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Lara's House by Joe Seymour

alan 3 4 5 5
Casual Raider 3 3 4 5
CC 4 5 6 6
Ceamonks890 3 3 3 3
ColeMoles 1 2 1 3
Dimpfelmoser 3 4 5 6
Ejecta 3 4 3 4
eTux 1 3 2 3
FX 2 4 4 7
Gerty 5 5 4 7
Jay 4 4 5 5
JoeTheCrazyGamer 3 4 4 5
John 5 4 5 6
Jose 1 2 2 3
Kristina 3 4 4 4
Magnus 1 3 2 4
Mehrbod 4 3 3 2
MichaelP 5 6 7 7
Orbit Dream 3 4 7 7
RaiderGirl 5 5 4 7
Ryan 3 3 4 4
Sash 4 4 3 7
Torry 5 4 7 8
Treeble 3 4 4 4
Wolf7 3 6 4 6
 
release date: 30-Dec-2000
# of downloads: 320

average rating: 4.07
review count: 25
 
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file size: 14.15 MB
file type: TR4
class: Home
 


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Reviewer's comments
"Well the builder has got me confused, I can't tell whether the builder has taken a pre-built version of the Tomb raider 2 manor and destroyed it or whether they have tried to make a replica of their own. Either way its a terrible experience. The ambience sound in the background makes it feel like your in a cave, there's next to no originality and its just disappointing. However there is one plus. This is the first TRLE TR4 release to contain a custom object! its a TR4 door that has been retextured. and badly retextured at that. But it takes the prize for being the first ever custom object in a released TRLE level." - ColeMoles (23-Feb-2022)
"This level is based off of the TR2 version of Croft Manor, but seeing as this was made mere weeks after the editor’s release, I’m assuming there weren’t really many resources, tools or general shared knowledge to go off of, which explains the awkward inclusion of Egypt-themed elements like the mummies in the maze, the ninjas that pop into existence, the desert skybox, the eerie tomb ambience that clashes with the bright and cheery manor grounds, etc. etc. You can see some rooms that have been revamped and some objects are missing, like the zipwire and bridge on the assault course, as well as the buttons, which have all been replaced with either floor levers or simple tiles that open doors when you walk over them. Speaking of doors, all of them use the same texture as the ones that open into the entrance hall, which is very odd and noticeable - it’s not clear whether this is because of the aforementioned lack of knowledge or just general laziness. Anyway, there is some original gameplay, where you climb up to the glass roof above the reinstated gym and pull a lever opening a passage within the flooded basement (replacing the treasure room) which leads to a crudely-built oasis, containing a final room where you will be stuck on an illegal slope for all of eternity due to the lack of a level-end trigger, unless you had the good sense to swan dive and commit suicide beforehand - so overall, this level is not very great, and probably was intended more as an experimentation back when this was all very new. But I did like the two rooms with low-res posters of all the 5 games released at the time, and their gold editions. Very cute, and very nostalgic. It’s odd to imagine that there was a time before Angel of Darkness was released. How innocent we were back then, how naïve! (Myself especially, seeing as I was still in diapers at the time)" - Ejecta (25-Jan-2021)
"A nice home level with Ninjas, Looks similar to other home levels 16/40" - JoeTheCrazyGamer (28-Jun-2020)
"I don't actually remember why I did download this back in the 2015 ... I recall me hating this, but actually it isn't that bad after all! It's a nice shooter experience set into Lara's House! The gameplay it's not that good, it's a typical "find-the-switch", with an interesting big shortcut that brings you into the second part of the level and here ... here it starts making no sense. Enemies are lots and it's pretty much the best part of the level itself, as I said before. Also the texturing is pretty accurate, mostly ... Wolfy Regards." - Wolf7 (12-Jan-2019)
"Well, I must admit I was excepting a lot more to see from this debut. I have to say this level differed from the original Lara Croft's mansion in general, although they both had some elements in common. Not much gameplay or puzzles were involved, Enemies were pretty irrelevant considering the environment, for example, a mummy between the bushes, etc. . Amosphere and sound and cameras were poor, and lighting job was done flatly and the textures were terribly stretched. Not bad as a reference level to the original Croft Manor. Thank you!" - Mehrbod (03-Sep-2018)
"Perhaps you'll enjoy this level if you're a shooter, if not, I doub it. The only tasks are pull some levels to open some doors, sometimes leading to empty rooms where you only will shoot some enemies, and again visit more empty rooms without objects or furniture to shoot more enemies; in between, pick up guns and ammo. At the end when you're tired you'll check the walkthrough to see that there's not a finish trigger. Not entertaining for me." - Jose (07-Nov-2017)
"This is the second attempt to re-create Lara's home if I'm not wrong. This one includes some baddies to fight, there is lack of many objects. The secret library has shelves with the covers of the 5 tomb raider games, and the gold editions of the 3 first ones. Something interesting about the mansion is another secret room with water that leads to a kind of temple beneath it. Inside there are the same covers and further a white room where Lara is trapped forever." - alan (29-Jun-2017)
"You've seen one mansion level, you've seen them all. The only minor differences here are a few nostalgic visual homages, ninjas, mummies, an incomplete assault course and a different finale. None of this will likely perk up your interest, so give it a miss if you wish." - Ryan (07-Aug-2016)
"As far as home-themed releases go, this is about as bog-standard as you can get, with this ultimately turning out to be yet another bland recreation of the all-too familiar Core Design era Croft Manor(albeit with dull gameplay, lack of a proper finish trigger, a concerning amount of objects missing and a lot of random ninjas thrown in 'cause... hey ninjas are cool right?). And with the only real notable 'additions' being a couple of empty rooms with game cover wallpapers of the first five TR games and their various Gold editions plastered all over the walls, let's just say you aren't really missing out on much, if you simply skipped this one outright." - Ceamonks890 (08-Dec-2014)
"Even by house level standards, this is pretty dull. The architecture is fairly rudimentary, the house itself has been invaded by ninjas and the maze is full of mummies. No really. I'd be inclined to give this one a miss if I were you." - Jay (16-Jun-2014)
"The level itself is rather well-built though it seems to be too empty. Rooms are big and lacking objects to fill them in. Gameplay is easy - mostly pulling some levers and killing some enemies. Bad thing was to put two kinds of doors beside each other - those that open and those that are only smaller texture, it looked terrible." - Casual Raider (19-Jul-2013)
"It seems that building a replica or an interpretation of Lara's home is like a custom level builder's civic duty - you either come around to doing it sometime in your 'career' or your builder's license will be revoked or something. This author has been a good netizen in that aspect, though it's dubious how much better off we are for his offering. Technically the only thing you really need to do to finish the game is get on top of the swimming pool's roof via a slope and the hedge maze - step on the tile with the lever (none of the triggers seem to be assigned correctly here) and then escape via a conveniently placed shortcut to the pool room where you proceed to the final, somewhat unexpected Egyptian wonderland. You can, of course, spend an additional 10-something minutes of filler action by exploring all the rooms of Lara's house you know and love (or hate, I don't want to presume), blasting away ninjas, mummies and scorpions (the grenade launcher conveniently is one of the first pickups), and explore a curious trophy room that contains the covers of all the classic Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider Gold games that had been released at that time. In fact, I recall playing a house level - maybe the first of the custom sort I tried - which employed the game covers in it, thus making this another oldie from my pre-reviewing days, with which I'm finally catching up as a reviewer, probably over a decade later. Time sure does fly, huh? If you have a thing for Lara's home levels - you probably need no invitation to start this up, if you don't - you won't be missing out a lot if you give this a miss." - eTux (27-Mar-2013)
"A remake of the manor a bit 'empty', the enemies are not very well placed, and a setting 'green' with an Egyptian background u_u SA does not, this level is not too unpleasant, but a bit strange, as the mummy in the maze, but hey, you be the judge :)" - FX (18-Feb-2010)
"It's not a bad recreation on the whole,and the custom textures are fine and raise a smile.However,the Obstacle Course has been seriously short-changed (how could anyone put in climbing textures and then forget to set up a climable wall?);the Maze is rather bothersome;the House itself is lacking appropriate objects,and there's no Finish Trigger.Nevertheless,there are moments of Gameplay (the location of the 3rd Lever) and a rather unexpected Egyptian Temple as a Finale,so it's not altogether a waste of time,and kept me peacefully occupied for 22 minutes." - Orbit Dream (25-Sep-2006)
"Sometimes it feels like you can't stop writing about a level and sometimes there isn't anything to say that hasn't been said before. This is one of those levels that you can't write anything more about so I can't see any reason to do so. I've played this level before and it only took me about one and a half minute to finish. There's nothing more to say. Oh now I've got space to write about myself! I was born in... Wait you're not the least bit interested in this are you? You probably just want to know if the level is worth playing or not right? Well then - it's not. Happy now?" - Magnus (29-Jan-2004)
"These house levels will never end will they! Oh well here we go then it's the mansion all right with different doors though the maze and some stretched textures and with no finishing trigger. That's all if you play it have fun if not you won't miss anything." - Kristina (27-Aug-2003)
"It's interesting to see how different authors treat Lara's mansion and this must have been one of the first considering the age of the level. Here she has moved the whole estate brick by brick over to the desert and wouldn't you know just as she's about to settle in an invasion of ninjas mummys and scorpions. There's a tunnel under the house out into a desert temple dedicated to Lara which was a surprise. You've done all this before so you'll know what to do." - CC (27-May-2003)
"I know it's all my fault. I dread the House level so much that I tried to avoid it at all costs but now that I've run out of levels to play I get them all at once. Alright at least this game has a few traces of gameplay and the author has been considerate enough to throw in a few enemies but still those house levels are a bit like searching your flat for the scissors (or whatever it is that you tend to misplace; in my case it's always the scissors). You have to look in places you've been to a million times before and you get more angry by the second. There is the compulsory maze and I don't know about you but I was wondering what mummies were doing there. It somehow doesn't seem to be their natural environment. And the big TR posters made Lara seem a little vain. I always thought of her as the humble type. Kindred spirits you see." - Dimpfelmoser (16-Nov-2002)
"I have been spoiled as this is the umpteenth House level I have played and there is just so much you can do although there are some good ones out there. This is not one of them it's a mediocre level just nice to play in between the hard ones. There are enemies to battle but if you look good you'll find the weapons and ammo. The house itself it differs a bit from the original the doors did look a bit strange in my opinion. Best thing were the posters from all the Tomb Raider games - that was a nice touch. I was warned about no end trigger or else I still would be trying to get out of that room 03-11-2002" - Gerty (09-Nov-2002)
"You start off outside with some baddies to kill you make your way inside kill more find a lever upstairs which opens a door back down in the main hall with a few TR posters on the walls then you go outside into the maze which is an exact replica of the TR2 one. This opens another door back in the house this door leads to a water room which has a closed door in it which can be opened by another lever on the pool room roof. After that you end up in a temple area and slide down into a white room which you can't get out of and has no finish trigger. There's not a lot of puzzles and no traps to avoid. The lighting and textures is mostly good but what happened to the objects?? This makes the rooms seem very big and empty. The assault course is a bit different but the gym needs more effort put into it as with a lot of other rooms it's nice to have a look round and explore but I wouldn't recommend this level unless your very bored or your a mansion lover." - John (23-Aug-2002)
"Well this is probably the first house level ever released. It uses the standard TUT1 WAD so don't expect to see anything from other TR levels. Well actually the objects used on this house level were: white ninjas and scorpions levers and wooden doors (texturized). No lighting and no end trigger but I guess it was in the big grey room. There's no way back! There was a lever hidden in the ceiling of the pool room so that got me stuck otherwise I would have finished it in less than 10 minutes (it took me 15 minutes). It uses a map similar to the TR2 House and the unique thing I really liked to see in this level were the library room with TR posters on the walls. The same posters appear later in the hall before the grey room." - Treeble (26-Jul-2002)
"This is yet again another level based around Lara's mansion with the usual things such as the maze the outdoor training course and some baddies but this also has a wonderful little extra two rooms full of large game covers from the first Tomb Raider through to Chronicles plastered on the walls. There isn't much to do here but explore the house find some levers to pull shoot some ninjas and find the end which unfortunately doesn't have a trigger so you are left trapped in a white room wondering what to do." - Sash (21-Jun-2002)
"As the title says this level is set at the Croft estate and indeed it is solidly rebuilt with a few things missing only. There is a load of enemies to deal with but apart from the nostalgic exploring not much gameplay to accomplish. I liked the room with the TombRaider Games covers, that was a nice touch, but there are also a few bugs, such as that you can simply run through the main gate (no collision) and most of the doors are 8 clicks high while they should be 4 and it just does not look very nice.“ - Michael (21-Jun-2002)
"I believe this is one of the earlier attempts at a House level and except for the wallpaper on one room consisting of the covers of the various Tomb Raider games it offers nothing new or unique to recommend it." - Torry (21-Jun-2002)
"As the title says this level is set at the Croft estate and indeed it is solidly rebuilt with a few things missing only. There is a load of enemies to deal with but apart from the nostalgic exploring not much gameplay to accomplish. I liked the room with the TombRaider Games covers that was a nice touch but there are also a few bugs such as that you can simply run through the main gate (no collision) and most of the doors are 8 clicks high while they should be 4 and it just does not look very nice.“ - Michael "A good solid attemp at recreating Lara's Mansion I found only a few differences not necessarily detracting from the level though. A few were: different doors were used that were not attractive in the house there were no railings around the stairs or upper levels the obstacle course was not quite what it should be nor was the indoor training area. Overall though Joe did a good job on the house. The pool room is almost exactly the same and the maze is I believe an exact replica. There were quite a few enemies at the beginning of the level and then a few more spread throughout the house and grounds but if you look it's easy to find the ammo and weapons you will need. I like the few personal touches he made around the house. The 'secret' rooms were very interesting and a door in one of the secret rooms leads to a very interesting and totally unexpected area. A few problems were: just stepping on a square with a switch opened the door instead of making you pull the switch and I was a little disappointed in the ending (or lack of an ending). Fun if your just looking for a short distraction but not what I would call a serious Tomb Raider level. (But then no one said they all had to be right?)." - RaiderGirl (21-Jun-2002)