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The Secrets of Nepal by WayneScales

Christian 9 10 10 10
Daffy 10 10 10 10
DJ Full 8 8 9 9
dmdibl 9 9 9 10
drguycrain 9 8 9 10
Engelchen Lara 10 9 10 10
eRIC 9 9 10 10
Gerty 9 9 10 10
herothing 9 9 9 10
High Priestess 10 10 10 10
izzynoodles 10 9 8 9
Jack& 9 10 10 10
Jay 10 10 10 10
JesseG 9 10 10 8
Jorge22 9 9 10 10
Jose 8 9 9 10
Kara 10 10 10 10
Lizard Queen 8 8 9 9
mart256 10 8 7 8
MichaelP 9 9 10 10
Minaru 9 10 10 10
Mytly 9 10 9 10
Nina Croft 9 9 10 10
Nuri 8 9 10 10
Orbit Dream 8 9 10 10
OverRaider 9 10 9 10
Petaludas 9 9 10 10
Phil 9 10 10 9
Phys 9 10 10 10
Ravenwen 9 8 8 9
Ruben 9 10 10 10
Ryan 9 10 10 10
Samu 9 9 9 10
Scottie 10 10 10 10
Shady Croft 9 9 10 10
Shandroid 10 10 10 10
Steven Svorticher 9 10 10 10
TrueRaider 9 10 10 10
Victoria 10 9 9 10
 
release date: 18-May-2009
# of downloads: 165

average rating: 9.45
review count: 39
 
review this level

file size: 111.64 MB
file type: TR4
class: nc
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
waynescales08@gmail.com

Reviewer's comments
"This is actually the second Tomb raider Custom level I had ever downloaded back in the days (The very first real-adventure/non-joke level). Just when I discovered TRLE, I randomly picked the first title, that caught my attention and I remember I was addicted to this one. Discovering all the new features of the Next Generation Editor was amazing, but as you can imagine, I was stuck multiple times since I was not aware of stuff like for example pushblocks, that could be pushed off ledges to lower levels... However, I'm glad to finally have finished this one and be able to review it after so much time has passed, since I first downloaded it.
So we start with Lara in the snowy mountains of Nepal and first end up in a deadly base. After escaping from there and climbing through a beautifully designed valley in the snow, Lara finds herself in the monastery and has two big rooms with puzzles to go through, before entering the final part of the monastery, where she will find the artifact she came for. The whole game has an interesting gameplay, there is no unnecessary backtracking. Everything you have to do should be clear. The Puzzles were a little too easy though. There are beautiful locations with good atmosphere and the music of TR Anniversary fits very well. I remember now why the music of TR Anniversary always reminded me of cold/snowy and mystic monastery environments. Rofl The whole game overall has beautiful levels with a stunning look. There are 8 secrets to find. It's a miracle I found all 8 of them, but I'm not sure, if it was worth it. The bonus you get is access to a special room with the look of the Level Editor including a message from the level builder, but that's it.
In conclusion, I can say Congrats Wayne Scales, because this was a marvelous first level release. I only wonder why this author didn't keep going?.." - Nuri (19-Jun-2022)
"A pair of levels whose locales are reminiscent of the Tibet levels from TR2. There are a few functional issues that are relatively minor: the keypad input displayed so high on the screen that it was partially cut off, but it was still possible to plug in the code. There is sort of a softlock at the end due to the non-hostile enemies, and a player choosing not to attack them will get stuck unless they change their mind (turns out one holds a key that you need). The thing that bothered me the most were the inconsistently marked death tiles: a green circular texture is used that sometimes spells death and sometimes doesn't, so it's a coin flip whether the player must have Lara step on one or not. There were quite a few elements I enjoyed, including some conveyor belt action, a variety of traps to dodge, and an intense fight against four horsemen toward the end, which put an answer to the question "what is all this ammo for?". The levelset is visually strong, with tall architecture that entices exploration and colorful lighting. Tied up as a nice package with a couple of nice cutscenes and you've got a fulfilling adventure. 2 hours 3 minutes." - JesseG (14-Jun-2022)
"I don’t have a clue how I found this level, but here I am anyways. What I liked about the level: 1) The ice covered pools are so shimmery, I can’t think of a level where they were ever this beautiful. 2) I don’t think I’m imagining this but I could swear that when Lara jumps over the room full of fans that at one point high up, she is almost floating to the next platform. The first time I tried that jump I way overshot it because of the “air lifted boost” and plummeted to ultimate death because that was so unexpected. 3) Very few enemies so far which is always a good thing. My feeling is that if there are few enemies then the builder really has to put in good gameplay to compensate. 4) I was right about the good gameplay in lieu of enemies because I just completed a very fun sloped block jump sequence. 5) The enemies don’t disappear in this level so it was really funny to see the wraiths immobile in the pool after extinguishing them. 6) I really liked the climbing and jumping sequence to the top to place the scroll.7) Gorgeous push blocks (but don’t push them over the edge or you’ll be stuck). 8) The mirror room is a great feature. 9) There’s even a spot of teleportation in this level. 10) Tip: Walkthrough says to do a banana jump around the pillar but much easier is a running jump directly to the moving platform. What I didn’t like: 1) I threw the torch onto the moving waterfall thinking it would also move (you never know). But of course no, and when Lara lands on the moving waterfall, she is moving and therefore unable to pickup the torch, so I had to reload to a previous savegame. I know, why would I do something so stupid… well, because I can and builders should know that players do stupid things sometimes. 2) Doors that require shooting only with specific guns is not good gameplay imho. 3) Unmarked fire blocks not so great either especially when the same texture has been used before as a safe trigger. Good thing I save often. 4) If you push the blocks off the ledge too soon, you will not be able to climb higher and will be prevented from completing the game. I did that and had to reload to a previous savegame. 5) Another design faut paux was where I was able to climb to the very top of the platforms only to discover I’d missed a lever on the bottom floor and had to backtrack quite a ways. Either placing the lever closer to the top or just put in another platform would have solved this easily without drastically affecting gameplay. 6) I get the 4 Horsemen analogy and how the builder would want 4 of them for that purpose, but shooting all of them complete with horses took forever even with the respawning revolver ammo. Conclusion: Despite being an older level, I still got a few wow moments playing it which is rare especially in a debut level. This is surprisingly good if you can avoid or get past the bugs and design issues. It never got boring and held my interest almost the entire time. However, the first level “Base” was my favourite and that room with the fans was just the best. Except maybe for the traps galore at the end, no difficult timed runs or jumps, so suitable for average players." - Lizard Queen (15-Sep-2020)
"What a FREAKING adventure this was!i have played enough good trles and this one particular had my best scores fairly! i just recently discovered this net here so im kinda late but i feel bad that Wayne Scales has not continue building other trles.First of all the design , the atmosphere , the music is over 9000. Especially the awe u feel in the 2nd level and the respect , i just cant describe it.I wish these simple new moves of Lara , could be in every after trle,its the first time i met them in a game.There are some very tricky puzzles especially in the 1st level , i needed the walk to move on(i know, shame of me)Even the angle of the pistols is new,wow.. and then in some point we meet not one but 4 riders,my pistols there were overheated and complained for sure(too greedy to spent revolver ammo,i know) My only negative thing here is the end which was easy and rushed in my opinion and the 8th secret i didnt used(even secrets had their own place) Hope the builder is still reading comments,wp sir" - Petaludas (14-Apr-2020)
"Another fantastic shorter levelset of just 2 levels; each are very different. The first is set in a base/snowy cavern setting and the second is where the raiding of the tomb happens. I felt there were just 1 or 2 moments where the chosen music was a little over the top, but otherwise the choices were fantastic. My only complain is that level 1 seemed weaker than level 2 in the sense that it was much shorter and didn't seem to have as much music that set a tone. Apart from that, it was a very imaginative style. The Temple level was great fun and visually striking. Took 3 and a half hours to play." - izzynoodles (19-Aug-2018)
"Lara ends this level with the words:"Wow, what an adventure". I have to agree with her. This level set can hold its own pretty well compared to some of the new ones with all bells on. There are some (for that time) new moves and lots of nice objects that fit very well in the level. You start in the Artic exploring a base and end up in a Temple and/or Monastery. I had a great time, as exploring is high on the list and not too many enemies. Gameplay is luckily not too complicated although I still hate banana jumps (as I recall there was just one) and breakable ledges. But I mastered them; don't ask me how though LOL. Plenty of goodies to find and I did find all the secrets as well. Even if it was at places rather dark I didn't have to worry about flares, as they are plenty lying around. My hat off for this debut and it is a pity we haven't seen anymore by this builder." - Gerty (16-Nov-2016)
"This is an extremely accomplished debut from a builder who has clearly taken the time to study the editor and put a nice adventure out there for us to enjoy. Nice atmosphere and new effects added like a code puzzle and text hints. Gameplay was great too, it didn't score full marks because of the torch bug which was annoying. Looking forward to seeing more!" - Ryan (30-Mar-2016)
"I really enjoyed this set of levels, i am surprised it isn't higher up in the ratings than where it is. Each corner brings a new puzzle and the rooms are spacious and beautiful to look at. Very challenging in some parts but not to the point of it becoming tedious, especially the horseman fight, that was really fun to play. The lighting and textures were superb, on par with many of the highest rated levels. You really got a feel of the atmosphere that the creator/designer was trying to portray. I recommend this level to anyone who loves a challenge and wants a highly interesting set of levels to play." - Kara (06-Mar-2014)
"Another TR game which I replayed and enjoyed as much as for the first time playing it. Woow this adventure is really something, it`s beautiful and also quite challenging what I really liked. So many impressive ideas, complex tasks and some interesting puzzles in 2 levelset game (first level outside in snowy mountains and caves and second level inside the temple) with beautiful atmosphere in which background sound fit very well. Saddly the choise of the music in the last part of this game wasn`t my taste, it`s just unsuitable for TR in my opinion, but never mind, it was just one of the very few things I didn`t like here, because I enjoyed playing this game all the time. Thank you WayneScales for creating this superb TR adventure. 9/10/9/10" - OverRaider (17-Jun-2013)
"The music and the atmosphere of this game really astonished me. It was more like a being in a film than just listening to background music. Throughout the level, without regarding if I was doing something important or not it seemed like a crucial time. The magnificent rooms and decorations also played a role in that feeling. Some of them were pretty big and high but I didn't mind exploring them all because they were beautiful and original. The first snowy part is in perfect contrast with the rest of the game, what is excellent for you not to get bored of the same background. The gameplay was comfortable, not specially hard. However, the riding knights were a little bit annoying. Too many to kill in such a slow way, even if you had unlimited ammo. I loved how you included the secrets in the game. Normally secrets are somehow boring (I mean they are ammo, medkits or golden things) but this time you made each of them different. They seemed tiny and cute and I wanted to retrieve them all just to know what they were. Therefore, this journey was fantastic and is highly recommended!" - Minaru (14-Sep-2012)
"Being the first level of this author, I must say that surprised me very positively: a great debut. Everything is treated in detail, at most a few small imperfections, such as the fact that you turn off the torch when Lara bangs his head against a wall, but at the end is not a big problem or the fact that some enemies seem to ignore you because, even if you get close to them, they won't shoot you, in case of armed men in the temple. We have two levels, both beautiful: the first set on the snow in the mountains with a setting clearly suggestive, especially since the climbing of the mountain itself; the second, even more involving in my opinion, set in a temple with a room that reminds me of the Lost Library of TR Last Revelation and the final one, similiar to the Barkhang Monastery of TR2. There are many enemies, but I appreciate the idea of putting the 4 horsemen, which make the gameplay even the most interesting and entertaining part, also increasing the difficulty. Even the soundtracks are excellent, especially in the room where you have to climb before reaching the 4 horses and also the one that starts when you pull the lever that springs the arrival of the 4 horsemen (a song by Apocalyptica). Globally we find two levels of middle-easy difficulty, but not discounted; the interesting clallenges are: 1) a little time trial in the base of the first level, where, after pulling a timed lever, a block raises up above deadly water; 2) then the sequence of jumps on the falling tiles when you are in the middle of the mountain (still not too complicated); 3) naturally the challenge against the 4 horsemen. Other things that impressed me are: in the first level in the room where Lara can jump higher with the breeze of the fans in the ground and then the mirror puzzle in 2 rooms on the second level, anyway not so difficult. According to the secrets I would say that, except a few, are not so difficult to discover. In conclusion, I believe these 2 levels are definitely worth playing and affordable for almost everyone. I hope that the author may create other masterpieces like that in the future." - Steven Svorticher (02-Jul-2011)
"Level 1: The Secrets of Nepal
At first I thought: "Oh, NO!! Another Holy Grail! Which one is that?" Also, introducing flyby was messed up, and I didn't think that fog effect should be present in a frozen cave. That's why I was rather sceptical starting this game. A wafer-thin wall I didn't like in wires corridor, and the next pool seeming to be safe, without a clue it's deadly in fact, made the impression even worse. After the timed run, also set up wrong (the switch doesn't go back to its initial position), and 4 jumpswitches, all of them hanging on the same pillar, triggering the same door to open, followed by a pushable of wrong collision - I had enough. I was sure I am into one of those "pretty overrated" games, what means they are "pretty" and "overrated". However, it was to change soon. The moving conveyor belt made me wonder who WayneScales really is, if he commites so many "beginner's mistakes" and follows them with such ingenuity. I decided to find this out. After spotting several doors placed non-functional (possibly causing accidents at work) and a disappointing camera not showing exploding barrels, I stepped into the fan room, where gameplay flown... flew, making me literally high. Feelings continued to mix when, after finding a very interesting secret, I "solved" two linear puzzles, both in the same room - I picked up a crossbow with laser sight and destroyed some crates to find a disc to use in the terminal. These things, nearly not deserving to call them "puzzles", are followed by the magnificient cave, where texturing upgraded from good to very good, and lighting became nearly perfect, with only two shadows being too dark. Also, gameplay got more challenging, including jumps of pre-intermediate difficulty. The more I proceeded, the better cave architecture I saw: multi-level ice shelves, cracks and openings above my head. Lighting got only "good" again - giving some atmosphere, but not matching the sunbeams direction and angle - and then, I pull myself up outside... and beholded the most realistic Himalayan range I've ever seen, equalling beauty of Himalayan Mysteries I couldn't believe this was built by the same author who created so disappointing prologue. The next fixed camera had a perfect angle, and the final cave was monumental, with great pleasure to go through it. Boulder warning gave me some thrill and the final nice thing was when rocks become parts of the walls of a building Lara approached. And the ending cutscene was another rather messed up flyby, with always good voice of Greenkey2.
Level 2: The Temple of PotalaTexturing in the first hall wa perfect, as well as the lighting. And continued to be in the library. Ghost scrolls fit the soundtrack, or the soundtrack fit the scrolls, I don't know. Anyway, they fit each other. Upper floor was stunning, with even better lighting and Voltaire's writings simply rocking when found in a place "older than pyramids". Half-pillars unrealistic. Wraith chase gave a thrill, especially when I escaped into the pool visible from the very beginning in the other room - and it appeared this one is too shallow and I had to quickly locate the right one. The library puzzle was buggy - I needed to remain on the trigger square for a second for it to work properly. The main temple chamber: lighting weird - I couldn't assign shadows to their sources. From now on to the very end of the game, texturing was flawless, but lighting kept to include that unexplainable shades and bright spots. After I got out of the main chamber for a moment, I could hop on some round pillars, standable at last. Back in the central room, I found the harp on the top of the column looking mystic. The following camera when Lara plays the instrument (I didn't like the anim) was one of the good flybys ingame, however it was still not synchronized with sound. I know how it was supposed to look like: harp sound fading out, next the door opening on camera approach followed by soundtrack change. But many players won't notice that, as it is - as I said - not synchronized. Also, soundtrack showing Lara realizing she's back to a familiar place gave good climate, although it would be more appropriate for some moment when she enters a completely new area. After stepping into completely new location (Dark Chambers), a row of moving blocks seemed to be a mechanism moved by a common motor, and it was original. Boss: when I saw the 4 horsemen and I realized I am supposed to kill them all, I felt like before writing a maths test - being about to perform lots of effort, and get little accomplishment. But when the last of the knights was dead, somehow I felt a great satisfaction. I don't know how Wayne achieved this, but it happened. Later on, in the mirror room with a movable puzzle, I thought some NG script triggers were used for this one to work properly, and I'm glad some builders use TRNG not only to improve graphics quality. Then, after teleporting back to the startiing place and getting to the last chamber of the monastery, I found a bonus secret, with a message telling me I found every single secret (I remember them obvious, but satisfying due to being local artifacts). However, there were only 7/8 reported in stats, so I don't know what to think about this. Anyway, it doesn't affect the secrets rating.
SUMMARY: Items visible under some vases, soundtrack tiring after many minutes of listening and messed up flybys are the weakest points of this adventure. Gameplay is mostly torches, raisingblocks, pushables, some keys and levers relating with each other in many ways we've already seen - but it also includes some unusual features. All is set in environment sometimes so realistic that it reaches a quality of marvel, what causes the game to be rather playable. Still, it lacks something epic, and that's why the ending sample - "It was an adventure" - didn't convince me at all. I simply think Lara didn't believe her own words when she said that." - DJ Full (08-Feb-2011)
"When I downloaded this levelset, I was a bit doubtful. I thought that beginners should not debut with a huge levelset of 100+ MB. There were reasons why I thought so, because it is hard for expert builders to go around and prevent many bugs that might appear, let alone for a beginner. And the more levels you have, the greater number of possible bugs and glitches will appear. It is undoubtedly hard for a beginner even to imagine what kind of flaws might be discovered by players, especially those experienced or hard- core. But when I started playing this game, I was astonished by the skill of this builder, and I could not believe that this is a debut level. A debut like this is not seen in other builders that are now famous and respected most. The game is so well imagined, developed and meaningful, a great story is being told and most beautifully realized in the game. This is definitely the game which belongs to the Hall of Fame. It is clearly obvious that this builder has a great talent and that he invested a lot of his energy in creating this masterpiece. The overall ambiance, excellent light and sound, mystic but not irritating fog, most detailed texturing and beautiful vista, great storyline and the game that flows like a dream, everything will definitely leave the deep impression on everyone, even with experienced players. However, this also does not mean that the game is easy and that you won't get stuck several times during the game. I remember I had to read in walkthrough how to solve some puzzles or perform certain jumps and timed runs. This game is not suitable with beginner players, because it gets mercilessly hard sometimes. I played this game four times, and I always lose couple of hours to get across that broken bridge at the end of the first level. This is just too hard, and it should have been nicer if one normal block had been used to take a rest in this extremely hard jump sequence over breakable ledges. So, the game is great for experienced raiders, they will certainly find a lot of challenges here, whether in the form of a puzzle or jump sequence or timed run. I still have great fun when playing this game for fourth time." - Nina Croft (16-Apr-2010)
"I had fun with this level, The story is well related and the game shows it clearly. I know this is one of Wayne's first levels (if not the first one), and for being new in levelbuilding this one is very good! there are things that could have been better but it's OK. There's creativity in this level, that is what I liked most. For example, the secrets were made by the author and the way lara shoots with the pistols is different. And the harp was amazing too." - mart256 (18-Feb-2010)
"This is a great level which was created by a newbie builder. The levels are HUGE are gorgeous, the puzzles are challenging and very unique, and texturing and lighting is amazing. I gave it a 10 for gameplay because I found the puzzles very interesting, I haven't seen puzzles like this before! Like the big poison thingy or whatever you move under the pipe, (forgot already) but that was a great puzzle! The timed run was a bit challenging, but it was a good type of challenge, not a type of challenge which results in the game being deleted! Enemies were quite rare but well placed, as were objects and secrets. I didn't find many secrets though! =O Atmosphere was amazing, it really felt like you were going through these cold caves, the areas outside were huge and they looked so natural. The sound was very well used as were the cameras, the author made great use of the FOV/Speed fields and changed them to create beautiful effects. And finally. Lighting and texturing! The textures were perfect, but the water textures weren't animated, but that wasn't a big deal and it was made up for by the beautiful lighting. Overall I love this levelset, it was amazing, and a very enjoyable experience, and I hope to see more from the builder!" - Victoria (28-Aug-2009)
"Level 1-The Base: The first thing which really surprised me in this level was quality of the graphics. Lots of time and energy must have been used for texturing, lighting and room layout since they are all done very carefully in order to create one of the best looking settings seen in debut levels and overall in custom levels. Some very smart gameplay ideas are also included like the torch puzzle and a block which you have to drop on ice floor to break it. What surprised me also is the way of using Next generation level editor and game engine to create some interesting and unusual features such as the keypad, conveyor belt and a room where fans on a floor allow Lara to do very high jumps by blowing on her. Level 2-The Potala Temple: Again very impressive level especially in terms of surroundings that consist of many detailed and big indoor temple areas. Gameplay isn't maybe as innovative as it is in first level but still very good containing many interesting push block puzzles, jumping tasks involving sometimes new moves of Lara, mirror room etc. The action packed battle against four horsemen with their horses is also really fun though I wouldn't have minded if there had been two of three horsemen instead of four since it took some time and patience to kill them all. This is of course just a minor complaint and overall the whole game was very impressive and it included also a well made cut scene as a final highlight. I highly recommend this for everybody." - Samu (15-Jul-2009)
"when you start this debut level by this new author and progress a bit, the first noticeable thing about this level is that its visually very great. The author has mastered the art of very good, immersing atmosphere with the usage of fog and good lighting as well as appropriate sounds. The author has also clearly mastered the art of texturing and shaping the blocks to create believable and beautiful mountainous environments, even create large scale areas. Gameplay is not so hard, yet its varied and very enjoyable, and the few new moves were put to good use. For a debut level, this is great, and the fact that it looks professional in its large scale environments makes this builder quite a center of intrigue. We're definitely keeping an eye out on you, WayneScales." - Shady Croft (06-Jul-2009)
"What can I say? This level set proved to me just why I love old-skool gaming and boy, there is plenty of it in The Secrets of Nepal. WayneScales brings us a fabulous and yet not too familiar environment but with all of the challenges of our beloved originals. When I approached the last level I struggled but was missing an item. So good was the game that I happily started over to pick up said missing item (Thanks to reading the walkthrough). It turned out I did not actually require it to progress but it was no chore at all to replay! I seriously recommend this level set to all old-skool gamers. It lacks nothing and again, it has a walkthrough that amply assists anyone who may be stuck. Thank you WayneScales for revamping Lara and giving us a whole new adventure. A truly aesthetically pleasing "ride" Definitely worthy of a play and I shall stay tuned to see what future levels WayneScales develops! Excellent! Lo" - High Priestess (06-Jul-2009)
"The Base (9/9/10/9, 50 min, 5 secrets): You begin by exploring a Base set in an Arctic cave and this first level shows already plenty of technical expertise on behalf of the builder, as he is including things like the electrical cables, conveyor belts, a code pad, the truly fabulous 'wind room' and a bunch of new moves for Lara, all of which are not often seen in levels, let along debut levels. The overall ambience in terms of setting and audio is convincing, you get a nice torch puzzle to get to the crowbar and some fun jumping in the caves around snowy ledges and across breaktiles. Definitely a few 'wow' moments in terms of visuals in the mountain area towards the end.
The Potala Temple (9/9/10/10, 85 min, 3 secrets): If part one was impressive, then this part will blow you away. The looks are equally strong with one huge and well decorated room after another and the gameplay flows nicely and is very entertaining and never too tedious. You deal with things like a fire wraith chase in the library, plenty of platform type jumping, a push/raise puzzle, a devious but actually not too hard battle with four horsemen on their horses, a well designed mirror room and a fun little reward in the monastery towards the end in case you found all the secrets. Finally, a not too challenging gauntlet to reach your objective - the Holy Grail - before the helicopter whisks you away.
Bottomline, this is 2+ hours of pure raiding fun and one of the most impressive debut adventures we have had in many years of custom level raiding. Looking very much forward to seeing more from this talented builder!" - MichaelP (24-Jun-2009)
"Apparently this is the first level by this author, but it's quite hard to tell by playing it: everything is so well crafted, so carefully organized and put together, that it looks as if it's made by an experienced builder. There are some quite memorable moments in this wonderful two-part level, which starts off with Lara in some snowy mountains to then have her move on to the impressive settings of a temple. Many puzzles, several complicated tasks, hunt for important items and battles with various enemies construct the lineout of a level that offers some great gameplay moments (like the section where you have to get four gems in the big room with the knights at the top) as well as some lovely inspired sequences (like the tasks you have to carry out in the mirror room). The texturing and decoration are quite impressive too, all well-made and combined so as to produce convincing and atmospherical environments. A very promising debut that sets a solid base for whatever comes next from this talented builder." - Ravenwen (16-Jun-2009)
"Here is another brilliant level set presented by a new builder. I thought The Secrets of Nepal was just lovely all throughout. The author didn't skimp anywhere, and most levels do have some skimpage especially in the audio area. These levels had wonderful music, Lara's voice was beautiful and then there are those moves! I really like when builders include some nice, new moves to freshen up gameplay. I don't know if anyone noticed, but the author even made Lara float a bit in the big fan room! What a pleasant surprise, and totally unnessary for game progression, just a nice addition. All the textures were superb and many times I felt the lighting was so realistic. I did have the torch bug problem, but thankfully, I had prior saves where the bug wasn't there. I noticed something weird about that bug. When Lara jumped and bumped herself, the torch would burn out! Strange. This is the only annoyance. Everyone should play this fabulous game! Wayne, please make more levels!" - Shandroid (16-Jun-2009)
"The Secrets of Nepal: The eponymous level is nice enough, with three different environments: underground icy caves, a base-type area, and an outdoor snowy valley. The base is moderately interesting; it looks like a cross between the rig levels of TR2 and the submarine levels of TR5, with a couple of fun new features like the wind tunnel room. The icy caves are quite fun, with features like slippery ice and a frozen pond you have to smash by pushing a heavy block onto it. The valley is simply lovely - I wish there had been more of it, and more to do in it. I do have a couple of grouses about this level though: The torch was rather tiresome, and I wish the builder had not included it at all, given how buggy it was. Another problem was the crowbar door above the monkey swing at the beginning of the level - since you don't find the crowbar until about halfway through the level, shouldn't this area have been blocked off till then? The Potala Temple: This fabulous level is obviously the heart of the game, with the entire first level feeling more like an extended prelude leading up it. Lovely textures, objects, lighting and some marvellous architecture - especially the huge room where you place the invisible music scroll, and the red-pillared hall near the end - make this level a feast for the eyes. Gameplay is also very good, with a wide variety of elements: switches, pushable blocks, traps, plenty of acrobatics, a mirror room, one boss fight, etc. Apparently a lot of people had trouble with the fight with the four horsemen, though I experienced no difficulties. I fought them twice - deliberately, since I lost a lot of health the first time, and I like to play without using medipacks - and the second time was particularly easy, especially with the revolver. Throughout the game, the music is mostly very good and adds quite nicely to the atmosphere. The only jarring note is the Dire Straits song at the end, which is almost ridiculously out of place. Cameras are mostly used well, especially the various flyby cams which show off the beauty of some of the rooms. These are a couple of spots where they are badly used: e.g., in the base in the first level, where an enemy starts hitting Lara while the flyby is still going on, so you have no choice but to helplessly watch Lara getting attacked. The secrets provide an pleasant side quest - though since I found only 7 out of 8, I couldn't access the secret room. The new moves are interesting enough, though except for one, not exactly necessary. On the whole, this is a truly enjoyable game, and a marvellous achievement for a debut level. Keep building, WayneScales!" - Mytly (16-Jun-2009)
"This is an epic-sized level where Lara must traverse a large outdoor mountain environment in the first level, and a buddhist monastery in the second level. The real strength of this level was the scenery. The giant himalayan valley you have to cross in the first level was breath-taking and made the entire level worth while.(Frankly, i wish this portion of the first level included more gameplay elements in it.) And the room with the eyes painted all over the walls was very incredible too--very classic-Tombraider-esque. The particular weaknesses for me was the four horsemen and the secrets. i shot those guys for literally 45 minutes total before they died. These enemies plus the level in general just lost its excitement for me toward the end. It felt, especially following the four horsemen, that each room just grew more tedious and momentum-draining rather than helping the level climax at the end. The secrets as objects were neat ideas, but the author tried to include them as a bonus gameplay element, the outcome of which was not a worth-while payoff compared to the effort of collecting the secrets. As a rookie level, it's a homerun. Generally speaking though: ambitious with reasonable success, but not the best level i've played." - drguycrain (04-Jun-2009)
"An excellent double-level game, very impressive in some parts. I did not found any annoyance (the torches worked perfectly for me), the only thing that hindered me to appreciate the game more is the fact that my pc working with the antediluvian Windows ME system is an old horse and the loading times were quite long and I got some slowing down too in the 2nd level. Even so, it was well worth it. There are good ideas in there, and some new features and possibilities have been put to good use. Some areas are really stunning , like the vast outdoor mountains after the caves and the base, or the arrival to the temple. Great flybys , good architecture, good atmosphere too with a perfect use of audio tracks in the 1st level especially, the enemies are few , but even so I was surprised to learn when I read my stats that I used 8 medipacks ! Gameplay is in general fluent and various enough, there is also a few places where a more subtle move is required , or a special use of an object to create 'puzzling moments'." - eRIC (30-May-2009)
"Yes, what an adventure! Really a very good job for a beginner. A well balanced game in two levels with the first outside and the second inside with a very good architecture and design. The author is expert hidding the path you must follow so sometimes you'll get stucked, although there are not impossible tasks. Interesting puzzles, half-lineal gameplay, magnificent rooms, in the first level there is one of the very huge outside areas I've ever seen. Shooting the four knights was hard for me, wasting a lot of time and a lot of medipacks, but finally I got it. In the hall of mirrors and the monastery the background music disappeared in my game (?). I was disoriented with the new move at the end of the monkeyswings too. An adventure to enjoy." - Jose (28-May-2009)
"I'm not so thrilled as other reviewers by this debut level by Wayne Scales, but I still must say I find it excellent in almost every aspect. There are only two major downsides to it in my opinion... One is the fight with four horsemen in a row. I mean, horsemen are generally one of the most annoying Tomb Raider features, now go picture all four of them! Fortunately, there are places Lara can climb to to shoot them, so it becomes merely boring but not impossible. The second is the overly cryptic clue in the second mirror room that the room has flipped. Maybe I'm dumb, but it would take me ages to realize what had happened if I hadn't read it in the forums after a while. Apart from that, the difficulty level suits most players, the settings all look very good, the music and sounds are well chosen, the new moves - even if not really new-new anymore - are very welcome for the possibilities they offer and the graphics look pretty solid, both in the first snowy level and in the second temple level. Most unfortunately, I only found four secret items. But since I never even saw any place to use them, that's alright. All in all, I say go for it, you won't be sorry." - Jorge22 (27-May-2009)
"The raiding community has been blessed of late with a number of high-quality releases, and this is certainly one of them. Giving this first-time builder the benefit of the doubt and crediting him with having created and built this gem entirely on his own, he has burst upon the scene much like Aphrodite upon the foaming seashore, and if he chooses not to rest on his laurels and make this a "one shot" we have much gaming pleasure to anticipate in days yet to come. I spent almost exactly three hours here and enjoyed virtually every minute of it. The opening level in the icy caves was nice enough, albeit fairly routine, but the real enjoyment came in the second segment where you explore a vast and ornate temple. The progression was complex enough that I was glad to have the D&G walkthrough handy, especially with the required new moves that weren't especially intuitive here within the context of the gameplay. Like at least one other reviewer, I experienced some trouble with the torch in the first level, which appears not to be the same thing addressed in the builder's readme, but I disagree that the problem is attributable to a bug (unless it's appropriate to call something inherent in the game itself a "bug"). It's possible to bring the torch down with you to the cabin area with the flaming barrel, but I discovered that causing any jarring jolt while carrying the torch (such as jumping down from a non-lethal height) will cause the game not to recognize the torch, even though Lara may still be carrying it. From experimentation I also discovered that causing such a jarring jolt with a lit torch will cause the torch to go out. In summary, you need to toss the torch down onto the frozen lake below as suggested in the walkthrough, then go down and pick it up, even though it's possible to slide-hop down with the torch without killing yourself. On a related note, while dealing with the quartet of horsemen was something of an ordeal, I experienced nothing out of the ordinary here. I simply concentrated on one horseman while ignoring the others (it's so nice to play in god mode), and when I was able to unseat and kill him I just picked up his gem and went on to the next horseman. Piece of cake. A highlight for me was the sequence in the mirror room, although the lighting was a little dark for my taste. In all, a starburst debut that richly deserves its lofty scores." - Phil (26-May-2009)
"These are remarkable debut levels. Lara has new moves, which are explained in the read-me file, and listed onscreen at the start of the game. This makes sense, though I've never seen anyone else do this. I greatly enjoyed the first level, which is cold and snowy and realistically depicted. When Lara slides on ice it is nicely integrated into the scene, adding to her danger (I would say "of course," but other levels have used ice sliding in a pointless way). Similarly, the conveyor belt carrying Lara into electrified wires is used with good effect. In one room powerful fans create an updraft; one can almost feel Lara being lifted by the air currents, so her jumps carry farther. There is a warning about a torch bug. After Lara picked up the torch she jumped to a higher ledge and hit her head. Then she no longer held the torch upright, but swung her arms and held the torch horizontally. I reloaded a savegame, then everything was fine. Perhaps if one doesn't injure Lara, the torch bug doesn't appear? The monastery in the second level has an impressive design, but I found the deep gloom of parts of it to be less enjoyable. There were four push blocks to move. Lara could stand on two of them, but could not stand on two blocks that needed to be raised up. After raising them, I was stuck here so long that I read the walk-through. It turned out Lara could now climb on those blocks. The inconsistency had thrown me, there hadn't seemed any reason for Lara to make the attempt to hop on the blocks. Next, Lara had to make use of her new move, a jump up from a monkey swing, similar to what is found in SSJ6Wolf's "The Wolf 2." Unfortunately, I tried to use this move within the first five minutes of the game, when Lara climbs a snow cavern only to find that she needs the crowbar. That cavern had a long monkey swing, and Lara should have been able to pull up on top the ice bridge, but the move doesn't work in the first level. Now there was an identical maneuver, and it was confusing to find that in level two the move works. Lara climbs to the upper area of the room and confronts four horsemen. Like other players, I experienced problems. If a horseman gets knocked to the ground, and then remounts his steed, he seems invulnerable. My suspicion is that it helps if Lara avoids the place where the horsemen first mount up; that was always the problem area. After Lara gets the four gems I was tired. Lara soon finds a push block and a textured floor tile, but this time she doesn't move the block onto the tile, but simply steps on the tile, one more inconsistency. I enjoyed the conclusion with Lara getting the Holy Grail. I'd rate the first level as a 9.5, and the second as a 9.0. As Lara says, "What an adventure!" I look forward to more topnotch levels from this talented author." - dmdibl (25-May-2009)
"For a debut level I have to say this was of very high quality. Reminded me of Tomb Raider 2....Lara needs to find the Holy Grail here and it really looked like it in my opinion. And it was not easy; you need to climb a lot and pass many pits and traps. Puzzles were well thought out. You could find many things and the secrets are well hidden and I did not find them all... The atmosphere was very good and I especially liked the temple a lot. Great architecture. I really cannot say anything negative. It all fit together really well. Sound was very nice, textures well applied and good lighting. Not too many enemies, only a few bad guys and four tinmen on their horses. If you have the revolver with enough ammunition you can kill those quickly. There are so many more nice things to talk about here, but I do not want to give it all away. All in all, I was very impressed by this level, especially for a debut - hats off!" - Engelchen Lara (25-May-2009)
"As other examinants, I am really impressed by this Wayne's first level. From any point of view it is a complete success. The internal landscapes and decorations are splendid. The gameplay is perfect according to me, not too simple not to be annoying and too difficult be discouraging for. It is a game for every player, about its level is they arrive at it. The originality also was in return you, this game is not banal. In short, of very great work which gives desire to say "Hat the artist". We are going to watch for your next levels with a lot of impatience." - Daffy (21-May-2009)
"This is one of those levels that screams 'masterpiece!' at you from the very first moment,and goes out of its way to remind you of its intentions with every step you take. For the most part,it undeniably is;but there are times during the 3-plus hours of its duration when it slightly oversteps it's mark.For instance,the highly irritating Torch bug (it can easily not set fire to anything and just as easily go out),which totally spoils what was clearly intended to be an innovative and spectacular gameplay moment.By the time I finally got the Torch to light the pool of flammable oil,I had re-played (and re-saved) a large section of the first level half-a-dozen times before the bug was circumvented (by pure chance).A similar frustration occurred in the second level,when Lara was confronted by four soldiers on horseback.On my first three attempts,three of the soldiers were despatched;but the fourth,having fallen off his horse,climbed back on again and thereafter proved to be completely indestructible.It was only on my fourth reloading/replaying of this sequence that I managed to get the clunking metal b****** before he had time to re-mount his steed - but by then,my patience had been sorely tested.Throughout the adventure I was fully aware that this first-time builder was going all out to make a spectacular debut;and in terms of architecture,atmosphere and texturing he completely and brilliantly succeeded.Gameplay,however,was simply a little too ambitious for its own good. In terms of spectacularity,the adventure delivers in spades.Each playing area impresses,and easily tops the one before (which is phenomenal).Enemies (aside from the horsemen)are fairly sparsly placed and easily despatched;while the music is used perfectly to enhance the atmosphere (although what Dire Straits are doing there,after the game has ended,is anyone's guess!) As per most Baptism-of-fire adventures,it's sometimes necessary to take on trust the fact that the novice builder was solely responsible for all the technical achievements on offer.Whatever the case may be,the end result is unquestionably magnificent,innovative and spectacular and is undoubtedly among the best custom adventures yet produced." - Orbit Dream (21-May-2009)
"This is the reason I enjoy playing custom levels. It has everything that I enjoy. It consists of two rather large levels lasting in total just over two hours, but they could not be more different, yet they work together perfectly. The first is a snowy environment with much of the action taking place inside a base type level. I got the feeling here which I really enjoy of being quite isolated and alone with only a few people to shoot. If there were more enemies it would have turned this adventure into a shoot-em-up which would have entirely ruined the atmosphere. The second level has even fewer enemies, great because it's about puzzles and traversing enormous halls and libraries. The gameplay is overall quite simple but not ridiculously easy and this is exactly how I like it. I hate having to refer to walkthroughs and this game allows you to stick to the game and figure out your own way around without having to be told where some obscure crawl space is. All this aside, the level is simply stunning. Just wait till you get outside in the snowy hills which are enormous and beautiful - possible due to the increased draw distance and distance fog. If you thought that was good, check out the actual temple level. I was a bit disappointed I couldn't go out and explore the front of the temple which you are shown in a cutscene, but no worries, the inside is even better. The main playing areas, about three or four huge stacked halls, are textured flawlessly, lit with vibrant but not garish colours and accompanied by a mixture of styles of music which add to the atmosphere. A must play as it's one of those short adventures which pack in so much to do and look at and is never frustrating, pure varied pleasure." - TrueRaider (21-May-2009)
"the most important things are already said - this is a beginners work and it's nearly perfect. Having good advisers may be helpful - but only if there is any ability and this builder is of great talent without a doubt. He can create atmospheres, the environment is designed almost perfectly in every area of the two parts of the game. My installation worked, I had no problems with the torches or the guns while shooting the 4 horsemen, the only real fighting-challenge in an adventure with only few, but well placed enemies. A short timed run in the beginning is not really hard to do, some jumps look harder as they really are, the new moves are well integrated in a fluent gameplay, I enjoyed it from the first to the last minute. Excellent!" - Christian (21-May-2009)
"Combine the obvious talents of a new builder with the expertise of the Baptism of Fire team and you can pretty much expect a crowd pleaser. This ticks all the boxes; it's a level with beauty and brains - diverse and diverting (and frequently rather different) gameplay, impressive locations, great sound files - all in all, a very well rounded game. I was enjoyed myself so much, I almost didn't want to pick up the Holy Grail and trigger the end of the level. I just hope Wayne turns out to be a prolific builder, because a debut level of this quality doesn't come along very often and it's left me greedy for more. Lara herself said it best at the end -"Wow, what an adventure"." - Jay (20-May-2009)
"This is an absolutely gorgeous debut level from experienced editor WayneScales. Lara finds herself in a beautifully lit icy cave and discovers the work of the 'evil' Tech Mines who are digging for gold. They don't take a liking to Lara when she infiltrates their building and disrupts their activites. The story itself is well thought out and gameplay keeps you engaged throughout the levels. My scoring for 'Gameplay & Puzzles' was a 9. There is lots of different gameplay through the level(s) but there can be alot of lever pulling at times. 'Enemies, Objects & Secrets' deserve a 10. The environments are beautifully crafted from the use of objects. Secrets are well hidden, and enemies are placed well. 'Atmosphere, Sound & Cameras' also deserves a 10. In my opinion, atmosphere is one of the major factors which 'makes' a game. This level set definitely has atmosphere. Lots of it. Sound adds alot to the atmosphere... especially in areas like the caves, and the temple. Cameras are used well and aren't pointless additions to the level(s) but rather helpful. 'Lighting & Textures' also finally deserves a 10. Very rarely you can see white lines where textures haven't been matched up properly. Throughout the game, textures are placed well and cleanly. I don't think I found one wrongly rotated texture! Lighting is excellent and definitely brings a snowy, cold atmosphere. Well done WayneScales!" - Phys (19-May-2009)
"I have again the big pleasure to review one of the best games ever made! I need to take a deep breath before I start to review this masterpiece .... I cannot believe that someone can make such a top notch game from 1st shot ... a lot of old builders could be jealous at Wayne's work cos this is at top 5 games I ever played .... This game starts at an icy cave somehow relaxed but after you get at second part at Potala Temple the game becomes very interesting and tough ... in this one is a lot of new moves which make this game very challenging - of course you need some time to master it - the location is brilliantly built with very clever puzzles, a lot of tricky jumps / spike traps / boulders chase / burner traps .... I am sure this game took a lot of time from this very talented new builder which becomes instantly one of my favourite ones ... I cannot describe in words such a marvelous game .. I know it is a tough one, but the real hardcore raiders would appreciate it just like me ...... is 100% hall of fame material for sure AND THE BEST BEGINNER GAME EVER MADE!! During the second part you need to get 4 gems, which is not quiet easy cos you need to kill 4 horsemen to get it!!! Was very tough. Areas are huge and you need to get often at top structures by climbing / monkeyswinging and after tricky jumps, pole jumps (which was a bit frustrating) ..is one of the best crafted games with best puzzles I ever played ..... flybys are professionally made .... the mirror room was very challenging .......at last stages you need to get across various traps, roller boulders / spiked bags / flipping tiles ........ I would give 10 in the line for this masterpiece ......... but the pole jumps was a bit frustrating so I give only 9 for gameplay. All the rest is 10++ I cannot wait fot this very talented builder's next masterpiece. BRAVO WAYNE you are one of the best builders. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED GAME, mostly for true raiders ..... cos this is a piece of art ........ cheers ....." - Jack& (19-May-2009)
"This should be a first work? No stretched textures? No desolate Gameplay? No paper-thin walls? No sound problems? No unsuccessful lighting? Nothing of all? Nevertheless, this can never be in the life a first work!! This has been about my reaction when I finish this. But it is right. It is really a first work. As a comparison comes only Fortress Stonerock by Leif Melles (l.m) in my mind. The good one is which both levels are formed absolutely differently. In the first part it goes through a caves and mountain world. And an adventure with Lara would be no adventure with Lara if it went off, besides, without difficulties. A mining company has established there her buildings. But there is no other way available, so she must find her way through these buildings. It's obvious, that the workers and security people are not so amuses about that. However, must they become always equally violent and go off to Lara? In the second part is Lara in the Potala palace in Lhasa, Tibet. And the big question is now: Has the levelbuilder explored this palace in reality? But all the same whether he has explored him, or whether everything has arisen from his imagination, it looks simply phenomenal. It is remarkable in both parts, that not constantly opponents run through the way. In the first part these were only a few mine workers and a few security people. In the second part these are 5 security people from whom one loses a key and four Horsemen on horseback. Immediately four of those is not easy of course, but it should be no problem with the revolver and enough ammunition no, actually, particularly as there are enough Medipacks. One can find here a lot of nice and interesting riddles. The camera journeys are one of many highlights. Result: How one says however, thus nicely: A star is born. And with it everything is said" - Scottie (19-May-2009)
"This was probably just the one issue the whole TRLE world has been waiting for after endless weeks seeking in vain for another number one top shot : Finally WayneScales have loaded and sharpened their guns , so pull the trigger and download it right now ! A wonderful adventure dressed up in some of the most beautiful environments ever seen is waiting for you ! The New Generation Level Editor is being used with ultimate perfection , not anymore a sight for sore eyes but a feast both in vision and sounds ! This game is based a little more on exploring , checking, trying out what you can do next to make you mark ! Although heavy weapons are provided you will not have to use it very often,thank you Wayne ! Now is there anybody out there who takes interest into four lone beautiful horses ? Just light the spark ,refuel your rocket and send this game straight away into the hall of fame ." - Ruben (19-May-2009)
"Excellent ,Excellent. The Secrets of Nepal is one too play. The strongest part is probably the atmosphere and the lighting, mainly the foggy/snowy look. I thought the gameplay was excellent and all the 'new moves' fitted in well, the enemies which are the strange incan people also fit in well to the scene with their fur coats etc. I did find however that at the very start that the camera path thing didnt work properly and i resulted into having to press the look button. Apart from that,everything was great and im looking forward to the next game! Overall - 9.25/10" - herothing (18-May-2009)