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The Blue Pi by mugs

Akcy 8 8 8 8
CC 7 7 7 8
Gerty 7 8 7 6
Jay 8 7 8 9
John 7 8 8 7
Jose 7 7 7 8
Juno Jim 8 8 8 8
Kristina 5 5 5 6
Manymee 8 7 8 9
MichaelP 7 7 8 7
Orbit Dream 7 8 7 6
Phil 8 8 8 8
Ryan 7 8 8 7
Sakusha 8 9 8 7
Treeble 6 6 6 6
Whistle 7 7 7 7
 
release date: 30-Jul-2006
# of downloads: 82

average rating: 7.31
review count: 16
 
review this level

file size: 33.10 MB
file type: TR4
class: nc
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
pchancey@tampabay.rr.com

Reviewer's comments
"This level starts off with exploration of a small house and it’s gardens and buildings with a small torch task before we find a motorbike and it’s off to “new york” we go! After some tricky manoeuvring on the bike we load up in the city at night where there is plenty of platforming and exploring of buildings, streets, sewers and rooftops etc. Other gameplay and tasks consist of some timed runs, pushing boxes about, manoeuvring and avoiding a couple of traps, and a ridiculous obscure shooting task. We then progress to the “park” section where we move onto exploring underwater sewer areas with some more light platforming and item finding before we get another pushable object task in an visually unappealing industrial area. The level ends on a rooftop ledge just after finding the cute and famous black cat in the black cat bar. Overall this level is good if you like the average and mostly simple exploration around a variety of different areas but if your expecting fun and challenging puzzles and traps in gorgeous looking areas you might be disappointed. Personally I wasn’t too fussed about the lack of stunning visuals or exciting challenges because the game offers plenty of enjoyment in the platforming/ exploring aspects in environments that are always changing therefore keeping things fresh and interesting" - John (27-Jul-2023)
"For some reason, this levelset just didn't click with me. The three short levels all share similar traits: they're often dark, usually require you to find jumpswitches or objects hidden either in the dark or behind objects (trees blocking your view, for instance, or shooting a nearly invisible box on a ledge), and I know this will sound ironic but I also felt the entire level design was too claustrophobic. We often state how rooms are too big and boxy for their own good, but here we have the other end of the spectrum where everything seems too cramped. The bike track over the hedges in the first level was also a bit of an odd choice to make. Not necessarily a bad level, just not something I enjoyed - sorry. 40 minutes, 4 secrets. 02/22" - Treeble (06-Feb-2022)
"A nice, relaxing three level set from Mugs. Lara starts in a house and needs to find the Blue Pi and then make her way to the Black Cat Bar. Along the way she must find deviously hidden switches, do a couple of neat timed runs, push a few boxes and shoot a sneakily hidden object. The black cat at the end was a nice touch (the one roaming around on the bar counter). Good fun." - Ryan (04-Sep-2016)
"I started this when it just came out but I had a nasty bug in it and neither Mugs nor I could find out where that came from. Fresh download and this time around I could finish it without a hiccup. I know it is only Mugs second level but you can clearly guess that she made it from the way she builds. Odd corners and slopes, she likes that, textures in here are a bit haphazard and could use some TLC. For the rest keep your eyes open for trees (and not dark corners) to climb in some openings as I missed them and came to a dead stop every time. Glad there were two Shotguns as the first one eluded me big time and reading in the walkthrough later; I couldn't go back there, even if I wanted. There are two small bike rides although the second one is not needed at all. For the rest it isn't difficult, just some common sense to get where you came for and see the black cat in the bar where it got its name from (or the other way around)." - Gerty (16-Dec-2010)
"Very nice game, Mugs !!! The secrets/items, (especially that crow bar) were well hidden. Good storyline - very nice cabin, but I thought Central Park was bigger than that, LOL but all in all, it was an enjoyable time. I like the "off Tomb Raiding" styles..." - Juno Jim (10-Nov-2007)
"The second level is better than the first from this builder but still the rooms/areas seem boxy and are quite small with the exception of the gardens. Basically they are just jump switches and buttons to push, the motorcycle for a jump and the item you need to exit the level. At some point Lara vanishes inside the high voltage boxes while swinging with a rope. The enemies are too many for such small areas and as enemies there are SAS guys, rats. At some point we encounter the flare bug. There are four easy secrets to find. It's a standard, easy level to play." - Kristina (09-Apr-2007)
"Another three level adventure from Mugs. The individual levels again very small, but they offer quite a lot and various tasks. Many switches and things are hidden well. The textures and decorative objects applied well. Lara goes from a cosy cabin, through gloomy town and sewers to retrieve the diamond, back to the Bar where a cute black cat resides, surely the place named after. A nice adventure, recommended." - Akcy (29-Jan-2007)
"This is another Custom Adventure of ups and downs. Lets get the downs out of the way first. The basic Gameplay concept in each of the three levels is about looking around implausibly dark corners and behind intrusively placed objects for switches and key pick-ups.Once you get that into your head,progress isn't too bad (i.e. if you get to an impasse and can go no further,hunt around behind a nearby tree placed rather strangely in a pitch-black corner and the solution should present itself).There are no particularly original ideas otherwise (although a couple of timed doors spice things up a bit) and indeed a few sequences that seemed to have no bearing (particularly a monkey-swing around timed steam vents which went absolutely nowhere). The texturing was busy and occasionally inspired,but also haphazard in many places (stretched,compressed and/or distorted on many occasions) and sometimes implausible(one sequence involved a vertical climb past a row of tiny little windows no larger than Lara's foot),while the extraordinary fly-by in the first level should never have been included,as all it did was ruin the atmosphere. However,the good things (and there were many) generally outweighed the bad. It was an entertaining and rather endearing three-level series with a good attempt to provide a wide variety of locations. The second level,in particular,displayed a fine sense of place with many enjoyable sequences (the steaming boiler room beneath the streets;the little Bar with the piano;the climbable balconies) and there was a lovely attention to detail throughout. Indeed all three levels contained perhaps to much fussiness in their decor,but this all contributed to their entertainment.Enemies were placed well;there was a neat little motorbike sequence;and one or two moments of humour. The Black-Cat Bar at the end was a sweet little place and the atmosphere throughout (especially in the City itself) was enjoyable and engrossing. Provided you keep a Walkthrough handy for the "can't find the next Switch" moments,you'll enjoy yourself greatly here." - Orbit Dream (25-Nov-2006)
"cabin (7/8/8/8, 20 min., 2 secrets): This mini series is off to an impressive start with a rather authentic house and garden setting, battling a few guards on the grounds and making a tricky ride with a cool bike to get towards New York. The rather bad flyby through the walls doesn't fit the otherwise technically very solid setting and maybe some of the 'end of the world' spots could have been avoided, but this is good looking and fast paced raiding. steam (8/7/8/7, 20 min., 1 secret): From the luscious green of the garden to the dark alleys of the city. Here you have a nice double timed run to master, get a great 'Phantom moment', push a few blocks and likely need to traverse back and forth a bit to reach the next part. The hiding place of the crowbar and the target you had to shoot were hidden very sneakily. park (7/7/7/7, 15 min., 1 secret): Rather a small quarter of central park only, but nicely designed. Trying to find your way around underwater has never been my favourite part of raiding and that is no different here, but it is really not too bad. More guards, more push blocks, a nice circling course to master and of course the Blue Pi to find and leave at the infamous Black Cat Bar (nice touch that it has its name for a reason). The ending seemed oddly abrupt though - maybe a sequel in the making?" - MichaelP (12-Nov-2006)
"A set of three short levels not difficult to play. Levels are made with a serie of small rooms, but even so there are enough space to hide a lot of things, you'll have to look for carefully. Not hard enemies, you'll have enough ammo to fight them, and enough flares for the dark areas. The only "but" I can put in the game is the too much hidden shootable object behind the box at the end of the second level; I couldn't see it, only pointing with revolver + sight I could see a small red zone and I fortuitously break the object. Even so I have fun with this levels." - Jose (05-Oct-2006)
"This is a very enjoyable three-part adventure that won't blaze any trails or present undue hardships for the seasoned raider, but it's challenging enough to demand your undivided attention for an hour or so. There are four secrets documented in Harry's walkthrough, the first two of which were so routine and ordinary that they would hardly seem to qualify as such. Much more worthy of secret status (but failing to register as such) is the revolver ammo tucked away in a well-hidden upper room in the third level. The lighting is good and the music is effective. There's a black critter at the very end with a white paw and a white-tipped tail that exhibits genuine cat animation (never seen that in a custom level before). If I were to guess, I'd say that Mugs has a cat that probably looks just like that. Recommended." - Phil (30-Aug-2006)
"I found this level very confusing to play due to the bad camera angles, often leaving Lara totally hidden, and the hidden crawl space in the first garden area was found by shear luck as you couldn't even see it when Lara stood right under it. The game play otherwise was average, with no real puzzles (just the mini block shifting) and enemies only nefarious blokes, rats and a rather tame bear. The textures appeared to my colour blind eyes rather garish at time, particularly in the garden areas and also at times seemed to be too big compared to Lara e.g. the movable boxes. Lighting was fine, but for me the atmosphere created left me rather cold. The story line was novel and reasonably well thought out and executed." - Whistle (29-Aug-2006)
"Lara's cabin certainly is posh and set in lovely surroundings, although the bear gave me more than a small surprise. After a few tasks in various spots in the grounds you get access to a motorcycle and one short but exhilarating assault course ride later it's off to New York to meet Mugs at the Black Cat bar (well after eventually finding a really fiendishly well hidden switch to open a gate that is). Once in the city, the combination of tough thugs and deadly steam vents will take quite a toll on your health and once again you will need to keep your eyes well open as some items are most cunningly hidden. I really liked the park area - very scenic. In fact the whole game looks very good and I found the gameplay fluid and enjoyable. An excellent follow up to Town of Black Cat Bar (and there was a cat in the bar too, albeit black and white)." - Jay (18-Aug-2006)
"Well now! I think we can say that Mugs is proving to be an author who deviously hides things. So well hidden that it requires a lot of patience, great use of the directional keys, and a magnifying glass would come in useful too. Joking aside, we have here another great set of levels by an author with her own unique perspective. Lara is on vacation in the Smokey Mountains, and receives a message from her friend, Mugs, telling her the Bue Pi has been stolen, and she will meet her in Central Park New York. The Smokey Mountain cabin is a lovely cosy little place, but the neighbours are not so friendly, lol. She hops on her trusty bike (really cool looking bike) to zoom over to New York. And as we are dealing with criminals, we find them in the seedy part of town. Lara manages, yet again, to get into a kind of sewer. Of course we explore Central Park too, but no Mugs to be found. Perhaps she's in the Black Cat Bar with it's cute resident kitty, or one of those yellow taxis. Or perhaps she's gone ahead to deal with some more of those thugs in a very peculiar warehouse/factory type place. It is essential to have the crowbar fairly early on, again very well hidden. There is some block pushing, rope swinging, window shooting, a golden bear, and general hopping about to be done. All told, this is a neat little adventure. But I have to admit to being surprised by the layout in places, some objects, and certain tasks to be performed. In such a realistic setting they seemed positively surreal. At the end it's possible to jump across to the other roof and miss the railing's part, where the end trigger is. Good fun. I'm really looking forward to what Mugs creates in the future." - CC (10-Aug-2006)
"In this adventure, Lara's goal is to retrieve the blue Pi and put it in its appropriate place. However, she must first get out of the author's vacation cabin (the Smokey mountains are located in North Carolina and Tennessee) and rush to New York. I admit that I got stuck many times in the first level, but as I got accustomed to the author's gameplay, I managed to find my way more easily. I was only stuck once in the second level, and I finished the third level without any problems. I wonder if the night sky (in the last two levels) symbolizes the secrecy that seems to surround the gameplay. In this adventure, many passages, crawlspaces and switches are hidden (eg. the trees are used as camouflage for certain passages), and the player mustn't leave a single stone unturned. There is a certain amount of originality in this level. For instance, one needs to burn firewood in order to open a door. The cat is also really cute. In the last two levels, I can feel the atmosphere of New York (I remember my last visit in April 2006) flowing through my veins. There is an advertisement for "The Phantom of the Opera" (Broadway comes to mind), one can notice the bustling nightlife of New York City (the bars), the Central Park has some beauty to it, the deli is present, there is some steam from the sewers, I've noticed a few rats here and there, and every time Lara walks around the street, she will encounter yellow taxis (there are also a few red Citroens). The gunmen pose a threat to Lara, but with some agility, firepower and tact, she can deal with them. The objects are really well-done, the rope-swinging was challenging (usually, Lara ended up getting burned on the high voltage boxes or she would fall to her death. However, after a few attempts, I was able to reach the ledge safely), the timed runs weren't too difficult, I enjoyed the music, and I found 3 secrets in this adventure. I'm looking forward to the author's next adventure." - Sakusha (03-Aug-2006)
"Oh yes, a very fine level indeed! Or should I say three. (Spoilers) I always like areas with little huts and houses. It was good fun to explore the first level, and not too hard to get through, but there was a lever that was very well hidden,as is one in the next level. I liked the timed run/jump and the amount of flats you can enter. I can't say which level I liked best, since they are equally good, also equally long to play. The texturing has been applied with care and love for detail and the lighting was excellent. So excellent that I turned down the brightness of my monitor to enjoy it to the max, only to fail to find aforementioned levers! The puzzles were not too hard and there is a trigger for the door to the Pi which I noticed by chance. Enemies, it being New York, were mostly human, some rats, and bats (if my memory serves me). The camera was used to the player's advantage and I found the crowbar straight away. It's a nice straightforward adventure with a good pace. The letdown: when I got to the bar, there was no Mugs! ;)" - Manymee (02-Aug-2006)