Levels listed...
TR5 - 31
TR4 - 3141
TR3 - 177
TR2 - 133
TR1 - 61
72342 reviews (20.4/level)
3532 (99.7%) walkthroughs
445 Hall of Fame levels
1221 levels rated >= 8
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release date: |
07-Feb-2006 |
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# of downloads: |
130 |
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average rating: |
9.70 |
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review count: |
32 |
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review this level |
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file size: |
106.00 MB |
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file type: |
TR4 |
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class: |
Alien/Space |
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| Reviewer's comments |
"This is definitely hall of fame material. While I have some (minor) issues with the gameplay, I'll chalk those up to my own personal preferences â even following Dutchy's very detailed walkthrough I found myself disoriented now and then in part due to the non-linear design of some areas, especially the opening level on the surface of Mars. And speaking of which, those landscapes are breathtaking considering the engine limitations the author had to work under. Lara delves deeper (and, well, higher) as she explores different domains in search of panels to activate the Genesis machine and eventually restore life to the red planet. The author states he wanted to push the envelope and he certainly did; I tried a manual installation but that didn't work (the readme does mention the Level Manager is a must, which I think makes this the first release I ever saw this as a requirement) so I downloaded the new ready to play version and played the extra media manually after wrapping things up. Gameplay is very fun and varied with a lot of tasks to be done in this now nearly deserted planet, and it definitely stands out with the amount of detail, not just the unique custom objects but also things like the animated texture for the elevator ride. Good stuff. 3h10min, 9 secrets. 09/23" - Treeble (24-Sep-2023) |
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| "All three levels were good, but of course 3 was the best !!! Nice & long, good challenges,
fairly linear, everything just GREAT !!!" - Juno Jim (30-Aug-2022) |
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| "One ladder up. A big step forward for all the players of the good and real old tomb raider. As great as the second part was, I now mean the third part, which pushes all the boundaries towards even better and even more excellent. About 4 and a half hours for everyone and great there is also a great shooter bonus level. The secrets are finely tuned and hidden not so far from the eyes. Enemies are not difficult and also unpredictable. Who's shooting at me from behind? :)
Mars is phenomenally done, the Martians are real friends. uvavoo is a great secret and when you collect all 5, you get a bonus level. how nice it would be for the author to make the 4th part. I think that would be real science fiction. And of course a medal!" - Ivan (21-Feb-2022) |
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| "What a wonderful adventure. Everything that a good raid should be plus a few added extras thrown in. I won't go on about each individual level except to say that the third "Terra Domain" was my favorite of the set. Each had it's own wow moments and as a whole they were great. Now, let us get on to a good point and a bad point. The magic squares were innovative and due to the reward acquired from each square they were worth going after. What I did not like was the mandatory use of the Level Manager if you wanted to see the in game fmv's which tied the story line together. Now I saw none of these as I do not use and will not use the level manager. So, IF this game requires that level manager to run in all it's glory than provide it suitably tweaked in the download. (Or else make the fmv's run properly). I really get annoyed when things are forced onto the player. Your level will then generally remain unplayed by the majority. Now I have not reduced the score due to this as where would I take off points? The game itself is wonderful so hence it retains what I consider a perfect score but if there were a software category it would suffer." - Torry (04-May-2018) |
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"There's a lot of variety here, as you go through multiple
elemental zones with distinct themes (which also avoid
leaning too heavily on cliches of that setup). There are
also some surprise visual twists later on, along with
some unique settings in general (especially the air-based
task). As an additional presentation element there are
also FMV's and other extra materials, although you have
to view them out of the game if you don't run the set a
certain way. Some areas look a little plain, but the
original areas with interesting object use mostly
outweigh that.
Gameplay is also great with good flow and a large variety
of tasks. The way your progress is rewarded with
gradually reactivating a giant machine also adds to the
feeling of progression. The secrets mostly seemed a
little simple, but the extra reward and bonus map for
finding them are nice. The bonus map so heavy with
enemies it borders on spam, but it does let you make use
of all the ammo you grabbed on the way I guess. A full
masterpiece to finish this series off that still has a
bunch of unique moments and ideas today." - Mman (04-Mar-2018) |
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| "A complete storyline just like it's meant to be told (I didn't manage the level manager so I watched the media files separately) has the always-working elemental scheme executed very well. Sometimes it takes a whole level to obtain one crucial item so the game gets really rewarding even though the raising platforms and switches may become repetitive. Complex secret system appeared a pinnacle really worth to fully explore so after bringing the balance to the forces of nature by single-handedly terraforming a whole planet, I could also hail the Great UVAVOO - probably an Outer Deity like those Lovecraft guys. SUMMARY: Sometimes imperfect but mostly unique, gripping and ending with a sense of great accomplishment. Floating recommended." - DJ Full (04-Dec-2016) |
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| "What a fantastic adventure. We have five levels
(plus one bonus level if you find all the
Uvavoo Crystals), filled to the brim with
brilliant puzzles, gorgeous surroundings and
many unique touches. Here are my thoughts on
each level:
Mars: The first level is situated on the
Red Planet itself, and introduces a new
feature: Magic Squares. There are also boulders
scattered around and some contain hidden items,
so look out for those. There is a nice platform
room that I enjoyed and the spaceship was a
nice touch.
Aqua Domain: A water based theme here,
and a hub room concept, where you perform
different tasks inside various rooms.
Highlights in this level include a deadly tile
platforming sequence and diverting the current
from a waterfall.
Terra Domain: Stepping out of the
previous level, we find ourselves in new
territory. Cyborgs run wild around this level,
so be aware. I loved the conveyor belt
sequences, they certainly proved challenging.
The audio files were brilliant in this level,
they really immersed me.
Aerial Domain: I hope you have a good
head for heights, because this level takes
place way, waaayy up. Beautiful lighting and
textures here. I enjoyed the laser traps and
the target shooting sequences.
New Mars: We return to Mars to find that
things have changed since our absence. The
planet is now a habitable place and Martians
have arrived. If you have found all of the
Uvavoo Crystals, you can use them here and
thus, enter the bonus level.
Bonus Level - Trouble in Space: A short
level, mainly to bring the story to a close.
Eliminating a sentry gun, shooting a lot of
guards and pulling switches is the order of the
day. The game ends with a nice cutscene.
Overall, this was an amazing game and an
incredibly immersive experience. This for me,
was a perfect game. Highly, highly recommended!" - Ryan (11-Sep-2016) |
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| "This is certainly the adventure I played the most and one of my personnal favorite.
I really enjoying to be in the place of Lara and discovered the many faces of Mars.
This is an fabulous adventure to the red planet with craters, canyons, caves ... and of course some mysterious facilities hidden everywhere on the planet.
The level start by a wonderful fmw who showing a strange spaceship who arrived on the surface of Mars and after that Lara is teleported to the planet and the game start.
Like the official views we are from this red world close to the Earth, we discovered red craters, empty lakes, lost rivers and strange building (even a strange monolith from a famous movie ^^) ... so, awsome.
So like a say before, we discovered few places and even the resting place of the last inhabitants of this world.
We also discovered this planet was like the Earth before but was destroyed by the cosmic collision with a comet.
The inhabitants leave there world to found some worlds like theirs through the galaxie (and see "planet of the ancien II"). So, like a real movie, the story was revealed step by step.
The game is not really hard even is sometimes some switchs are very well done (specially in the space station) but nothing impossible.
I certainly replay this game again and again.
Everything is fabulous, to the beginning to the end.
and, for the lucky people, we are the luck to play a bonus level who situeted before the events of "planet of the ancien 1" in a big spaceship.
Don't miss this game, it was certanly one a the best planet opera of the entire trle communauty.
Thanks a lot Uvavoo for this incredible adventure." - BigFoot (08-May-2013) |
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| "Well, this game is for me a bit harder to rate. Adventure on the planet Mars containing six levels (including bonus level). First four levels were great with good moments, good puzzles and good gameplay. But about the fifth level, boring, boring and boring, nothing to do here just going through to the end (epiloque would be more fun) and about the bonus level same here boring, boring and boring (just "hundreds" of enemies and "hundreds" of levers...) Nevertheless all levels have great atmosphere, lighting and textures, that was really impressive. One last thing secrets, well some were hidden nicely but mostly and all uvavoo crystals (you need all for bonus level) were too easy to find and that really wasn`t funny!!! Overall an adventure which will give you good enjoyment. Recommended. 8/8/9/10" - OverRaider (16-Jan-2013) |
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"Mars - The first level of this last episode of the series by this highly talented builder. I just loved the gameplay of this level and I enjoyed it a lot till the end. Textures have a double face in my opinion; the first one is that they're very original (at least some of the ones from the silver key room), and the second face is that they're quite weird (like in most of Richard Lawther's projects). The objects are great too. I should highlight that you'll be visiting this "interconnected" level each time you finish your visit for each "world/domain". That building is... well, I rather have no words to define it - or yes, just DIVINE.
Aqua Domain - Here starts the journey through all the "worlds" of the adventure. In each one the objective will consist in obtaining each cartouche (in this level it'll be the Aqua domain). As s beginning, I should highlight the difficulty, which goes progressively increasing - a big room at the end (which is shown in one of the levelinfo pics by the way) is one clear example of that increase of the difficulty. Objects here are much better than in the previous level; enemies are very funny indeed. Textures are, in my opinion, much more beautiful - I really like that idea of applying those textures that were originally used in "The Vault of the Trophies" level from Angel of Darkness).
Terra Domain - After having visited Mars for a second time (as I mentioned above) now our heroine will be visiting Terra Domain. More enjoyable gameplay here (as usual) and more nice enemies - basically droids. Excellent textures newly and very beautiful objects. My favourite part of this level has been the conveyor part - that conveyor belt was so looong, hehe. That room is even more promising that a new taste of sweets, hehe. Just kidding, booo. :D
Aerial Domain - Wow, and now we're going for this BRILLIANT level. This one has been very special for me - full of very big rooms. Those colours of the lighting are... wow, just awesome (of course just if you don't enable the Volumetric Effects FX). A lot of new original objects are nice concepts. Many tasks to do in this huge level (for which I don't mean this is making levels more boring somehow, all the opposite for this masterpiece). The same enemies (flying bugs) and some guards too. Very sensational gameplay I experimented continuously while playing through this particular level. This was undoubtedly my favourite level of the whole levelset, and it'd be possibly yours too. :)
New Mars - Last level of this awesome game (if not counting the bonus level - Trouble in Space). Sincerely, the one I least enjoyed. This is basically a very similar level to the first level, Mars, but with a totally different aspect. This time we are seeing a totally different coloured planet (green and with a great vegetation). Objects are similar as in the first level and finally, there're no enemies in this "epilogue". The fly-by showing you the good aliens is absolutely stunning. Very well-worked one btw. Also, the most important feautre (highly possibly) is the idea of the author of creating all those Indian guys kneeling to the author, who nicely included a photography of himself on the wall. :D
Trouble in Space - This is the bonus level, which will be only accessible if you collected all the 5 UVAVOO crystals in each level. This level, finally, gives us another look of the whole game. The outfit is the one she wore in the previous episode of the series and all the concetps are totally different. Enemies here could be said that are guards basically (but dozens and dozens of them, this was really excessive - regardless how you consider it.
Beautiful objects used in this final level, as usual, and good textures too.
Overall - WOW, this has been truly a majestic adventure full of incredible conecepts everywhere. I highly recommend it to any kind of players. No matter their experience or anything else - I am pretty sure many people will love this level as I did or highly possibly even more. :P Excellent game, Richard. Everyone who plays this majestic adventure can see you highly skills with the Level Editor. RECOMMENDED FOR EVERYONE!" - MrJavi94 (15-Oct-2012) |
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"Mars: The first Cutscene and the next Flyby are just incredible. I have seen such a thing till present not too often. The Mars surface looks first-class. And again loots uvavoo Sci Fi films. This sometimes he has intended the classic 2001 from Stanley Kubrick. No bad choice. And, finally has uvavoo given some Flarepackages. This was the big deficiency in part one and two. There one could find no Flares generally.
Aqua Domain: These small flying defensive robots remind me of something. If I only knew, to what. I believe, that I have seen something so already in a Indiana Jones game, now am not sure, however, in such a way. Could also have been a TR level. Anyway the small fleabags are quite devoted. It gives, however, damn a lot of pleasure, because the whole rooms are built really well. It should be added a great sound and enough camera hints. However, it would have been better in my opinion if one could have played this level without the space suit, because it looks here in such a way as if quite a normal atmosphere existed.
Terra Domain: Hardly I have come into this level, I am be over the moon with the lift. This lift is something like that from brilliantly that I would best have driven several times up and down with it. These are just the small things in the life which prepare for so much joys. The gigantic cave looks very good, indeed, here one can also find a few stretched textures. And for the Rollingballs the Trigger are apparently absent, because they have not rolled down. Also in this level the rooms and machines look first-class again. And if one thinks, it cannot become better at all, one is taught of a better. These glass domes are simply sensational. And at least as well are the Flybys.
Aerial Domain: What should I write to this level? Now I would be able to write every superlative which I know, but nothing would do justice to this level even roughly. However, there is a small thing which has disturbed me. At a place one had to shoot four power supply lines. This is, in principle, no problem, but in this case Lara stood relatively far from the power supply lines and thereby it was very difficult to strike these lines with revolver and Lasersight. However, this is already the only negative point in an otherwise fantastic level.
New Mars: Is there, actually, something what Lara is not able to do? Now she has made, nevertheless, actual to repair a highly complicated machine. And suddenly Mars is not so hostile to life at all. And that uvavoo humor has, proves he with the Credits and the access to the bonus level. Only for this it has been worthwhile to play PotA 3. The bonus level has still given sometimes so properly pleasure. Though most time was relatively dark, but I had enough Flares in the luggage, hence, this was no problem. However, this bonus level get a little bit out of the line, because here there were much more opponents than in the previous Levels.
And with it I am at the end of this absolutely successful series. I can only hope that we will hear and see in the foreseeable future once more something from uvavoo." - Scottie (11-Jun-2010) |
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"I had the pleasure of beta testing this a long time ago. It's been a good old/new experience going through it again as a player and seeing the additions that had me Wow-ing all over again at the brilliant sights to be seen, the use and look of objects, enemies, flybys, music, atmosphere, texturing, lighting, in fact the whole thing. It's ironic that I had just finished playing this when I saw the film Total Recall on tv, which is somewhat the same type of scenario, but Uvavoo does it much better. The idea of the Magic Squares is great. We find them by looking at the load screens in each level. If there is anything to suggest at this point it is to save often and in different slots. It would be impossible to mention everything. So briefly...
Mars: As we assume it to be, red sand, rocky mountains, and humans need breathing apparatus (although this one letıs in water!). At first this might seem daunting as we explore the vast landscape for hidden keys. But that soon passes as we become involved in the whole experience. We discover a room with the first of many platforms to raise, and fall through the sand to find a lovely temple. We also get our first glimpse of the huge Genesis machine and our first attempt at starting it up.
Aqua Domain: Lara then falls into a huge water logged temple (more earthly than martian). This is as good looking as the other levels, and is the first 'element' area to explore. So being Water we will be doing a fair amount of swimming. But that's not all. There are excellent tasks like connecting huge pipes, diverting a waterfall, raising more platforms, and flooding the lower rooms. Brilliant! We meet the first of many flying spheres, trigger the next section of the Genesis machine, and use a most believable elevator to descend into...
Terra Domain. And a very red, and very large cave it is, with terrific jumping and exploring around the perimeter. This place is guarded by many robots and Borgs. We have to raise a single platform this time to get high up and into lovely halls with highly polished floors where we activate light beams later on. We ride the conveyor belts, in many rooms, to collect important items and reach switches. This was so much fun, especially as we need to dodge hazards as we slide along. Important items are the shovel parts we will need when we climb up into an awesome Biosphere with it's unusual trees and plants. There's a fun timed swim here and some digging to do. As the next element is air it is no surprise to find that we now enter an elevator in a sky high tower that will take us up to...
Aerial Domain: Jawdropping sights in this wonderful place. We are high above the surface of the planet, jumping to floating buildings. Although they are pretty simply concepts I loved the breakable walkways, rising platforms, moveable objects, target shooting, and even the borg and flying enemies. Suitable obstacles up here are many unique lasers to work our way through, electrical items to push around and shoot, which was brilliant, timed target shooting with machinery in hot pursuit, and an excellent tease to find the uvavoo crystal. We go through the final floating building and find ourselves at the very top of the Genesis machine and finally get this monster to work. Placing our final element disc we are treated to an amazing flying that shows the aliens waking and the wonderful transformation of Mars to a Earthly paradise of....
New Mars: Wow! More aliens are flying about and coming in for a closer look. And they are now ready to take their hard working comrades home. A beautiful moment as we see them waving goodbye. What a brilliant imagination Uv has! The natives think so too as we discover them worshipping Him of the sparkling toothı, LOL. Here we can use one of our crystals to enter the Bonus Level, called...
Trouble in Space: Lara in star trek outfit as she starts this fairly easy going run through a space ship. This was intended for another game/series, but it's nice that it's included here. Because let's face it, I wasn't ready to leave yet. There are plenty of robots and guards. Some guards don't attack unless you kill their comrades. But that was not easy to avoid. Brilliant surprise when I found I could blow a hole in a wall by blowing up some crates. Then finding a way to get up an electrified slope, and finding a pod to escape.
This is a superb level series that stays in theme throughout. Excellent storyline that leaves us feeling we've accomplished what we set out to do and it is now complete. There are some hair raising moments, but overall everything can be done by the newest newbie. A lot of work has gone into creating this and it shows. Totally unmissable. All hail to the Great Uv!" - CC (12-May-2008) |
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| "I always seem to have some difficulties reviewing levels I've had to beta-test, and this masterful series unfortunately turned out to be no exception. But, as they say, better late than never - and this, so far the latest part of the Planet of Ancients series already way back then proved to be my favourite part of the series. It doesn't take long to convince you that this is a game worth your stay as the atmosphere on the surface of the Mars is absolutely amazing, the storyline unfolds in a very interesting way, and not only because of the neat options like FMV's enabled due to the help of LevelManager (recommended to play it this way - I was a bit reluctant at first too, but it simplifies a lot of things, so definitely worth your while when you get over the learning curve and setting up phase for this program). The progression itself is linear - taking you through the 3 elemental satellite levels one by one as you activate the genesis machine in order to... reactivate the planet itself. For some reason I was not really all that keen on the Water domain - I mean it was not a bad level as such, but I suppose there was something that didn't click with me in the sewers-like settings here. The Earth and Aerial domains on the other hand were very much for my liking in every way, offering many memorable moments like the conveyor belt rooms, the bio-domes, the awesome floating structures and so much more. It's also neat that the game seems to pay tribute to many notable Sci-Fi series and films out there, 2001: A Space Odyssey & Total Recall to name a few, but possibly a lot more that have eluded me at this point now. The enemies are actually quite sparse and don't play a major role here, but make sense when and where they appear, whether they are flying bots, cyborgs or robots. If I'd have any remarks then I think Uvavoo could've pushed the surreality and oddwordly atmosphere of the game even more, as for example, such items as shovels and crosses seemed a bit ordinary in the context of the rest of what the game offers, and there could've been more innovation as far as weapons go, to not make it a bit too weird to find a Revolver or Uzi on Mars (though you can technically argue that it's just as weird to find it in a recently unearthed temple, and at least here you could write it down on the author possibly implying connections between the Mars and Earth civilizations), but then again - the author could've done all those things and there still would've been ways to go further before all the possibilities of the scenario are exhausted, so it's not a fault as such. Overall - an impressive series definitely worth your time, especially if you're into Sci-Fi and its interpretation in form of a world of Lara's. Not to be missed!" - eTux (20-Oct-2007) |
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| "Very nicely built level. Really good atmosphere and very innovative idea. I didn't have any difficulty in finding crystals and found them all. Unfortunately, I found the bonus level quite boring and decided to drop it after a while. The puzzles are not very difficult, there are not many timeruns and enemies. I was stuck only one time and had to consult other players who had the same problem and were stuck at the same place where the platform was raised but Lara couldn't get hold of it. I must say that I also didn't understand why Lara is losing her breath under water if she wears the astronaut suit? I found the atmosphere to be good but very human like. Also one more innovative idea about save game and finding invisible which at first seemed to be not so easy to do, but at the end I liked it. In all good level." - Monica (12-Aug-2006) |
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"Well, I guess I have to say that I have not had so much fun and engaged myself so deeply into a custom level in a long time. The overall plot here and the way it has been brought together with all these marvellous pieces of innovation, like the Magic Squares, the movies, the uvavoo crystals, the brilliant composed audio and so much more, makes this one hell of a special raid that you should not be missing.
Mars (9/10/10/9, 35 min., 3 secrets): Lara lands on Mars in her cool outfit, helmet included. The adventure starts with a bit of exploration for keys, some platform jumping and then you enter an underground temple. There are at least two possible stuck situations with a point of no return, so make sure you keep a series of savegames in case you go wrong. Great introduction of the story and your quest with the scrolls and what a wow effect as the genesis machine gets introduced.
Aqua Domain (10/10/10/9, 70 min., 4 secrets): I just loved the gameplay in this part. It is actually highly complex but thanks to logic and good use of cameras never confusing and there is always an obvious next thing to do in order to put all the pieces together. Push blocks and other objects around in order to connect water pipes, great use of the little elevators, avery long swim and then more action in a waterfall room, with jumps in a lava room and eventually one annoying moment as that jump to the lifted elevator was made unnecessarily tricky due to the railing. You leave with the aqua cartouche and return to Mars level to place it and activate stage one of the genesis machine.
Terra Domain (9/9/10/9, 65 min., 1 secret): Very cool effect as you get on the elevator to go deep down underground. The atmosphere is suitably red and you get to jump around the perimaters and fight Borgs and robots. Later you make your way through rooms with nicely polished mirror floors in order to prepare for the next great effect - a lightbeam through crystals. Great fun to master the jumps on the conveyor belts and what a Wow effect as you reach the bio domes area near the end. After some timed swimming and some digging (loved the map), you return with the Terra cartouche to activate the next stage and move on to...
Aerial Domain (10/9/10/10, 40 min., 1 secret): This time the elevator moves suitably upwards and more Wow effects await. Again the gameplay is fluent and thanks to the camera hints you always know what to do next. Jumps from one floating platform/walkway to the next, a timed run which is not too tight, great effects as you activate or deactivate the electricity, jumping around lasers, nice variation of the moving spikewall and some timed precision shooting. The action never stops. The one secret (uvavoo crystal) in this level did not register for me. At one point in time I had a myraid of pickups in the inventory that really is never needed, but helps faster progression later. Eventually you return to the Mars with your Aerial Cartouche and finally manage to activate the Genesis machine fully...
New Mars (not rated, 10 min., 1 secret): Probably one of the best flybys in custom level history as you are introduced to the result of your hard work and the wonderfully revistalised planet and the inhabitants bid you farewell. I accidentally ran onto a trigger that opened the (hilarious) uvavoo temple, so the gems are not actually needed, except for one to enter the bonus level.
Trouble in Space (7/7/8/7, 30 min.): Well, ok - a Bonus Level, but rather an anti-climax here. Probably because of the greatness of the previous adventure this felt dull and tedious, running from one lever to the next, killing plenty of guards and robots (which due to all the ammo and medis collected was no challenge at all), so I wonder if the overall impression of the series would have been better without it.
Bottomline, this is a true masterpiece. I am not sure the actual media files outside were worth the trouble (even though of course perfectly done), as I was already taken in fully by the game by the 'conventional' use of flybys in game. But I did absolutely love the idea of the Magic Square. Hoping for a Part 4 to come!" - MichaelP (08-Aug-2006) |
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| "I liked the 3rd part best until now - some really nice special effects :) And the puzzles were not as easy as I thought. Lara needs to think a lot, push levers, collect many items, among them five crystals, but I got only four, so could not play the Bonus Level :( There are also a few timed sequences but all very manageable. :) Very well designed, great graphics, great enemies which near the end are quite a pest. ;)
Sound was good as well, textures very cleanly applied. I especially liked the garden on the planet...uvavoo has had many great ideas here and especially the ending is very well done... Thanks uvavoo :-)" - Engelchen Lara (09-Jul-2006) |
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| "This is indeed Richard's best game so far. The whole atmosphere and setting is superb, not to mention the story that matches the gameplay. It's a space-like adventure with Lara on Mars trying to open the way and collect the items she needs, wearing a space suit. I liked very much the secrets, Magic Squares and the uvavoo crystals we had to collect in order to play the bonus level. I found the Magic Squares that were not difficult and nine secrets but fortunately all five crystals so I accessed the bonus level that was shorter than the others but with enough enemies and nice gameplay. There is electricity to overpass in the plain levels, a lot of doors/trapdoors at some point and the green areas reminded me something of the Bio level from Tomb Raider-The Angel of Darkness, the official game. I liked very much those areas both in the original game and in Richard's levels because of the colours involved and the greenery. In one of the last levels Lara can pass the electricity without turning it off and push the buttons and switch but that's not the proper way to proceed in that area. The only thing I absolutely hated, even if they were well done, was quitting the game to watch the FMV movies. I find it unfair to be 'forced' to use the Level Manager program, which I am never going to use because I find it totally unnecessary (unless something spectacular happens), and I believe this kind of sequence where other players not using LM have to quit the game, shouldn't be included again in a custom level. Apart from that the game is really worth playing. I am curious to see what the builder will come up with next." - Kristina (30-Apr-2006) |
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| "Mars: The red planet is beautifully created here and the atmosphere (no pun intended) is absolutely wonderful. Exploration is the key as the sands are hiding a number of things and there are no enemies around.
Aqua Domain: Flying droids inhabit this section and they're quite fierce. There is, as expected, a lot of swimming and raising/lowering water levels to accomplish, together with the odd block puzzle and a general bit of leaping about.
Terra Domain: This starts with quite the best lift simulation I've ever seen. The sliding walkways are fun, the bio domes are really impressive and I just loved the 'location' map; what a lovely touch.
Aerial Domain: It's vertigo time again. Lots of jumping around in the sky, hindered by borg and I was made extremely nervous by the inordinate amount of medipacks and ammo I kept picking up. There's a lovely sequence concerning the terraforming of Mars (shades of Total Recall anyone?) and the resurrection of the Martians - so well done.
New Mars: Well, the place does look very different with grass and blue sky. If you collected all the Uvavoo crystals you can access a bonus area (and I really chuckled over the natives worshiping the picture of (presumably) the great Uvavoo himself.
Trouble in Space: It's a bit of a shooter this part and a great opportunity to have a go with all that lovely revolver ammo. Lara's changed from her spacesuit into a very fetching Star Trek Next Generation series one uniform (yes, yes, I know, but no-one is too old to be a geek, you know), which makes it much easier to run around the ship and shoot all the baddies.
The references to sci-fi films such as 2001 and Close Encounters are a delight and the whole game is innovative and amazingly enjoyable and I especially liked the idea of having goodies in the spot shown on the load screen. You just have to experience it for yourself." - Jay (20-Apr-2006) |
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| "First I have to tell to the author that I didn't use the software TRLevelManager, but I downloaded the zip patch with the four files from TRLE.net forum and the videos worked fine for me, you only have to remember always start the game with "play_the_game.exe" and that's all. Good. The space adventure was very good for me, with a lot of new features and a nice gameplay with no difficult tasks, you will not have to think very much to advance through the different and well worked scenes. There is a contrast between the first levels and the bonus level, in first case there's very few enemies, but in bonus level you'll find many many enemies, but don't worry, you'll find lots of bullets to shoot, as many medipacks and flares. The level I enjoyed very much was the Aqua Domain, 'cause there were most interesting puzzles for me. Another levels were not so good 'cause you had to pull many switches and little to think. Only one strange detail to comment: in Mars levels Lara wears her space suit, with her spheric glass helmet and the air set (oxygen and nitrogen) at his back to can breathing, but when she dive underwater she can get drowned! Jocking apart, a level highly recommended to play." - Jose (13-Apr-2006) |
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| "This game in ways surpasses every level that has gone before it as you are treated to real in-game movie styled cut scenes that help introduce and explain the story behind it all. I was absolutely gobsmacked at the professional look and quality these cut scenes had, it astounded me to think that a 'mere amateur' and not somebody working for a gaming company produced this. That aside the game itself is just fantastically involving, again helped along by such a strong storyline, where Lara has to help the inhabitants of Mars bring their planet back to the once lush and organic planet it once was. To do this she first has to make her way underground where a huge machine, The Genesis Machine, sits idle waiting to be turned on so that it can replenish the world of all it's natural elements. It is then on to 3 separate levels all themed by an element, water, air, earth (well technically I guess they don't call it earth on Mars) where she must find three cartouches to bring back and restart the monolithic machine. There are so many wonderful settings in this game that you really need see them to understand how brilliant they are, but for example the air level was just stunning as Lara is taken miles up into the atmosphere among floating platforms, buildings, and what looked and felt like a metallic castle, this level alone for me made the whole journey worthwhile. When you finally get the Genesis Machine back into working order you watch as the red planet has now been transformed into a gorgeous green landscape, and the friendly aliens that had placed themselves in suspended animation waiting for the time that their 'Chosen One' would revitalise their planet are awoken and stand in a group waving and thanking Lara for all she has done. You aren't done though as there is still a little cave dwelling before you can leave and when you finally get to the end you are greeted with the most hilarious scenario I have ever seen in all my raiding, it cracked me up no end but I won't give it away, you shall just have to see it for yourself. Oh did I happen to forget to mention that if you have found 5 special secret gems you can also access a bonus level that takes place on a spaceship, well if I didn't I'm telling you now. I would class this bonus game as mainly a shooter but like the rest of the game there are some great little effects thrown in. So would I recommend this game to anyone reading this? Hell yeah! I spent 4.5 hours having a full on blast loving every second and I'm sure you will too, just make sure you keep an eye out for those special 'Magic Squares', yeah you guessed it, another new feature!" - Sash (02-Apr-2006) |
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| "You can see that"Close Encounters of the Third Kind" is again a major part of this latest Planet Saga of Richard. This adventure is placed on Mars and there were some big WOW's at my end while playing it. I have to admit I missed out one secret, not one of the Uvavoo's Crystals mind you, so luckily I could also play the bonus level. There are some timed runs but these were pretty easy (I'm not the best timed run player though) and exploring is a huge part. Do remember places where there are doors, as there is a bit back and fro. Loved the Borg, Robots and droids. Getting the Terra forming machine to work, that is your goal and you are in for a big surprise when that happens. There is an overload of ammo and medipacks, but I didn't mind. I rather have this that conserving every step of the way. I hated the part up in the air as that took me ages to go through as my fear of heights kicked in and Lara does fall an awful long way down. 21-03-2006" - Gerty (22-Mar-2006) |
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| "The idea of the game is the Alien theme. Lara brings life to planet Mars by gathering all the elements required. She will do that by visiting the Terra, Aqua and Aerial Domain. You find yourself on planet Mars and the view is really spectacular, but once you have found the keys you needed you enter a new world which is created by another civilisation and you find yourself (Lara I mean) as beeing 'the choosen one'. The puzzles in the game are quite easy and predictible, but the atmosphere on Mars and the images make the whole adventure so real (especially if you play with headphones). But there is a thing that I didn't feel it suited the alien theme: the environment was too much human-alike, except The aerial domain. The digging in the biodom after a map was also nice - it reminded me of the pirates treasures hidden on an island. But the cross.. What was that doing there? Another thing that I didn't understand was why Lara looses breath while swimming underwater if she is wearing an astronaut suit?...and along the way you have to collect far too many healthpacks (I finished the game with 35 which I don't think they fitted Lara's back-pack). Although I don't like a game with too many enemies this one had some but they were so easy to destroy. It became boring just shooting at them. I loved the ending scene when the aliens prove not to be an enemy and they wave good-bye at Lara. The action flows and there aren't many moments of panic in which you don't know what to do next and feel like you wanna abandon the game. But all-in-all I enjoyed the game." - dya1403 (20-Mar-2006) |
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| "This is by far the most ambitious set of levels released by Uvavoo, and it certainly lives up to its advance billing. It easily meets my test for a four-10 review: Would I pay for it, and would I play it again. I understand that Richard is planning to bundle all the POA levels into a single playable game, which in my mind would rank it right up there with the commercial releases. Because of my lack of success with the Level Manager I wasn't able to watch the added media in-game, but this didn't detract from my understanding or enjoyment of the gaming experience. I went to Richard's site and watched them there, and in answer to his question I think they're a nice touch but not necessarily a crucial part of the game. If a way can be found (perhaps in releasing the bundled package on a CD) to play the FMV segments without the hassle of the Level Manager, in the same way we experienced this in the commercial releases, that would be wonderful. As for POA3 itself, there are so many innovations here that it would be impossible to mention them all. The concept of the Magic Square is something new, although I couldn't get the first one to work even though I was positive I was standing on the right square. The game proper took me just over six hours in net gaming time, and there's a bonus level you can access if you have this burning desire to acquire an extra Uvavoo crystal or two. The bonus level was described as a prequel to the entire series, and while rather linear it's cut from the same futuristic mold that distinguishes the later levels. Much of the action centers around activating in stages a Genesis Machine that transforms the barren Martian landscape, and I enjoyed myself most in the floating platforms section. The music will be familiar to science fiction film fans, and everything fits together almost perfectly from start to finish. Highest recommendations." - Phil (11-Mar-2006) |
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| "This is a great adventure with realistic elements. It is a real sci-fi adventure. :) Similar to Oxy, who is the master of Castle-levels, Uvavoo is the master of sci-fi. :) He brings so good ideas to life that I dropped my teeth. This level also proves that the fan-made levels are sometimes better then the ones in the main episodes. The original creators could learn some tricks. :) The textures are fantastic, and the added sounds are also great. This adventure is a real masterpiece. In the third episode of the trilogy we are wandering on the Mars. This is told during the cutscenes of this complete story. You never get bored, because the locations are so various, and the handling of the videos are also well settled, so the eternal "whichisthatopeneddoor" searching doesn't exist here. The challenges are fun, I liked especially the digging according to the map, and the instruction scripts. There are 10 secrets on the level. There appeare only 8 of them in the savegames, because I missed one, and the game forgot to count the other one. We can pick up other extra items if we find the square from where the screenshot of the loading screen was made. You can read more about this in the readme. You can find a Hungarian walkthrough (as we don't have English version), savegames and pictures here: http://treditor.hu/16/planet_of_the_ancients3.htm" - Obig (01-Mar-2006) |
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| "A massive and ambitious level that provides a LOT of wow moments. I
play on a Mac, and for me having to jump to the web did not degrade the
game experience. I have to say that for the number of animations, fly-bys,
and cameras, that this one is remarkably bug free. The powerful aspect of
this piece is that is has a real story. Lara is going through the different
domains in order to achieve a objective. After each domain (which are very
different from each other), she returns to the central Mars power station,
which provides a powerful sense of continuity. The piece also has a real
ending which provides a genuine sense of closure and emotional pay off.
These are the reasons I rate the level as I did. For there were things that I
do have to mention. For me, much of the gameplay involves too much
back and forth over the same ground. I didn't find the gameplay very hard,
and I started taking the piece for granted. I guess I've played too much TR
and I find that annoying. Also the there is not a consistent sense of
design that gives the feeling of another planet. This is Mars, and familiar
elements from Earth (such as giant wrought iron gates and the Celtic
cross) should not show up here. The Aqua domain was very earth-like,
resembling the courtyard of a giant mansion, and that did not give an alien
feel to that part. The Aerial domain was superb in this sense - it felt like
another world. The enemies were appropriately alien, but I didn't have
much trouble with them. The avatar/borgs went down in the usual way,
and it was easy to get the clever flying robots stuck in the textures. I say
these things because I see the author traveled the extra hundred miles to
give us a superb adventure, and I want to take the time to give decent
feedback. The bonus level is a quickie shooter that's fun to play if you're
feeling aggressive (although I certainly hope the entrance to the bonus
level is tongue-in-cheek). I feel this is absolutely one of the finest custom
levels ever created for us, and I feel profoundly grateful to the author for
this gift." - Duncan (26-Feb-2006) |
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| "This set of levels takes Lara to Mars where she lands from the alien craft she boarded at the end of PotA
2 - as usual Uvavoo has for the most part done a great job of creating an alien environment, and this
time you can see most of it as it's not too dark! The Martian surface looks fantastic and you
immediately notice the influence of movies such as 'Close Encounters' - even more so towards the end
of the game when the aliens wave goodbye. (I also recognised an echo of 'Total Recall' when Lara finally
activated the last part of the Genesis Machine, but maybe my imagination ran away with me ;) When
Lara ventures under the surface there are more beautiful places such as the mirror floor rooms and the
large cavern, and later, outside again, the lovely greenhouses with their decidedly alien looking plants,
and the vertigo inducing Aerial Domain. The conveyor belts were a nice touch, and they certainly made
me think about how Lara needed to use them as they weren't that straightforward - it may look an easy
way to move, but getting off cleanly is another thing! On the other hand some aspects didn't work for
me as well as I hoped - a large part of the gameplay revolved around either finding switches or
shooting bad guys, sometimes many of them at once, and I have to say that by the time Lara activated
the final part of the Genesis Machine I'd had my fill of gunfights so it was a relief that the final New
Mars level was short and peaceful! But despite that I finished with a heap of ammo and medipacks so
most players should get through the fights OK if they make sure they find the best spot to defend
without getting too badly hurt, and have spent the time to find plenty of goodies. The illusion was
strained a little when Lara's life-support suit didn't work underwater, and the Martian gravity should be
much lower than Earth, but as I understand these things are hard-coded into the game itself and it
would be very difficult to do anything about them so I suspended disbelief. I managed to find all 5
Uvavoo Crystals and the game told me I'd found 7 secrets, but I suspect it was more than that as I think
one of the Crystals (in Aerial Domain?) didn't seem to register as a secret as it should have so maybe I
found 8 secrets? It is worth taking the effort to find all the Crystals as you not only get access to the
Temple and its surprise ;) but also the bonus level, which was fun. It's also worth checking out the
'Magic Squares' for some bonus stuff (see the readme). I managed the whole game without any help at
all (although I was tempted to hit the forum on a few occasions!) and as the jumps and the few timed
runs were also relatively easy I'd recommend it for an 'advanced beginner' as long as the player doesn't
rush it and is prepared to spend time looking carefully around and under everything. And as usual
when all else fails shoot something, especially when you've been given the laser sight and revolver! I
didn't find a use for the Scrolls, and there was a door near the end of the bonus level that didn't open
for me, but otherwise the game flowed quite well with only the occasional head-scratching moments.
Mac players should also take the time to visit the website and view the media files at the appropriate
times as noted in the readme as they do add an extra polish to what is already an impressive game!" - MacRaider (26-Feb-2006) |
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| "Where does one start to describe a level such as this? Not so much a level - more a work of art. It has something for everyone in it - climbing, jumps, puzzles, baddies - and while some of them appear difficult at first, with a little thought, they can be overcome. We are also treated to a new idea - the magic square. Just look at the load screen, find where the camera is placed and pick up a slew of goodies to a fanfare accompaniment. I found nine of the ten secrets and all bar one of the magic squares. The playing environments are excellent starting out on the surface of Mars where you are in search of a giant machine that can re-vitalise the atmosphere of the Red Planet. And when you find it, you can't fail to be impressed. To activate it, you need three cartouches, Aerial, Terra and Aqua, and each of these can be found within their domains. Aqua Domain was my favourite, mainly because it had a superb sliding block puzzle in it. Terra Domain had some great climbing and combat opportunities while the Aerial Domain had some great "Now how do I get there?" moments plus a chance to hone the precision shooting skills. Richard has also included some movie cut-scenes - a first as far as I am aware. Sadly, TR Level manager would not play them with my game in windowed mode. It would play them quite happily behind a full-screen mode but that meant that I could hear them, but not see them. I'm not sure if this is down to my hardware or Windows 2000, though. Nonetheless, I could view all the movie files in Media Player so, at the end of the day, I did not miss out on them. Having found five Uvavoo crystals, I gained access to the final temple and the bonus level, which is set right back at the beginning of the Planet of the Ancients trilogy with Lara in a spaceship on her way to Sirius V. This is a must play level. Even if you only ever play a few custom levels, make this one of them. It is unlikely to disappoint. Many thanks Richard. :-)" - Staticon (25-Feb-2006) |
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| "This is my favorite custom level from this author. Everything is well done, its bug free. I found four crystal, so I got to check out the temple. Everything is new, the puzzles were great. At the end I loved the aleins waving good bye it was cool. This is another author that I hope to see more levels from. The sounds matched the game well. Everything was great!" - dantheraider (20-Feb-2006) |
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| "Globally, this game is a bit on the easy side, meaning suitable even for begginers, just as long as they put their brains to work at times - this means it's more puzzle/discovery based than action/traps (and the traps are easy), even though there are tons of enemies in one of the levels. This isn't necessarily bad since it does a lot for the fluency... Anyway, hey, you've just got to love it all for the ambiance and the variety... What a long and perfect path since the first Planet of the Ancients edition! I say I was amazed from start to end and totally loved every single level in the game. Unfortunately, I must have been a tad incompetent when using the Level Manager because I never got to watch the movies except by clicking on them. I say the obligatory use of the Manager to be able to watch them must be the only weak spot here. Mars is great, New Mars is great, the Aereal Domain is great, the Water Domain is great, the Terra Domain is great, I even enjoyed the great bonus level and I hope I'm not forgetting anything. Good music, good graphics, good ideas, good conception overall. This is one of the rare customs that kept me playing non-stop until I finished it and that means it will remain in my memory as a classic. Thank you so much, Uvavoo, and I hope there will be more games in the series." - Jorge22 (17-Feb-2006) |
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| "I love it! I really love it and played it twice in a row. No impossible timed runs, no jumps that make you go crazy and plenty of pickups, simply a great set of levels. There are some new features like in-game movies and magic squares, fantastic. Robots and Borg will try to stop you but the robots are no real threat and the Borg....well, I think they must be malfunctioning because they're not able to adapt and shield themself from the bullets (or maybe that's because they don't know how to shield against such oldfashioned weapons) but I'm not complaining. At the start of the game Lara gets dropped on Mars where she has to find a temple with the scrolls of time so she will know what to do, find the three cartouches of the Genesis-machine, so that Mars will be a nice place to live again for the Marsians. If you complete the task and find five Uvavoo-crystals, there's also a bonus level to play. Enjoy this wonderful adventure in space!" - Josi (17-Feb-2006) |
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| "One of the best levels I've played! Difficult but always possible, made for enjoyment and not frustration...Puzzles are not too complex, and the gameplay is easy to follow, you only have to remember where that door opened and how to come back to it...some areas are huge and sometimes I had to find an high spot to have a good view and think about my movements!Enemies are many and cruel, you'll have to battle for your life, soldiers won't leave you alone for long...
I had an hard time finding all the 5 UVAVOO gems, I needed some help from friends.Atmsphere is brilliant, you really find yourself on Mars and in many aliens surroundings,I LOVED the little white aliens!
The music is nicely choosen from famous films and gives the right touch to a fabulous world.Cameras give you many hints of where to look and to go, are very well placed.Lighting is fantastic, and I was amazed at some textures( f.i. the transparent marble floors) so real I wanted to touch them!!
Please, go back to work, I'm eager for more!" - Glow (12-Feb-2006) |
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| "Wow great adventure! I loved the first 2 installments, and i think this is even better! the best thing i liked about this, was that it was very different compared to other tomb raider levels. It isn't really a tomb raider level if you think about it, eh? which is a good thing of course, it is something new. I liked the beginning where you just raid on the surface of mars. I loved that. he fog was applied well too. The reason i put 8 for gameplay is because i probably expected a bit more regarding gameplay. I mean sometimes you would be flipping switchs and levers all the time. don't get me wrong the gameplay was good, but i probably expected more. Although i did like 'Aqua Domain'. I loved the design of it and it looked real fresh. Overall a great adventure! Download and play it, it's a great! I'm also looking forward to a planet of the ancients IV *hint* *hint* ;)" - TombRaiderFan (11-Feb-2006) |
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