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BtB2009 - Sunken by Mr XY

Andzia9 7 7 8 8
Bene 8 9 10 9
Christian 10 9 10 10
Czar 10 9 9 10
DJ Full 9 8 9 9
dmdibl 9 9 9 9
EssGee 9 9 10 10
eTux 9 8 8 9
Eva 10 10 9 10
Gerty 8 8 8 9
Glouglouton 10 9 9 9
Jack& 9 10 8 9
jawi 10 9 10 9
Jay 9 9 9 9
JesseG 10 9 9 10
Jose 6 8 9 10
manarch2 8 8 9 9
MichaelP 10 8 9 9
Mman 9 10 10 10
Moonpooka 8 9 9 9
nerdfury 10 8 10 10
Phil 9 8 8 9
Raymond 10 9 10 10
Relic Hunter 9 9 9 10
Ruben 10 9 10 10
Ryan 8 9 10 10
Samu 8 8 9 9
Schelo 10 9 9 9
Shady Croft 9 9 9 9
Shandroid 10 9 9 9
Sutekh 9 9 9 9
Treeble 10 10 9 10
 
release date: 01-Jan-2009
# of downloads: 136

average rating: 9.09
review count: 32
 
review this level

file size: 20.90 MB
file type: TR4
class: Coastal
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
mr_xy@live.de

Reviewer's comments
"(10) Gameplay & Puzzles: This is a challenging adventure of ~1 hour in duration. There's not much in the way of traditional puzzles but there's plenty of delightfully devious platforming, timed runs and traps. Despite the lack of traditional puzzles, figuring out how to approach these gameplay elements was a puzzle in itself, and it was so much fun. I don't often feel this way, but I felt like this level was the perfect difficulty. Challenging, but not to the extent of pulling out my hair in fits of rage, and never disorientating. It really was such a blast from start to finish. My favorite was a very tight timed run involving multiple trapdoors, where the player has to ascend upwards and shoot down a barricade. (8) Enemies, Objects & Secrets: There's not much combat here. Skeletons were used effectively and in an interesting manner throughout the adventure, especially when you first pick up the shotgun and you have to be very quick to deal with 2 skeletons. The "final fight" skeleton shotgun extravaganza was cleverly executed and great fun, however I do have a minor nitpick about it. If the player looks around carefully, they can surmise, logically, that there are 4 targets to shoot, one in each direction. However the builder very sneakily hides a 5th target that doesn't follow the same principles as the other 4 targets and I think it could potentially stump and frustrate the player so close to the finish line. They'll shoot the 4 targets and wonder what they're missing, as it seems logical that there's 1 target in each direction and that's all they need to do. The traps were great fun to dodge, however the object decor is quite minimal. (10) Atmosphere, Sound & Cameras: The atmosphere and architecture is beautiful, particularly outdoors. A minor detractor to the atmosphere was the background geometry glitching in and out outdoors, but the builder used the original TRLE, and not TRNG, so I'm not gonna fault him for that. Music cues are great, the flybys are immersive, and there are enough camera hints. (10) Lighting & Textures: This level was such a treat for my eyes. No overly dark areas, realistic and calming lighting, and no misshapen textures. Overall, I highly recommend this level if you're wanting a shorter, challenging adventure that has a heavy focus on adrenaline-based tasks. 10/8/10/10." - nerdfury (19-Jul-2021)
"The initial scenes might make you think it's a heavily confusing level, but it really isn't and actually turns out to be one of the best levels of the contest in any regard. Everything is on a very high level here - the gameplay has a few excellent timed tasks, with usage of fires, trapdoors, an interesting skeleton shootout, a target shoot and some other things to like. I really would've liked to explore more of this game and spend more time in here and I think a bit more could've been up here. That aside, the architecture is brilliant, there are nice fixed cameras, the room connections very professional and all areas have received enough care to feel believable - just a slight feeling of emptiness is the only thing that I didn't like so much here. The sole secret is very hard to get and it took me quite a few tries (decided to not watch the video), it's not so rewarding but anyway a fun extra task. It's a quite intense and highly enjoyable experience and my second favourite of the contest, well done for sure." - manarch2 (22-Jul-2016)
"Although crafty made, this was not a level I liked very much. It is very difficult and had me reloading a tad too much to really enjoy the tricky tasks one has to perform to finally get out of here. I had a very strange bug at the end, shot the targets and although I managed to shoot all the skeletons, apart from one that still is laying on the floor. The door that needed to be open way down; never opened. Reading the walkthrough that was the end of the game so I left that closed door for what it was and left the game." - Gerty (24-Apr-2016)
"I'll admit to getting a bit frustrated while trying to make my way through this. The gameplay was great but it overstepped its mark for me. The first trapdoor run was nothing short of sadistic, especially if you are trying to get the secret as well. The atmosphere was well done and lighting and textures too. If you want to try it be my guest..." - Ryan (11-Apr-2016)
"I don't know the exact topic of BtB Classic, but the "classic" is here. I guess we people just like things which are forgotten, fallen, hidden or garden. Of all participles that will do, I especially like sunken. It's full of win. One may say it's a coincidence two flooded temples have won a BtB... and he'll be right, because it takes to coincident a well chosen topic and a skilled builder. Or skulled in case of this island. Because in hands of the mistaken, sunken is burden, and flooded is dreaded - for participles can be double-edged. Here it's like really walked the thin ice. The tight introducing swim, the underwater passage search and the insane trapdoor run made the following spike and burner traps feel easy. Getting through that whole crazy part took me about 50 minutes and that was just the prologue... Do I regret? Not at all, for the mood is brilliant and the fairly negotiable crocodiles made equally much of it as nice lighting did. Then an organic coastal scenery revealed in front of Lara, something like the default coastal.tr4 but revamped and polished just to the state we would have wanted to see in the original TR4 - a way of merging old with new which fits BtB just great. I left the rest for the next day - I didn't want to hurry with this one (a good sign). When I returned, I killed three more fair crocs and set off to exploration. Unexpectedly, it all took five minutes to swim around the whole bank and run over it. It really feels empty and cries for greater gameplay density. I would definitely allow more climbing on these high structures, and mark that ammunition pit as a secret, as well as some following clever pickups which appeared to be just pickups. Having descended beneath the surface, I found myself in a set of rooms, all looking very decent, however also quite empty - almost all architecture comes from room geometry - and very similar to each other both in lighting and texturing. I also think the ambience could be more varying. But to nicely contrast, there was some minor challenge all the time, and each of these traps required a bit different approach to be negotiated, despite of the majority consisting just of trapdoors, flames and spikes. As supposed for a classic BtB level, variety of usage surpasses variety of used objects. The torch window coming after this gave the last bit of breath. It's one of many occuring in this level, so the whole thing feels both like danger and some kind of easy-going vacation. The following boss climax is one of the most unusual encounters of this kind I've ever fought, and - to highlight once again - all is made of default skeletons and targets. The last to do is a nice escape into the sunlight with the artifact obtained... check. SUMMARY: I would darken it a bit, add some more ambience, architecture other than pure geometry and assign more gameplay to the outside part, because there's a lot of exploration which results in nothing found. Other than that, this one is just fine as for a BtB level. Bright and relaxing yet quite challenging. Recommended." - DJ Full (06-May-2015)
"There's a Coastal theme here and it's executed about as well as it can be. There are problems with draw distance like in Passage of the Amulet, but it's a much smaller part of the level and I was able to overlook it. Beyond that there's interesting geometry and organic caves and other designs. This is a very challenging level full of tough sequences and some interesting trapdoor use. Creative target shooting is also a theme throughout. The only issue I had is that it seemed quite short; it's definitely pure quality over quantity but other levels have maintained almost the same quality for a longer duration. Despite that it's a deserving winner of this Back to Basics." - Mman (13-Nov-2012)
"Beautiful coastal, nice textured rooms. But this is the one of the most difficult levels. There are many timed trapdoors, which are open only for few seconds. So gameplay was very hard." - Andzia9 (10-Feb-2011)
"There's certainly no denying the technical skill and ingenuity that went into making it the level it is, but for whatever reason it never clicked with me entirely through the 40 minutes I spent here. The settings are certainly pleasant and for what it's worth could've been an extension of the original Coastal Ruins level in that aspect. It's a lot more sadistic as far as the gameplay goes and by the time you're done you'll be hearing trapdoors and spikes in your nightmares! The difficulty level, as you can guess, is rather high, as a result of the only really easy thing to do here is to get frustrated, so unless you deliberately want to play a level that stretches beyond your comfort zone (and I imagine this level will be just that for the majority of players out there), this might not be the best pick. But as already mentioned - a lot of the sequences are really clever and will require both agility and wit from the players part to master them. I especially appreciated the cleverness of the sequence you need to master in order to get the level's only secret, but disappointingly so found the reward given disproportionate to the effort you had to put into it. Other memorable tasks include the torch jumps & the series of tasks for shooting the 3 targets (though you could actually avoid one of the sequences completely by utilizing the shotgun with manual aim). Overall - an excellent level not to be missed by seasoned raiders." - eTux (03-Feb-2010)
"Seeing the fast you must be swimming at the beginning to can get all the pickups you know that this shall be a hard level. Yes, it's a hard level not suitable for beginners. There are several very tricky tasks where you perhaps will have to do too many tries. Yes, you know what to do, but you try the tasks once, two, three, ten, twenty, fourty times and at the end you'll get bored if you're not an expert player 'cause it's the case of miliseconds or milimeters. Not a good level for me although I know that it was very well builded from an expert builder. I like the coastal environment very well lightened and textured, the (many) enemies I had to shoot with the shotgun, the cameras are very good too, but the gameplay was a bit hard for my taste, although the design for the gameplay was very good. If you like the challenges it's your level." - Jose (26-Feb-2009)
"If not for a limitation of our 10-year old engine, this would have been a perfect Tomb Raider level. Despite the rather slow beginning, it soon picks up as you reach a vast outside area (where said limitation shatters the entire atmosphere) and then quests for the golden star and hathor effigy. The tasks to get to the golden star were often timed but also quite clever, such as the target atop a series of slopes. After the torch puzzle you also come face to face with a number of skeletons to practice your skeet shooting, and since you're bound by the platform you landed on you have to be rather fast to switch targets and drop them down (fortunately the author doesn't supply explosive ammo, which would have totally destroyed this sequence). There were some excellent levels in this year's BtB, and while I still have one unfinished level, this one is the winner for me, hands down. 45 minutes. 02/09" - Treeble (21-Feb-2009)
"Oh my, well this would have been a perfect level for me as it's all so beautifully done, but the timed hatches were very frustrating. I guess most of them were easy, but the hatch by the slopes to the target hacked me off no end. Anyway, other than that, as I say, this was a beautiful game. Using the coastal wad we get to pick off many skellies and a few crocs. Ammo for the enemies is sufficient and so is health. Traps are fires and spikes. There are some underwater caverns to explore to get to various rooms, and then you need to find the crowbar and a gem. Moving on, Lara will be tracking down a star and the portal guardian, and later on, she will need to find the knot to finish the level. The ending was superb and you will have quite a fun run-around with a hoard of skellies. Targets to shoot and traps to avoid throughout, this was quite a tough level, and you will need a calm temper when dealing with the timed hatches. I would say that this was one of the better BtB's, in that is so complex and well thought out, but when a level becomes repetitive with the same old game-play then folk are going to get bored; one less timed hatch sequence would have been nice, but even so, this was a great level." - Moonpooka (19-Feb-2009)
"This level was challenging and fun all the way through. I loved the coastal atmosphere with the ocean and seagull sounds, it really set the mood. There were some tough timed runs that I didn't think I would be able to manage, but thankfully, I did. There was a really tough timed run for a pretty meager secret, which I thought was a bit cruel. The level was well-made from the gameplay to the textures and atmosphere. Definitely play this one, it's worth it!" - Shandroid (14-Feb-2009)
"Making a level to BtB competition seems to be difficult. The point is to make good enjoyable gameplay. The author of Sunken succeeded in it. He or she created wonderful world with quite difficult gameplay and great architecture, what makes game unique. Complex of corridors looked very realistic for me. My reaction to the opening flyby was like: “Wow, what superb graphics!”. First swimming may look very easy, but it isn’t if you want to take all the pickups – in this case I had to swim through it several times (actually four times with losing some life in the meantime). That says a lot about difficulty of this level. The view of big area is stunning. All rocks, water, buildings and horizon look lovely. I found buildings under the water very difficult and I was very unhappy when I realized that I would have to repeat all those puzzles due to bug. Especially difficult was a way to the torch. Finally the big room with skellies is my favourite one. Atmosphere was excellent and I had lots of fun shooting targets and then shooting skeletons. In the end of this review I want to recommend this level to all players as very unique and with great atmosphere. Congratulations to the author of this perfect game!" - jawi (11-Feb-2009)
"This opens with a nicely done preview of the swim Lara is about to take, showing all the goodies she may or may not get. The Uzis and its ammo are perhaps the most important but the shotgun ammo will also become necessary. On to the next area to retrieve a gem and the crowbar and it's an indication that nothing will be too easy or too quick. What was easy was getting turned around and lost underwater in a relatively small area. There's a video showing how to do the timed trap doors which does help but it wasn't until I figure out how to shave a millisecond off the first run that I also saw it was shown clearly in the video. What should have been an easy back/forth jump to ladders over timed spikes took me so long to get as there was this pesky little timed trapdoor there that I was surprised my stats showed only two hours to get through to the end. And speaking of the end, there's some nice target shooting and some skellies determined to push Lara to her death. I did mention that shotgun ammo would be necessary, right? The walkie mentions that there is a never ending supply on the ledge if you should run out but thankfully, I didn't need it. It was well done and a good ending to a very memorable Raid." - Bene (06-Feb-2009)
"Phew ! Finally !!! This level is simply great, amazing and magnificent, for many reasons. It starts differently with Lara underwater in some sort of coastal caves where you have to quickly find a safe spot to breathe. Its also beautiful with it great looking coastal setting, quite similar to the TR4 coastal area with the sea, and it has an innovative beginning where you spend some time in beautiful partially sunken coastal ruins (claiming the title "sunken"). Thirdly, this is very challenging level and I'd say the hardest Btb09 I've played so far. There will be timed challenges and tasks where you have to be precise in your movement every where. There will be time platforms to jump on, tight platforms with fire pits and spikes you have to dodge. The texturing and lighting are very good and the structure and design of the level was great as well, putting tiny details such as fallen pillars here and there, as well as a beautiful and huge coastal area. I definitely recommend this one for all players (though some may feel frustration), its a great and different experience you shouldn't miss. And to the author, might I suggest a longer game of this kind, along with the use of TREP and increase of draw-distance after the Btb09 competition ends ? Kudos !" - Shady Croft (05-Feb-2009)
"Gameplay in this level is not for beginners. Lara gets exposed to tricky jumps and timed runs. Especially the first one did create some problems for me. The puzzles however are a little easier to solve. I liked the design of this level very much, especially the outside area is beautifully crafted with the high pillars and the sunset. I can highly recommend this level to everybody." - Schelo (26-Jan-2009)
"This level is truly built with a lot of care especially when it comes to the surroundings and how they are constructed. Textures are used studiously, lighting is atmospheric and architecture is moreover very detailed and carefully created. Gameplay is mainly focused on exploration, jumping and timed runs that are all fun and well tought out. Even though I liked the gameplay I think that it could have been spiced up with few proper puzzles giving more variety to the level but is it however, very good the way it has been done. This level even has a great action packed finale including skeletons which you have to drop to a ravine with shotgun and it really was a well highlighted ending for the game. Well done." - Samu (21-Jan-2009)
"Introduced to the level with a swimby, as opposed to a flyby, we begin then with Lara underwater. Never a favourite of mine, I always expect such levels to make the player swim far for Lara's first breath, but in this case the air hole is immediately behind if you're not so anxious to move on and take the time to turn around. So, popping Lara's head above the water here, I saved and prepared for what was to come. Moving through the water filled, murky depths here, everything looks well textured and lit. Occasionally Lara is pushed along by a current, and it's easy to miss the first quite well hidden secret. Despite the overwhelming anxiety to find air for Lara, the environment here begs investigation, with every shadow and kink in the surrounding rock hinting at another sly passage or slightly obscured pickup. So I spent a bit of time having a good look around, with a couple of reloads because Lara did run out of air. When we do ultimately surface the good lighting and texturing continues with only some slight hindrance of wading water and the approach of a crocodile or two. Immediately after, we are faced with more water to swim through and the teasing of platforms that can't be reached. Passing through more water hewn rock passages and the sweeping currents around different corners, we face more crocodiles and it is becoming obvious that none of this is going to be easy. Our first objective then, aside from dealing with the crocodiles, is to obtain a crystal, and here is the first real demand put upon the player. It is a tight, timed run over fire topped blocks in the water which requires smooth action to get over, for there is no time to stop and think once you set the count-down in motion. In obtaining and then placing the crystal, the way is opened to the location of a crowbar, and once retrieved we find ourselves swimming through an easily missed passage and on to yet another tightly timed section. Trapdoors this time, and you better be damned good at manipulating Lara's movements here, for there is pretty much no room for error. Whilst there is a gate to be opened with the crowbar here, it is not necessary as the fourth trapdoor can be reached without access past this gate. With another secret to be found here, you might find yourself seriously pulling your hair out, giving up or moving on. Ultimately we come to that unreachable platform seen after the first exit from the water. Not so unreachable after all, and a pleasure to find the shotgun, which is always most useful for dealing with skeletons, the first of a number of which make their appearance here. Making a long climb up past fire emitters, we ultimately emerge outside, and what a great looking place it is. In the best tradition of coastal wad levels, aside from the individual design, we have the familiar appearance of pale, sandy-coloured structures amidst the rocky outcroppings of an end of landmass settlement, the rough, reddish terrain interspersed with the green patches of grass and palm trees. Soon in the sea, we are again assailed by more crocodiles before finding a hole to swim down with more adventure to come. The rigours of the next area are more than hinted at by the difficulty of actually accessing it in the first place, for a slope with fire and spikes is no easy slide. Once in, we have a kind of a quadrant of a room, quartered and divided into areas of platforms and timing, spike traps and skeletons, slopes and fire and swimming and crocodiles. Every aspect is precisely set up here, and we must find three targets to shoot, as well as retrieving a couple of puzzle items for use elsewhere. There is little let up in the order of business and the player must always be thinking exactly how to navigate the hazards here. After much struggle, we return to the coastal structures to obtain one more puzzle item before moving on through another gate. Sliding down a slope, we exit into a large room with some body of water, crocodiles which immediately assail Lara and the setup of the next exacting sequence in order to obtain a torch. Here then we have more timed platforms, in constant up-down motion, and climbable walls and slopes to traverse. One particular jump grab sequence is problematic at best and will require precise positioning before the desired result is achieved. Moving on from this area and we enter the end stage of this challenging level for a final showdown with a hoard of skeletons, each group of which are brought into play after the shooting of one of five targets. Here the player must make quick use of the shotgun in order to despatch them all without serious harm to Lara, before the final door will open and we exit into the end of the level. This level irritated me to the max, and I really didn't enjoy it much because of that. But I can't let that aspect seriously influence my review and scoring for what is still obviously a great level. I guess I just had one of those days, because this level contains just the kind of elements of gameplay and stringency that I do like (as well as elements I do detest). This level really isn't for part-time raiders of little skill, and I wouldn't blame anybody who abandons it as too tough. But if you love a good challenge, you'll certainly get it with this." - Czar (19-Jan-2009)
"A brillant level! I have to tell the different puzzles in this level are very enjoyables especially the four puzzles with target and also the final puzzle (be careful to save your munition before it cause you can have some regret). There are also some brillant and difficult steps with some trapdoors. Question textures and lightings the autor use the maximum of the original game and i have the impression to be in the original game on the coast. That's why it's a very good BTB levels" - Glouglouton (14-Jan-2009)
"well is a interesting level ..... at least the best one from 5 with this one wich i played untill now from BtB 2009.....well this one start at a underwater cave and have some very difficult timed runs moustly over trapdoors -wich seams is this builder preferate ......the aim is to get the star and after the ornate handle+ head like statue and slide down at a central platform surrounded by spiked platforms and skelies ...... here to aim is to shot the 4 or 5 targets located in rooms at the other side across the spiked barrier ,,off course is not easy cos after each target shooting come waves off skelies with wich u need to deal. and come 4 at once from ahead / side and back off Lara ...after dealed with the targets a trapdoor flipp up and give acces to the crowbar door wich lead outside across a tunnel after that game ends.......interesting game wich need some skill to beat .....(is not that difficult through ) hehe ....... good jobb ......" - Jack& (14-Jan-2009)
"I was glad to see a level engulfed in water from the start - elaborate underwater sections are a bit uncommon from what I've seen in the custom level world. I was ready to enjoy a nice, relaxing adventure...boy was I mistaken. I don't think I've ever seen so many timed sequences in a single level - timed trapdoors, timed flames, timed spikes, you name it - and if it's not timed, it could be instead a sequence of difficult sloped jumps specked with various traps. You must endure timed runs even just to get some of the medpacks and ammo, and one timed trapdoor must be handled while holding a torch. There's also the "skeleton arena" at the end which is a challenging finale. All this has left me in awe and leads me to give my first 10 for gameplay. There is unfortunately one bug which I reflected in the objects score. One sequence has three trapdoors which go up and down probably because of boulder triggers, but they may start moving out of order, making the sequence impossible. Fortunately my mishapped sequence was doable using Lara's handstand, which I know is a bit cheap, but I'm not sure if there was any other way. I'm also impressed by the large outdoor area that runs well on the original application, although unfortunately you can't see the whole thing at once for the same reason (but I'm a mac raider so I wouldn't have had it any other way). When you're ready for a raid that will put your raiding skills to the limit, it's time to play through Sunken." - SSJ6Wolf (13-Jan-2009)
"Wow, this one is intense, and hard, and challenging, and brain-raking at times. Excellent gameplay from start to end: clever, devious and with _that_ little touch of sadism. As said above, it is difficult and requires some expertise, but never unfair. You CAN play this level without losing any health. Plus it has a soft difficulty curve (sort of): relatively easy at the start (relatively being the key word) and becoming tougher and tougher, so you won't be tempted to give up before being totally immersed and glued to your keyboard. The only reason why I don't give it a neat ten, is that some moves require too much accuracy, taking off at that precise tenth of second, for instance, and that's a bit too much. The gameplay is good enough in itself not to need that kind of tricks. The skeletons you'll fight are perfectly staged, as are the crocs, although they tend to get stuck from time to time. The only secret is rather hard to reach, which makes it worthy of such an ordeal. Visually speaking, it's a beautiful level, very expertly textured and lit, although it suffers from the vanishing horizons when outdoors. To summarise, I had an excellent time, was constantly kept on my toes, and, once I hit the finish trigger after the grand finale, almost expected the level to turn to me, light a cigarette and ask if I was happy." - Sutekh (13-Jan-2009)
"Wow - here we have a level that will keep your adrenalin rushing from start to finish. It starts very interesting already as the path out of the water is long and of course you do want to take the goodies along ;) Then Lara reaches a temple area which is rather brightly lit. The path through these classic ruins and walls is not easy at all. Dangerous and tight jumps around pillars and across burners and spike pits require pixel perfect timing and full concentration. A special mention goes to the challenging timed sequences. The level builder has a clear preference for trapdoors - and deserves high praise for this wonderfully done timed run! As said, we can experience high caliber gameplay here that deserves the highest score. Atmosphere and environment are coming across nicely as well. I was very impressed with the outside areas in the last part of the game, especially when you consider that these are textures of the very early days. Sound and enemies are also well chosen, especially the skeletons in the last part were nicely placed." - Eva (12-Jan-2009)
"Q. How many tight timed sequences can you fit in a level? A. apparently quite a few according to this author. This is a classic coastal city ruins, reminiscent of the original TR4 level. Pity about the horizon dropout. It was a pleasure to explore the bays and coves by both water and land. Indoors you get a procession of grand halls featuring a variety of strenuous tasks to do. It was a relief when I got to the mirror room which gave me some time to think. Full compliments to the author for the believable settings that were created, mingled with some outrageous knuckle-crunching tasks. Good use of the shootable targets. Definitely challenging, great atmosphere, excellent texturing, lighting and architecture. Play when you're feeling fit." - EssGee (11-Jan-2009)
"My favorite one so far from what I have seen in this year`s entries ! Very fine and detailed work in both coastal and catacomb areas . Especially the coastal aread is very well designed and makes you feel at home . The response to this game will probably vary and include mixed emotions covering the complete scale between love and hate , and even frustration. There are some tight runs and tasks to do which require all of Lara`s subtle skills in order to achieve her goal but what would it be if all BtB levels were alike in gameplay difficulty or atmosphere ? One more thing : you better keep an eye on your supply of medipacks cause there ain`t that many ! A very exciting adventure ,had a very good time , thank you so much !" - Ruben (10-Jan-2009)
"I decided to load this one up first to launch this year's BtB overdose, as at the time it was the only BtB level not to have been reviewed. Two days and three intervening reviews later, I've finally managed to finish what can only be described as an ordeal. Not that I'm complaining, mind you, but I really believe this one is only for the experts. There are three sequences in the tall room with the timed trapdoors, but I missed the one leading to a secret. Maybe I'll go back and give that a try sometime. The two potentially game-stopping moments in the level are a jump sequence up a shaft, past spikes and a rising-falling trapdoor. It's such grueling work making it up to the top that I felt it was a bit unfair for the builder to have that flaming tile waiting for us up there. Since I play in god mode, I just pulled up and leisurely shot the target, then dropped down into the water to douse the flames. The other difficult moment was at the very end, where you have to dodge skeletons while shooting targets to lift a platform in front of the exit door. There's apparently no legal way to get past the spikes and flame tiles so you can shoot the targets at close quarters and have some running room to deal with the skeletons. So, again, I just jumped over the tiles in the corners and did the necessary work while Lara was engulfed in flames. Not the way the builder intended, but so be it. Another annoyance was the fixed camera angles that kept you on several occasions from seeing what needed to be done next. Good builders should not have to resort to this tactic (just as good players, I suppose, should not have to resort to cheating). These negatives out of the way, I enjoyed this level a good deal, and the single hour shown on my game clock at the end was much less than I'd expected. Recommended for those with the requisite skill and patience." - Phil (08-Jan-2009)
"This is my favorite of the BtB09-levels! The construction of the level is just perfect. Texturing with the coastal set is applied to the best and lighting gives it a great atmosphere. This is certainly a level with some challenging gameplay, that I like very much. A lot of players will complain, but there are also some nice tricks to find out (especially for the sequence with the one platform, slopes and spikes!), so that the tasks are all doable. So I had great fun with this and recommand it strongly to the more expierenced players!" - Raymond (08-Jan-2009)
"after the start in an underwater-cave the is a first timed trapdoor-sequence to absolve - a first hint to what there is still to come. Having done this you are rewarded by the stunning atmosphere of the coastal area. After another timed trapdoor jumpseries three tasks have to be done to get the golden star; only one of them, a backflip to a hard timed trapdoor is really challenging and can start to be annoying. It took me a couple of tries to perform it. The golden star gives access to the 2nd part of this great adventure,that becomes more and more challenging. A jump-series with a burning torch(via a timed trapdoor, of course)starts a stunning final sequence.... That is what a level should be; not a running around, but a real adventure! My absolute favourite of the series so far, absolutly recommended!" - Christian (08-Jan-2009)
"What a ride! A very special adventure that will have your adrenalin pumping several times along the way and you will be surprised that at the end your net gaming time shows under an hour. It starts with a lot of swmming underwater and then gets into the outside and again inside classic coastal environment, but what this level stands out for is very challenging tasks linked with timed trapdoors. If I counted right there are 5-6 passages where you need to master these in one way or another. Always a little differently and most challenging (appropriately) for the only secret of the level. Enemies are added on occasion but do play a key role in the excellent grande finale area you drop into. You need to shoot five targets here and each one gives you another bunch of those skeletons to shoot of the ledge, so make sure you do have enough shotgun ammo to cope. Truly a test for the more seasoned raiders among us, but wonderfully done and certainly one of the top levels of this years BtB competition!" - MichaelP (08-Jan-2009)
"My second level of the BtB '09 competition, this one stands out and shows off the skills of one of the more talented builders partaking in the contest. From the beginning underwater caverns, out onto the seashore and further in the coastal temple complex, a good amount of work is put into making an entertaining adventure. Gameplay in here deals a lot with timed mechanisms, from burner tiles to spikes to trapdoors, the level manages to keep even the most veteran player pumped and excited to see what lies ahead. Perhaps I found the finale a bit dull, even though for the original wadsets it is done nicely, and I may have liked some more puzzles to solve or a slightly longer duration, as I was finished in about 40 min. Aesthetically, the texturing and transitioning from coastal to catacomb textures is done very nicely, and the blue fog permeating through much of the level's areas adds to the atmosphere. Sound cues, effects, and cameras, and flybys added more to the level's atmosphere as well. Lastly, enemies and dangers provided a good and enjoyable challenge, yet that frustrating part with the trapdoor on a 1 second lift/fall trigger did annoy for a bit. All in all, this is likely one of the higher ranked entries of the contest, so perhaps we'll see this securing a spot in the top 3 in March. Recommended." - Relic Hunter (06-Jan-2009)
"Don't neglect to read the warning about the possible bug in this level. Personally, it didn't rear its ugly head in my game. There are some highly inventive, challenging and enjoyable timed trapdoor runs throughout this level and the coastal textures have been used to good effect. I really loved the ending where Lara stands on a central platform alternately shooting targets in various spots around the room and shotgunning skellies off the platform as they're coming to get her. Great fun." - Jay (06-Jan-2009)
"You know immediately this is by a seasoned level builder. Starts with Lara underwater, which is a refreshing idea for a classic level contest. Here the currents are a nuisance, most of the underwater passages one-way; Lara can't go back, even for things like the Uzi or shotgun ammo, so if you've missed them, you've missed them. Once again we see why crocodiles don't make good pets. Lara jumps for a gem over timed fire tiles, then goes for a crowbar. Then there are some short-timed floppy trapdoors, lots of trapdoors to negotiate. I wonder how many players will finish this level saying, "Gee, I wish there had been more of those collapsing trapdoors"? Lara emerges in a lovely coastal landscape, with a stretch of water and shore in view, creating a good illusion of spaciousness. There is more swimming, and soon three more timed trapdoors overhead. (A bug noted on Forum--do these at once, or Lara will need to climb out and slide down again to redo this section.) There is a mirror room, and slope jumping, and--oh, joy--another closely timed trapdoor. This one is cute: Lara lands on a spike trap, so has to jump quickly, but then the trapdoor collapses just as she hits it, so she falls to slope and back to the spike trap, jumps at once and repeat and repeat. (I quit the game here and came back to it later.) Then a torch puzzle leading to the finale, Lara trapped on a central platform surrounded by spikes and mobbed by skeletons. My statistics show a reasonable time to complete, but that leaves out all the times I had to constantly reload the game during trapdoor sequences, so my actual play time was much greater. Lots of good ideas in this level." - dmdibl (06-Jan-2009)