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The Path of Fire by Ram16

DJ Full 6 6 5 6
dmdibl 7 8 9 8
Drakan 9 9 9 10
Dutchy 6 7 6 5
Gerty 6 8 8 7
Jay 8 8 8 8
Jorge22 8 8 8 9
Jose 6 7 7 8
Josey 8 7 9 6
manarch2 6 7 8 8
MichaelP 6 8 9 7
Phil 9 9 9 9
Ryan 7 8 8 7
Taras 8 9 9 9
The Boo 6 7 5 5
Treeble 8 8 8 8
 
release date: 10-Jan-2013
# of downloads: 112

average rating: 7.55
review count: 16
 
review this level

file size: 79.80 MB
file type: TR4
class: South America
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
ramseize2@gmail.com

Reviewer's comments
"This double level set can be a bit claustrophobic at times — some of the crawlspaces are quite unusual — and there are a few changes to Lara's animations which don't really add up to anything but grievance. Her swimming and rolling animations have been changed, the first one didn't bother me much but the second one pretty much breaks the flow we've been used to for nearly 30 years now. On the other hand I quite liked the unexpected idle animations (one of which had me chuckling when I saw it). Visually it holds up rather well with TRA Peru vibes, although perhaps the excessive vegetation deliberaly placed to hide platforms or jump switches could have been toned down without any losses on that regard. The first secret in level two might as well have been out of bounds. The final sequence with the boulder and the rather literal path of fire was a nice touch I thought. 80 minutes, 6 secrets. 09/23" - Treeble (10-Sep-2023)
"Memories from the builder's latest levels are as blurred as his unmarked blocks so I wasn't eager to jump into this one. After the flyby made of buggy animations, rectangular rooms and wrong object tinting I launched the level and saw the exact same thing playable. "Okay this cannot get much worse" - I accepted, and instantly got stuck with another of those elusive blocks, even though I was aware of them, because I intuitively explored the entire room, while the interaction was behind me near the beginning... Who designs levels like this, seriously... many people are going to bin it at this point and we're only 5 minutes into the description... what follows? Another unmarked block, unmarked ladder, wrong lighting, wrong switch animation... then I got immersed with the scorpion king enemy but then I got surrounded with draft stone textures which took zero effort to plaster on every surface of the cave, obviously mistaken for rocks. Later we get stock objects randomly mixed with custom HD assets... thank Pachamama flares and useful faster animations were provided because they really make this game better. But this next location also has a tedious platformer puzzle so I already had enough (that's why this review is so long: I was typing while taking breaks...). Then we get a broken crowbar puzzle preceded with random crowbar placement and followed by a critical pickup hidden in a plant (at this point I had the walkthrough constantly open). Then, more unmarked pushblocks, and if you ask me "haven't you learnt already?" then yes I did but I mean a double duration issue: in order to see those blocks you have to constantly burn flares, and at that point I had 3 left, so I had to reload all the time and run through every room twice - with flare and without. Then on top of everything we get a rollingball camera glitch, another basic issue easily fixable by rolling the boulder off the trigger. And while the game got quite interesting with spike puzzle, flood puzzle, exploding chase puzzle and shaft key hunt, they just get overshadowed with errors, simply too many as for a level of this size. Soon after that, this very level ends, and we get another one, similar stuff plus broken bird sounds, also featuring the draftest outside scenery I have ever seen in a South American level, with ultra-bright, monochrome light and trees flickering through portals... Of course the edge of the world is too close and you would be able to reach it - so how did the author solve that problem? Let's guess. Spikes? No. Plants? No. Water currents? No. Deadly sunburn? No. Invisible wall you hit in midair and die? Ja wohl, naturlich... And of course I missed a secret hidden precisely at that problematic edge, making you conclude everything but the intention to explore it. It's good some time ago I stopped rating secrets because doing so backfired too much at master levels which happen to miss them. At that point I got stuck again and ran through that vast space several times and referred to the walkthrough for the second time (wondering for a while how the newbies will deal with all those elusive jumpswitches I somehow managed to find). Solution? Yet another unmarked pushblock, in the only place where I didn't light the flare (SIC! SIC! SIC!). Sorted that, I came to a riddle with more pushblocks and this is where I dropped the gameplay rating from 5 to 4 because all I wanted was to rage quit. Then I reconsidered "DJ, you're getting too dramatic, it's just an average level but not below that" and I upped it back to 5... But I developed a need for an imaginary friend to hold my hand ("lead the way Montezuma, I don't want to be alone here") - and I somehow made it (I always do, don't I?). Then I realized Montezuma was Aztec but his spirit helped me regardless so thank you anyway. Could also be Howard Shore since I eventually had enough of default Egyptian background and blasted the LOTR Suite from youtube. Then the Egyptian track gets interrupted with a Greek track (what the...) but I need to admit, we get some catchy Peruvian tunes as well... Finally, the only really creative part of the game has begun though it's a real pity I needed 100 minutes to wait for those 10, because the torch puzzle and eventually discovered fire path cannot reward all the struggle. Anyway, that bit was what made me raise the gameplay score to ultimate 6... Final vertict: This is as bad as Sabatu thinks his levels are (however he's wrong). Probably the most tiring and annoying South American level I've ever played, also probably the most negative review I have ever written - and of course I accept the possibility I might have been tired or having a bad day, but as I said before: some levels cure my bad days instead of reinforcing them. If you see any room by any builder who pays any effort, then you check this game where every part has some flaw included, then you wonder why it was released in such state. But THEN you notice the list of betatesters and start to question your place in the universe - because this level could easily get to 8/10, but this time Peruvian gods were busy or Inca-pable... NOT recommended. At all." - DJ Full (20-Jul-2019)
"Not bad, but I found this builder's previous "Lost Seraph" release a bit more enjoyable than this one. Although the gameplay is more complex and possibly inventive than in that level, this one was a bit more flawed in several ways. I didn't mind the levers and switches hidden in foliage, darkness and such and there are a few neat touches with the use of pushblocks and torches, but a couple of "normal" routes can be skipped or shortcutted (I opted to avoid the banana jump but go through the entire final mask puzzle) and this could take a bit of the enjoyment away. The ninja enemies were a bit unfitting to the South American environment, but the flying skeletons were enjoyable to take down, even initially with ammo that was not that powerful. The textures are generally pleasing, but the lighting was a bit too dark in the corridors for my liking. Enjoyable enough for the more observant raiders, or for those who are a fan of this type of gameplay." - Ryan (07-Jan-2018)
"This level could be much better if the builder didn't place so many hidden switches/objects. It's very easy that the player miss one of them and get totally stucked and in this case the backtracking appears. The jump to the first invisible ledge was very hard for me, and in the second level, in the dry room where I had to place three blocks onto marked tiles, the door never opened and I had to do it exactly how it was explained in the walkthrough; never saw a hint in game. In the first level there are many dark rooms and not enough flares, and the second level is not so dark but there are more flares to pick up. Not a levels with a fluid gameplay, but perhaps good levels for players who like exploration." - Jose (19-Sep-2017)
"I am a great fan of the Peru setting and I did enjoy spending more than 1.5 hours in this level, but not as much as I could have enjoyed it if the builder had been a bit more considerate about the players. The vast majority of the gameplay consists of finding rather sneakily hidden and often completely elusive crawlspaces or jumnp switches - often hidden in darkness or vegetation. This turns this level quickly into more work than fun, as you stop and search most of the time (or stop and check the walkthrough) instead of having a certain flow through the game. That principle gripe aside, this is rather competently built - with very good use of torches, push blocks, boulders, a mirror room and a decent but not overdone amount of enemy encounters. The ninjas seemed a bit out of place here though.There are 6 nice secrets and a few beautiful flybys - especially the one introducing the 'Path of Fire' near the end. Recommended, but only if you have a very keen eye to spot your next move." - MichaelP (04-Dec-2013)
"Strange though that sometimes I can have a ball of a time and sometimes the level I am playing just irritates the hell out of me. The latter is the case. Not that there was anything so terrible wrong with the gameplay, or the lay-out of this environment. It just started with that one stupid hard jump (which luckily can be avoided) at the start. Then the twitching Miss Croft did. It is quite hilarious to see while shooting a ninja, but it really got on my nerves. Getting stuck a few times and not in the"not finding the way", but being stuck, as"I cannot move at all". This also gave me the feeling that this hasn't been tested. A pity though as in my opinion this could have been an excellent level and now it just fell short. With a bit more attention to textures, lighting, as well as the animation of Miss Croft and a good team of tester, perhaps the next one will be excellent as this builder for sure has some nice ideas." - Gerty (15-Aug-2013)
"The best room in this level is unfortunatly the first one with passable lightning and a dense atmosphere. After this short disclosure there is all hope lost for a great level: Either you have quite simple puzzles or you will find yourself running totaly confused through the rooms and searching for hidden jumplevers or invisible platforms. Sometimes you have to do jumps that just can work with luck ... and this is not my way of fun. Best part of this game is fighting with enemies or finding secrets, which are sometimes well hidden. Not really a "mustplay" only if you like some frustration." - The Boo (13-Jun-2013)
"The outdoor locations of this game are very beautiful, but unhappily Lara spends most of her time in very dark caves. The number of flares was very small for the kind of game, and the constant use of the binoculars was very, very boring; I was often tempted to give up because of this. Nothing wrong with the construction and the atmosphere, though: the game has all appearances of reality and was well built. (Less realism would be better, perhaps? I like so much well lit and colourful games, as The Scarecrow Field, for example...) There are no challenging puzzles, but they are at least interesting. I needed the walkthrough to tell me if Lara really could crawl along some crannies when it seemed there was nothing else to do, but I soon became used to it. As to the enemies, I didn't like their number: when I thought all bats, for example, were dead, more of them appeared. It was quite tiring... Nevertheless, a good, well imagined, and recommended game." - Josey (28-Mar-2013)
"Ram16 took a little more confident compared to its previous level. This one is better textured and the gameplay is very good. Alain tends to hide its levers, it is therefore necessary to look in each pièce.The first level is dark but it goes very well with the environment and tasks. The second is more enlightened and I love the final scene with the ball that lights the path of fire. Congratulations and to the next level." - Drakan (08-Mar-2013)
"I found this to be a highly satisfactory level, and I'm surprised at the low numbers, both in ratings and review count, two months after its release. It's a Peru level with the inevitable foliage slapping you in the face at virtually every turn in the outdoor areas, but other than that I have no negative comments at all. The lighting is good and the environs have been crafted with care. The gameplay is absorbing without causing undue frustration, and I took nearly two and a half hours to complete the level despite the assistance of Dutchy's walkthrough. That final room with the eponymous path to the exit trigger, riddled with skeletons seeking to bar your progress, is especially well done, and I hope to see more levels from this builder. High recommendations." - Phil (06-Mar-2013)
"In many ways this is superior to the author's previous level. The new release has a richer map with more decorations, and play should be a lot more engaging. In practice, some of the details disrupted play, and in Tomb Raider details really do matter. The first level dragged a bit because a raising block was hidden by tree foliage and difficult to spot, or an important pickup was invisible in the middle of a plant, or jump switches were in dark corners. Yes, these are common tricks, deliberate choices of the author, but here the point should have been the complexity of play and the possibility of interesting exploration. So hide-the-switch moments (and even for the grand finale there is a jump switch hidden in foliage) just created unwelcome delays, when a player is more interested in seeing what comes next. After the overly dark first level I found it a relief to go outside, if only briefly, and the second level seemed to go more quickly. The walkthrough points out lapses in design that can cause problems, and I found more glitches myself. There is a spike trap where Lara is supposed to climb up and flood a room, yet I found she could simply jump into corner spikes and open a doorway within a corridor. But despite criticism, the main thing is the well-built environments, and a few developed ideas for gameplay. There is fun here, and it will be interesting to see what comes next. Took about 2 hours to play." - dmdibl (13-Feb-2013)
"I think Ram has made a quantum leap compared to its previous level, Lost Seraph. This adventure is more convincing and well-built as a whole, although a more thorough test could have avoided some mistakes. The textures are for the most part applied well. Some environments interiors are often dark and the lights are off, but external environments, such as the beginning of the second level, they are pleasing to the eye. The animation of diving but still I don't like. I know that it is an Crystal-animation, but it's wrong, it's unnatural, no swimming underwater with arms attached to the sides. It affects the movement and direction, forcing the swimmer to act with her ​​hips. My last point, however, doesn't affect my score.I think Ram will reserve us nice surprises in the future." - Taras (08-Feb-2013)
"This level could have been much better with a little bit more serious testing. There were many wrong placed textures, lighting was just off in several places. In some places the given task could easily be avoided with a shortcut (or was that intentional). The jumps at the start for instance could be avoided by dragging a block to the ledge you were supposed to reach with an almost impossible jump. Later on you had to perform some tasks to drain a pit in order to get a Northern star with the crowbar, well that wasn't necessary, you could just pick it up from the bottom, even though it was placed on the wall, so no need to drain that pit. There was another spot near the end of the level where you could push a block under the wall torch above thus activating the heavy trigger and skipping a big part of the gameplay. But all in all a nice level to play" - Dutchy (20-Jan-2013)
"Very good looking, not actually eye candy but pretty good looking, despite a little occasional darkness and a few design flaws along the way. My main complaints are regarding hard to spot moveable blocks (the very first right at the start)and hard to spot jump switches, that is what some would call "sneaky" while winking an eye. It can make the succession of actions a tad tedious at times, as tedious as walking the path of fire in the end. When I look back though, I also see loads of very clever ideas that would have felt better hadn't it been for the all the "sneaky" bits. I don't regret having played it and neither will you. Just be warned about the "sneaky tendency" that may make you feel like you're wasting more time than you could at times..." - Jorge22 (20-Jan-2013)
"Another builder who is very good at hiding jump switches (and crawl spaces) in sneaky spots to the extent that a couple of times I found myself attempting impossible jumps because I'd missed the switch - talk about doing things the hard way! This Peru set adventure is a highly enjoyable raid with well balanced gameplay, including a slightly different take on the mirror room which I rather liked, good use of boulders and some interesting torch work. I'd judge the difficulty level at medium and definitely recommend it to players with some experience. Good fun." - Jay (20-Jan-2013)
"Honestly I think the builder's last level "Lost Seraph" was better than this release. In this two-parter you will be on the search for dozens of too well hidden levers, mostly jumpswitches covered in dark places or greenery, and there are so many beginner mistakes in here without being a debut level at all that it's hard to find faults in here. Just to name the few I remember - objects partially floating in the air, split-second camera bugs (e.g. after the boulder chase in the first level); one of the stars you have to find underwater has to be picked up from the floor even if it can be seen on the wall; enemies appearing out of thin air, strange triggers in the ultimate boulder room, like finding crossbow ammo opens a door or pushing a block on a non-marked tile opens another door; and so on. The gameplay apart from above mistakes is decent but somewhat tiresome with not much creativity and there are only very few nice riddles like getting chased by a boulder through many corridors, some pushable puzzles and shooting a ball to open a trapdoor. Texturing is mostly correct but lighting is partially excessively dark as in the initial cave areas or too bright and partially way too uniform, as in the huge outside area in the second level, but in the parts that aren't too dark nor too uniform it was reasonably fine. So resumingly an interesting two-parter but I think it should either have been tested or tested better. Spent 1:20 hours in here; 40 minutes in each level." - manarch2 (18-Jan-2013)