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The Chalice by Marcos

AaronD 10 10 10 10
Casual Raider 10 10 10 10
DJ Full 9 10 10 8
eTux 8 9 9 7
Gerty 8 9 9 9
Jay 9 10 10 9
JesseG 6 10 9 8
Jorge22 10 10 10 9
Jose 9 10 10 9
manarch2 8 10 9 9
MichaelP 9 10 10 8
Minox 8 9 9 7
Phil 9 8 9 8
requiemsoul 9 10 9 9
Ryan 9 9 10 9
 
release date: 29-Oct-2013
# of downloads: 103

average rating: 9.12
review count: 15
 
review this level

file size: 56.20 MB
file type: TR4
class: Mystery/Horror
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
marcosmensa@hotmail.com

Reviewer's comments
"In this short adventure Kurtis explores a town corrupted by some witches in search for a chalice. The strongest aspect is definitely the worldbuilding, thanks to the elaborate cutscenes and immersive atmosphere. Lighting is a bit flat overall, although some colors are nicely placed in certain areas. I have a few gameplay criticisms to get out of the way, the first one being that the explorer's diary should have been a mandatory pickup. Having missed it, I feel victim to a bunch of "gotcha" moments that only a look at the walkthrough could solve. There is a strange issue which I guess might be related to the "command 3" anim bug, where Kurtis will refuse to pull any levers until you do something such as grab a ledge to convince him that his hands are free to use. This would be easier for the player to deal with if Kurtis had a weapon for the whole adventure. The devilish eye is too unforgiving, it kills Kurtis even if he is turned 89 degrees away from it. A 45 degree threshold would make more sense. Lastly there is too much backtracking toward the end. On the plus side Kurtis will find a creative way to deal with some bugs, dodge some flames and broomsticks, fight some snakes, and solve some simple pushable puzzles. Recommended for the experience, and the ending was a nice touch. 42 minutes." - JesseG (06-Feb-2021)
"If anyone is looking for a really good spooky / Kurtis level , this is a great one ! Dark and creepy atmosphere , and at times makes you feel like you're in an 80's horror movie which I loved , especially with the music towards the end . A very professional and original level , perfect for Halloween , or anyone who likes spooky levels ! Hope to see more stuff like this from Marcos ." - AaronD (28-Feb-2017)
"Marcos delights us yet again, with this wonderful treat. Playing as Kurtis again, we explore the castle and surrounding grounds in search of the Chalice, so we can escape via jumping through a mirror. Again, there are some impressive scenes and unique touches, like the witches, the sheep and the live broomsticks. Nicely done, Marcos!" - Ryan (16-Sep-2016)
"Even with controversial approach to certain interaction like hintless swandiving over fences or demanding to solve totally outbox riddles with vast area accessible, this is a truly genious level and I can't find enough limbs to applaud the immersion achieved here via stunning work in objects, animation and cutscenes. And that ending, oh my... This must be one of the most, if not THE most underrated builder, likely because of crude looks he applies, but so far all his work I played, including this one, was simply mindblowing." - DJ Full (22-Jan-2016)
"You can always count on a number of unique innovations in a Marcos level, and this one is no exception. Here we have a Big Red Eye that kills instantly if the protagonist (Kurtis and not Lara) turns even slightly in its direction. We have two innocent-looking bundles of sticks that turn into a formidable army of snakes as Kurtis nears the end of his quest. And in between we have attacking brooms that reminded me a bit of the Sorcerer's Apprentice segment in Disney's Fantasia. It's all wickedly macabre, as one would expect. Taken in small doses, few and far between, levels like this one are a delight to play, but I would soon grow tired of them if they became a steady diet. It's hardly intuitive, with several swan dives needed to scale iron fences, so I was glad to have manarch2's walkthrough close at hand. Even with its help I clocked in at just under an hour. The surroundings are dark, as befits the setting, but not so dark that you can't see what you're doing in most places. Recommended for a ghoulish change of pace." - Phil (15-Nov-2013)
"In the style of this author, I was less enthusiastic about this level. The game is buggy 2 or 3 times. The atmosphere is quite dark, but it fits well with the level. Good level." - Minox (10-Nov-2013)
"Third level of this author I tried and it is amazing as previous ones. I love crazy and unique ideas in his levels. In this rather short one I liked short cutscenes at the beginning with nonplayable room created only for cutscene. I liked gameplay with those fancy traps, brooms and witches. Good, creative level, recommended!" - Casual Raider (09-Nov-2013)
"Nice one Marcos, although at times I was so lost in what to do and what to find, as well as where to use it, but in a way in hindsight it made sense. The diving over gates is a bit farfetched in my opinion though., that threw me off big time. I also encountered a strange glitch with two levers, using them didn't open the door, the door opened while the levers went back into the original position. Also the binoculars were acting a bit weird, you couldn't look up or down. But it is a great Halloween level, no doubt about it." - Gerty (08-Nov-2013)
"A perfect Halloween level, creative and unique, with Kurtis as the main character. Quite puzzling at times but the fact is there's always a solution to every situation. The settings and the atmosphere are great and there are quite a few unforgettable moments such as being chased by broomsticks, all of the witches' appearances, the fight against the suddenly come to life snakes, having to walk nackwards so as not to look at "the eye" and so much more (I also did all the things the books told me not to just to see the result, something nice about it being a game instead of real life). I only didn't quite understand the ending and I wish someone would explain. All in all, one of the best with the usual creepy Marcos trademark." - Jorge22 (03-Nov-2013)
"In the line of this author, another extraordinary level full of fresh ideas and surprises. The beginning is confused, with several tricky jumps and the map I picked up from the dead man only brought more confusion 'cause the room that refers is still far. Later the gameplay is more fluid, and I've enjoyed a lot all that incredible animations and effects. Good work! Highly recommended." - Jose (02-Nov-2013)
"There isn't anything quite like a Marcos's level in the custom level world in terms of mood and gameplay, so even when I find myself not loving a level of his in all its intricacies, I still would not pass up the chance to play it. "The Chalice" ends up being a case in point. The looks, though familiar in setting, and typical Marcos - are on the drab side, and could really have a more consistent use of sun-bulbs; the puzzles - though undoubtedly crafted with the best intentions - employ a sort of 'adventure game logic', and thus end up bordering on the obscure even with the abundance of hints thrown your way on how to tackle them. Figuring out why the undeniably creative tasks only work a certain way (the carnivorous bug puzzle comes to mind, as do some puzzle item placements) is exasperating - but I'd say ultimately worth it if you will play this with a walkthrough in hand's reach or a reasonably high tolerance for frustration. At its best, this really is a great experience. The custom animations are a delight, the various great touches with the deadly red eye cloud worshipers, the shenanigans with witches, the religious symbolism are part of what makes it special - but I probably enjoyed the storytelling via the cutscenes the most. Particularly the humorous touches of the last one also remind us not to take the level too seriously even at its darkest moments - and I'm already intrigued if the cliffhanger ending means this won't be the last of Kurtis's adventures? I suppose we'll just have to wait and see..." - eTux (02-Nov-2013)
""It's a Marcos level." This sentence describes much of the level, as you'll just be treated with what you'd expect here - fantastic objects and scenes, a cinematic story and imaginative puzzles. I may sound a bit tired and repetitive in this enumeration, and this has some reasons. While each area has at least one "wow"-moment (like the witch playing with a horse, the room where you must not face a certain object, the broomstick or the cell, I must say that this level did not quite impress me as much as the builder's other levels. The amount of gameplay is a bit low for me and the puzzles felt a bit too easy, the interaction with objects is not always as creative as Marcos is capable of. The room design is a bit blocky and boring, lighting is generally good but often a bit weird. In total, this sounds a bit negative, and indeed I'm slightly disappointed, but this is only because I think the builder can do much better, and not that I think this is a bad level at all - I don't really have to mention that his building skills are way, way above average, as my scores are indicating, and the fantastic final cutscene makes up for most of my gripes and raises the score a bit again. Overall, this is a very good level that just felt a little bit short for me, in two meanings - not only because of the matters I've already explained, but also because it only lasted about 30 minutes net gameplay time for me." - manarch2 (02-Nov-2013)
"There's some Olympic grade cackling from the witches in this level - yes, it's another wonderfully quirky and definitely different Kurtis adventure from Marcos. As usual, it's full of inventive actions, such as luring those awful flesh eating beetles into a trap and sneaking past some fire demons. Don't neglect to read the helpful advice left in diaries or you may find yourself wondering what to do and don't ever assume that jumping over fences might be impossible. I had a Wallace and Gromit 'Close Shave' moment with all the sheep at the end of the level too. It's not a long level at just over one hour, but it's packed full of delight and wonderment and I absolutely loved it." - Jay (01-Nov-2013)
"Marcos presents us with his personal tricks AND treats for Helloween and even though I have not always been the greatest fan of his original ideas, I have to admit that this one was really fun to play - or maybe I should rather say: fun to experience. It starts with yet another highly original, cinematic scene to set the stage and then sends Kurtis back into common Marcos grounds (as the map is familiar to us from a previous Marcos Level), but with plenty of new things to do. There are simply too many Special things going on in this one hour adventure to mention, from the unique ways of seeing poor Kurtis die to the not always obvious puzzles, supported by some cryptic hints that you can pick up from diaries and notes and strange and spooky enemy encounters. Less seasoned Players may struggle here and there with unusual jumps (not necessarily very tricky or difficult though). At the end it all culminates into yet another cool and funny scene that will most certainly put a smile on your face. Play this one right away, as it fits the season and is simply a must see adventure!" - MichaelP (31-Oct-2013)
"Animations,Objects, puzzles/challenges, music are unique and superb. An atmosphere that mixes the dark, with humor. A bit short, Bien hecho, Marcos!." - requiemsoul (30-Oct-2013)