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Revenge of Osiris - The Lost Spirits & Farplane by Leroy

Andzia9 9 9 9 9
Casual Raider 6 9 10 10
CC 9 10 9 9
DJ Full 9 10 10 9
eTux 6 8 6 7
Gerty 7 9 8 9
guss18 10 9 9 9
Jay 9 10 10 10
JesseG 7 8 9 9
Jose 5 10 7 9
Kristina 8 8 9 9
manarch2 9 10 9 8
MichaelP 8 10 9 8
Mman 8 9 8 8
Mytly 7 9 9 8
Phil 10 9 10 9
QRS 10 10 10 10
Ravenwen 10 10 10 10
Raymond 10 10 10 9
Relic Hunter 10 10 9 10
Ruben 9 10 9 10
Ryan 8 9 8 9
Samu 10 9 9 8
TimJ 10 10 10 9
Treeble 8 9 9 8
 
release date: 07-Feb-2007
# of downloads: 79

average rating: 8.94
review count: 25
 
review this level

file size: 248.59 MB
file type: TR4
class: Mystery/Horror
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
jeremy.roy@club-internet.fr

Reviewer's comments
"I ended up taking a very long break (started it on a Tuesday, only got the chance to wrap it up on the following Saturday) during the very long duration of this level so I'm afraid I don't remember much as I sit down to jot thoughts together — real life keeps mocking me at all times. At any rate, yes, these two levels are quite ingenious in design with a lot of warping back and forth through these ethereal lands but at some point it just became too long and too confusing (and I say that having followed the walkthrough from start to finish!), I just wanted to move on already and I might have been just laying my hands on the second of the four golden skulls. There are a lot of key items to retrieve here and the author has made creative use of elemental gems to change the surrounding environments. There are some very lenghty pushblock sequences as well, not particularly difficult (again, can't really comment on difficulty as I had the solutions before hand at all times) but tedious. I liked the overgrown devilish bears, but I absolutely despised the room with the perpetually spinning camera as you need to retrieve several pickups among the spike traps. It's the sort of thing that's nice in concept, but in practice it was nothing but nauseating I'm afraid. 2h20min, 7 secrets. 06/23" - Treeble (25-Jun-2023)
"My oh my, how to describe this pair of intertwined levels. I have such conflicting feelings, I don't know where to begin. Some of the gameplay was enjoyable, such as the gigantic quest for the secrets, some of the cross puzzles and traps. I did think they overreached themselves slightly, with the overdone swimming sections, constant backtracking and irritating fixed cameras. The ambient sound got wearying after a while too. Good fun nevertheless and now onwards...I'm more than halfway through." - Ryan (21-Sep-2016)
"Like always for linear plots, I rate all levels equally yet with different score combos to highlight ups and downs of each part, links to which are embedded in common text. We begin in Thierry's Parisian Streets and how not to repeat the con remarks for this builder. Why not to take a bike if the streets are so wide? Why not to return Lara with a rapid sewer current? Or maybe why not to put her on the back of a city pigeon for faster travel? Ideas to kill redundancy are numerous and would also work for atmosphere... but no, again we have backtracking, lack of shortcuts and passage repetition. Thankfully as imperfect as in path design, Thierry is brilliant in isolation craft so I didn't mind the extra travel that much. So far. Then we go into Church which sustains the mood despite of dropping the scale, and makes it spookier in return. But this is an exercise in bad combat. Riding a bike under sentry fire. Pulling up onto an edge with a running dog. Getting perforated by a SAS while wading through the water... Of course you want to be smart to avoid health loss but the author made sure to prevent that. Think about it: there's a group of dogs and a bike. It rings a bell to run over the beasts, but the vehicle gets impaled with spikes blocking the passage to break your plan. Then you want to fight these dogs from the entrance corridor but a rollingball forces you into the room. So you escape on the nearby ledge to shoot them from above, but an invisible collision panel feels just like deliberately applied to make that attempt futile as well. The only combat the author approves is direct encounter what instead of challenging is horribly annoying. All this time you only have the pistols and don't even tell me about that red herring revolver. When finishing this part I was absolutely infuriated so it was great to embrace delightful chillout of the following Airport. Again we have a red herring, this time a medikit, and the breakable walls are way too hidden, especially if one of them is secret and the other one isnt, but we can relax among realistic bars, pass through check-in gates, enter metro wagons, climb escalators and explore a secret hotel. In the end I felt ashamed I never tried Leeloo's levels before, and I will soon repair that mistake with The Hangar. But before that we leave France and pass into Egypt, to the plot core. The Temple feels convincingly buried, has neat layout and local visual gems. It's another one of Thierry, but the path design is incomparably better, just like if not his. What may confuse beginners is a quadruple slot which looks like a multi-item combo but in fact requires progressive filling, and the treasure pool challenge which may cause you to save the game just before you die. Next TC enters the stage with his Lava section, as we proceed deeper into the Earth crust to get literally overflown with magma. It's one of these levels where you can feel the heat and play with fire while utilizing loads of cracks, crevices and ladders like this author got us used to. The design is a bit subpar and cramped in comparison to the author's flagship projects, but still very good and enjoyable, however since that moment the project gets confusing as the opportunity to miss or do something wrong appears - for instance I could only solve the statue pushable after multiple corrections and I had to repeat half of the level when the zipline didn't retrigger. But the most serious and easily evitable mistake was the door cube pushable. Once raised, the portals shouldn't close because using the block every time to unlock them makes no sense especially in a level where it's so easy to commit a mistake and try again. What I particularly liked was a nice touch of the barriers surrounding the rocks sticking out of the lava stream, what made that part of platforming much easier. Then we descend even deeper to cool down in the Underground Lake, but I unfortunately recognized the retextured ship level of TR2, and instead of lukewarm depths of volcanic cavern I kept imagining an overturned rusty vessel no matter how fine TimJ's rendition was. But at least the map was familiar, and tasking got ambitious with the multilevel pushable, though it went too ambitious with the underwater lever. Since the place is huge and the lights draw attention away, I couldn't locate that spot even with the walkthrough in hand, and only thanks to TRGamer's let's play video I could get enough help to breach the gates of sunken Castle of Corpus Fatalis, likely a pun of "over my dead body". This map is made from scratch, outstandingly atmospheric and the most suitable word would be "epic" despite of not so big size and darkness. One nice trick to strenghten its grandeur is the lack of ceiling substituted with progressive fadeout, so we can imagine the central hall much higher than it really is. Then we unlock the City of the Priests, another element of TC's dense world, even more lava-soaked than his other bit made for this game was. Here I noticed external cooperation of the French forum, with MagPlus's Apophis warriors really making this part feel like a sequel to The Rescue. If I missed something in this level and the entire volcanic episode, it was the sound of flowing lava - while we get the Xian ambience for mystery mood, the river of molten rocks is absolutely silent. Eventually, we enter the underworld Kingdom to get some Swedish vibes, for either this has been inspired with QRS's Limbo or vice versa. The part is really open but not confusing at all, and platforming over the floating islands was pure pleasure. This is possibly also the moment of the adventure where the greatest amount of customized objects dwell, including the Obole puzzle making for a serious closure hitpoint and perfect for transition, however in the final scene I missed some music, waves on the river and actually showing Charon's boat sail the waters into the Farplane. Very soon it appears this one holds a very tightly embedded realm of Lost Spirits, filled with randomly arranged floating islands, multiple intersections, start positions and sometimes even requiring the right choice for correct progress, while not even mentioning you are in such situation - seriously, the thunder plain and the final fight of the chapter might remain in my heart forever, but learning fluent French would be less confusing than solving this whole chapter. Often I had no idea what to do, some doors never open, some levers are never pulled, certain things are hard to guess like the monkey swing because no other texture of the kind is grabbable, or the cross puzzle hole because no other object like this is interactive, or the water corridor secret triggered with an invisible shatter - however the last one may be discussable as well as the requirement to grab an uraeus from the active spike trap. As a result I failed multiple times to proceed without a walkthrough and only after a whole day, what is as much time as the whole preceding content took me, I grabbed the key to the Osiris's Pyramid. Here's Thierry again, even better than his previous bit, and possibly in his greatest solo map. Despite of structural simplicity and intense combat, the place feels incredibly calm and relieving while offering total immersion, rewarding tasks and both casual and unusual geometry. Only the crawling part could be shorter but I liked the exploration very much - in the end every square in sight appears accessible. The bike part is really unexpected in such place, and the final teleport flyby is properly satisfying as we teleport into space... or at least I thought we should, but before that we unexpectedly visit an extra pyramid level which is fully unlike the ordinary pyramid design, with each corridor intricate and attractive, and transparent enemies making us sure we're really deep already. The gate to let us out from the first slot with the White Stone is another one which should remain open once open, otherwise it forces passage repetition if we visit the place too early. The transition to alien scenery is made very well but just like in case of the Kingdom boat cutscene, we should really see the shuttle fly as we get ourselves abducted onboard the Osiris's Spaceship. The surroundings are simply breathtaking: the outer space introduction, the hangar section the control room - I have a feeling the author was under impression of the Cygnus from The Black Hole movie, and if the plot wasn't Egyptian this dystopian, almost a derelict-like ship would be a great host for creepy humanoid workers or an evil robot like Maximilian (yeah you need to watch that if you haven't already). Certain design shouldn't occur like the water tank, another place we can save in, unaware of imminent death. Multiple passing through the could be easy reduced either, and I even had to cheat for shells when it appeared they aren't provided for the Horus fight they're crucial for. I eventually hacked Osiris's security system and defeated the guy Somewhere in the Farplane, where a nicely controlled timed challenge may give us two different endings, producing one of these moments worth to die in. SUMMARY: This is a very solid and seriously coherent team work where every participant cared a lot, with original plot, new graphics and even music tracks. Sometimes you may need a walkthrough to deal with annoying mistakes and properly enjoy unforgettable highlights which make this game obligatory to play at certain moment, so why not now." - DJ Full (25-Jun-2016)
"This level was the most annoying in gameplay so far. Especially patr with getting gems - finding out the way and what you should do to get teleport to change was awkward and non-intuitive. I liked textures, objects and enemies a lot but gameplay was very hard and had to use walkthrough a lot. Wriaths got bugged at time and followed me to 2nd part of the level - had to replay some part of the level. And that part with freaky camera on spikes and picking up almost non-visible pickups. By my opinion the worst level of this series but still very decent custom and recommended for experienced raiders." - Casual Raider (04-Oct-2013)
"Normally I would review and rate both levels differently, but in this case it is absolutely impossible, as the two create a nothing but huge single level, even with the help of the walkthrough I have spent over two hours here (exactly 60 in Lost Spirits and 70 in Farplane). While I can understand the moaning of many of my fellow reviewers that this duo is perhaps the most confusing of all, I however quite enjoyed my time here and found it complex but playable. If you managed to find your way through the hugest area in here, the floating islands reminiscent"forest" (whose complexity indeed highly enerved me from the point on you notice a teleporter leads you to another area that is very simile to the former) you can find some of the most ingenious and simply fun gameplay elements in the whole set; just to name a few, the cross puzzle with some clever usage of trapdoors, the spike puzzle with a rotating camera or the pushable/lever puzzle (simple but one of the best I have ever seen). There are a whole lot of theme gems to find (fire, ice, lighting, water) which have to be used to progress in a very unique way, always matching with the respective gem, for example a fire gem is used to burn an ice wall blocking a passage. The only problem is that it's easy to miss a vital gem and you have to backtrack quite a bit if you didn't fit it at once; getting the first four secrets is nearly as long as a separate level, and all of them are very, very fun to get and if you aren't a first- time player, I strongly advise you to find them as they add even more great gameplay. The enemy span is wide and they are greatly placed, the boss fight was nice (when the boss is dead, the"calmness" afterwards is very cool) and you even can skip parts of it if you want. All in all I found the setting to be very creepy, the texturing being a mix of Irish and South Pacific (of which I normally dislike the latter) being quite fitting, but again I think the lighting was plain flat and in comparison to"Kingdom of the Dead" where the general atmosphere still was great I think here it suffered from that. Also, a few more camera hints for what a lever or placing a gem did or cutscenes that show how to progress would have helped to not confuse that many players. In my opinion, this is the strongest level(-duo) in Revenge of Osiris, and it's for sure the most creative and innovative, contains the best secrets, enemy placement and is highly atmospheric. However, and this is the reason I don't give a ten for the first category, the immense complexity of this level could indeed have been reduced and a little more linearity (and better lighting) would certainly have made this level a Hall of Fame contender. 130 minutes." - manarch2 (26-Feb-2012)
"Oh dear, how to describe this levelset? My head spins at the mere thought of it. From an objective perspective, I can admire its ingenuity and original gameplay - but from the subjective point of view of a hapless player trying to make her way through it, I can only say: 'Aaaaaargh!' This four level set (two pairs of levels that are named the same) is insanely complex and confusing, made all the more complex by the constant teleportation back and forth between levels every few minutes, non-linear progression, a huge number of extremely difficult tasks, and a baffling and intricate secret quest that has enough gameplay that it could have been a separate level on its own.
There is a lot to like in the levels: I particularly enjoyed the push-block puzzles, some of which incorporate timed runs. The various element areas that can be opened up using the four types of element gems are rather cool - I especially like the lightning area. The floating island sections of Farplane are fun at first, though the backtracking gets tiresome by the end. The boss fight at the end - which can be turned into a double boss fight if you choose not to use a particular artefact - is pretty good. Some of the secret hunt sequences are great: in one area, you have three options in how to proceed, two of which transform the entire area, with one opening up a secret area and another providing a boss fight.
On the other hand, there are a number of cheap tricks that heighten the difficulty, like overly hidden switches, invisible platforms and non-logical tasks like setting fire to skeletons (why would anyone think of doing that?), opening a door by monkey-swinging to get a medipack, and lowering a raising block by firing a grenade in front of it. The lowest point in the levels for me was the underwater maze that involves three separately timed doors. The walkthrough (which is a piece of art in itself, by the indefatigable D&G Productions) is vital, and even while consulting it every now and then, I managed to get thoroughly lost/stuck quite often.
The looks are quite good. There are some nice indoor areas, and the floating islands section looks kind of cool (though nowhere near as pretty as Kingdom of the Dead). The atmosphere is rather good, with a distinctly spooky feel pervading the whole set. There are some unusual enemies, like the red-eyed boars and the Willard-spider as the second boss.
Overall: Though this levelset is technically very impressive and features some enjoyable gameplay, it is also so highly complex, obscure and frustrating, that I can't really judge it objectively." - Mytly (23-Feb-2012)
"Now you're deeper in the strange afterlife you've entered. The theme of this level (the two levels completely interlink as one massive one, making any distinction pretty impossible), somewhat defies description; it's mostly set in some huge building and a series of floating islands type areas, but the way teleports and similar link it all together makes it more like a series of linked vignettes. The visuals are a bit of a weak point though, as there's a lot of bland lighting and some incoherent texturing (it ranges from Ireland to Egypt). It somehow works better than it should though, and as it came together I could buy that Lara was now in some strange, incomprehensible realm that the living are not supposed to enter. It also includes an interesting amount of enemy variety.
In both good and bad ways, that weirdness goes to the gameplay. In the simplest terms it's essentially a series of elemental trials with a few linking areas in between, but there are twists, like a secret hunt which spans the whole level (I highly recommended getting all the secrets, as there's a lot of extra content in the course of finding them), or small ways different parts link with each other. From a field of lightning to a platform filling with spikes and items made challenging by surreal camera angles, some of the tasks almost seem to defy classifying them as good or bad design by how original they are. Not always though; there's a share of overly-hidden switches, obscure item/object uses (including a couple of items being very inconsistent in their usage) and overly-long pushable puzzles. There are also one or two signs of playtesting/continuity issues. For instance, there's a shootable puzzle when, based on the walkthrough, the ONLY sniper weapon is provided in a secret a few levels back; I had to use the shotgun. Also, while I recommended doing the secrets, the final reward is made useless by the fact you get the item during normal gameplay a few minutes later anyway (I guess this was something like an issue with some playtesters finding the boss too hard without it). Despite all these flaws it just has so many fresh ideas I feel far more inclined to forgive them than I would be otherwise. I guess the biggest accolade I can give the gameplay is that it fits in perfectly with the theme.
As I might have hinted at, the difficulty level is at its highest so far here, with tricky tasks all over the place (although the toughest are generally reserved for the secret hunt). There's also the cool idea of letting you use an item to make the final boss easier, which I also referenced a little above (hint: If you're going for secrets USE THE ITEM! The walkthrough doesn't mention that one is only accessible if you do so). All this oddity makes the level hard to sum up; it's simultaneous very fresh and utterly grueling, it's practically a level pack in a level pack, but I guess my overall feelings are quite positive." - Mman (19-Feb-2011)
"Now that was great. We were running through few different worlds. That amazing and gloomy atmosphere from Ireland levels. Puzzles, traps and enemies were perfect. Gameplay quite long but very good." - Andzia9 (13-May-2010)
"I can't say I had a very good first impression with this pair of levels. When you explore some of the tree branches in the "front yard," your eyes are attacked by an array of rapid, blinding flashes of various colors that never cease until you get off of the trigger. I could not begin to imagine what would possess the author to throw in such an odd spasmodic "effect". Unfortunately, this feeling comes again and again. For instance, in the fire section, it turns out that you have to use a completely irrelevant monkeyswing in order to open the door blocking your way. I've seen weird ways authors have asked players to get a door open, but this one pretty much takes the cake. Not to mention the monkeyswing is useless since you could easily grab the medpack below without it. Another example is in the lightning section, which contains useless switches and pushable items that will only get you more confused. While the compactness of the gameplay in just two levels is a good idea, there were some flaws, one irritating one being that wraiths left over from one section could attack you in the next, and there would be no way for you to get rid of them. There were, however, other aspects of the levels that I did appreciate, such as a good effort at making an atmospheric work, and the brief yet exciting boss fight. But in this case I regret that the flaws dominated this time, and you can count me among the reviewers that were relived to see the next level in the series." - SSJ6Wolf (27-May-2009)
"Take this for what you want - the ramblings of a disappointed grouch or the white flag of a defeated player, but I was glad this level was over when it finally was. I believe I actually sticked through out of sheer spite and not wanting the 7 hours I had invested into this game before this miniature nightmare to go to waste, and I could honestly not see what all the fuss was about, though I really did want to like it. But that's obviously not enough to actually like it, and this game gave plenty of reasons for me not to. So, yes I can definitely agree that the application of the numerous elemental gems (fire gems melt ice, ice gems create platforms, water gems reveal invisible walkways, etc) was pretty cool, the lightning field with the 4 towers an interesting area to look at (not to mention facing the neat overgrown boars!), the spikefield with the camera sequence - as irritating as it was - actually a pretty interesting concept and I even enjoyed some of the individual tasks comprised of some challenging timed runs and jumps (especially the water timed swim was cool, though the biggest trouble there was figuring out what to do), but I failed to see any creativity or ingenuity beyond that, especially in the overall package, as developing psychic abilities to figure out the next move the author intended me to make was a bit beyond me. And even if there weren't other confusing moments like figuring out what was the purpose of hunting for the 5 secrets to get the Oricalkos Rock, if you get it as as regular pickup again basically a minute after you first find it, or me trying to figure out what my actual objectives here are and how it fits into the overall picture - I believe the main problem, which to a lesser extent I could apply as a criticism to the overall game so far, is that the builder lost the plot somewhere along the way. Somtime over the 2+ hours it took me to reach the end of it, I noticed I was getting more and more aggravated and had stopped having fun entirely - and isn't that really the point of it all (having fun, that is)? I can understand challenge, I can (and have before) overlook(ed) slight non-satisfying nuances of the overall game here or there in levels, if there are other aspects that make it an enjoyable raid and above all I applaud everything out of the ordinary builders try to bring to the level building concept, but it seems to me that the builder here built without the players in mind at all. And that, in turn, I find to be one of the biggest grievances one can have about a level. As far as looks go - I found them to be pretty bland for most part, not standing out for anything in particular (except for an area or two I mentioned above) and serving more the gameplay's needs rather than aesthetic ones, and the atmosphere not being too convincing as well. All that said - the level does have some positive sides, others have obviously enjoyed it more than I have, as it wouldn't have the high ratings and all the praise otherwise, and I couldn't willingly turn anyone wanting to start Revenge of Osiris away from it, as it's an integral part of the game, but I probably wouldn't advise to start it up without a walkthrough at hand, whilst adding (to the builder) that that is not how ultimately a game should be played. A shame, since this really could've been so much more if there had been focus on all the right places - as it is, it's all a blur with some of the better elements sticking out as sharp patches. Found 7 secrets." - eTux (14-Jul-2008)
"Just like in his BtB Peru Level, this double-level will have you tearing your hair out and if you don't actually go crazy while trying to make your way through it, you should at least be able to admire the ingenuity of putting such a complex world together and make it work. With a lot of help from the walkthrough, I spent 2.5 hours of net gaming time in her, searching for and using many elemental gems for progression, switching many times between levels via the transporters, hopping around the trees and flaoting rocks to get to the next area and finding sneakily (and at times rather obscurely) hidden things in a quest for the four golden skulls. The whole concept works really well once you get it, but it is almost impossible to figure it all out by yourself, which takes away a lot of the fun. Plenty of entertaining things to do including torches, push blocks, timed runs and swims, a few tough battles with enemies and many, many blade traps in parts. What I found impressive is the massive side adventure that the secrets offer and it is worth going for all of them - even if you may (or rather will) need to peak at the walkthrough for some - and the spike plain with the rotating cameras was a very original idea (150 min., 7 secrets)." - MichaelP (04-Jun-2008)
"I think that Leroy really invented a new kind of levels. These levels were just full of inventive gameplay with a lot of unseen-before-puzzles or traps! The only flaw I saw in these levels was the scenery which was sometimes not so well built. Texturing could have been a bit better but apart these two points these levels are just a masterpiece ! They are really hard because Leroy build really non-linear gameplay with a lot of things to do and sometimes it isn't obvious. I really liked these levels and I'm waiting for the next ones by Leroy !!! There is so many memorable moments that I can't tell you which one I prefered ! Good job Leroy !" - TimJ (20-Jul-2007)
"Another double offering. Expertly put together, brilliant concept, great textures, objects, enemies, totally absorbing, the work of a clever builder, and the most confusing, infuriating and frustrating setup I've ever come across in a custom level. But it just won't let you go, no matter how many times you threaten to throw it in the bin. I jumped around those trees and passed through those portals so often I felt like I was about to meet myself coming back. Players will either love this or hate it, and that might have more to do with whether they use the walkthrough or not. It starts just after the boatman has brought us to this weird place. We find, if we're lucky, enough crystals to activate a number of spiral portals. Each portal leads to a different place, with many different tasks to perform. Each one is elemental, i.e. water, fire, ice. Each has it's own boss, and our aim is to grab four golden skulls and place them on one of those floating platforms. Old familiar gameplay is given a brand new lift, i.e. object pushing, target shooting, jumps, climbs, swims, puzzles, timed events and the inevitable dodging or facing up to enemies. Because there are so many sections to this it could have been released as a stand alone, and still be extraordinary. The areas we visit, and all the tasks we perform, are too numerous to list, but guaranteed to deliver hours, if not days, of serious playing. There is a little stand alone final part where Lara battles the horseman and yet another monster, but must stay inside a pentagram. We come full circle, back to the original rooms and place our hard won stone. A terrific, unique and very memorable experience. Of note is the crazy camera island. But I would seriously recommend the walkthrough to anyone who wants to finish the level this year." - CC (07-Jul-2007)
"This was the most confusing of them all and the most frustrated at that, for me. The back and fro was getting tedious at a certain moment. There was hardly any place where one could relax a bit as it looked like you had to be on your toes all the time to jump, swear, shoot and sometimes even pulling my hair out LOL. For myself.. I wished there was more camera work as I kept wondering around and that is one thing I really hate. The timed runs in this level are not for the faint hearted, so be warned. It isn't an easy level but you really should give it a go, as it certainly is something different." - Gerty (04-Jul-2007)
"I can understand the need to review these two levels together, as they're inextricably intertwined. Maybe too much so, in fact. The gameplay is so incredibly complex that even with the walkthrough I found it quite easy to get lost. I also doubt the wisdom of placing two floating island levels back to back in a series of this scope, as I found Farplane to be unnecessarily tedious and therefore boring. Still, the gaming experience here is rewarding (especially in Lost Spirits, which is itself deserving of the high marks in this review), and Revenge of Osiris ranks right up there with the commercial releases." - Phil (01-May-2007)
"There was something about this level that I liked extremely, despite it being quite frustrating and complicated at times, and although certain tasks it involved were particularly tough and confusing. In the essence, it is a bizzare, surrealistic yet wonderful level. Very inspired, with a complicated construction, very challenging, based on a genial concept and made in an exceptional way. The whole action takes place in two sections which you visit several times. 'Farplane' is a vast, dream-like area with floating ledges/islands. There are various gems to collect (several of them you use so as to make your life easier; ie, after using an ice gem, ice ledges appear so that you can cross a chasm) and you also get to activate teleporters that transport you to various areas of the 'Lost Spirits' level, a dark and creepy place where your main aim is to locate four skulls. After finding the skulls, you place them in a special area of Farplane and you are transported to the final area where there's still more to do. There is a surrealistic logic in the sequence of the actions, that for some strange reason I had no problem following, and I got familiar with the unusual and inventive gameplay quite fast. Speaking of which, we have to do with a particularly challenging gameplay, where your tombraiding skills are put to the test many times. This level is definitely not for the beginner player, and I'm pretty sure that even veteran players may find it impossible at points. There are a few situations that are extremely demanding (ie, that nasty timed swim... And you thought the timed swim in the underwater maze in Underground Lake was bad! This one is far worse; not so much because of the short timer, but mainly because Lara has to be underwater for a long time, and her breath is never sufficient. Also getting the last skull involves a quite nasty challenge with an evil use of the camera, where you can never control Lara properly and you may end up with a dizzy head at the end of it, lol). However don't let all these ruin the experience for you. They are all part of the whole concept and they work perfectly. It could have been equally good even with less difficult tasks, but all the other elements in it are so unique, so inspired and masterly combined, that any possible 'flaw' is easily overlooked (incidentally, I remember only one more level which, although being overall different from this one, had left me with the same impression and that was Skyld's Jobmond & Co). Leroy's level is a true masterpiece; in my humble opinion, if you haven't played this, you haven't played anything!" - Ravenwen (15-Apr-2007)
"What a couple of nasty levels! Gameplay was very bad for me not for the difficult tasks, but for the continuous jumping between the levels and between parts of the same level too much times; many times there were not cameras to help you, I pulled many switches and I didn't know where to go spending a lot of time looking for the right way. In the place with the four grated doors I had to shoot some kind of invisible ledge with revolver + sight to get the zipline appear but there was not ammo to do this (fortunately I keeped some revolver ammo). Near the end I got an energy orb over a branch of a tree and once I killed the big spider another energy orb appears in the same place, but I only had to use one of them (bug?) perhaps in next levels? Those were the levels I take long a lot of time to pass, over a week or so to play two levels! (playing several hours each day). The best for me were enemies, objects and the great ambience, but if there were not more levels to finish this fantastic adventure I think I should abandone the levels." - Jose (09-Apr-2007)
"Now this is one level I 'hated'. I can't understand builders that make such complex and confusing thus very frustrating levels. I understand that some want something different and I enjoyed visiting the various areas BUT I find it totally unnecessary having to visit a hundred levels with one confusing sub level and jumping like an idiot all around. I wouldn't play this one again even if you paid me. All the levels have a unique atmosphere, nice areas and of course interesting secrets and enough enemies. Unfortunately the frustration this whole game (because it could have been one whole game by itself) can give to the players doesn't leave room for pleasant memories and although it is well constructed all that back and forth is very tedious. The 'Lost Spirits' level is a nice one and as big I think, with good puzzles but I really like to get some time to relax between hard levels before I start jumping, shooting, sweating again. Big games like this one and huge adventures in general MUST have some easier levels in between to relax the players otherwise all the work the builders give into a project or most of it will not be appreciated because of the nervous wrecks the players would have become before they finish it. Don't let the above criticism stop you from playing it because that is not my intention. My intention is to warn the players about the level of difficulty and annoyance they will find and to draw the attention of some players including those of this project in order to understand that harder and more complex doesn't mean better. It is really worth spending time with this one but be sure you have the nerves for it." - Kristina (19-Mar-2007)
"Oh Boy what a game this was , I admit without some help from the forums I would have been lost in this maze of floating islands Leroy has designed for us . A stunningly good level which sometimes takes you to your limits - or beyond . There is no custom music or sounds in this TRLE issue , Lara cruises alone in silence only accompanied by the thunder , hisses and cries from the ordinary TRLE files . Christoph and Nadine have pointed out in their latest releases what music can do add one stunning and unique atmosphere to a game ! My final conclusion : Harder than the hardest but worthwhile playing ! Invisible platforms are always a nuisance , even more if they cannot be detected by laserlight ! It`s raining ! So what ? For ordinary people definetely not a reason to jump up into the air to grab invisible platforms ! A well worked-out game but too frustrating in many moments ,so cool down Leroy and next time please give us what everybody wants in this TRLE community : Fun Fun Fun ! Merci Beaucoup JN" - Ruben (19-Mar-2007)
"Many words can describe these two levels. From my vocabulary, I decided to choose difficult, frustrating, innovative, unique, and satisfying. So far, this is the hardest section of the Osiris saga, and it also has some of the neatest concepts and puzzles in it. At times, the builder's creativity sometimes leads to frustration that may provoke the player to bin the level, which is why being very persistent is one of the keys to get through the level. The level is overall very challenging and well thought out, and provides for many hours of good raiding. Though I wish there would be some more cameras that would tell what switches do, but that's probably the only gripe from me. Great levels, but only for expert raiders." - Relic Hunter (12-Mar-2007)
"Oh boy, did I say earlier parts of this series made me confused. They were models of clarity compared to this section. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's inspired gameplay, full of clever twists and turns, but just be prepared to have your patience tested to within an inch of its life. You get to visit different areas via transporters in the sky and collect golden skulls in each area - and some of the tasks required are very time consuming indeed. It's intriguing and innovative, frustrating and fascinating and never, ever boring (actually I could really have used just a touch of boredom in there from time to time) so if you don't mind occasionally stopping to bang your head against the desk I think you'll find much to enjoy and admire." - Jay (08-Mar-2007)
"I agree with Samu about this level, sometimes I loved it, sometimes hated it. The tasks were difficult but the concept was brilliant. Like I said before I love floating islands but this one had a twist. The puzzles were innovative and challenging. I was not thrilled with back & forth requirements of this level but they made for many hours of interesting gameplay. The one concept that really blew me away was the swirly/dizzy spike field at times thought I was going to have a seizure. So for those reading this please stick with it and play this level because you will have a feeling of great accomplishment when you complete it." - guss18 (01-Mar-2007)
"I have quite different kind of feelings about this level because I loved this level and also hated it. I hated this because some of the tasks are extremely hard and frustrating to complete. On the other hand I loved this level because tasks are designed really well and this is probably one of the most complex level I've ever played. Author has created some very smart puzzles I have seen never before and I must say I was very impressed so I had to give 10 for gameplay and puzzles. Atmosphere is very magical because the environment looks quite strange and there are some magical background musics in this level. Maybe author could have paid a bit more attention on lighting because some of the areas don't seem to include many light effects. On the other hand this isn't very important because places look still pretty good. Overally I enjoyed this level a lot despite it has some irritating moments." - Samu (26-Feb-2007)
"What spectacular levels! So inventive, imaginative and gripping! And also challaging and frustrating! The author goes really new ways and this quite convincingly. In the end you are really satiesfied that you could escape this weird death realm. Some passages are really hard to master and will challenge all your TR-skills fully and I guess, for some it`ll become too frustrating. But I hope, the most will still see the brilliance of the author. You enter this realm after a boat ride with an appropriate guide an soon you`ll have the first problems to enter a cursed castle. The only chance ist to be beamed by a magic power and this `ll happen very often later on. The central part of the levels is a floating island area, from where you have to find the ways into four very specific realms, belonging to different powers and challenging you with very different and interesting tasks. After getting the four golden skulls there and a hard boss fight at the starting place you`ll be teleported to Osiris sphere in Egypt. Yes, there are also a few irritating moments. You may encounter save game bugs and in one place I got stuck, because a special type of needed ammo hadn't been provided (Be careful, to have some shotgun and/or revolver and/or grenade gun ammo available!). But I can forgive this, because otherwise it's simply a masterpiece! A must for the skilled player!" - Raymond (19-Feb-2007)
"Well, first of all I must say that these are the most frustrating, annoying and weird levels I have ever played. The lack of cameras and hints makes it even worse. Even to get started is difficult. I got stuck for 1 hour trying to jump up in the first tree haha. There are unfortunately a few spots in where you can get stuck and you have to load another save. Now on to the good things. When it comes to gameplay, this level is unmatched. So much to do and so many ways of doing it, that it will keep even the most hardcore raider occupied for a loooong time! There are some fantastic scenes in these levels. Especially the boss fights and some of the puzzles. Simply amazing. After playing halfway through, I realised that these are not only frustrating levels, they are pure art! It took a while, but I could not let go then! In this weird genre, I have never seen anything like it before actually. The textures are done to perfection and so are the lighting, sound and cameras. What struck me most though, is (from a builder¡¦s perspective) how the author did come up with all this and managed to put it all together!! Four large levels (I think) and you level jump between them so many times, that I could not count them. The atmosphere is the best though¡Kthe music and the scenery. Pure evil everywhere haha. First I did not know how to set scores for these levels, as there are a few irritating moments along the way. Especially the first hour of gameplay IMO. I now know that it deserves all tens as it is a masterpiece on its own. I hope to see more levels from this author, as tons of skill is put into these levels. Highlights: I will not spoil anything as there are so many cool things here, that you need to see them yourself! Way to go! But please¡Kmore hints and cameras next time will you? ƒº" - QRS (13-Feb-2007)