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The Scion by Raider99

Ceamonks890 7 8 9 8
Christian 9 7 8 7
DJ Full 8 9 9 8
Dutchy 8 8 7 6
Gerty 7 8 7 6
Jay 8 8 9 8
Jose 7 8 8 8
manarch2 7 8 9 8
McRaider 9 9 10 10
MichaelP 8 9 9 8
Minox 9 8 8 7
Mman 8 10 10 10
Orbit Dream 8 9 9 9
Phil 10 9 9 8
Ryan 8 9 9 8
Tolle87 9 9 10 9
 
release date: 14-Feb-2014
# of downloads: 102

average rating: 8.34
review count: 16
 
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file size: 54.30 MB
file type: TR4
class: South America
 


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Reviewer's comments
"Impressive work especially knowing R99 was 15 back then and already made better stuff than some builders in their thirties. A bit too dark and sometimes utilizing structures which are too blocky for the cramped style. But the structure is arranged so you need little memory to recall the keyholes and yes you always see them before you find the key. Combat is done with a realistic twist: instead of fighting humans first, raptors second and T-Rex in the end, we dispose of the T-Rex which encourages little dinos to enter, and when those are dead the humans are brave enough to step in - makes more sense than normally designed. Too many pushblocks, including that dreadful feeling when you realize a block you've used before has another purpose - and it happens twice in this game. I wonder where the builder is, he had an impressive learning curve and it's time for a masterpiece from him." - DJ Full (30-Jun-2019)
"A rather enjoyable South American adventure and you do need to keep your wits about you regularly, as this throws challenge after challenge at you, sometimes cerebral, other times physical. Rather tight timed runs, block puzzles, a scale puzzle, tight underwater challenges and intense combat against dinosaurs of every size. My main gripes were with the excessive darkness that filled this level with a rather intense gloom (I know more flares and the binoculars are provided in this version, but it's still annoying), a rather tricky pole swing sequence that took me a while to do and the underwater maze (although easy once you know how). Those niggles aside, I liked the way it was built and would definitely recommend it." - Ryan (11-Aug-2017)
"Old version: If it weren't for Dutchy and his idea to write a walkthrough I would have binned this level almost at the start. This is a dark level and cranking up my monitor didn't help one iota. And to make matters worse the binoculars weren't in this level. I still don't understand why some builders take that thing out of the game. For (I hope) future levels by this author, even if the game looks quite good on your monitor, you better put in flares. Players rather have flares they don't use that non at all. I have to say that even in hindsight this level had rather nice gameplay but nothing special. I didn't enjoy it at the time because of the bloody darkness. Couldn't get a good look at the textures at all, because of that darkness so I can't tell if they were applied well or not. Found some nasty illegal slopes, the kind you cannot get out off. Enemies were placed rather well even when the natives got stuck in a wall and/or ran around and posed no thread to Lara. To be honest I wonder whether this has been tested thorough and if so, did the builder listened to his testers as I have question about no fire to ignite the second torch, the buggy wooden floor and also a very buggy push block one needed to use a lever. I schlepped the Torch with me as far as I could and you all know why: the darkness. Not going to replay the new version very soon though." - Gerty (18-Feb-2015)
"Excellent level. This is the kind of levels I like: half lineal gameplay, not very tight timed runs, entertaining and no much difficult tasks, good architecture, nice texturization, satisfying environments, useful cameras... On the other hand: the extreme darkness ruined the gameplay; I had to play always whith a flare in hand and using the binoculars in all rooms. The flares were not enough for me, also the ammo for the uzis was poor; I missed some more guns, even when the enemies were well balanced. Highly recommended if you have a very bright monitor." - Jose (19-Aug-2014)
"I was prepared to dislike this level after it began in such dark and drab surroundings. I rarely enjoy levels where I have to grope my way along, and in this case I gave myself unlimited flares very early on. However, the last third of the level, after you find and use the Golden Artifact provided some of the best gameplay I've encountered in quite a while. This enabled me to end on a high note and undoubtedly boosted my final scores. The D&G team has provided its usual workmanlike walkthrough which helped me through the darkest moments, and also warned me about the "burning floor" near the end. To the builder's credit, he has responded to the justified criticism of this deception by removing a nearby torch (why else would the torch have been there to begin with if the deception were not intended?) and by making it difficult if not impossible to bring the earlier lighted torch to this area. The timed swims were invigorating but fair, and the raptors along the way were textured with remarkable detail. A well-designed adventure that gave me a little over an hour and a half of playing pleasure. High recommendations." - Phil (15-Mar-2014)
"I am usually not one to complain too much about darkness in levels, but in this one I was really wishing for a bit more brightness here and there. Still, there are enough flares provided, so no real troubles in getting through. That gripe aside, this is a great level of about 75 minutes, reminiscent of classic TR, with a few sneaky jumps to manage and a nice mix of relatively straightfoward puzzles including elements and scale puzzles, use of the torch, timed runs and a push block puzzle. I am not a great fan of having to pull underwater levers in time before drowning, but managed even that one on my second attempt. Bottomline, a well architected and entertaining level - definitely worth a look." - MichaelP (15-Mar-2014)
"Very good remake of classic Peru levels.I really liked the architecture and how it changes depending on location.However, constant darkness was unnecessary.In my opinion, it would be better if builder had made level brighter in the update instead of adding lots of flares lying around.Overall, great level design which unfortunately was mainly hidden by darkness. Gameplay is good, puzzles are realatively easy, enemies are not hard to kill, you usually have some safe place to shoot them from.Timed runs are good and fun and, unlike many players, I like when they are tight as long as failure doesn't result in death.On the other hand, that's why I think that pool trap in the village was a little too tight.It's almost impossible to pass it on your first try if you don't know exactly what to do.If you die because you are slow, that's fine, but if you die just because you're not clairvoyant, that's not fine.The fact that you can save/load everywhere doesn't justify that.Except for that, there are no real gameplay flaws, except some little things that I personally found strange and little unlogical. For exmaple,I think it's somewhat odd to use something valuable such as Gold Idol just to open one dirty gate which contains just 1x1x1 room with a lever, and on the other hand to find something casual like machine cog in a big separated chamber on a pedestal, enlightened from the sky.I can't really call that a flaw, but it somehow looks a little too random. All in all, fun and enjoyable experience, definitely recommended level." - Tolle87 (02-Mar-2014)
"If you want to create a dark Level, first of all disable the binocs in the inventory and consequently don't provide flares. The author followed this Guideline and created a cohherent and convincing cave-atmosphere in nearly 2/3 of the Level. I have to admit the rare lightning effects are cleverly placed so the player can find everything in the end but it takes quite a lot of concentraion and sometimes stumbling in dark corners to find a way through that game. Gamepklay Shows a lot of creative moments, the timed sequences were a bit demanding, especially when burners had to be passed by. The last part in bright Peruvian ambience was quite a refreshment for Lara's tired, sorely afflicted eyes. All in all I had a lot of fun with that game." - Christian (22-Feb-2014)
"This is another semi-reimagining, this time of Tomb Raider 1's Peru levels, except all put together into one level and rearranged a bit (the Vilcabamba parts in particular are spread out through the level). The visuals are highly detailed and atmospheric, and I liked some stuff I haven't seen before like the super detailed Raptors. Having a T-Rex that actually functions properly rather than dying in one hit is nice too. Anyone with a darker screen will have brightness problems, but a patch is on the way to fix that with more flares so it shouldn't be a problem soon (I would have probably waited if I knew an improved version was coming). There's a decent variety of tasks throughout, and the melding of levels means it shifts in design quite a bit. It's easy enough to be playable by anyone. I did feel one or two areas could have had more in them (the village area in particular felt a bit empty), and there's nothing especially new here, but it works. Having to backtrack to fill the waterskin twice felt a bit unnecessary, and I entered the T- Rex area from the wrong end which resulted in it not spawning until I moved to the right place. An enjoyable level for a familiar Peru theme with much more developed visuals." - Mman (21-Feb-2014)
"While the basic level description may make this release sound like just your usual run-of-the-mill TR1 re-imagining at first glance, downloading the levelset instead shows a rather interesting take on what have now become known as iconic levels in the Tomb Raider franchise, with an entirely new level design that merges all the Peru levels into one, including a few new gameplay and graphical gimmicks(such as a nice little touch in the form of the medipack disappearing from Lara's backpack, upon using up all the smaller healing items) and having Lara rocking her design from the recent 2013 reboot in a entirely new outfit, instead of the design that we're all familiar with by now. Nevertheless, what's on offer here is presented well with no real serious game-breaking bugs to be found throughout my multiple playthroughs of this release. All the objects fit the environment excellently and enemies are a mix of old and new, including the familiar velociraptors, wolves and the iconic T-Rex from the original levels as well as a few new opponents to fight, in the form of compsognathus and tribesmen from TR3 who fit perfectly into the surrounding areas. Lighting and texturing is usually well-done, although there are a few points where the lighting can be a bit too dark to see in some rooms, making it a pain to traverse. But most of the time, the isolated atmosphere is usually retained throughout the 54 minutes to one hour playthrough it will take to complete this levelset. However, I found the puzzles to be a bit too easy to figure out and the several timeruns required to access a lever in order to progress, led to frustration numerous times before I managed to succeed(but I'd put the blame more on how I play, rather than how the timerun has been designed.) In conclusion, a well-designed level that serves as a welcome tribute to the Peru levels of TR1, while at the same time, taking the groundwork laid down by the original and taking it in a slightly new direction. If you've ever been interested in seeing how familiar levels can be re-imagined correctly by the fanbase, this is one of those releases that is worth at least a look." - Ceamonks890 (17-Feb-2014)
"I just have one question. Why that level is it so dark? Lara seems dull along the level. I have not found flares in the level and so I had to do with the 3 to the start. I started 2 times the level because they are used immediately, and after impossible for me to continue in the dark. So I saved my flares. Why no binoculars in the level? They would have been very useful here. This is extremely unfortunate because this level is very enjoyable to play, with beautiful puzzles and some timeruns quite difficult. I found back the Trex with pleasure, not very difficult to kill happily. Good gameplay." - Minox (17-Feb-2014)
"The lovely Back to Basics Peru set is being put to good use here. The gameplay has a satisfying mix of elements with some good puzzles, agility tests and timed elements, all of which should be well within the capabilities of players with reasonable experience - not one for beginners. Even the underwater maze (aaargh) turned out to be not quite as horrendous as I first thought, although admittedly I did need a go or two to achieve it. Enemies are effectively used and not overdone. It took a net gaming time for me of 1 hour 50 minutes and I only found one of the three secrets. My one gripe would have to be the lack of flares, given that the lighting is quite gloomy overall and binoculars are not provided. Good fun though and definitely recommended." - Jay (17-Feb-2014)
"A very nice Peru level. I loved the way it was built but there are some things I really didn't like and that was the dark without Flares (you get one pack of Flares after you don't need them anymore because there's more light in that part). And the lack of the Binoculars which could have been used instead of the Flares. I think these two points downgraded my pleasure playing this level with at least 2 points. Didn't the testers have these problems? Texturing was done very nicely and I thought the gameplay to be fluent, there were not many moments where I didn't know what to do except for when I couldn't find it because of the dark and the fog. At the end you go through a teleporter and find another Torch, only problem is... there's nothing to ignite it with. Luckily only for a Secret. There's a wooden floor you can burn with the Torch, but you cannot go down when it is broken. Very confusing! With better lighting this could have been a masterpiece." - Dutchy (17-Feb-2014)
"First of all, mainly because it is a minor thing: I think the builder could've been more imaginative in creating the title & storyline, which felt rather cheap and uninspired. But I guess that is a general problem of this level. While I really can't say anything bad about the atmospherical devices in this level - the builder just knows how to make good settings and how to deal with flybies, audio work, effects etc. ..., even if what now follows maybe doesn't point that out well enough -, I have the feeling that this level doesn't offer anything special at the same time. It's a real pity that with the great new possibilities the next generation editors offer, the levels use it mainly for the visual advantages (which are, as said before, very strong in here as well), while the gameplay elements often aren't used to their potential and/or get neglected. This shouldn't mean this level is bad in any regard (it's actually a decent effort) as the game contains a series of more or less challenging platforming parts, some smaller block puzzles and a good dose of fun and diverse fights, timed runs and exploration - but despite all that I found it to be rather barren as such, not being set up cleverly and mind-challenging enough to keep me entertained for the 55 minutes it lasts. The next step is mainly in plain sight (except for some climbing sessions) and the puzzles are somewhat predicatable and are used many times in other levels before. Another point I have to stress out is the darkness. I mentioned it many times before - some dark areas are (if done professionally) a great atmosphere-creating element and can be an additional challenge in the gameplay, but when - more or less - the whole level has a too high average darkness level, and many areas are even darker than this average, and binoculars are missing as well as flares are rather sparse - I found two packages in this level, one in a hideout which could have easily been classified as a secret, the other one in more plain sight, so it's easy that at a certain point where light is utterly needed, you have to rely on your pistols and a good dose of luck to progress - certain limits are exceeded. I still decided to give the last category a relatively high mark, because I think that otherwise, this category would have been pretty much perfect - the textures are near-flawlessly placed and the lighting is realistic at least (and it's not that bad in each and every area). Another small point is that despite of the generally very strong architecture, I occasionally had the feeling that some structures looked a bit to artificial for a natural cave like setting, but not overly so. I guess I've said enough about the level's downsides, so at the end I want to confirm that this offering shows another step up in the builder's building career, I just wish that he uses his talent also for gameplay values in his next release. Missed one of the three secrets." - manarch2 (15-Feb-2014)
"This was a most impressive Incan adventure.Evoking a TR1 atmosphere,this slick and immersive level features one interesting (often thought provoking) challenge after another,while rarely becoming particularly difficult to follow.The puzzles are interesting and creative;the enemies appear at just the right moments;the texturing is superb,while the atmosphere is often completely gripping.What somewhat let things down were the absence of Binoculars (the cave and tunnel systems were generally murky,and I missed the ability to have a good look around);a rather nasty underwater maze/lever challenge;and an extremely tight timed shimmy challenge,which was made all the more annoying by a sadistically placed jet of flame. Nonetheless,the sheer variety of things to do - combined with an occasional demanding physical challenge - kept me completely gripped for the better part of two hours. This builder simply gets better and better with each level;and,for the more experienced players out there,this is certainly one not to be missed!" - Orbit Dream (15-Feb-2014)
"When I played Ankh Curse 20x20x20 challenge I realized that Raider99 just needed more time to come up with a good level ... in this release has shown that his next job will be even better .. a good choice of textures with an atmosphere breathable, good gameplay making it entertaining,thank Raider99 .. great work!" - McRaider (14-Feb-2014)