trle.net ::: Level Reviews

Level:	Four Lost Keys
Author(s):	Frank Petser

total rating:	4.40	Gameplay & Puzzles	Enemies, Objects & Secrets	Atmosphere, Sound & Cameras	Lighting & Textures
	davep83	5	5	3	5
	dmdibl	4	5	5	5
	manarch2	4	6	5	4
	MichaelP	4	4	4	4
	Orbit Dream	4	5	3	4
	category averages (5 reviews)	4.20	5.00	4.00	4.40

Reviewer's comments

"This level didn't work particularly well in Windows 7. The sound was non existant. However, I doubt that was the builders intention. Never use the 'number lock' key as one of the controls - never ends well. This is an original TR1 style level and you can tell! The textures are like jelly and move about, and you can see the pixels clearly. I don't think this is the builders fault so I've scored that aspect on the use of textures instead. No dynamic lighting existed in those days so can't judge that either. The gameplay is not all that bad, you start in a room with water and crocodile, you then move on to a nice simple pushable block puzzle, then a centaur, and then spikes and so on. The aim it seems is to collect several keys. Only play this if you have patience or you enjoy retro gaming - this is literally like going back to the very beginning of 3D games." - davep83 (05-May-2012)

"Not much to add to the elaborate comments of my fellow reviewers, but I will reiterate: The game is almost impossible to complete as is, unless you manage to reach the skateboard kid with virtually no health loss (which is tricky to achieve due to the earlier centaur battle). I started over four times before getting even close, which extended the 20-30 minute experience to be an increasingly unpleasant one of several hours - spread over the course of several weeks. Not really a level to recommend for that alone, especially with the irony that the much needed medipacks appear right AFTER the skateboard kid encounter. That fundamental gameplay design flaw aside, this is a decent enough old school level, with a mix of puzzles and jumps and a fun circular progression, but it is all spoiled by the not very well balanced use of tough opponents for Lara." - MichaelP (14-Apr-2012)

"I thought the initial three-block puzzle was an indication of clever things to come, and there is some interesting searching for four lost keys, but ultimately this is a level that is off the mark. First I tried to play this in Windows ME, but there is no sound. So I used setup.exe to register a (phony) Sound Blaster, but that crashed, causing the tomb.exe program to stop working. Not only that, but my original Tomb Raider installation was now locked up when I tried to start it. It took a complete system restore to get things working again, so I played this level without sound. It isn't clear what caused all the problems, but this TR1 level is based on a Demo--the savegames are SAVEDEMO--that apparently precedes the release of Tomb Raider itself. A 30-minute TR1 level like this just isn't worth an hour to set up, but it seems to work in DOSBox, where it should work automatically. (I have been setting cycles=max in dosbox.conf and getting better results.) In this TR1 level lighting is fairly uniform, but then so are the textures, and not only do wall levers blend in all too well, but a lever may be hidden behind bushes. Gameplay becomes increasingly frustrating. There is an initial battle in tight quarters with a centaur when Lara has no medipacks, and she may end with a sliver of health. This makes it tricky to maneuver through spikes and boulder traps, searching for two promised medipacks that are supposed to be in this level. Then Lara faces the skateboard kid, and dies within the first seconds. I had to give Lara a large medipack, and for good measure gave her Uzis as well. Then it turns out that Lara discovers a large and small medipack after the battle with the skateboard kid, which seems a misguided order. There is some freedom as to which keys to get first, but Lara neared the fourth and last key unhappily in a maze. There is a good layout and map sometimes, and jumps and block puzzles are fine, but the author might have done better with a TR3 level." - dmdibl (26-Mar-2012)

"It's hard to accurately review a level which I had to play in poor screen resolution through DosBox,but this ancient- looking TR1 level built with the correspondingly primitive Unofficial Editor doesn't just show its age,it also displays other manifest weaknesses.Scenery constantly breaks through from other rooms;the pixellated textures do their best to obscure wall levers;and the lack of medipacks combined with the clunky save system entails constant saving and reloading in order to deal with the hard-hitting opponents - especially the ghastly Skateboard Kid.I find it hard to believe that the builder could actually consider such gameplay to be enjoyable;although it must be said that the map itself has been rather well worked out,and there are frequent interesting returns to the initial Hub room.The title of the level sums up the plot;and,indeed,when all four keys are placed the level ends,without Lara having actually obtained anything to take with her. It's difficult,under the circumstances,to recommend this 30 minute adventure to anyone - other than a very patient and tenacious completest." - Orbit Dream (23-Mar-2012)

"Another nice little TR 1 level from a few years ago that could have quite been as fun to play through as the recent "Return to Rome" but suffers from nearly no medikits to find there and thus I had to use the weapon cheat to progress as I could find no way to kill the skateboard kid else than with harder weapons. Else than that, it's a fairly unimaginative 20 minute level with many old enemies to kill, not very good textures and only few more attractive exercises such as two decent pushblock puzzles and some fun slope jumps. There were no camera hints but this game didn't need it as the few levers used here were quite near the door they opened. Only the maze could be a little more smaller and it's easy to miss the lever so I recommend playing close to the walkthrough often here. Everything is really not that bad, only the fights with no health were pretty painful." - manarch2 (18-Mar-2012)