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The Golden Glove by SrDanielPonces Xopax

Ceamonks890 6 7 8 7
Cosmos 6 7 7 5
DJ Full 7 7 8 5
Gerty 5 7 7 6
Jay 6 6 7 7
Jose 6 6 6 6
manarch2 4 6 5 4
Mehrbod 6 7 9 7
MichaelP 6 7 8 7
Natanyaho 6 8 7 7
Phil 7 8 8 8
Ryan 6 6 7 6
SeniorBlitz 6 6 7 7
Sethian 4 5 4 4
Tolle87 7 6 7 4
Torry 4 7 7 8
 
release date: 06-May-2014
# of downloads: 112

average rating: 6.38
review count: 16
 
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file size: 58.60 MB
file type: TR4
class: nc
 


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Reviewer's comments
"For a debut level-set, this is quite decent. It does a good job at re-creating TR1 in a very authentic way – down to disabling her crawl animations… but at least she can still sprint and shimmy around corners. Everything else though feels very retro and old-school, however there is of course one feature that really kills most of the experience – the save crystals.

Gameplay is fine. It’s okay. It’s nothing stellar but nothing bad either. It’s simplistic, and fun in its simplicity, just like TR1. What kills it and makes it so unbearable? The save crystals. Really, this game did not need this. It’s a good game – why make it unenjoyable? The main problem with these is, they do not enhance the gameplay, but detract from it, and feel like they were simply added because TRNG lets us do this now. Woohoo!...? The crystals actually mask the fact that the gameplay isn’t challenging at all – it’s very easy. But you’ll be challenged simply because you’ll have to redundantly repeat so much while you’re swearing at your monitor. If you’re going to use save crystals, then at least place them more frequently, and always right before deadly trap gauntlets or timed sequences. The sequence in Thor’s disco-ball room was exceptionally cruel, particularly since it’s so easy for her to die and since the player is then forced to reload at a swinging blade trap gauntlet that one has to get through AGAIN before doing the deadly disco-ball room AGAIN, where you will most likely die… AGAIN. I thought of subtracting one point of gameplay for every time I had to re-do this awful sequence, but giving a – 47 for Gameplay & Puzzles wouldn’t exactly be fair… since there is some decent gameplay. There’s also a really difficult run at the end of the ‘Beneath the Sewers’ level that is made worse due to the repetition of having to do it since you’ll be killed by falling blocks and will have to reload over and over. The horrid saving/loading aside: if you like pushing blocks and finding keys and switches in that classic TR1 way, then this is a game for you - and I did enjoy those aspects at least.

The enemy placement in this game is quite good and will keep you on your toes. That first giant rat in the Sewers level scared the crap out of me (well done!). The only downside really is that the lions we encounter in the Zhank Temple make the sounds of jackals, and then the massive horde of raptors we kill towards the end of the final level, had two raptors who got perpetually stuck in their death animation. So, I got to listen to those screams on constant loop until I was finally far away from that room. One cool use of the raptors (as static objects) was the path further into the jungle paved with their corpses that led us to the T-Rex fight. Nice storytelling there.

One of the main issues with objects is that in the last level, almost every puzzle/key item is named Load. Also, a recurring problem is that many of the pushable blocks have the same textures as the surrounding walls… so you’ll be spending a lot of your time finding the block that can be pushed. The trap gauntlets are difficult enough with the bad saving system, however they become even worse due to often popping up out of nowhere with no warning simply for an insta-kill (which will take you back to a save crystal miles away) and something is either wrong with Lara’s animations or with the collision boxes on the traps themselves because often she won’t budge and instead be killed by them for no apparent reason.

Secrets are simple enough, and I felt there really were just one or two in the first level that can be missed, but after that they’re easy to find. What is a shame though is that the level jump between the first and second level doesn’t work, so you’ll have to select it manually from the menu. All your collected pickups and secrets from the first level won’t count for anything due to this.

The camera setups in this game are good, and the cutscenes, whilst a bit primitive, are a nice way of telling the story. There seems to be a bit of a bug with the first one in the underwater cave because no matter what I did when swimming once the cutscene finishes, Lara gets jerked up out of the water and ‘teleported’ back to the position where the cutscene began. Also, one thing that is a bit of a shame with the story, is that we seem to be chasing Natla through these levels, but we never actually get this Golden Glove the level-set is named after. Perhaps this was meant to be the beginning of a bigger project?

The sounds are okay for the most part, and music is good of course, even though there are some odd bugs with it constantly looping at certain points. The atmosphere is strong at times, and weak at others and I think for me this was due to the lack of lighting. Sure, it’s meant to capture that original blandness and simplicity of TR1 – however it seems that while most rooms haven’t been lit at all, some rooms have, or at least have some shadow bulbs. This is similar to TR1, but I think since the author decided to break the TR1 rule and use the TR4 flame emitters, some proper lighting could’ve also been created.

Texturing is good in the first level, but then slowly deteriorates as the game progresses. There were some rooms in the second level that used the red textures from Tihocan’s Tomb, and I quite liked this since we don’t see these too often and for a moment I actually felt like this game was actually Chinese (which I think according to the story it’s meant to be?) and not Greek. Towards the end of the second level though, and onwards into levels 3 and 4 there are some bad moments of wallpaper textures, and one gigantic room that simply felt like it was made so big simply for the sake of it.

The talent is definitely there with these builders. The level design, traps, puzzles, exploration, and overall nostalgic feel are all well-crafted – it’s just a shame that the constant repetition one will have to go through due to mindless deaths from cruel trap setups and the save crystal system drag down the experience as a whole." - Sethian (18-Aug-2020)
"A rather nice and simple adventure identical to TR1. If you are a hardcore fan of the classics, you should probably give this one a try, you won't regret it. Gameplay was really straightforward, but the problem was the number of pushable blocks and the use of save crystals. The save crystals at some points were put too far away from each other, so it would be very hard to replay a whole part inside the level again. There were a few issues within the gameplay itself, but none of them were game-breaking. You'll realize how both of the builders hone their skills and knowledge as they progress. Enjoyable. Recommended. Thank you!" - Mehrbod (04-Apr-2020)
"Level 1. Sewers. So let us start with the save crystals. I am not a fan of these and disabling the save key was just mean. However, to add insult to injury there was a time delay when executing certain commands like running or walking to the edge of a high ledge. This made negotiating the fairly simple traps like the teeth doors nightmarish as by the time Lara actually started her animation, a good half second after the keyboard command was given, the doors generally killed the poor thing. So, IF you are going to use the avenue of disabling the save key then ensure everything else works 100%. Quite frankly, this should never have been released as it is and totally ruins any game play. Atmosphere was grand and the tile set straight out of the Cistern with better graphics made nostalgia reign supreme. Score for this level then with all the associated issues, 3,7,8,8. Level 2. Beneath the Sewers. Unfortunately the lag issues continue in this level and the gnashing teeth doors take their toll once again. This coupled with the earthquake and the falling tile sets near the end of the level make it simply a chore due to the save crystal system. The number of times the player is forced back to do a section over and over again is simply interminable. This time though there are no puzzles to save the gamplay-puzzles score. 0,7,8,8. The other issue worth mentioning is the enemy encounters in tiny, tight, little rooms that allow little avenue for evasion. Level 3. The Zhank Temple. The lag issues continue into this level but as there are no traps to speak of the level plays out much better plus you are able to save your game as normal in this one. There are some good platforming sections here and the cut scene with Lara and Natla stealing the key was well done. Only issue I have here is the Lions barking like dogs. Surely that could have been rectified. Most enjoyable level of the set so far. 8,7,7,8. Level 4. Into the Jungle. Here again we have the save key disabled and are back to those save crystals but at least there are minimal traps where the time lag causes problems. This level is quite good with the raptors and T Rex (although some of the raptors remain in their death throw animation forever). Textures are an eclectic mix of Tomb Raider 1 and 3 which seems odd when placed together. Not much in the way of puzzles so score on this one 4,9,7,8. If this level set did not have the save crystals or the time lag issue which absolutely ruined game play for me I would have scored it quite high but as it stands I can only score it as is." - Torry (05-Jan-2020)
"Another game with gameplay much better than the visuals and immersion better than separate elements contributing to it. Also one of those which feel like an adventure instead of a set of tasks, and it's particularly impressive considering the game isn't even finished. The script is broken so items don't carry over from level 1 to level 2 but you get additional failsafe supplies so you never have a trouble in combat, Minor glitches are here and there but none of them gamestopping. Some savegame crystals are positioned but none in a place too impossible to progess. So I can see this game had many chances to fail miserably but with some kind of miracle it didn't. Of course too many pushblocks, whyyy..." - DJ Full (05-Jul-2019)
"Quite an interesting package in the style of TR1, to the point that most of Lara's move-set was removed to give that original TR feel (with the exception of the sprint in two of the levels), aesthetically it looks pretty much like the original and the textures are mostly well applied (I noticed some misapplied/missing/stretched ones but those were the exception) though the lighting is quite dull, the first three levels are pretty good (though the third one could have use the Francis Folly inspiration to better use, but it wasn't bad), sadly I think the last one was the weakest since the India-like textures kind of clashed with the environment, and the level design was kind of weird. One nice touch though where the cutscenes that while kind of clunky added some extra charm to the levels. Anyway recommended for those looking for nostalgic fun." - SeniorBlitz (14-Oct-2018)
"As a comparative mood piece for the TR1 atmosphere, this game actually emulates it quite nicely. The gameplay, in typical TR1 style, is simple enough, but classic and not without its entertaining parts, with a couple of block puzzles, jumping sequences and timed runs, plus a copy of the Palace Midas timed fire pillar run. My complaints are mainly to do with: 1) the save crystal system. Yes, I know it is meant to emulate the Playstation version, but some players would have been lucky to play this game on the PC (like me, at least eventually) and would thus have been more accustomed to the regular save system, so I wasn't exactly fond of that. 2) The time delay when executing certain commands like running or walking to the edge of a high ledge. It does make manoeuvring that little bit artificially harder. A couple of the cutscenes were also a bit buggy, but a nice touch nonetheless. Those aside, this could be a good pick for those hankering for a little nostalgia." - Ryan (02-Mar-2018)
"Never ever use crystals for savedgames. I am always very vocal about this feature. I am a computer girl and if I wanted to play the PSP version I already would have done so years ago. There is nothing as boring as doing long stretches of gameplay over and over and over again as the crystals are not in places I would choose to save my game. Also because Lara at times chose to freeze up and it took about a second before she would do anything, hence the chances of getting killed is pretty high at times. Hence the boring doing it all over again steps in. The author stated that this is a beta version, and the jump from level 1 to level 2 doesn't work. He is correct. A pity though, for now it is a lever galore all set in a TR1 atmosphere. Which isn't bad, apart from the save crystals." - Gerty (09-Sep-2014)
"I should gave a 7 in the gameplay section if I could save the game when I wanted. I'll never understand the reason why builders don't let save to the players. Evenmore, in first level I picked up ammo and medipacks and I couldn't kept the items for the second level, so why pick them up???? There are some small defects, like bad placed doors (well, not bad placed, but you can reach the backside and hit with the invisible door block) and stretched textures in many small surfaces; also when Lara stops, sometimes she refuses to walk again immediately. Even when I couldn't save (except in third level) I took a try and was very careful to not die, 'cause I love this kind of TR1-type levels. The rooms are very empty, with no objects or furniture, but you'll find some nice cutscenes once in a while. Near the end three raptors kept rolling over and giving forth with its dying shriek after it had already succumbed, so I couldn't drag a block to get one of the gems and I had to wait some minutes so the raptors move themselves out of the path. Very good attemp but if you continue building, please let players can save in any moment. Recommended for TR1 lovers." - Jose (27-Aug-2014)
"Another debut levelset from two new builders and as a whole, this is a worthy tribute to TR1, with everything that doesn't include level design, ripped straight from the original game assets for the most part. To avoid coming across as too redundant(since other reviewers have already said a lot of what I wanted to bring up), I'll just get straight to the few cons I have towards this release. For one thing, while the inclusion of save crystals is a nice little throwback to the PlayStation/Sega Saturn versions of TR1, it comes across as a little archaic by today's standards and I would have preferred to be given the option to save whenever I'd like. Also, I think this release could have done with a bit more development time to iron out many of the bugs and design quirks on offer, as the overall presentation comes off feeling a little rushed in the end. Still, if you're a fan of the TR1 graphical style, these few shortcomings shouldn't stop you from having a fun time with this series of levels, while it lasts." - Ceamonks890 (22-Jun-2014)
"This four-parter is a worthy tribute to the TR1 look and feel. The save crystal concept left me a bit cold, although dying opportunities were rare enough that I didn't find myself terribly inconvenienced by the need to replay large chunks of previously explored territory. Each part provides about a half hour of gameplay, so there's enough here to keep a raider busy for a couple of hours. I experienced an annoying delay when attempting to execute a command, which caused frequent problems when Lara was poised at the edge of a steep cliff while preparing a jump to a nearby surface. I got used to it and made allowances for it, but it's a phenomenon I've never seen in a custom level before. There's a lot of lever pulling here, but I found myself suitably entertained with the able assistance of manarch2's walkthrough. Oh, and after that raptor fest near the end of the fourth level, one of the raptors kept rolling over and giving forth with its dying shriek after it had already succumbed. Since Lara would no longer target it, I just ignored its thrashings while occupying myself with the several tasks I had to perform in this area." - Phil (21-May-2014)
"This homage to TR1 could be something for you if you want the look and feel of that game without the limitations of the TR1 engine. It certainly does evoke the spirit of things and the gameplay has been kept suitably simple with lots of lever throwing, block pushing and traps such as boulders and teeth doors. Enemies are also kept traditional and you can pretty much see everything off with your pistols, although alternative weaponry is provided. There is the odd puzzle to spice things up and the always popular flooding and draining effects. My main quibble was the inability to save apart from at sparsely provided savegame crystal spots. Granted, most of the gameplay was fairly hazard free, but on the odd occasion I managed to kill poor Lara off it was most irritating to have to reload from a much earlier save than I would otherwise have chosen. If you can cope with that system however, the nostalgia factor does carry the game quite well." - Jay (20-May-2014)
"If you like old school Tomb Raider this one is really for you. A nice set of four very classic TR1 style levels including Sewers, Greek Temple and Lost Valley jungles with plenty of switches and doors, simple platform jumps and blocks to push around - just like in the old days. There are also 10 not too hard to find secrets, classic enemies like bats, crocs, rats, (barking) lions and raptors that sometimes went into a perpetual dying animation in my game - very funny - and of course the T-Rex. There are even two small cutscenes with Lara's old friends included. Not sure I liked the choice of using save crystals, but as the levels are not too hard, it kind of worked out ok - you just needed to be a little extra careful with some of the traps - in particular those teeth doors. So, all in all a nice well rounded little package for the nostalgics amongst us and I am glad the authors decided to release it to the public." - MichaelP (16-May-2014)
"A rather interesting four-parter which trys to resemble places from TR 1, thankfully not in a remake manner, and which has a few rather nice ideas, even concerning the puzzles, but somehow it did not quite click with me. For once, I found the gameplay to be rather tedious and it would have been quite disappointing if not for the occasional good puzzle (like the flooding/draining one in the second level and parts of the third level) - it often relies on fairly simplistic exploration, with a lot of levers to find, which isn't quite enjoyable. There are also a few traps in this level, but honestly this is more a negative point, because of the quite aggravating crystal save system this game can get utterly frustrating. I don't really understand the need for such things - it doesn't really add anything to the level's benefits and just leads to frustration, especially when there are so few crystals like in this game. The end of the second level where you have to avoid debris and boulders within an enerving earthquake was my personal lowlight in this game - it's almost purely based on luck to get through it, especially because the boulders are nearly impossible to divide from the floor textures. The levels look better and better the further you get into the game; while the first level is very basic and mostly set in very small and squaric rooms, the architecture gets gradually better and I rather enjoyed the valley in the last level. Still, there are some rather avoidable texture mistakes in here, some rooms look really messed up because of this, and even in the last level there are textures through which you can see in the end of the world, or into other rooms. The lighting is barely existent in this game, with most rooms being quite flat, even in TR 1 it felt a lot better than here. The best thing about this level are the various enemies and objects, which are rather nicely done and really made me think to play the original game. There are even two done cutscenes, which aren't quite perfect but still are rather nice to watch. The ten secrets in this game are nicely hidden, often a bit easy, but not always so. There is still a lot of space for improvement, but for a first effort the builders didn't do a bad job. Spent about an hour in this game (as most levels have to be selected individually)." - manarch2 (08-May-2014)
"Ah good old days with simple graphics and save crystals....Two things that you either love or hate.There are four relatively short levels that are clearly inspired by some TR1 classics.My feelings are mixed.There are two definitions of this level - You can call it beta version of potentially great level or you can call it a nice try which is simply unfinished.First level is uninspiring with long corridors and claustrophobic rooms.Luckily, it's the shortest level and everything gets better afterwards. There are good gameplay ideas, flood/drain puzzles, clever traps than can be avoided if you look before you leap.If there is anything the gamers hate is unavoidable and frustrating trial&error method (especially with save system like this)to pass traps and I have to say that the builders didn't make that mistake, puzzles and traps are just right.The only thing about gameplay I didn't like are the secrets that are literally right in your way and impossible to miss, but I guess it's not a big deal.Unfortunately, this level has one major flaw that produced all other flaws - It was released about a week before it should have been and it desperately needs beta-testing.There are many little things that can ruin your expirience and all of them could have been easily fixed if the level was properly tested.First of all, you have access to all levels from the start, which doesn't make sense because levels are clearly connected.On the other hand, the game doesn't save when you enter the next level, so if you die before finding save crystal, you must load position from previous level or to choose current level from start menu, which means you lose everything you collected so far (secrets, ammo, medipacks)...Or maybe you don't have to, thanks to another mistake - I mentioned that some gamers love save crystals, while others don't.However, I am sure nobody likes when saving system changes between levels.In two levels you actually have possibility to save anywhere, which obviously wasn't intended.Strange thing is that only in those levels you lose your ability to dash.It looks like levels are built with two different engines that alternate between levels.Controls are sometimes unresponsive for a few seconds for no apparent reason, some keys are called "load", you can create "wall of water" at one place because game design allows you to play with flooding more then you should, sound effects are not sinchronyzed with moving blocks or even worse with sharp blades, I actually died two times because blade sound wasn't synchronized with blade moving.Audio tracks are well chosen, but they can be activated several times in the same place, instead of being one-shot.Enemies are also behaving strange.Bats are too strong, lions are too weak, T-rex is killed with 3-4 revolver bullets while classic red raptors are much stronger.Raptors sometimes tend to be glitchy after death and make epileptic jumps and death noises forever.I really wasn't trying to find flaws, they were simply impossible to ignore.All in all, if you can overlook them and focus on good sides of gameplay, you will enjoy this nostalgic level, I still call it decent and fun, but I simply can't resist the feeling it had potential to be much, much better." - Tolle87 (08-May-2014)
"It is a good game, but I definitely think you should kind of "touch up" the levels you released . A few very stretched textures, quite a few gameplay related bugs and a couple of rooms which, if you don't mind me saying so, are a bit of an eye-saw due to geometry and textures. Specifically the huge room/ pit with three crocodiles at the bottom (the one before the really cool fire and spike room). It seemed as though you wanted to make the room as big as possible, which is fine, but it was literally just a big square box with a repeat texture applied to all the walls. A way of tackling huge rooms is by building them out of much smaller rooms, which is a lot easier to sculpt from IMO. Then again, if you wanted to release the levels for the sake of releasing them because you're no longer working on them, then I suppose you're probably not too bothered about it :p. There are some really good puzzles, and you have captured the essence of TR1 very nicely. I didn't mind the save crystals, though they could be at more convenient places. :')" - Cosmos (07-May-2014)
"There seems to be something about the visual style of the classic Tomb Raider series that invokes a tingly sense of joy in me. A good example of this would be this little bundle of levels, fresh from the oven. Though I can't help but feel that this metaphorical shepherd's pie is a little too undercooked. For one thing, Lara doesn't tend to respond to player commands, probably due to her state ID changes being fiddled with, making passing through traps a frustrating chore rather than actually enjoyable. Aside from this little foible, the puzzles aren't really anything out of the ordinary, and many of the rooms in some levels looked a bit too uncannily like TR1's. It makes me wonder if the builders intended to keep a lot of the old rooms from TR1 for the sake of nostalgia. Speaking of nostalgia, I think that's the strongest aspect this level pack seems to have, aside from a few bits 'n' bobs from TR III, whereas other things that help to differentiate this from TR1 and improve on its shortcomings are hardly noticeable. But all in all, the game is pretty solid for a debut from these two, and I would recommend this to the nostalgic, long-time fans of the original TR." - Natanyaho (06-May-2014)