| Reviewer's comments |
"A nice level to play with a good few puzzles to solve, you can see the builder of this level
wanted an all round experience from start to end. There isn't too much to explore and the
progression is linear but the lighting in the rooms and the amount of stuff to do is
refreshing. Definitely worth 20 minutes of your time." - ColeMoles (20-Feb-2022) |
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| "I think this level was quite good for its time. Plenty of stuff to do, some traps, and
loads of key items to find. Ladders do not make sense some of the time, like Lara
sliding down into a hole and getting trapped because she can't climb the exact weed
walls she just did for some reason, but not that of a big deal. Visually it is an odd
level, the architecture and lighting were handled pretty well, but the texturization is
a mess with some stretched ones, and there are some glitches and moments when the screen
goes black, and I am not sure if the latter was the author's mistake. Anyway it is still
a playable level, so it was a good effort." - Nomad (11-Mar-2021) |
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| "An easy Egyptian level in general, consisted of some eye-
catching traps which provoked your sense of fear a bit
throughout the game. Gameplay and puzzles were not actually
commendable, but might worth a try for once. Enemies were
not a big deal, as the amount of goodies put through the
level's map made the job of roll'n'killing way more easier.
Camera flybys were nice, but the most commendable element
of this raiding adventure was the "Lighting" part, the
lighting job was done perfectly at it's most, and the same
goes for "Textures" element, although some textures were
stretched or aligned badly. Recommended level. Thank you!" - Mehrbod (31-Aug-2018) |
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| "A generic Egyptian adventure typical of this time period, as easy to
complete as it is to forget. Gameplay doesn’t really require a lot of thinking
most of the time but is still variegated and interesting, and there are a
reasonable number of traps to keep you on your toes. Unfortunately
however, technical issues abound: For example, after leaving a room filled
with blade traps, you will still be able to hear their sporadic, disquieting
thumps from far away as they have no off trigger other than the omnipotent,
ever-present trigger we refer to as ‘distance’. Also sometimes Lara fades in
and out of reality, but it’s really no big deal. Enemies consist solely of
skeletons and two peeved-off harpies, but they’re no trouble at all due to
the copious amounts of weaponry and meds provided for absolutely no
effort on the part of the player; this further contributes to the low difficulty of
the level. There are a handful of flybys and sound cues which were used to
set the scene effectively, and although textures are oftentimes stretched
and repetitive like many first-time level-building efforts, they’ve still been
applied well enough to deliver some of the mystique that every good tomb
should have, especially when combined with the appropriately low (if
sometimes a little too dark) lighting. I would recommend this mostly for
enthusiasts of TR4 and levels set in Egypt, as well as anyone looking for a
simple raid." - Ejecta (05-Aug-2018) |
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| "A debut level by Dondilinger. When you enter an area with
water and 2 pyramids, your objective is to find 8 stones to
place 4 in each of them, and get the final puzzle item. The
first 4 stones were quite hard to find, but the other 4 were
in a single room. And though they were embedded to the wall
and underwater, you could pass through the grate and even
collect them without emptying the room and use the crowbar.
Anyway, I did it just to explore more the surroundings. The
stones are labeled like "load" and when you pick them up they
don't show properly. And there are many thin walls. In the
final room, the textures blink as you run there. But it was
nice to play most of the time. Finished in 40 minutes." - alan (29-Jun-2017) |
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| "Back to familiar territory once again, this
time Cleopatra's Palaces. The actual design and
architecture is somewhat crude and let down by
a few missing textures, stretched texture s and
paper thin walls. The gameplay was smooth and
flowing, leading you on a search for eight (!)
black beetles. Along the way you will find the
mechanical beetle, pharos pillar, horseman's
horseman's gem and the portal guardian. To sum
up: short and sweet." - Ryan (08-Aug-2016) |
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| "Even with all the defects this level has, like papel walls, environment turning black in some rooms, moving textures in solid floors near the water rooms, items not appear in the inventory or wrong names in the script; the game is well playable. Easy tasks, no much backtracking, enemies to shoot, traps to avoid and some classic situations you can create with the cleopal wad. I missed some flares and more cameras and musics and some puzzles too, but the level is worth to play anyway." - Jose (13-Apr-2015) |
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| "13 years that this level was created. Many imperfections (thin walls, stretched textures ...) mark this level. It's easy with a few enemies to kill, you have to find 8 beetles before finding the exit." - Minox (23-Oct-2014) |
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| "The cleopal wad has been put to effective use in this 40 minute level. There are a few stretched textures and wafer thin walls it's true, but the overall effect is pleasing and the gameplay jogs along nicely as Lara searches for eight beetles and one or two other artefacts as well. Skeletons are readily dealt with, thanks to generous explosive fire power and apart from them there are a couple of harpies to deal with and a plagues of beetles, but they are easily outrun. There's nothing challenging really, but I rather enjoyed myself. Sometimes gentle and pretty can be all that's required." - Jay (27-May-2014) |
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| "It was rather nice level with some traps and harpies as enemies. There was even a clone :) Level was textured rather nicely, I haven't felt monotony. Gameplay was rather smooth and pleasant. Overall it's that 'classic' type of TR level that I enjoy playing." - Casual Raider (17-Jul-2013) |
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| "The featured level section of the site inspired me to give this one a go, and thinking I'd get a rather classical approach to a Cleopatra's Palaces level, I got exactly what I expected with this one for most part. It's ok-looking to say the least, though squashed, stretched and compressed textures prevail through the level, as do the paper-thin walls and weak lighting you would expect from a half-hearted debut. The gameplay involves the hunt for the beetles and the regular puzzle items associated with the setting, the classic oil + flame pool and a nasty dark pit with unmarked climbable walls. There were, however, a few moments where I was pleasantly surprised. There's a red-herring slide to Lara's death where in fact you have to keep in monkey-swinging, there's a clever scissor-blade trap placement right before reach-in-a-hole switch and some nice use of narrow places you can swim through to reach new areas. That might not sound like much - but it's actually not that bad for a setting where you feel like you've seen everything possible done before. Maybe more effective after it's been a while since you set a foot in a Cleopatra's palaces but worth a peak." - eTux (27-Feb-2011) |
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| "This level gives an interesting twist to Cleopatra's Palace. Getting the key items (especially the black beetles to ultimately obtain the portal guardian) was a quest in itself, I appreciated using the mechanical scarab to deactivate the spikes, and the enemies weren't too difficult. So the gameplay itself is pretty decent. Unfortunately, the level design was disappointing (still water textures, a few thin walls, a stretched texture or two, the room goes black except for Lara sometimes, the water would move with parts of a room...) and marred the atmosphere somewhat. This level could've been better designed or at least be as well planned as the gameplay." - Sakusha (12-Dec-2009) |
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| "In this palace of Kleopatra level Lara needs the Portal Guardian to open the door to the level end. Both parts are enclosed in two small pyramids and Lara needed 8 beetles to open these both small pyramids. And she must find a scroll. And the Horsemen Gem. And the Pillar. And she drains two rooms. There is a lot to act here. Opponents are skeletons, harpies and a Demigod. However, Lara finds the suitable weapons, hence, the opponents are no problem. And there are also enough medipacks.
Actually, this could be a good level. And, actually, it could properly give pleasure. But unfortunately, there are also several mistakes. In several rooms the screen becomes suddenly pitch-black and only Lara is still to be seen. And there are paper-thin walls. And stretched textures. And for the dark places there are no Flares. And close to water the ground also moves. And if one overlooks the crowbar immediately at the beginning, drains the first room and jump down, one may begin at the beginning once more, because one has no chance to come again to the crowbar. Without these mistakes the evaluation would be certainly higher." - Scottie (15-May-2009) |
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| "A reasonably competant old-school Cleopal adventure,but one that has its share of rather irritating little bugs: blackouts,places you can easily get to which are quite impossible to get back out of,wafer-thin walls,stretched textures and an easily missed crowbar (which entails having to start the level again should you overlook it.)Nevertheless it's still rather enjoyable,with a few simple gauntlets and generally well-applied lighting and textures (minus the stretching). Nothing spectacular then,but worth a look for traditionalists." - Orbit Dream (04-May-2008) |
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| "I'm going to make this a short review and say that there are many better levels out there than this one. I was an ok level but wasn't to my liking. I could say more, but there's not much else to say. If I had to give this level a grade, I would give it a C-, a low pass mark." - The Aussie Adventurer (17-Jan-2006) |
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| The author reckons this is his first level on the level readme. You know what to expect... stretched and compressed textures, still water and poor room design, including drastic changes on the architecture to suit doors and wafer thin walls. You're on a quest for EIGHT black beetles, you pick 2 at once, then the other 2 are scattered which will have you collecting and using a few puzzle pieces and eventually you'll get the other 4 at once. With these you can open the two black pyramids and collect the Portal Guardian pieces and then get the hell outta here. It's based on the cleopal wad, so it might appeal to players who like it, but otherwise, it has nothing special. Oh yes, there's definitely a lack of flare pickups, and trust me, you need them. 25 minutes. 07/05 - Treeble (11-Jul-2005) |
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| "Nice cleopal setting with much water around and enough skeletons. There is one puzzle if you can call it that with many items to pick up. I say pick up because it's very see to find them they are practically on your feet. Eight black beetles a gem a pillar and a scroll are those items. I spent twenty five minutes of climbing mostly a little swimming and spikes deactivating when Lara gets close so it can't be called a trap. It's not all that bad just too easy." - Kristina (17-Aug-2003) |
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| "Not a bad 40 minute level decent gameplay if somewhat simple. The usual cleo stuff sometimes nicely done sometimes a bit stretched. Quite linear almost to the point of boredom mostly climbing and swimming to obtain a scroll gem knot and the portal guardian. The usual enemies and Lara clone nothing to write home about but if you're looking for something quick and simple this is it." - Momster (27-Sep-2002) |
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| "Actually not a bad level even if it only takes 25 minutes. The hunt here is for 8 black beetles and they were cleverly situated. Unfortunately a bug allowed you to get to some through a solid wall but as they were still underwater I suppose it did not matter all that much. The disappointing aspect was once having placed the beetles the player is rewarded with that stupid smiley monkey face on a stick. What a let down. Then it is a simple matter to place that and exit the level." - Torry (15-Aug-2002) |
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| "Using the same cleopal objects and textures we've all seen before the author managed to make an enjoyable level that had enough surprises to make it fun and had me looking around a few times wondering what to do next though not for long. The water that looked deadly but wasn't - yet the huge gap to get across and the slide down a slope into spikes all had me thinking for a minute and I actually got stuck in the last one and had to reload cause I did the wrong thing. Except for a few faults the rooms were very attractive with great fountains and a good use of water though a few areas were a bit dark for my taste. The many pickups I found worked great on the skeletons harpies and demigods I found; they weren't much help on the spike traps blade traps or beetle infestations though. I enjoyed the 35 minutes I spent playing this one." - RaiderGirl (21-Jul-2002) |
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| "This was quite a fun but not too difficult level where the aim is to find eight black beetles for two small pyramids. There are some really nice aspects such as the use of changing the formation of a room to sometimes make things easier and sometimes harder again the use of two small pyramids instead of the usual one and the textural look of the level with organic touches all over the place giving it a more inviting feel. Although not a long level this is still worth playing if you have a spare 30 minutes to kill." - Sash (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "This is a level with quite typical Cleopal WAD puzzles ie you find the Golden Lara the Black Pyramid with the 4 beetles (even twice here) and the mechanical scarab as well as the respective enemies: skeletons banshee demigod. The level starts out quite promising with some good use of camera angles and sound and also nice although sometimes quite stretched texturing. Further into the level it is unfortunately becoming a little worse in terms of bugs like thin walls walkthru walls (intentional or not?) and even missing textures. But all in all a fun level to play with some nice 'watery' flipmap effects and it took me about 35 minutes." - Michael (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "So what if this level uses the Cleo Wad I liked it. Of course there is just so much you can do as a level builder but the idea that is what makes it different. I had great fun playing this level. Even if it wasn't my day and took every time the wrong turn and had to go back to a saved game as plainly missed an important item. Do save because sometimes there is no other way to go back to the place you just left. This is the author's first level and I have seen some much worse. Main goal is to get 8 black beetles to get hold of the Portal Guardian so you can leave the Palace. The level starts in a cave and after opening the door you are in an underground Palace. I didn't encounter much enemies some skeletons a harpy or two and some beetles. The switch that drains water away took me by surprise as it looked like there still was water so I jumped in and lost a lot of health as the water was gone. Found a shotgun and the crossbow almost at the start of the level so the skeletons were no thread. Didn't need the grenade gun at all. Most annoying was that every now and then the whole room turned black and there are a lot of wafer thin walls. You can't pick up some shotgun ammo laying in the water but you don't need it. 11-06-2002" - Gerty (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "The whole level takes place inside a palace. Your aim is to collect 8 black beetles to put in 2 corresponding pyramids. There are no puzzles - except finding all the beetles and almost no enemies - just 2 skeletons (which are very annoying) and a demigod in the pyramid room. While the idea is not bad the level itself is full of errors! Sometimes the textures simply black out. Also there are several thin walls. It is very irritating and spoils much of the fun. One pickup cannot be taken. At two places you can pass walls - but only in one direction. There is a big room with 4 beetles in it full of water directly besides one of the main rooms without only separated by a grate - very logical. This could be an average level without these glitches." - LaraFan (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "A good Cleopal level to play all the rooms are different from TR4. The gameplay is based upon exploration to find many artifacts and 8 black beetles to get the portal guardian and finish in 35 minutes. There are not many enemies only skeletons and harpies and many pickups. There are some minor bugs but they don't spoil the fun or the progression at all. Yes it was a fun level and the progression was good." - eRIC (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "If you can't stand the boredom get out of the Cleo Wad. This is a bit unfair but gameplay wise this short quest doesn't come up with anything new and to me it seems pretty pointless to collect 8 black beetles when you get 4 of them in the same spot. The structures are two dimensional in some places impossibly free standing in others and I constantly had the surroundings turn black for fraction of a second. The items you need are easy to find the swarm of black beetles didn't come back after I reloaded and once you find the explosives the skeletons don' t pose a threat either. Swims and climbs aplenty but no traps nor puzzles so only recommended for the die hard Cleopatra addict. Is there one?" - Dimpfelmoser (21-Jun-2002) |
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