trle.net
Your host for all Tomb Raider Custom Levels ever released!

Levels listed...
TR5 - 31
TR4 - 3137
TR3 - 177
TR2 - 132
TR1 - 60

72203 reviews (20.4/level)
3528 (99.7%) walkthroughs
442 Hall of Fame levels
1216 levels rated >= 8

TR Fan Site

 


LB Advent Calendar 2009 - The Meaning of Christmas by Brenna

Andzia9 4 3 4 4
Ceamonks890 5 5 6 5
dmdibl 6 6 6 6
eRIC 5 5 7 5
Gerty 5 6 6 5
High Priestess 5 5 5 5
jawi 5 6 6 6
Jay 5 5 6 6
Jorge22 5 6 6 5
Jose 6 6 6 6
manarch2 4 4 5 4
MichaelP 5 7 6 5
Obig 6 6 6 6
Orbit Dream 5 6 6 7
rtrger 5 5 6 7
Ryan 5 5 6 6
Scottie 7 6 5 6
sharnilal 7 7 6 7
Treeble 4 4 5 5
 
release date: 22-Dec-2009
# of downloads: 91

average rating: 5.49
review count: 19
 
review this level

file size: 39.26 MB
file type: TR3
class: Xmas
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
hsxgenious@yahoo.es

Reviewer's comments
"I experienced a recurring crash when going for the key in the fireplace using my personal/enhanced TR3 level kit, so I had to resort to the original supplied files. I'm not sure if this might have been the cause, but there were several artifacts seen throughout level design, such as overlapping rooms flickering through one another and then rooms disappearing altogether (mostly in the underground boat ride, where the many flame pillars were simply floating on the water surface). You set off on a few different tasks looking for keys or buttons and they're generally simple and rather obvious. I thought the use of invisible buttons near the doors was a rather clever workaround within the TR3 engine, and I also stumbled upon at least one marked climbable wall that didn't work -- then again, other climbable surfaces were barely clear enough in their purpose. The level title may be a bit too pompous, but you do get a nice message from the author just near the finish trigger. 20 minutes, 1 secret. 12/19" - Treeble (22-Dec-2019)
"Five all around because I encountered a lot of broken textures and illegal areas. Not terribly bad but a little tedious in parts." - High Priestess (04-Mar-2018)
"This Christmas level isn't particularly festive aside from the snow, the secret cookies and the nice message at the end. It's more like a regular key hunting expedition with an easy timed sequence and two brisk boat rides. But, the TR3 engine does give it a certain burst of nostalgia, so relax, play and try not to pay too much attention to the construction and texturing as that robs it of its charm slightly. Not a bad pleasant level." - Ryan (21-Oct-2017)
"It has been a while that I played a TR3 level and I am not sure what the problem was but I had a split screen while playing this. It is a bit weird but I made it. I was just in the mood for some non-violent raiding so this was what the doctor ordered. Little bit of boat driving, some searching through a house and some other buildings. Getting keys and finding some secrets cookies and at the end a nice Xmas card to read." - Gerty (13-Dec-2014)
"Beyond the snow included at the beginning of the game and a recolored red jacket for Lara, there's disappointingly very little else to associate this release towards anything closely resembling a Christmas theme. Gameplay, texture/object choices, general ambiance... its all pretty much just standard Tomb Raider fare, with a number of bizarre glitches and design choices left in the final game(including a number of texture bugs and an unusable lever among other things.) By the end of it all though, I left this one feeling completely unfulfilled and more bored than I was before. So if you still intend to give this one a go at one point or another, I'd highly recommend approaching with caution. The cookie recipe included as an optional bonus within the main level download itself however, was a nice gesture towards fellow raiders celebrating Xmas holidays at the time though." - Ceamonks890 (13-Oct-2014)
"Not a good Christmas level here. The gameplay was nothing but key-searching and -using. Many mistakes (ladder didn't work, missing or displaced textures) that made things even worse. A 25-minute raid with not many christmassy moments." - manarch2 (23-Sep-2010)
"I think this level is quicky. It is Christmas level? I don't know. Maybe the massage on the end of the level. Because I haven't any holiday feeling under this adventure. I"m sorry, I can't say any good words about the level. There are some bugs too. I found 4 cookies, but counted 2 as secrets. I found a floating switch too, and an unclimbable ladder on the end of the level." - Obig (25-May-2010)
"I didn’t experience with the unofficial editor earlier so the unofficial levels were unknown to me. This one isn’t a good initiation to this world. When I was playing this level I thought that it isn’t good and so I do now. Generally you move forward to collect the cakes, but it could be done in a better way. I didn’t collect all of the secrets, because I wanted to finish the level as quick as I could. I didn’t enjoy it. The good point is that this custom brings a little bit of TR3 climate with it. What are the disadvantages? Mainly stretched or squished textures, cracks, untextured places, thin walls and a wrongly textured Lara model. From these reasons I don’t recommend this level, because it isn’t worth playing in my opinion. But building levels is a hard work and when you fall, you have to get up and continue it further." - jawi (01-Mar-2010)
"Apart from the snow I could find here nothing what one would connect with Christmas. But apart from the fact this is a nice small level. Indeed, there were a lot of graphics mistakes. Sometimes the textures moved, sometimes one could see some furnishings which stood directly on the wall in another room and then the floor was sometimes transparent. This must not necessarily be the guilt of the level builder, but it looks very unsightly. The biggest difficulty was which I could not jump at the level beginning out of the boat. There I had to check in the forum how this goes. Was this earlier also thus? No notion, now I am accustomed already so much to the normal levels which I can hardly remember at how it was in the past. The lighting felt well, indeed, the many graphics mistakes were not so well for the eyes, particularly as the colour of the textures sometimes takes getting used to a little bit. There was also a Dead-end. Though at a place one sees ladder textures, but the wall was not defined as a ladder. Result: Nice level, whereby a little bit more care would have felt well" - Scottie (07-Jan-2010)
"Ok, this level was definitely a Croft Manor style level, not Christmassy. Well, the Cookies and the tables at the end was Xmassy, but nothing more. The gameplay was too linear for me, and it was like: Pick up a key, open a door, pick up a key, open a door, again the same, then a crowbar, then some more keys and we reached the tables. And as I was reading the walkthrough, I read about some bugs. Fortunately, I didn't see any of them, except a design flaw, where I couldn't climb up from a pool. Next time, you should add more twists into the gameplay. Rest of the things (texturing, atmosphere...) was okay imo. By the way, the cookie recipe is also a very kind add-on to this small adventure, thanks.:)" - rtrger (29-Dec-2009)
"This cheerful TR3 level seems more about the quest for cookies than it does the meaning of Christmas, but then cookies are important. It starts with snow on the ground, and that is about as Christmassy as it gets. The game play shouldn't give anyone problems. Lara explores a house, then goes underground, and ends in a temple, where the young author has left a holiday message. Some of the construction is a little unpolished, with thin walls evident, but Lara gets to drive the boat around, and the use of TR3 vehicles is always good (the Dash Key will give the boat a needed burst of speed). There is much that can be done with TR3, so I hope the author will continue to improve his craft." - dmdibl (28-Dec-2009)
"Nothing much to do with Christmas except for the final positive message. I always liked TR3 best among the official games but I'm really not so sure about this level. A lot of missing and floating textures, just finding keys, coins and crowbars, nothing remarkable about the sights or the sounds. One should always be grateful for the effort, I guess, since, still a bit clumsy as it may be, it seems like it's a serious try." - Jorge22 (27-Dec-2009)
"This is a Tr3 level, the first I have played since the original Tr3 game. For all that it lacks in the sophistication of some of the levels we are getting used to playing these days, it has a nice linear gameplay and extends out to around 20 minutes of gameplay. There are some technical faults with it, whether that is due to an inexpert builder (from his picture he appears to be very young) or just the restrictions of the Tr3 engine I am not sure, but as a first offering this builder shows some promise for the future. I would like to encourage him to keep building and gaining in experience. Although it wasn't very Christmas-y at all, really, there was a lovely little message from the builder that resonated with me. Yes, Christmas time is the time for playing TR levels and making new discoveries and plans for the New Year, and for me, that makes all the levels offered at this time of year something special." - sharnilal (26-Dec-2009)
"Just finding cookies and that's all, nothing's more to do. Rooms were nice, but textures were bad build. In some places they were missing." - Andzia9 (23-Dec-2009)
"This is the only TR3 based Christmas level I've ever played, which does give it a certain novelty value, although apart from the nice seasonal message right at the end, it really isn't particularly Christmassy. It's more of a Venice style level with snow than anything else. You do get to search a few houses in search of cookies and have a bit of fun in a speedboat, but essentially it's a short, easy, linear level with no enemies so I suppose that's appropriate for an Advent level." - Jay (23-Dec-2009)
"A Christmas level easy to play with a good look. Of course, there are some defects like paper wall, the invisible block in front of the door, a missed ladder, views through walls... but it's playable anyway and it supposed an effort from the builder. I didn't play a TR3 level years ago so this time it took me nice memories with old musics, objects and textures... Easy to play with a fast gameplay, no enemies, few pickups and nice environments. Not great puzzles but playable anyway." - Jose (23-Dec-2009)
"This is a level to play for the use of the speedboat alone (briefly at the start and for a little ride later on). It is otherwise very easy and linear, finding 5 keys, 3 cookies and 2 crowbars along the way. There are many techncial glitches, such as oberlapping rooms and objects, thin walls and an invisible door block and the gameplay is articifially prolonged to 25 minutes by including several slow sections with crawlspaces, climbs and monkeyswings, but despite that it remains a nice Christmas diversion with a cute message by the author at the end." - MichaelP (23-Dec-2009)
"Not really a mansion level, not really an underground one, it is Winter time and the Cold Wind is blowing around in the houses , in the courtyards , in the sewers, and in the temple at the end where you have the photo of the author on a wall and his personal reason for enjoying Christmas time on the opposite wall. Globally a well rounded level , with good sounds and progression , there is a few bugs that do not hamper the gameplay or the enjoyment : visual bugs in one section where objects of adjacent rooms are showing up through the thin walls , and at the end if Lara goes down in water instead of continuing monkey swinging she can not return despite a wall which looks climbable but is not. The gameplay is varied enough , I particularly enjoyed the series of short and easy timed doors (good camera work here by the way) , you have the opportunity to drive two motorboats although that is not necessary (I found it easier to swim than to use the 2nd one in the sewers, plus Lara did not always get off of it when pressing the correct keys "End" + "Lateral Arrow"). Overall a nice level with the classic TR3 audios and no enemies [ 28 minutes , found 3 cookies ]" - eRIC (22-Dec-2009)
"This is one of those pleasent little seasonal levels which mean well and in this case provides a 35 minute relaxing and undemanding raid (it contains probably the easiest timed challenge I've ever encountered),with a rather charming message for a seasonal Finale.There are all sorts of quibbles (mostly relating to the intrusion of various objects into nearby rooms)but it's good to see an Unnoficial Level Editor Christmas level;and it ultimately does what it sets out to do.Best played with a glass of mulled wine,and critical faculties switched off." - Orbit Dream (22-Dec-2009)