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Enigma by Franky

Ceamonks890 4 6 4 4
DJ Full 6 6 5 5
Gerty 4 6 4 4
Jay 6 7 6 7
Jose 4 6 6 4
Larabiker301 5 6 4 3
manarch2 4 7 4 4
MichaelP 5 7 7 5
Orbit Dream 3 4 6 6
Rambo 5 5 5 4
Ryan 4 5 5 6
 
release date: 15-Jun-2014
# of downloads: 71

average rating: 5.07
review count: 11
 
review this level

file size: 145.00 MB
file type: TR4
class: Fantasy/Surreal
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
franco.buzzi50@libero.it

Reviewer's comments
"There are quite a few neat touches in this level, but overall I think it was a bit too obscure for its own good. It gets off to a bad start with a well thought out but extremely tedious block puzzle and then goes on to include a couple of badly indicated timed runs, two mazes (the windowed one was actually nicely executed though) and a random invisible ledge room (these I actually don't mind, but I would prefer some sort of hint). All these left me feeling rather irritated at the level, which is a shame because there are moments when the personality of the builder really shines through positively: a mirror room combined with a jumping challenge, a fun switch puzzle and elevator sequence, funky lighting that fits the somewhat "enigmatic" scenario (although the textures could really be improved) and the music is quite sweeping and calm in places. I would say that there are enough good ideas here, but just needs reined in a bit." - Ryan (14-Jun-2018)
"After a 2,5-minute readme-repeating flyby followed by a 9-minute pushable and a timed maze, the game actually goes creative, the problem is it has no scenery but four rooms resembling specific places, and likely includes all possible basic errors except the door collision cube (or I missed that one). Also, if there was a hint for the the keycode it was definitely too obscure. I have no idea what sits in Franky's mind but it's definitely powerful, he only should take enough time to fall in love with his own work and look at it from safe distance - that should make him care about all enough." - DJ Full (07-Mar-2017)
"This builder is essentially an Italian 'Robert LaChapelle Wannabe'.His texturization leaves rather a lot to be desired;his camerawork is faulty;atmosphere creation is clearly not too high on his agenda.Indeed,what he clearly wants to aspire to are the same heights of devious and cryptic logic puzzle creations that his canadian for- runner was notorious for...and,to this end,he has been partially successful.For example,the very first pushable puzzle was neatly clued - but was also boring as hell!The shootable perspex maze was ingenious,but infuriatingly random;while the invisible ledge chamber was completely trial-and-error.Actually,there were simply far too many puzzle solutions where the player could only say "how the f*** was I supposed to know THAT?!" Which is such a shame,as there were some genuinely nifty concepts here (the multi-switch puzzle;the elevator sequence;the deceptively easy column-jumping mirror room).The choice of music was creative (the tranquility of the Moonlight Sonata certainly helped to ease frustration),while the lighting was often completely striking. The level also had a pleasing unexpectedness in its sequence of occasionally vivid and surreal locations.At the end of the day,it simply doesn't work;but there is enough imagination and aptitude on display to clearly indicate that this builder really could deliver the goods - if only he could discriminate between a clever idea and an extremely stupid one." - Orbit Dream (25-Jun-2015)
"There are some nice novel ideas in here but as far as gameplay goes, it just didn't pan out. Some things one has to do are quite obscure, which is a pity. There are also quite a few game killers, like the pushing one has to do, the invisible catwalk, mazes here and mazes there, mazes everywhere. Although this builder knows his way around the editor he for sure is also an enigma in my opinion LOL." - Gerty (12-Jan-2015)
"No good the gameplay for me, tedious tasks many times forced to run and run many kilometers only to look for a switch. Architecture is very simple and textures are often elongated and repeated giving a monotonous effect. Many mirror rooms, nasty labyrinths, some teleports, no hints for the keypads codes, too large rooms... Objects were the best of this strange level." - Jose (02-Jan-2015)
"This custom set was very particular. But...I wasn't amused if that was what the author was going for in the first part of the game. It was a nice puzzle but that's not how you start out a game. You quickly made me lose interest and although I finished the game (I won't review a level if I didn't finish it) that was a definite no-no. Please no long and time- consuming block pushing next time. Most puzzles were okay and some areas looked a bit aright. The enemies were weird and some didn't really fit the area. Lighting was alright as well as texturing there's definitely room for improvement. Overall, I can see the builder looked as though he/she was just testing out ideas and concepts and there seems to be potential; there just needs improvement." - Larabiker301 (06-Aug-2014)
"Gameplay & Puzzles: I enjoyed several good ideas in this level, especially the block puzzle, but it's also confusing as hell in other times and the puzzles can't be solved without a walkthrough. I won't even speak of the block puzzle at the start, it took me a third of the whole time in this game, it was just silly. Enemies, Objects & Secrets: Not many enemies and apart from the dogs at the end they weren't well placed, one constantly climbed through a wall of a maze and one kept shooting from nowhere. The objects are sometimes quite interesting and there were no secrets. Atmosphere, Sound & Cameras: The architecture is very simplistic, but the use of colour is quite nice and atmosphere okay. The sound tracks are nice, the cameras are okay but glitchy. Lighting & Textures: While colourful, the textures are often totally wallpapered and lighting does not exist most of the time, so those two were very basic. Total: 4,5/10, a debut with ideas but poorly executed." - Rambo (02-Aug-2014)
"Beginning this initial debut release, my first impressions were not very positive, with the opening gameplay amounting to nothing more than 9 long minutes of sleep-inducing block puzzles just to open a door and a text introduction completely in Italian that ultimately fails to give a proper insight for the average English-speaking player into how Lara came to be in the situation she's currently in(despite the provided language file being English), forcing me to look up the level description on here to know what the plot was even about! If that doesn't automatically raise a few warning signs about the level's overall quality, I don't know what will. And unfortunately, the final results don't really improve much from there. Lighting is inconsistent, texturing is incredibly repetitive, gameplay can verge on the point of frustration as you struggle to understand puzzles that wouldn't feel out of place in a 1990s PC adventure game and uninspired blocky level design, that in all honesty, isn't very fun to move around in as a whole. I will cut Franky some slack however, as the objects used in some areas of the level do fit their respective environments accordingly, some 'interesting' musical choices(which are comprised of a few Italian violin tracks, traditional TR tunes and some other choices that defy explanation), serve as something entertaining to listen to(when it's not being repeated so many times to the point of being ear-grating) and finally, the enemies do a somewhat decent job of complimenting the areas they appear in, to an extent. In conclusion though, this is still a rather incoherent mess that is about as far from user friendly initially as you can get. While there are some interesting ideas demonstrated, they fall flat among the level's more serious issues. Hopefully the builder will only set to improve from here, but in the meantime, approach with caution if still interested in giving this one a go." - Ceamonks890 (21-Jun-2014)
"I did enjoy the photo of the (builder's?) charming tabby cat in the opening room. It was something pleasant to look at during the rather tedious block pushing excerise. This is an extremely strange level - interesting at times, very frustrating at others, with all the colour, illogic and incoherence of a fever dream. There are certainly some enjoyable aspects (especially if you enjoy mazes), but I can't honestly describe it as player friendly. It's obvious that the builder has a vivid imagination and could well bring us some good levels in future, but this is just a bit too weird for my taste. Nice choice of music though." - Jay (20-Jun-2014)
"I chose to read manarch2s review before writing mine and as a result, all I can really write is... what he wrote =) The experience lasted 40 minutes for me and I was quite willing to give it up several times - right at the start, with the 10 minutes of tedious pushing of blocks, in either of the two mazes (although the second one with the glass panels is actually rather original) and especially in the room with the invisible tiles, but the quirky colours and ever changing settings kept me going and all in all this is not so bad as a fun diversion on a rainy day." - MichaelP (20-Jun-2014)
"Everything in this level feels like a weird and incoherent mix. The looks change completely after each area, and even if the teleporters are used to explain the changes it all feels rather odd after some time, also because there's no red line we can follow. The textures, despite being colourful and varied, are rather carelessly applied with wallpaper effects in almost every area, and the lighting doesn't do much better. Most rooms are fairly boxy and have simplistic geometry, and the cameras are rather faulty because you can move Lara in them and you have to use the Look key to get out. Gameplaywise, there are actually some enjoyable things, mostly the timed runs, the rather innovative usage of an elevator and even an interesting glass maze, but at the same time is heavily obscure and almost unplayable (the invisible catwalk, the first maze or the way to get the Horus eye). The block puzzle at the start is a bad example of how you can kill off any kind of fun with overly long pushing sessions, especially because the same task has to be done four(!) times, resulting in seven wasted minutes spent in the first room only. So even the gameplay is a thoroughly mixed experience, while there are good ideas the game mostly feels frustrating and tedious. The object design is the only really decent and often imaginative element in this game, especially the elevator thing already mentioned feels rather unique, even if the puzzle can be messed up completely, and the decorative elements are put to good use too. There are a few nicely placed enemies, although the ninjas shooting you from behind a wall are quite an annoyance. Overall this level is a showcase of some good ideas but lacks a lot of care in terms of room design and a player-friendly and coherent gaming experience. 25 minutes." - manarch2 (18-Jun-2014)