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Mongolian Adventures by Rudolf

Diz 9 8 9 8
DJ Full 8 8 9 7
dmdibl 9 9 9 10
Dutchy 9 8 9 8
Janny 8 8 10 9
Jay 9 8 9 9
Jorge22 8 7 8 8
Jose 8 9 9 8
manarch2 7 8 8 8
MichaelP 8 8 9 8
Nomad 8 8 8 9
Phil 9 9 9 9
Ryan 8 8 9 9
TheStig 9 9 9 9
 
release date: 11-Dec-2011
# of downloads: 106

average rating: 8.48
review count: 14
 
review this level

file size: 98.81 MB
file type: TR4
class: Oriental
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
rabussen@telfort.nl

Reviewer's comments
"Wow, no matter what this is very good for a debut level and the builder is obviously talented. I have mixed feelings about the levels itself however. Starting with gameplay, it was a bit confusing for me. While the levels are actually very linear and new paths open once you get the necessary items, if you are stuck or don't remember where the door the camera shows opening was, it will feel very non-linear and you are going to have a tough time. The blame is partly on me because I messed up in the Castle level and walked all around the level and made myself confused in the end. Regardless, even with walkthrough you will experience a lot of backtracking. And also it felt empty to me, I would expect that such a huge area contained more gameplay and unique tasks than finding keys and pulling switches. Now don't get me wrong there are a couple of cool traps and puzzles but they feel sporadic given the huge area. But nevertheless, the general design of the map (if you don't think about the gameplay) and architecture rocked. The music was okay and fit the levels. The best was the final level, and its last area where objects move on their own felt creepy a bit, so two thumbs up for the nice work there. The unique textures were very good. All in all a pretty solid effort, but not without its faults." - Nomad (18-Aug-2020)
"I would give it more if it wasn't so overwhelmingly green. I know it's a common practice to tint grey textures so they look colorful, but the truth is this engine simply doesn't do it right. Grey rocks lit in green will never look like green rocks, they will just look like green rocks with green light cast on them. If you want green textures just reverse the process, make green textures and light them with white. Complementary shading and accents in the color similar to the one of the used texture will also work, but never the other way around. Other than that I was pleased with vast exploration, puzzle cleverness and game complexity. Even though the middle part is mind boggling and utilizes a vast amount of memory, also feeling a bit empty and lacking the NPC life, it was satisfying in the end, and the custom objects and tracks really added to it. Immersion is definitely the strongest thing here." - DJ Full (09-Oct-2018)
"This is somehow a very player-friendly debut level, once it gets itself into gear. The first level is mainly about locating levers, switches and items required to progress. But as you get further, the puzzles become more involving and fun to execute (I liked the timed trapdoor trigger run and the concluding helmet puzzle). The environments are attractive, if a little huge, and I enjoyed myself here. Nice work." - Ryan (27-Sep-2017)
"the mountains (6/8/9/8, 30 min): The atmosphere of the place grabs you right from the get go, even if the architecture is maybe a bit too blocky. The gameplay was a little less convincing, as you run around and search a lot for elusive underwater levers in fairly large areas, sometimes while being chased by these annoying speedy fishes. But as an appetizer for more to come in this adventure, this part certainly did the job well.
the tower - part 1 (7/7/8/8, 25 min): Still a relatively calm part of the adventure, making use of the annoying freezing water that drains your health, but not too heavily or too tricky to manage. There is also a maze that is not too bad and a sequence of blocks to lower with levers to pull around a cave, which was rather well designed. The walkthrough wall and one really well hidden push block serve as game stoppers, if it were not for the walkthrough. Only one ahmet to kill along the way.
the castle (8/8/9/8, 60 min): In this larger part of the adventure a decent sense of orientation is required to get through in one piece. There are quite a few large areas to explore and the bulder sends you back and forth quite a bit - all guided with plenty of camera work, but that means of course you need to be recognizing those places or you will be wandering around forever. Still, the progression is interesting this way and you always have a bit of a sense of accomplishment as you dive deeper and deeper into this map. Again, very few enemies and no secrets, but plenty of gems, guardian keys, stars and the likes to find and use.
the tower - part 2 (8/8/9/8, 35 min): I probably enjoyed playing this part the most, maybe because progression was very clear for the four pillars and still interesting with the addition of a few traps and puzzles. Also some nice use of scripting here with the final helmet puzzle.
Overall this is a very ambitious debut project that the builder has pulled off rather well and the noticable improvements level by level can only let the players hope that he has/will continue building and provide another adventure for us in the future..." - MichaelP (28-May-2015)
"A fabulous debut level here from Rudolf. It's taken me a while to get through, and it's rather vast with plenty of back tracking and expansive spaces that can occasionally leave the player a smidge disorientated as to where to head next. For the most part though things flow pretty well. Not too many nasties to speak of lurking in the shadows with the odd Skeleton & Tiger here and there to dispatch, but otherwise progress is fairly smooth and peaceful (much like the soundtrack). Texturing is strong, and rooms for the most part are very well built. The author has experimented a lot with colour here too. Sometimes it works very well, but I'm not so keen on the overly strong green cast to some of the rooms. The puzzles are nicely thought out (and I especially like the centre-piece puzzle at the end). All in all I netted just a smidge on 5 hours from MongolianAdventures. A great start from this author and I really hope to see more of their work in the future. Highly recommended! Stiggy :)" - TheStig (03-Dec-2013)
"This is a remarkable debut release. The tr4 files are interwoven so that the player experiences one cohesive game that lasted (for me) three hours and twenty minutes. I recall few enemies other than the occasional tiger, but the joy of this raid lies in the beauty of the surroundings. The Dutchy-Gerty team has provided a typically thorough walkthough, which I needed because of the complex map, the similar look of some of the different areas, and the frequent need for backtracking. There were a few challenging moments, notably the squishy block room near the end, but for the most part we have a visually pleasing game that's accessible to all players. High recommendations." - Phil (04-Feb-2012)
"Being a debut level, Mongolian adventures suffers from a few problems one may encounter in such levels, namely rooms that are too nude and wide for what they actually mean gameplaywise or strange animations such as statues one can climb to. Also being a debut level, it's well crafted enough since that's something I can measure from the fact that it bored or didn't bore me, that I played it to the end or simply forgot about it. Finally, being a debut level I'm glad to see Rudolf understood there's no need to make it extremely difficult and frustrating and instead decided to build a player-friendly game in most senses. Other than all that, I liked the music and a few details such as the original use of the spikes in the last room and the moving of the helmets there too. To sum it up, this is one game I enjoyed playing. The next one will need a bit of polishing, but I'm sure Rudolf will manage." - Jorge22 (29-Jan-2012)
"The Mountains (5-8-8-6) - 25 minutes: Not a very impressive start for this levelset, as the whole gameplay consists of running around and finding levers, plus two very, very small pushblock puzzles. That's it. The texturing had many scratches but I liked the plain textures. There are - as in every level - many new objects which are nice to look at and I mostly liked the circle boulder objects in one of the last areas. The occasional enemy also made some trouble, especially the fishes.
The Tower - Part I (6-8-8-8) - 35 minutes: Now that is something different. There are not only levers to find, no - now you also face long and boring crawlspaces! Pushing a block on an unmarked tile to lower a block wasn't a good idea and I was completely missing any challenge here. This area is also quite buggy as at some point, the lowered blocks simply were restored and I had to reload a save from the previous level. At the end there was a deadly pool you had to jump in and use a lever - health loss guaranteed. I found that pretty unnecessary, as well as the walkthrough wall and the adjacent maze. However there were also parts I liked in this level: The rather shocking appearance of an ahmet and the pool room to get the first gem were the nice moments of this part. This first part would get a 4 in the first category and a 7 in the second from me; however after finishing the castle level you return here and since the later levels seem to be more thoroughly built, this included, I had more fun here, with the jump sequences above the lava. That's why the rating for the first two categories are raised a bit.
The Castle (8-8-9-9) - 45 minutes: This is not only the biggest level of the set, but also the most concise and fun. There are still many levers to find and it sometimes still touched the egdge of tedium, but all in all there are many enjoyable things to do and plenty of variety in gameplay. There even are real puzzles to solve rather than in the first levels, and the architecture also has grown in terms of complexity. The texturing was solid with only very few squeezed ones, and sound was very much fitting. If I want to critizise something than maybe that there were few too many puzzle items to find, causing a little confusion for the player.
The Tower - Part II (8-8-8-7) - 25 minutes: A shorter level, but still much fun with four monk pillars to find and the rooms to find them had nice gameplay elements in them, as the deadly pool room and of course the final puzzle was fantastic, both technically and gameplaywise. There again were a few more mistakes in texturing, but really only few. Maybe a few too many latters to climb and spikes to avoid, and the final credit scrolling was a little too slow for my taste but that's really not a real mistake, but the final area with the jeep could better have had a horizon rather than simply textures from far mountains on the walls.
Summary: I think the builder is very talented. The ratings for the first levels seem to be a bit cruel, but I think there wasn't a bit of creativity in terms of gameplay, only for objects and textures. The last levels really make this level worth playing, and the builder has grown while building this levelset." - manarch2 (02-Jan-2012)
"Four large complex levels, with grand visuals and architecture, rich texturing, and objects on a Mongolian theme, stunning for a debut. In these sorts of levels it isn't obvious how Lara is to begin, given the wealth of exploration routes, many possibilities visible since one can see areas across walls, or doors and balconies high up, plus passages leading off from a courtyard. This can all be confusing, and sometimes frustrating, but Lara has to wander freely, methodically examining everything, and have patience to let solutions develop in their own way. I did wish that there were more helpful cameras than there are. I've noticed in the past that other reviewers have a more tempered enthusiasm toward this sort of play, but when levels are as good as these are, think of the creative design work necessary to produce this entire world, how fortunate Lara is explore here, with lovely music and custom objects. (I hope I'm not sounding defensive.) At the beginning there are a few texture oddities, which made me wonder, but such mistakes are soon left behind. Lara did run into trouble in The Castle, which is either the second or third level (yes, it's hard to tell, because of level jumps), all because of a missed crawlspace. Then when Lara runs to pick up a "Monks Pillar," a transparent shield rises to protect it, so Lara turns around and spots a jump switch, and runs to that only to be blocked by another rising transparent shield. At that point play turns really complicated. I kept thinking Lara would get back to the "Monks Pillar," expectations I should have avoided, and finally Lara does get back to use that jump switch, but it still doesn't free the "Monks Pillar," and the open-ended complexity got a bit much even for me. The author is not above playing little mind games with Lara. There is one nasty puzzle/agility test with squishy blocks. Even the ending is a head-scratcher, where Lara can see wall levers protected by spikes, but doesn't know how to turn off the spikes. The helmets here are custom designed by the author. A walkthrough will remove many difficulties of playing, but part of the fun of such complex levels is when Lara is working without a safety net. By the time Lara reaches the jeep, you feel that she has gone through a real experience (five hours to play, but it took days). Much thanks to the author for these exceptional levels." - dmdibl (19-Dec-2011)
"What a breath of fresh air this level turned out to be. And not just because it wasn't packed with loads of enemies like many other levels, but because it was centered around a Mongolian theme, something I've yet to seen tackled before. The adventure boils down to exploration and it's handled in a manner that doesn't bore the player. There's a lot of running around to be done, and it's definitely not a bad thing because the atmosphere here is just wonderful. The textures are beautiful, but what really caught my attention was the music. I have no idea where the builder got hold of it, but the music featured is one of the best I've ever heard in a level set. It fits the theme, it's not intrusive and it doesn't outstay its welcome. At one point I found myself just sitting around and enjoying a song. So a big thumbs up for that. One thing that did bother me a bit, though, was the fact that many of the areas seem too empty. Most places in the level are huge and require a lot of running around (such as the tower), so a few more objects or different texturing here and there would have been nice. Still, it's a great level set that I'm definitely putting down on my replay list." - Janny (16-Dec-2011)
"This level had pottered along quite gently with hardly any enemies other than the occasional voracious fish about, so I was completely taken aback by an unexpected ahmet later on. Initially, I thought this would be a confusing level as it seemed so huge and complex, but the gameplay seemed fairly straightforward and a lot more linear than it first appeared. As the game progressed however, I had to revise my opinion and go with Plan A. This is a long game (net gaming time for me over four hours) and it becomes more involved and interesting as it unfolds. There are one or two quite challenging agility tests and some wonderful puzzles, with good use made of trigger/anti-trigger tiles. For a debut, this looks very well made indeed and the builder has made excellent use of objects, textures and music to create a most enjoyable experience." - Jay (14-Dec-2011)
"Well! The question one should be asking is"If this is a debut level, what is the next one going to like?" I understand that this was started some years ago and that certainly explains the marked improvement in everything that becomes so apparent shortly into the game. To begin with I was thinking"yes, quite enjoyable, seven-ish for gameplay" then it seemed to take off with imaginative, well structured and varied gameplay. Seven-ish? Not a chance! A solid nine! The areas are, perhaps, too large for the little some of them contain and, whilst some areas seem well structured and furnished, others appear to be basic and a little bland (a difference, perhaps, in when they were made). Few enemies but the Ahmet definitely gave the old ticker a blip! A thoroughly enjoyable level, about four hours twenty, probably because I was looking round too much." - Diz (14-Dec-2011)
"Like a beta tester for this level I pointed a lot of things to be fixed, but I recognize that the author did a good and hard work after the testing and before the releasing. So here you can download a set of levels worth to play, with a half-lineal gameplay and no much backtracking, good architecture and nice environment, beautiful musics and impressive objects. Perhaps rooms are too huge, and this causes difficulties to apply textures correctly; also I missed some more puzzles to break my old brain, but definitively a very good debut and sure you'll enjoy this four levels." - Jose (13-Dec-2011)
"A debut level by a new builder, but what a surprise. He started building the first level about 9 years ago, which is visible in a bit too high rooms resulting in problems texturing them properly. But as you proceed through the levels you will find that his building skills improved over the years resulting in better looking textures. Rudolf had a lot of help from Titak, with the TRNG and Meta and he picked up on that very fast. Building his own objects, some of which are very nice. Lara on the search of an Ancient Helmet. The level starts in the Mountains where you have to find 2 wooden crosses; they will send you to the next level. The Tower is a large level, 2 parts with lots of gameplay. The Castle area is huge and can get you confused here and there, but most of the times camera clues are given as to what you have to do next. The puzzle to finally get the Helmet was nice, although a somewhat better clue to how to get to the spiked levers would have been nice. The objects were very good, but it lacked a bit more enemies here and there to keep you busy. A really nice level set, playable for all, about 3 hrs of playtime." - Dutchy (13-Dec-2011)