Levels listed...
TR5 - 31
TR4 - 3141
TR3 - 177
TR2 - 133
TR1 - 61
72342 reviews (20.4/level)
3532 (99.7%) walkthroughs
445 Hall of Fame levels
1221 levels rated >= 8
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release date: |
08-Nov-2005 |
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# of downloads: |
88 |
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average rating: |
8.19 |
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review count: |
16 |
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review this level |
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file size: |
56.29 MB |
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file type: |
TR3 |
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class: |
nc |
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author profile(s): |
email(s): |
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n@a |
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| Reviewer's comments |
"The idea of a level based on zeppelin is certainly unique, and generally everything is well
crafted. Most of the playing time consists of quests for items and switches and fighting
enemies with a harpoon gun, which has limited ammo. I was close to running out of ammo once,
but if you keep an eye closely on harpoons, you should have enough ammo to kill all the
enemies. The highlight of the game for me was the Sokoban-style push block puzzle, which is
excellently designed. I think this level is good choice for anyone who is looking for a
different type of environment to explore from the more usual tombs, temples, ruins, etc." - Samu (13-Aug-2023) |
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| "This level is almost seventeen years old, so I'll forget about the old time graphics, as
well as some old time ordeals (crocodiles inside the water tunnels, for instance), and focus
on how I felt about it. And how did I feel about it? Very good indeed. Even though
everything happens around and inside a zeppelin, I thought the action was quite varied, fit
for most players, well designed (for 2005), and it really did have a few surprising moments.
The final baddie was tough to defeat, as Lara caught fire numerous times until she finally
beat him (for me, the trick was getting close to him on the bridge, and running from one
side to another while shooting, that is getting him confused). And she beat him with a
harpoon gun (the only gun in the entire game, by the way) - that is actually different from
anything else! Even though it's a TR3 level, it's really miles apart from the original
game's atmosphere, but that's not a bad thing here. Quite enjoyable." - Jorge22 (27-May-2022) |
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| "Now this, right here, is a prime example of crativity: a level centered in an around a zeppelin. The provided backstory also sets the mood and restricts you to the weapon everyone hates the most, aka the harpoon gun, but surprisingly it works well. I don't remember the last time I used it on dry land, but it was downing human enemies with 5 harpoons, with the sole exception being the final boss which requires you to be as close as possible otherwise the harpoons don't make it that far (and even then, I fired off about 30 harpoons, but I don't think all of them reached him as blood damage wasn't always visible). Items are often positioned in corners instead of the center of the tiles, making their general placement a tad more grounded and effective, and I spent about 15 minutes trying to crack the double layered pushblock puzzle. Other than that, it was a pretty straightforward and fast paced raid, filled with custom objects (loved the deadly chair) and textures, and such an unique atmosphere. Everything simply adds up. 55 minutes. 12/19" - Treeble (15-Dec-2019) |
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| "What a wonderful TR3 adventure this is. I just loved this and not just because of the imagination of the author but also the requirement to risk assess your opponents and maintain your ammo supply for the final confrontation or else you will never complete this mission. I had to start this twice over when I realised I had insufficient harpoons to rid myself of the sentry guard and attain his key card. I managed to pick up the key under the rotor blades before shutting them off you see. Obviously there are no firearms here as we cannot risk setting off the Hindenburg 2 in flames by errant gun fire so all you get is the harpoon gun. Nice touch I thought. This should only take you 45 minutes to complete and please make sure you keep sufficient harpoons for the final big boss who is a bugger to get rid of. Took me a number of tries." - Torry (15-May-2018) |
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| "Excellent. Really a level with a very good design, amazing architecture and texturization, and some original ideas like the moveable crates puzzle. On the "dark side", I had to say that the underground area with the moveable crates is too dark, the enemy died in a corner and I was not able to pick up the flares; even with that flares, they never were enough to light the entire puzzle, so I had to use a savegame editor. The ammount of medipacks was enough for me, but the underwater tunnels with that crocs you can't kill were not very funny for me, always diyng and reloading. Inside the dirigible, when fighting with the final boss, I got out of harpoons so I had to use the savegame editor again. Incomprehensibly, I don't know how the author didn't provide more ammo and flares to avoid that nasty situations. Anyway it's a level worth to play I think most players will enjoy. Recommended." - Jose (06-Jul-2017) |
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| "What a unique concept and level. This is undoubtedly among the
best Unofficial Levels I have yet played. Lara starts out on
the Hindenburg and has to make her way to the ground. You have
no weapons to start with, but along the way, you get the
harpoon gun. This has to be used to get through, so some
fights require certain strategies to get through. I recommend
saving a significant amount for the boss to make it through
unscathed. One block puzzle had me going for a while, but
luckily I had the author's provided diagram to help. Lighting
and textures seemed excellently done for a TR3 level. It is a
pity that this remains the author's only work. I would love to
see more." - Ryan (15-Jul-2016) |
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| "This is a little gem and surely worth the download. It has a good story line and the gameplay is not easy but apart from the boss fight, not too hard either. As said before, save most of your ammo for that fight and what worked for me was to get to the same bridge where the boss was and I could kill him there much quicker. The pushing block puzzle is very cleverly designed but the map didn't help me one bit. So pushing and pulling, starting over again and again, I did figure it out, yeah! I loved the chair that was thrown, that was indeed a WOW moment and I had to replay that a few times just to see how it worked.
A pity that this is the one and only level by this builder; talking about potential." - Gerty (01-Mar-2015) |
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| "After already planning to play this game and then reading DJ
Full's massive review I played this today and it was a great
TR 3 level with good storyline. Lara had to stop the brother
of Tony, a terrorist, in a brilliantly built zeppelin.
Gameplay varied much from investigation over a clever block
puzzle and traps to a very tricky boss fight. Objects were
well built and placed, but the rats and crocodiles in the
sewers were so enerving I nearly quit the game because of
them. Textures were also custom-made, looked very good, but at
the outside area you could see the end of the world
everywhere. After around 40 minutes you get to see the well
made end cutscene. A brilliant work from this author, highly
recommendable!" - manarch2 (24-Jan-2011) |
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"I really didn't know what to play this time, so I rolled an online dice several times and this level was the indicated one. It seems I've noticed this project before, but never had enough time... OK, OK, right - I still have no time. Quickly, then - go, go, go!
The main flaw of the game is the enemies. While in most of the levels I've played so far there is no opportunity to talk about opponents, here one can complain about them a lot. All except one are simply messed up. Crows disturbing when you try to pick up some items. A necessity to land on a high ledge with a worker walking on it (one has to do it twice, and one square is definitely not enough - even if Lara passes this place without a scratch, the opponent often pushes her off ledge). Also, a dog attacking before Lara manages to pick up the gun is a very bad idea - even if it's a little bit justified with a medi placed nearby, it's still not nice being bitten while unable to defend. Similar encounter happens later - a guard attacks while she is grabbing a monkey swing and can't counter shoot. Also, a half health-refiller - Save Gem - is placed nearby to justify the situation - but Lara can die several times before reaching the crystal, so a player is forced to use a medikit anyway. The next enemy issue is killing rats. Done with harpoon gun, it gives a nice satisfaction feeling... unless they push You off ledge. The final killing problem occurs underwater, where somehow Lara doesn't want to target alligators... One needs to stop in a purpose of doing it, while they are often consuming our heroine floating steady in the water.
The only well placed enemy in this game is the boss. As we approach him not yet knowing we do, scenery becomes really suitable for a fight - but we don't notice it when we get from one balloon segment to another one, what - resembling that magnificient gameplay from TR2 (Offshore Rig) - draws out our attention, immersing us with large zeppelin interior and TR2 ambience well fitting it. So, when we climb the following ladder (with the only stretched texture flaw in the whole game), everything stops - at once, suddenly we're pulled out of marvelling state, we don't care about the space anymore, as we can feel something going wrong, alarmed by another sound, preparing our mind to battle. And there he is - standing on a vertical metal support, what beautifully prompts us to realize "Of course! Wasn't this scenery screaming this will happen?" The enemy is challenging, but leaving just enough space for a player to be able to kill him without a scratch. What a balance! The whole fight ends with a nice explosion, which - instead of previous enemies - is very unlikely to push Lara off the support (but it doesn't mean it can't do it, so watch out), and a camera presenting us the bomb after we pick up the defusal keys, to make us sure we're about to complete the mission, and for us to be able to celebrate victory instead of looking for a puzzle hole. I can't understand why Laraitaly has messed up every single another enemy, if this one was designed to be a little masterpiece.
TECHNICAL INTERMEZZO: I noticed a bug I don't mind (but I'll describe it due to some players who might find it annoying) - when Lara grabs the balloon edge in the very beginning, she is unable to shimmy. It may results in several unnecessary deaths, but as long as this game is not about shimmying (and few players except me will try sliding down every side of Hindenburg II), I don't mind. Especially because I suppose this bug is inevitable - I don't know DXTRE3D, but I remember TR3 engine has such bugs in itself, like the well-known corner bug, so I really think shimmying inability is caused by the engine. BTW, speaking about corner bug, I found one place when it occurs as well, and - let's say it loud - I also don't count it into my rating, because it makes no sense.
LADDER INTERMEZZO: That ladder leading down from or up to the worker mentioned in the beginning is misplaced. However, it doesn't affect gameplay, only atmosphere - because as a result, Lara can pull up through a metal barrier.
Gameplay is mostly puzzle-orientated, without much exploring, and such design is used well, especially in one point - an event occuring there would be misleading if a player weren't forced to concentrate on the main route - as there is no other one. This way, after some thinking, one can find a creative way of passing the flames instead of getting stuck. Also, the game includes a smart pushable, not very difficult, but impossible to solve without thinking. I know it, because I tried to do it by coincidence and failed. I wasted over an hour in there, before I told myself: "Think! Maybe this is the way!" And I am glad the author decided to leave me no other way. This is exactly what Tomb Raider should be: apart from open spaces and wild roaming, sometimes players should stop, calm down and THINK. Thank You for this, Laraitaly. The only puzzle I didn't like is a trial and error. Just because it is a trial and error, not actually a real puzzle. Apart from riddles, we search for typical keys/cards/items, what keeps us busy. Also, we stumble upon an agility test in the basement, and... remember the sinister crows? We need to escape them, as when they attack, we have no gun yet. This is not much survival, but quite enough as for a game short like this.
Graphics: Except the mentioned stretched texture, the environment is well-drawn. And, apart from flat sewers and some too intense contrasts between light and shade in the basement, we can experience good light application. Not to mention the horizon, which the author has been drawing for 3 months, pixel by pixel. Shame we players usually don't appreciate, or even notice such things. Anyway, this ridiculous amount of work deserves an extra point. Look at those buildings surrounding You - it's the authentic New York.
Objects: I really felt like aboard a true zeppelin. It is as real as it can be in TR3, with its cockpit, pillars, barriers, propellers and... a fire extinguisher. I'm not sure if it will work in case of hydrogen explosion, but it's good to know the crew is taking fire precautions. And LOL at the falling chair o.O xD hahahah. Also, items we can find in the level fit the situation - some dead crew members give us their access cards, and we can find a battery, apparently left by one of the workers. Finally, we defuse a madman's bomb. So this part of the game simply makes us feel the storyline flow.
Sounds: Not so long ago, I claimed sound makes a half of a game. It is proved in this level. A motive of spookiness when Lara spots something suspicious (a skeleton "guarding" a card, a deadman in the water) is applied, making a player curious what's next. That greatly improves the atmosphere. Ambience brings us classic, old-school TR2/TR3 style. Isn't it what we like? Isn't it what is good? The whole game, surrounded by TR3 samples (always nice to hear), is filled with music fitting situations as well as that already described. Another clever idea is to give a sound hint - Lara pulls a lever and one can hear her own voice: "All right. Let's play outside", telling a player to get out of a place, as there is nothing to do anymore inside. Marvellous. Unfortunately, it's all spoiled because of - I think so - a missing activator. One is supposed to make the way out only if Lara has already found the battery, but hearing the quoted instruction sample may occur at any time, what causes the hint to be very, VERY misleading. If one trusts it, he/she may get outside too early, backtrack unnecessarily, and - in the worst case scenario - get stuck. This is how an ingenious improvement has become the major flaw of the gameplay (and that's why it's not the sound rating, but the gameplay score lowered due to this). And this is also one of the most serious single bugs I've ever seen. Shame - as it is really, really creative idea to put such hint ingame.
Cameras: I've also already said something about nice camera work after the fight. Apart from that, we can see a fine one targeting Lara during her run along the top of the ship. And a fixed camera in the toilet block. Even if that latter one helps the dog bite Lara, cameras are good enough to get 2 points, IMO.
Secrets: not rated. They get 2 points, because (in this case) such number affects the overall rating in the least harmful possible way.
SUMMARY: It seldom happens that I give 3 points just for objects. But what the awful enemies spoil, the objects repair here. Anyway... Have You noticed I described the whole final fight in one paragraph? That's because all game elements (tex, lights, sound, etc.) create a community there and shouldn't be rated separately. If a level contains a place like that - it means "recommended". This particular one should suit especially TR3 fans and classic raiders who aren't afraid of pushables. If You need an hour (in real life) to force Yourself to think (like me), the whole game will take You 55 minutes (in stats). If You like to think (unlike me), see other reviews for time info. Shame Laraitaly gave up building after her first release, because this game is our only chance to meet her. And I really wonder what else, I mean some good else, would she create if she was still around." - DJ Full (23-Jan-2011) |
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| "I liked this level so much. Maybe the most perfect TR3 adventure. We are on the balloon of Hindenburg and on a base. To be sure, it's not an easy challange. There aren't much enemies, jsut some baddies, crocodiles, dogs, rats, vultures, and the boss at the end, who can provide us a key. That's not a problem. The main problem is that we get only one weapon, the Harpoon Gun. Moreover, not on the beginning of the level. :) And we have to spare approx 20 ammos if we want to finish with the adventure. So don't kill everyone, if not important. Don't hurt the dog, crocodiles. However at the end you can kill the boss easily, if run you jump over him. Of course with rolling jump. While he turn, you can shoot him. Then you should use this methold. You can't hurt in this way. I think this enviroment was huge idea, and the author turned out the maximum. Don't miss it!" - Obig (31-May-2010) |
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| "I had played and finished this level at least once before, but, surprisingly enough, it seems not enough had stuck around in my memories that made me feel I could give this an adequate review without another replay. Why surprisingly? Because this certainly does offer a number of things to be remembered for. The most mention worthy being the whole zeppelin setting, that you get to explore from just about every angle. But there are also other great moments, like the chair being thrown at Lara, the timed run, you having to rely solely on a harpoon gun and the ingeniously infamous box puzzle. With replaying it now, everything seemed to flow more easily and I managed to finish the level in just above 30 minutes, but I imagine that might not be the case for those experiencing it for the first time. You have to be cautious of how you use up your harpoons as you do need them to tackle the boss fight at the end (though I did end the game with a surplus of 15+ harpoons, so it's certainly not an impossible feat) and it is possible to mess up the box puzzle to a point where you either have to retrace your steps or just start over, neither of which is a particularly enjoyable experience. I also thought the end of the world areas beyond the fence of the park were a tad underwhelming, but I can understand that most of the author's resources probably went into the construction of the zeppelin itself. While some of the above mentioned issues are irritating, the level as a whole is probably one of the better and more creative ones the TR3 customs have to offer." - eTux (21-May-2010) |
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| "This is a very unique adventure indeed. Every step of the way has been thought out by the builder with great care and a wonderful sense of pace and storyline. Things seem logically connected throughout and are creative in their solution. I liked the special little moments too, like the chair being thrown at you. It is not necessarily a very easy adventure to get through and you may have to take a peek at the walkthrough here and there and need a few attempts to battle the selected enemies with the harpoon gun in close quarters. And make sure you save ammo, as you will need it for an interesting boss fight at the end. The box push puzzle is worth a mention as well - not an easy one to figure out, but cleverly designed. All in all, a very well rounded and original level of about 40 minutes, not to be missed." - MichaelP (20-May-2010) |
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| "What a brilliant concept! Graphically compatible with the best Official levels,and with Gameplay way above average,this is an hour or so of absolutely classic adventuring;or perhaps 24 hours if you elect to solve the fiendishly hard push-block puzzle without the aid of the Walkthrough!I gave it my best shot,but it's one of those gameplay situations where you'll get irretrievably stuck if you do the wrong actions in the wrong order.After a couple of hours of assorted pushing and pulling I nobly acknowledged my own shortcomings,re-loaded from an earlier save and breezed through in 3 minutes with the provided instructions from the builder by my side.This is the sort of puzzle sequence which you admire greatly;but,unless your name happens to be Michael Prager,you'd be best advised to seek help. Aside from that (and a sequence where it's possible to aquire a key a few minutes before you strictly should)the gameplay is absolutely top notch and constantly entertaining,if not (at times) quite riveting! Sneaky and well chosen enemies;a good timed sequence;plenty of exploration;a brilliantly envisaged Airship exterior and interior, and a fitting Finale. It's all here,together with delightfully chosen textures;atmospheric lighting and great use of objects.
This is by far the best stand-alone TR3 level I've yet played,and it's astonishing that Laraitaly has built nothing else before or since.Why not,for heaven's sake? This builder is an absolute natural!" - Orbit Dream (20-May-2010) |
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| "This was the random 'level of the moment' when I visited trle.net today, so on a whim I downloaded and played it. Three things surprised me from the very beginning: it's a TR3 level, it was released more than four years ago, and to date there are but two reviews (this one is the third). The concept is ambitious, and I feel that its execution is quite satisfactory. You begin outside and make your way inside in stages, until finally you're in the giant gas bag where you do battle with a worthy opponent. You get the harpoon gun early, and it works both underwater and on dry land. I used a savegame editor to give myself unlimited harpoons, which made life much easier. Along the way there's an ingenious block puzzle which stumped me for a while, even though the builder has literally drawn us a picture. I finally observed that there was room where you could crawl up on a block centrally placed, and I feel sure that without the ability to do that, the task would have been quite impossible. The goal is to arrange the lower blocks in a row to form a bridge so you can move two upper blocks out of the way. Simple once you've done it, but without a compass it's easy to become disoriented, even with the map staring you in the face. The statistics screen at the end indicated that there were six secrets, but if so they were so well hidden that I found not a one. Neither did Harry, who wrote the walkthrough and is much better finding secrets than I am. This is a solid TR3 level that can be played with only the downloaded files, and more players should give it a try. Recommended." - Phil (01-Apr-2010) |
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| "Starts out with Lara being dropped by helicopter on top a giant Hindenburg 2 in New York City's Central Park. What a great premise, assuming heights don't bother you. Vultures try to push Lara over the edge, and she is unarmed. Then how to get down? The author has provided a FAQ explaining how to slide off the zeppelin, and how to solve a number of puzzling moments. There is even a detailed jpg showing the solution to a push block puzzle (I never used the diagrams, either time I played this). So good premise, lots of author help, this looks promising. But the initial premise is largely wasted as Lara spends too much time underground being bullied and roughed up by dogs, rats, and the infamous New York City sewer alligators. Lara's only weapon is the harpoon gun, which is weak and slow and only fires a few shots before a long reload time. The author tells us to conserve harpoons wherever possible, and besides the harpoon gun just doesn't work against alligators. Lara takes far too much damage, so it is better to let them take a few bites while Lara flees. Lara has to climb a tall mooring post to a tiny platform, where a worker pummels her with a wrench. Either the man is too close, beating her, for the harpoon gun to fire, or if she steps back he pushes her over the edge to her death. Finally Lara enters the zeppelin, which has none of the design of a real airship, no gas bag cells, or light girder framework. Then there is the final boss confrontation. Lara can't stand below him, as the harpoons visibly arc in flight, and embed in the beam beneath him. If Lara stands on a beam across from him, the harpoons won't reach unless Lara is pressed up against the near edge. This is the only spot where the harpoons are effective (they hit Tony's boots). So Lara has to avoid fireballs by side flipping back and forth, and only firing a couple of harpoons at a time from this one spot. Throughout the game there is too much irritation. Surely more could have been done with the huge airship idea." - dmdibl (07-Nov-2009) |
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| "I found this level being one of the tough ones, not least because you only get the harpoon gun (which is terribly slow) and limitted ammo, not to mention the enemies, some of whom I found rather unfairly placed (the ones underwater will bite you right in the back when you are diving around the sewers, the ones above can easily push you off the ledge). But that's nothing compared to what is awaiting you at the end. It took me numerous tries to fight and finally defeat the boss. The pushing block puzzle was a bit long, and in order to finish it quickly I recommend to take a look at the included JPG instead of trying youself. Altogether I found this level not bad, but I had to save and reload a little too often for my liking." - Jerry (11-Sep-2009) |
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