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Laras 2D Adventure by Alex Chap

Casual Raider 5 6 9 8
Ceamonks890 2 2 1 2
Cosmos 9 8 9 6
DJ Full 7 7 7 7
Jose 5 7 7 8
Larabiker301 8 6 9 6
Lara_Fox_Croft 5 7 8 5
manarch2 4 4 6 4
MegaGamer 10 7 8 8
MichaelP 8 8 8 6
Orbit Dream 9 8 8 8
Quentin 6 4 7 6
Ryan 5 7 8 8
Treeble 6 6 8 6
young Lara Croft 3 4 6 6
 
release date: 28-Feb-2014
# of downloads: 91

average rating: 6.43
review count: 15
 
review this level

file size: 169.00 MB
file type: TR4
class: nc
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
alex96-tr-ost@hotmail.fr

Reviewer's comments
"Unique, innovative and creative but also frustrating, difficult and tedious. It's certainly a great idea, importing TR into a 2D format, but unfortunately for me, it was too frustrating to be enjoyable. I enjoyed the variety of surroundings, textures and enemies and I thought that the retro-sounding music tracks (although a matter of taste) were fitting in this instance, also the quiz/trap sequences were well thought and enjoyable to solve (albeit only once you hit upon what the questions were actually supposed to be telling you). But for me it didn't quite work out, as a few of the sequences proved to be either buggy or far too difficult to get past without continuous reloading. I eventually reached an impasse at the very end spike sequence where I saved halfway through out of sheer habit, and the final gate never opened for me. I did play enough to write this review and state my thoughts on it, however." - Ryan (17-May-2019)
"In the readme, the author asks for a detailed review and gives an example of such which names the exact problems I had with this game, so I think we have here another builder who is secretly aware of his mistakes. I can only disagree with the enemy count part - I don't think there are too many, and possibly there should be even more. Because in general, an old platformer like this should be as crazy as it gets. Placing the camera at further distance would help, allowing to crowd the screen with much more interaction. Second, I think such project isn't about realism, so a faster climb animation is obligatory, if I was the author I would completely remove slowdown elements by making all the jumps possible without pulling up. So the trickier parts which need repetition can be repeated and practiced way faster. For the same reason, it could be neat to allow pushing objects by simple touching, or replacing slow lever pull animation with just two frames for "on" and "off". Last but not least, I would make cameras independent from timed event control because triggering events with imprecise flyby cameras sometimes allows too much time for certain passages, while surprisingly little for other ones. Not to mention you can accidentally save during these timed runs, while you shouldn't, and separation of control would solve that as well. SUMMARY: Very good idea, rather good execution, mostly enjoyable but with LOTS of things to fix. Straight into Part 2." - DJ Full (12-Jun-2016)
"Really a good effort and a very innovative vision of TR in 2D. Good architecture, good texturization, good musics and I think a lot of work with the fixed cameras. Unfortunately, many times the player can't see what Lara is doing or where she's going to 'cause she goes out of the screen. The worst was that some long timed spike runs must be done in one shot, 'cause if I save in the middle, the final door never opened, and I had to start the timed sequence from the very beginning. In the fourth level, when the ship turns around, I was not able to control Lara so she can advance underwater (another of that spiked timed runs); she could turn around but never swim forward so after a dozen of times trying to get the control with no success I have to abandone the adventure." - Jose (20-Aug-2014)
"Really an underrated effort... if you allow yourself to recognize how uniquely well this idea is pulled off, then you should give it the credit it deserves. I, for one, greatly enjoyed myself in playing through these 7 2D Levels, each about 15-20 minutes long and found 9 of the 12 secrets along the way. Yes, sometimes it feels a bit of the same all along, but I did think the variety of choices works quite well, as you get different type of enemies, different type of traps, different type of textures in each level. And I really enjoyed the challange of the "timed runs", where you had to perform a series of tasks during a moving camera flyby. Some of these are harder than others - and especially the upside down swim in the Lava Temple was even a bit annoying -, but in general I found them to be a nice little challenge to figure out and was always looking forward to the next one. And then it all ends in an almost poetic encounter, as you get to kill ninjas and slide jump over spikes to the classical sounds of the nutcracker suite. Really, really an inspired piece of TR history here. Try it out!" - MichaelP (25-May-2014)
"To date, this is the most original custom set that I've played, ever. But, even then, my scores are a little mixed; let me explain. While the gameplay was excellent with minor exceptions; Lara is constantly exploring different areas with things to do, I can't give it a score any higher than what it is because, after about level three, any new concepts introduced in the previous levels got old quick and soon made me feel apathetic towards any gameplay that I eventually took a break from the level set all together. Still, after all this, the level had merits, I fancied the new camera pan adventure that triggered at some points where Lara had to run to dodge spikes and other nasties. There weren't many objects used except for spikes and various baddies but they were used well enough that gameplay made up for it (I'll just add that the gameplay made up for most). The secrets were fun to stumble upon (at least that's how I found them) and were well hidden, in fact, so well hidden, that I wasn't able to grab them all. I'll also add that the atmosphere also helped make up for the textures and objects since the various places were already believable enough. Just think what it would've been like if you added more static and animating objects. If I haven't already, I'll say camera placement was as well as ever seeing as I never had any frustrations with the new 2D look other than not being able to look where I was going (fell into a couple of pits while running blindly). One frustration I'll also add (which you probably have heard before is when you had to compete certain sections without saving. But, I got used to it and got over it as the idea was already a beta anyway. Overall, I was left with a feeling of accomplishment over this challenging, but enjoyable level set. There are some things to be fixed and I'll add that your strong points seem to be atmosphere and gameplay but your texture and object usage is a little lacking. I still can't wait to play this author's future levels. Recommended but is a little challenging." - Larabiker301 (26-Apr-2014)
"This is one of those level-sets where the enjoyment potential ultimately comes down to personal taste on the part of each and every player.Some will adore it,while others will find it all just too much.Perhaps if there were not so many 'moving camera' gauntlets where the player has to get through entirely in one go without dying or saving,this eight level adventure would have been more favourably received.I admit that I found myself swearing at the computer numerous times as I struggled to navigate the 2dimensional Lara against the clock (sometimes upside down!);but this was totally counterbalanced for me by the sheer delight and inventiveness of the remainder of the gameplay.It's undeniably a challenge,but in a hugely fun style;often laugh-out-loud funny;clever;inventive;and quirky for every step of the way.Textures are placed economically,with lighting to match - but this category is almost irrelevant under the unique circumstances with which this adventure is presented.The concept,it must be stated,is not an original one in the custom level world;but it's never been achieved as successfully as this before.The use of music is neat and well judged (The Nutcracker Suite as accompaniment to the final level makes it somehow feel funnier than it actually is);and much thought has been put into every aspect. Undoubtedly the best release to date from this inventive and off-the-wall builder,and I am highly intrigued as to what he'll come up with next." - Orbit Dream (26-Apr-2014)
"G&P: The 2D idea is nice, but I think the author had a lot of difficults in making the level. Puzzles were a bit hard to understand, sometimes a spectial tile could help to make the player understand the way to folow. The scenes with flyby cameras were nice...But hard, and the failure when you save the game is a big problem... I think a the cameras should follow Lara, and no the level... But activate doors and spikes/lava should be harder... But with NGLE it could be easy with a bit of script. Enemies O & S: Enemies was not usefull because they tried to go in wall for a big part of levels. I think I would appreciated a boss battle for the end of each level. Object were not so bad but the game looks empty. Secrets were hard to find. Atmosphere, S & C: I really enjoyed the atmosphere and loved the music, cameras could be better, the choice of level with "tables" was not nice, sometimes you jump somewhere and you die without a chance to know where you go... Lighting&T: A bit too dark in some places, a longer timer for the flares could have been a good thing. Texture were not really good but no catastrophic at all. Hard level for fan of action." - Lara_Fox_Croft (11-Apr-2014)
"This was a HUGE improvement the the author's previous levels. Of course Lara is in a 2D world. I gave gameplay a 10 because it gave me a feeling that I was playing a tomb raider game for the gameplay. Also becuase of the appropriate difficulty for each level. I enjoyed some of those little quizzes in the Creative World.I felt like the author used a bit too much enemies in this level, so I had to take down a couple points for that. The atmosphere and textures were great. It could have been outstanding, but it was great. If you bored and have nothing to do, I would recommend this small custom. It does make time move fast :)" - MegaGamer (23-Mar-2014)
"2D level is difficult for beginners. I've found interressant concept but the game is repetitive, because of the flybys with the spikes. My favorite level remains the colorful level, where you have to answer at questions. I will also tell you, in the last level there is a 13th secret, it is intriguing and hard to access, and the music is a little creepy. Ennemies are varied, but I don't understand why the "boss" can't attack Lara sometimes. For conclude I would say the levelset is not for every players. (secrets found : 6/12, not the 13th)." - Quentin (07-Mar-2014)
"Right after submitting my batch of reviews for the BtB-Venice levels, I thought I'd check the review wishlist page and I found this there. I don't usually get to play levels as recent as this but the concept appealed to the retrogamer in me. I'm not sure if I've played any of the other levels that tried to emulate a sidescroller approach (the only thing I remember is a few segments in the Movie Theater of Lara at the Movies), but after finishing this I can say the concept actually works. There are seven short levels here covering a wide variety of environments, but gameplay is always very simple as it's somewhat limited by the perspective. Also limited are the enemies behaviour, as more often than not I found them running "into" the screen and thus posing no real threat to Lara. What doesn't work, in my opinion, are the bits you're required to keep up with the camera. You're instantly killed if you fall behind. That's not so bad as keeping up isn't bad, but there are a few tricky jump sequences in which you don't get to see what's coming up next and you've got to start from scratch again, otherwise the flycam won't be enabled and thus won't activate the triggers to open the exit. Other than these sequences (I think there's maybe one per level, they're not many but one in particular might have you screaming at the screen), the levelset shouldn't be any taxing to anyone versed in the TR world. Ah, yes, I couldn't help but notice Lara's missing the crawling roll animation in most of the levels and I hadn't seen the waferthin shotgun in so long! I know a number of players aren't fond of fixed cameras, but all in all I found these to be rather enjoyable and a good distraction after a Venice OD. 90 minutes, 7 secrets. 03/14" - Treeble (06-Mar-2014)
"This builder mostly comes up with some really nice ideas in his levels that somehow fall short in execution. That said, this is certainly his best level, notches above the rest, and it's actually pretty close to an entertaining level, only let down by a few odd choices. While the general concept of a 2D Tomb Raider game is not entirely new, the builder has set his idea nicely into scene and apart from a few parts where the third person camera view breaks (while using floor levers and after saving on certain locations), it works surprisingly well and the audio files support the game greatly. The only (and rather major) gripe concerning the cameras were that in the timed runs where Lara has to evade spikes (of which you can find 1-2 in each level), the camera doesn't follow Lara but Lara has to follow the camera (you'll see what I mean while playing), which makes things extremely annoying, not even speaking about the bug that you can't go on after reloading, so you have to restart all over again when you fail, which is quite frustrating. I imagine that with a camera that follows Lara and the spike traps being independent from the camera, both problems would be solved, but I'm not sure if this works. Apart from this, I found some parts of this levelset to be dragging on way too slowly, especially in the first half, in general the levels could have been cut shorter. In the penultimate level, there is a very fine puzzle with flipmaps which is really fun to solve, but the last level was rather a let-down with way, way too many enemies and fairly uninspired gameplay, plus some missing sounds and animations. Anyway, all levels are solidly textured, but the looks are rather drab and uninspired, and there are too many mirrored textures for my likings, sometimes the texturing was just nonsense. The secrets are fun to get, although I doubt anyone will find the last secret without external help, as it's totally invisible and there's no clue provided. All in all I spent 1:35 hours in this level which is a clear step in the right direction from the builder, but, apart of the bugs which he should avoid, it would be better if the gameplay would be more focused on the entertaining parts. Since it's one of not more than a handful 2D levels out there, it's definately worth a look." - manarch2 (05-Mar-2014)
"I start this review by saying that I did not finish the game. Before anyone judges me I would like to say that I've reached the Lava Temple and played till I got to the timed camera sequence with the rising lava. In the end I did learn something from this so hear me out! The game started really good, with the right atmosphere that resembled the 2D games played on the console or PC, so that was a plus, especially that this deals with Tomb Raider. Controlling Lara was pretty easy and enjoyable, got through the first levels, reached the underwater section and stumbled on the camera run where Lara had to swim in order to avoid the traps, that made game challenging, I had to repeat it a few times to get it right, especially with the shifting direction and having to invert Lara's moves, it felt odd for me! It was a breakthrough when I got to the end of it and it was tolerable. What broke my patience was the Lava Temple level! I wasn't alone in the room when I played it, but when I started swearing and beating up the keyboard because of the frustrating run I had to perform -not to mention the defecting save game issue(which killed the trap triggers from a re-load), I wasn't acting any good and when people notice that (mind you- coming from a TR game) it's definitely NOT a good sign! I can take timed runs that are programmed correctly if I want to progress in a custom level but this made it impossible for me! Sorry, but I thought that TRLE levels were supposed to be fun and all. Hopefully this will be taken as constructive criticism." - young Lara Croft (03-Mar-2014)
"OK, coming from someone who's been playing Tomb Raider since 2005, I'll admit that this concept does have potential and I would very much like to see it expanded upon more in future level releases, but this attempt at a 2D Tomb Raider is just so incredibly bland to actually play, that I quickly began to grow bored towards the third level and started thinking of playing something else. And when it's not being boring, it's unbelievably tedious and frustrating. But after seeing a positive response for the first review of this game, I decided to persevere and see if the game got any better. Short and to the point, it does. But not by much. Now, there are some redeeming qualities to this release with the gameplay feeling like a cross between the Prince of Persia games from the late 80's/early 90s and the Metroid series in my opinion, with a traditional Tomb Raider aesthetic slapped onto it. And admittedly, it does start off feeling very fun(with even an in-game quiz to test your brain in one of the levels). But once you've grown accustomed to how things work in this '2D' world, it starts to feel incredibly repetitive and tedious as you progress, including sections with spike/boulder traps or enemies that can't be killed by the player involving an irritatingly slow camera, which just feels plain cheap and unfair in difficulty(leading to many frustrating deaths and swearing at the computer, before EVENTUALLY managing to succeed). The worst part about these moments however, is that if you save at any point during these sections, they stop triggering and leads to a game-breaking bug where you can't continue at all and have to load a previous save before the section or start the game all over again! The fact the builder acknowledges this problem in the provided readme and yet still released this levelset with sections as frustratingly difficult as this for players, should feel ashamed of himself! On top of that, there are literally so many problems I listed while playing, that I'm amazed that the builder released this levelset in such a state. Wallpapered texturing, some confusing puzzles, bland level designs, missing sounds in one level, crawlspace roll isn't animated correctly in some levels, lack of atmosphere or a proper story... the list I have just goes on and on. Overall, a small improvement from the builder's previous releases. But I still wouldn't recommend that anyone play through this tedious mess, unless you enjoy constantly swearing and pulling your hair out at unfairly difficult gameplay sections. I can definitely say with certainty after posting this review, that this will be one levelset I am never touching again! Hopefully the builder's next release will be a LOT more fair in terms of difficulty and be actually worth the player's time, instead of making the experience feel like a chore." - Ceamonks890 (02-Mar-2014)
"This custom is indeed strange as it's so different than all levels I've played. I enjoyed playing it to time when difficulty became a little too hard for me and I decided to make a break from this levelset. Difficulty is as author mentions in ReadMe note is not for beginners so potential players should take a note that this custom wasn't meant to be easy but challenging. For me it was a bit too much challenging but still it is really quite interesting experience to play Tomb Raider level with nostalgy of Prince of Persia climatic 2D gameplay as it totally reminded me of that game here. Textures are a little dull for purpose I quess but could be a bit more worked on. Lighting at times is too dark but there's a lots of flares for pickup so it's not much of problem. Cameras were rather fancy and I liked that feeling they gave, though at time events they were a bit annoying being out of pace at times. I haven't played through whole levelsets so not sure how 3 last levels look like but I think trying this custom out is nice experience and may satisfy some players both in needing for 2D and challenge, not recommending for all, especially those with lack of patience or beginners :>" - Casual Raider (02-Mar-2014)
"Obviously this level had quite ambitious plans from the beginning. As the title clearly states, we get to play a version representative of the classic handheld TR, and I must say that Alex Chap did an excellent job of creating this. The game spans over a fair few levels representing different elements, so each level felt self contained. The cameras and controls actually worked and I rarely ever got frustrated. There was a few glitches here and there, but to be honest, it was to be expected when you trying to change the core mechanics of the LE. The gameplay was by far the strongest point of the game, however I thought the textures and lighting could have been a lot more defined. However, I am somewhat overlooking this, as aware this level is less to do about its visuals and more to do with the concept of side scrolling. The soundtrack felt completely unique and really sets the tone of the game." - Cosmos (01-Mar-2014)