely patrolling on the horizon)
and one half of a cartouche that you do not actually need (well, you need
to pick it up to open a door, though).” Michael Prager
“Fabulous level – from the great transition from Ancient Legends I
into this one with the slide into the cave, this level opens up very nicely
around a smartly done ‘four-way-puzzle’, which gives you a great feeling
of accomplishment throughout the whole almost an hour long level. The
timed door was quiet challenging and a few other puzzles in the four areas
were really fun. Definitely a ‘must-play-level’ for all the creativity
it holds. On the downside, enemies are not a factor (a ninja and two scorpions
I think), some of the running, climbing and shimmy areas are just a bit
too long and on the verge of being annoying and the texturing in the huge
rooms is too repetitive. I also had the flare bug (but it is not a big
problem) and found two rather uneventful secrets.” Michael Prager
“This level was really cool and nice, but it was too short. In the 10
minutes necessary to finish this desert level, you will kill some scorpions
and ninjas, and you will find half of a cartouche. The dunes were awesome,
and the texturization was the best part of the level! It’s worth a download.”
Treeble
“After playing more than 50 levels, some of them (very) good, some
of the bad, this level contained the WOW factor. It started with a nice
fly by, which I had to see again and even try so see where Lara came from.
For the rest, puzzles were great and original. I loved the huge room with
a very non-usual timed run. Also the water filled room where you had to
climb almost everything in sight. A pity that the flare bug appeared.
The only complain I would have: it was too short. Please keep on building,
Driber.” Gerty
Wonderful, one of the best I have seen. The puzzles were clever and I
loved the textures, the baddies are very well hiden, at the end there
is this very deep pit that you have to go down in order to finish the
level. And from what I have read its going to be a full game, I can't
wait. You did a great job on the two levels Daniel Sherwood
Lost Chambers:
"Now here's a blast from the past! You'd think that most builders
from the early days of level building have sailed off into the lens-flare
(well, the TRLE sunset, for those who are eluded by my analogies!),
but here comes Driber, finishing (well, at least continuing if not
that! Though it did seem pretty definitive in the end!) his Ancient
Legends series with quite an imaginative sequel to where his series
left off in 2001! If my memory serves me, the last installment was
Egyptian so the more eclectic style came as a bit of surprise for
me, and while I usually like these indeterminable settings, the texture
mix here never really grew on me through the almost 2 hours it took
me to finish the game, but it's solidly done, so I have no complaints
further than it being a matter of taste. Considering that, it's also
for the best that the gameplay takes the prize here, as incorporating
every step the whole level building scene has experienced since then
(custom objects, custom animations, and even a custom exe (but Mac
players, fear not! There's also a Mac-friendly version)) in a very
tasteful and enjoyable manner, this level surprises with fun twists
on well known puzzles and scenarios! I was a bit baffled at the inclusion
of no less than 2 mazes (well, one is for a secret, so you can probably
consider that an optional one), and I actually found the bigger maze's
easier version (you get to choose the difficulty, woo hoo!) much more
inventive with all the sound and object hints, than the difficult
one. But the rest of the gameplay flows so wonderfully, has so many
memorable moments, like all the quests for the seahorse keys, the
huge room with the suspended wooden beams, or the final battle area,
that I couldn't find it in my heart to down rate the level because
of that! The enemies on the whole don't play a huge role here (you
do meet the occasional spider, harpy, plus have a battle with giant
scorpions and a falcon demigod along the way!) as the level is more
puzzle and gameplay orientated and I only managed to find 3 of the
5 secrets. The music for setting the atmosphere and key moments was
well chosen and overall enhanced the already pretty enjoyable level
through the time it takes you to experience it to the fullest! Highly
recommended!"
eTux (27-Aug-2007) - trle.net
"Marvelous /fantastic piece of art ...... one off the best custom
levels ever builded so far ....... brilliant gameplay / nice puzzles
tough tasks to done nice graphics i recomend to all TR fans i was
wish to never end .......i cannot wait for another masterpiece like
this ........thx Driber ur the king cheers ....." Jack& (27-Aug-2007) - trle.net
"Right ! Let’s sprint ! Let us go as fast as we can into the Hall
of Fame ! This game is probably exactly what all TRLE fans have been
waiting for : A huge area to be explored like in Psikos games that
mingles with a game play and atmosphere that only Richard The Magician
could have designed . Unbelievable ! Enemies are few and mostly just
a piece of a cake , the difficulty in this game lies in its very complex
game play , to find the right path to continue although its sometimes
not very obvious what to do next but Lara will fortunately help you
out by giving you clues on what she would like to do , supported by
the beautiful voice of Jenni Milward ! This is a stunningly good game
and I would like to congratulate the author and all those who have
been involved in the making of such a fantastic 5 Star adventure .Many
, many thanks ! Your effort is highly appreciated and deserves no
less than 10 for all !" Ruben (28-Aug-2007) - trle.net
"I was rather fascinated by the interesting mix of textures in this
level – an effective blend of the familiar and unfamiliar. Excellent
music and a most convincing Lara voiceover also enhanced the experience,
but the real winner here was the gameplay. It was incredibly compelling
and intelligent (I must mention in despatches the brilliant ‘plank’
room, which I though was outstandingly inventive) and I loved every
single minute of it. An absolute must-play and the time just flew
past. Definitely one of those levels you won’t want to be over. More
please, Driber." Jay (29-Aug-2007) - trle.net
"This really is a beautiful well-rounded and self-contained game.
I love this sort of level where there is some non-linearity, where
there are plenty of "aha!" moments when you arrive at a place only
glimpsed before through a window or back to a previously blocked path
that you had almost forgotten about. The puzzles were exellent, a
labyrinth that I felt wasn't too tiresome, some inventive objects/floor
planks, and not too demanding secrets (well I got all 5). I liked
the textures though not all will, and the only thing I can suggest
is perhaps a few more enemies - in the final battle Lara didn't have
to break sweat. One can only hope now Driber is back that the quality
levels keep coming!" Adrian (30-Aug-2007) - trle.net
"This must be really the result of six years work. It´s an absolutely
stunning and professionel level. The gamepla is really a highlight
and quite inventive. You get all what you need in TR. excellent puzzles,
nice adrenalin rushing action and a lot to explore. Especially remarkable
is the \"wooden plank\"-room. As the whole game this room is full
of beautiful costum objects. You really have to see it. The only thing
I don´t like too much is this eclectic mix of textures. But otherwise
it´s really a masterpiece! You have to play it!" Raymond (30-Aug-2007) - trle.net
"The new and improved game is much more challenging than the other
two. Obviously the setting that the players are being called to explore
is Egyptian like but it’s not classic so to get bored with it. Be
warned that there two mazes and one of them has more than one levels
but the builder is giving the players the choice between easy and
harder gameplay so there is nothing to fear. You do have to use your
brain here and some times be really quick. The cameras are helpful,
the environment attractive enough and the five secrets nicely placed.
As for enemies those aren’t many but you get some really nasty and
hungry bats. The main big area is hiding many more rooms behind those
closed doors that will keep you entertained for about two hours with
puzzles that include moveable objects and careful jumping. I am sure
you will like this game as much as I did." Kristina (30-Aug-2007) - trle.net
"At first this adventure reminded me of Mantua's Squares (levels I
enjoyed greatly) with its large design elements and somewhat surrealistic
atmosphere. The game play, the most important aspect of a level, is
topnotch, and finding all five secrets is not difficult. One is seldom
at a loss; there is always something to do, always a definite progression.
The levels are well lit. I had some questions about what was going
on, but having now played these levels a second time, have resolved
all of them. The first time I had trouble with the jumps at the fire
pillars because Lara was trying to do a curved jump. The second time,
Lara stood in the corner of the burning pillar, foot against the edge,
and sidestepped toward that edge. Lara can't move, but she will shake
slightly and inch away from the corner without catching fire. Now
she can *backflip* to the lower pillar. Also on my first time I wondered
about the hole in the ceiling of the seahorse key room, and why Lara
never got there. But on the replay I saw that this gap is used by
a fly-by, to show the blocks rising in the seahorse key room, and
then to whisk through the ceiling tunnel to show the Orion gem (which
the seahorse keys will free). On my second time through I could appreciate
how well designed the play sequences are: my total elapsed time was
only one hour and forty-five minutes (and I found two small medipacks
that were missed the first time). There are two mazes, and I have
never found mazes to be very satisfying; all that is involved is a
methodical search. Unfortunately, the mazes don't improve with a second
play, even though I negotiated them without trouble. Sometimes the
room design is spartan, for instance when Lara comes to the burning
sea horse. There is essentially nothing in this large room area but
a few sloped blocks, some pillars, and a single push block in a channel.
Moving the push block turns off the fire, which was almost too simple.
Some of the texturing seems odd. The highlight of the adventure is
probably the wood plank room, a clever and imaginative construction
(I have no idea how the author pulled this off). It alone would make
the level a must play." dmdibl (07-Sep-2007) - trle.net
"This is the kind of level which makes you feel sad when you've finished
it; you'd like to play it more and more! A kind of level you can't
abandone until tomorrow 'cause it keeps the interest while playing
it from the beginning till the end. Excellent gameplay with good puzzles,
good environment, new objects, good animations, not impossible tasks,...
The big oval lava room is fantastic! I found features I had never
seen in any other level. I only missed some more enemies. A great
work you can't miss. Many thanks!"
José (14-Sep-2007) - trle.net
"This adventure is in that incredible class of levels that make you
pause to remember how lucky we are to have such powerful creators
as Driber. There are moments here replete with awesome game play and
intelligent design that will bend your mind beyond your wildest imagination,
and that’s what makes spending time in this author’s world so enjoyable.
On the negative side for me is the reliance on a set of mazes as a
central puzzle, and the absence of story, or theme to the adventure.
Hats off to the school of maze lovers that find these enjoyable design
elements, but I respectfully disagree. Ultimately, here they come
off as weak creative elements that are simply irritating, (“OK, let’s
get through this as fast as we can because it is so boring!”), and
contrast sharply inside this minor masterpiece, up against the author’s
creative genius with ingenious platform puzzles and marvelous intelligent
game play that literally blow your mind. You are in another world
here, and it’s a grand adventure that dazzles your senses with rich
and inventive textures; interwoven with soundtracks - music, effects,
and voice- that are so perfectly laid down you will love every minute.
This level shows that there is no limit to what this author is capable
of, and all the individually unique creative elements are here, just
waiting for a legendary masterpiece. Thanks for a wonderful game."
Mezcal (22-Sep-2007) - trle.net
"I haven't yet played the first two installments in this series, so
I have no basis for comparison, but with this single release Driber
has established himself as one of the premier artisans in the field.
This magnificent tour de force is every bit as dazzling as anything
I've seen from Dick, Horus, Piega, Magplus, or any of the other giants,
and I enjoyed every single second of the nearly three hours I spent
here. Although I used Dutchy's walkthrough (excellent, as always)
to make my way along, I was able to accomplish every task without
ever being tempted to use the flycheat. The lighting is superb throughout,
and this is more important to me than usual in this case, because
the surroundings are breathtakingly gorgeous everywhere you turn.
If I were to pick my favorite levels of 2007, Blood Mountain would
probably win the gameplay award, but AL3 would walk away with the
beauty award with no legitimate competitor in sight. I like the way
this level is packaged, too, with a no-brainer installation batch
file that sets up the game in a separate folder of your choice. This
is one I'm likely to replay a number of times in my doddering years.
Highest recommendations." Phil (05-Oct-2007) - trle.net
"To tell you up front, I am biased. I beta tested the level (for the
Mac) and Driber is also one of my favourite builders. What can I say,
I started this level and I didn’t want it to end. I am not saying
that it is a walk in the park but there is a certain flow throughout
this and also “aha” moments when you find the solution. There were
also some “wow” moments for me and I certainly was blown away to see
the “plank room”. This level is more about exploring and the few enemies
you meet here are very well placed. I even jumped in my chair when
a big scorpion nibbled at Lara when she was busy pushing a block.
I feared the maze, and as Driber did ask in the forum how people felt
about mazes I held my breath entering the three level maze, but this
maze was luckily not frustrated. The level is also full of puzzles
but also full of very handy hints. There are also some funny moments
thrown in, but find those out for yourself" Gerty (14-Oct-2007) - trle.net
"This was very nice two level adventure offering enjoyable gaming
time. Gameplay is as varied and interesting as it is possible to create.
You have to think all the time to get through this game and the round
area including planks is just amazing. Author has also made plenty
of custom objects which is always a big plus. Audio tracks add some
nice mysteriousness to the atmosphere and I liked it much. Despite
I liked this game I would have liked it even more if it was created
visually better. This game doesn't have real eyecandy and details
to offer but it looks still rather pleasurable. Hovewer, I recommend
this challenging game highly for every experienced raiders." Samu (20-Oct-2007) - trle.net
"This unique level was fun and challenging from start to finish. I
loved the unique puzzles that were very well-designed. My favorite
part was the spike run to a slide then to a rope, only to end up going
where you would not expect. I haven't played a level like this, and
if anyone chooses to play this, expect to really work for those seahorse
keys! I loved the music, but enemies were few, which is ok, since
the puzzles were definitely enough. I was not fond of the mazes, but
at least Driber was kind enough to give assistance to those who needed
it. All in all, a well done and challenging level." Shandroid (02-Nov-2007) - trle.net
"Well this was a surprise release, for me anyway, being so long after
the author's previous levels. I confess I waited a while after downloading
before playing. I don't know why I waited - what a mistake that was.
The start did not impress me much but it turned out to be a warm up
for things to come. This game contains fantastic textures throughout
which made me say 'wow' a few times. It was a very refreshing change
to have the majority of areas nice and bright. Very inventive rooms,
the plank room being just one example, and a maze with a choice of
difficulty was a nice touch. Not many enemies, which meant they did
not detract from the pleasure of exploring, and the secrets were fairly
easy, including an audio clue for the two-parter. This collection
of levels rates, for me, as one of the all time greats." Jez (19-Nov-2007) - trle.net
This level is really good. I mean it`s so well made and it really
takes time and thought to pass. The traps are so creative and unexpected,
the puzzles really make you take a second and think about the situation.
For me the best part of the entire level was the part when you shoot
the emerald vase and enter the lava and spike filled passage, I thought
that was really challenging and fun. It was even better than the traps
in the original tomb raider series. strike (26-Nov-2007) - laraslevelbase.org
"The first level I've played by Driber, and from the reviews of his
previous two of the trilogy - this is the best yet, and what a game
it is! I was very pleasantly surprised that, not only was this a level
not requiring the level editor, but it also incorporated the ability
to adjust screen settings (something I have a lot of problems with
as resolution for all levels load as an incorrect default setting
for me) that others who adopt the "download the play" feature don't
often think about. Nothing too challenging with gameplay but was nice
to be given options for some areas (hard or easy). I can see this
paving the way to incorporate alternate routes in levels, one can
only hope but could be a change to the linear route produced by builders
so far. Cryptic clues were used to find secrets (making it all the
more worthwhile and very original). Objects cleverly hidden due to
camera angles, excellent voice and music audio. Not too many enemies
to battle, but a great level doesn't equate to a multitude of monsters
to overcome. I had the right weapon to take out some of those tougher
enemies and the right amount of ammo to do it (often in levels I pick
up numerous amounts of ammo which is never used) which makes me think
that Driber thought all details of his level through - and that to
me deserves top marks." Jenni (17-Dec-2007) - trle.net
"Excellent game, keeps you glued to the computer and keyboard, and
won't let you go because you just 'have' to find out what happens
next. Not so easy, as the player may find themselves traversing the
same territory over and over again until they find the jumpswitch
they missed, or the newly opened door they saw in a camera shot back
a few moves ago. And if the player doesn't find that first climb through
tile they can't go back for it (at least I didn't find a way back).
Gameplay is the star here, and there's plenty of it. It's jam packed
with clever scenarios. Old familiar stuff that's been given a brand
new twist. Take a simple example, the boulders, not only to run away
from, but trigger them to do their own thing. The most obvious thing,
right from the start, is the look of the level. New textures, lovely
lighting and atmosphere. Lara falls from somewhere up there, into
a lake, and swims towards a castle. Basically we have two large areas/rooms
with many routes to smaller areas to find what we need. Although we
perform familiar tasks, the layout and texturing makes it all look
so new. Even the three tiered maze looks good, and that's some achievement!
We are helped along the way by the most convincing voice of Lara as
we search for seahorses and tablets with symbols on them. To find
these we have to master some feats of daring do and clever puzzles.
No prizes for guessing that these include boulder runs, water tunnels
(some with sinks), good object pushing puzzles, an amazing looking
ropeswing/spike and breakable tile run, careful jumping, the brilliant
wooden scaffolding-type walkway route over lava, timed runs, and tackle
giant scorpions, harpys, bats, spiders and a demigod... or was there
two?! When we finally locate the crown we saw through the railing
at the start, a tight timed run/swim takes us to a final room where
Lara is transported back up there, leaving us wondering where she
is off to now. I can't wait to find out. A funny incident happened
when I took the crown, curiosity made me place it again to see what
would happen. It changed into a Larabutt and flew out the door. I
couldn't stop laughing. Of course I saved before trying this. And
now all we have to do is wait patiently for the next installment.
And hopefully that won't take another few years :D. Highly recommended." CC (12-May-2008) - trle.net
"Wow.. It starts as it ends.. Beautiful. I must say that my expectations
where not really alive yet until I finished the first boulder puzzle..
it was brilliant. As I progressed through the levels I found only
1 texture bug which is in the waterroom near the last seahorse puzzle
item. There were no other things that are bad at all!! I must say
that when I finished it I was even more impressed by the way how it
was finished.!! With some sort of a cutscene which was in my opinion
very interesting.. Also in the room with the rope I felt like Alice
in Wonderland where it was unclear what was the up and down, it's
magnificent:D I absolutely am looking forward to more releases by
this author!!" Jeffrey (22-Jun-2008) - trle.net
"Indeed, I do not like mazes, but this time I will forgive the author
of this level set, not because he provide a user friendly version
of the maze, but because the rest of this almost two hour long adventure
is very inspired in terms of gameplay and superbly entertaining. You
always keep moving on without having to think too hard and yet it
is fun to master a great variety of tasks, supported by well chosen
audio, excellent camera guidance and a number of clever ideas for
progression. I did think that texturing and lighting was a bit weaker
than the other components of the level and often the room geometry
and texturing seemed very functional and not always fitting to the
overall environment, as if it was placed more as an afterthought than
having been a part of the overall design, but that did not spoil the
experience one bit for me. There are also 5 secrets to find and the
final one is indeed so 'deep' that you can collect it again and again
if you go back there later ;) So, do yourself a favour and play this
if you haven't yet and have fun with spikes, boulders, pushable objects,
collapsible tiles, the inspired wooden walkway room and a fun ending
with a nice cutscene and credit flyby." MichaelP (24-Nov-2008) - trle.net