trle.net
Your host for all Tomb Raider Custom Levels ever released!

Levels listed...
TR5 - 31
TR4 - 3137
TR3 - 177
TR2 - 132
TR1 - 60

72200 reviews (20.4/level)
3528 (99.7%) walkthroughs
442 Hall of Fame levels
1216 levels rated >= 8

TR Fan Site

 


The Golden Skull by Osvaldo

DJ Full 7 8 6 6
Drakan 9 8 9 9
eRIC 8 8 7 7
Feder 6 8 7 8
Jay 7 8 8 8
Jose 7 7 7 8
manarch2 5 5 5 5
Mehrbod 4 4 3 2
nerdfury 7 8 7 6
Orbit Dream 8 9 7 7
Phil 8 8 8 8
Ryan 7 8 8 8
 
release date: 29-Jul-2018
# of downloads: 102

average rating: 7.00
review count: 12
 
review this level

file size: 50.60 MB
file type: TR4
class: Egypt
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
mecaoficial@protonmail.com

Reviewer's comments
"(7) Gameplay & Puzzles: There's a lot to do in this 2-level classic Egyptian adventure. The flow of the game is quite good actually, and I never felt lost regarding what to do next. My favorite gameplay aspects were dodging the builder's (many) spike traps, exploring/platforming in tall rooms to try and achieve greater heights, and the lava challenge room in level 2. I do wish that the overall trap/platforming difficulty was higher, though, and also I feel that the level is bloated with repetitive tasks. For example, there is a lava room with timed flames in level 2, but there's also another one of these in level 2. Another example is the pure dullness of having to negotiate a 4-rope room twice. I also didn't like the trial-and-error involving 3 switches, 2 of which open a door to escape from the corkscrew trap above. There was no clue to indicate which 2 of 3 switches to use. (8) Enemies, Objects & Secrets: The builder seems to have a thing for many stock TR4 Egyptian baddies which was just fine for this adventure, although the final boss fight with swarms of demigods was obnoxious. Regarding objects, I would have liked to have seen more static object decor to bring rooms to life. The secret involving the vases in the water was very cool. (7) Atmosphere, Sound & Cameras: There's too many giant rectangles in which exploration takes place. If the builder had mixed up the geometry of the walls and/or ceiling in more rooms, I think the level would be more engaging and memorable in terms of atmosphere. Sound cues and cameras were great, and never did I feel lost regarding objective due to a lack of camera hints. (6) Lighting & Textures: While I didn't spot many warped textures, I felt that the choice of textures could be much better. Often the same texture would be used for the walls and for the ceiling in the same room, which didn't look good. In terms of lighting, some small rooms had lovely colored lighting to them; in level 2, I especially liked the use of color in the 4 corridors to show the player that Lara had completed the tasks within. Unfortunately, other rooms, especially large ones, had flat lighting, or apparently no lighting at all. An example of this is the large puzzle room with the 3 white floor tiles and pushable statue. The level is generally not dark though, which is a plus. Overall, this is an OK level, not great, due to some repetitive tasks and the gameplay feeling bloated. I think it would have been a great level gameplay wise if about 25% of the content was cut. I don't regret playing it, though, because it was interesting to see how Osvaldo has grown in terms of level design. 7/8/7/6." - nerdfury (16-Nov-2020)
"One of the best games by Osvaldo. This double_levels raid is packed with action , flames , spikes , blades , jumps and baddies. The progression is fine and very fluent with some good ideas , sometimes you need to backtrack a bit but that makes perfect sense. Atmospherically wise it is a bit less good and we see again the corkscrews and we hear again the same TR3 tune. Despite that a satisfying raid." - eRIC (12-Jun-2019)
"Objects are probably the best part of this, they were all basic but well used, and of four secrets the first two weren't good - first one was a special tile which inactive, then active all of a sudden so you don't think of checking it again; the second one forced me to climb a very long sequence twice for little reward, but no reward would reward it anyway. Multiple passaging is also required in main gameplay as well, I guess this flaw seems to haunt this level the most. Visuals correct but underdone. Overall one of more solid levels of Osvaldo but still kilometers far from anything memorable. Sorry, I'm just describing it as it is..." - DJ Full (10-Jun-2019)
"A couple of solid levels from this author (it notices the experience building levels). Not very interesting puzzles or features, but entertaining and worth to play with a very classic style. You'll rarely will have to take a look at the walkthrough; no difficult tasks, enough guns and ammo, but perhaps excessive demigods in the final rooms. I was disoriented in front of the exit door (two receptacles) but nothing really annoying. If you like the classic levels, you'll enjoy this mini-adventure, but don't expect great features." - Jose (04-Dec-2018)
"The breaktile runs and a few platforming parts were nice, but else than that it's just 40 minutes of rather straightforward and not really interesting progression in bland Egyptian rooms with mediocre texturing and amateurish (as almost nonexistant and bland) lighting and boxy areas with very repetitive puzzles and tasks, an endless amount of levers and pretty predictable fights (with the exception of the final, which was just over the top IMO, it especially might cause problems for players who didn't find the secrets). Sound usage and secret hideouts are not not bad at times, but the builder does not seem to read the reviews or he never learns from them because it's again not a sign of evolution in his work. Can't recommend this." - manarch2 (20-Oct-2018)
"A very solid two-level set,this was only really let down by two things: a rather mundane beginning to the first level;and a lack of proper lighting until the latter half of the second.For the rest,I found it highly entertaining,with an abundance of fast-moving and varied gameplay - never too difficult,but demanding enough to keep the pace going.Highlights included the 'Tower section' in the first level;the quest for the hands in the second;and the absolutely insane Finale. Texturing was fine throughout,in a straightforward Tut1 style;while secrets were neatly placed,and often provided a challenge in themselves.The atmosphere could have been markedly improved with more evocative lighting;but enemy placement was copious and entertaining. There's nothing particularly ambitious on display here;but the builder knows how to maintain an enjoyable flow to the gameplay. Overall,this kept me entertained for 95 eventful minutes." - Orbit Dream (14-Oct-2018)
"This is definitely worth playing, although a few sections could have been toned down quite a bit to avoid the repetition. I found that the circular blades and spike traps were overused and got tedious after a while, and the rope swinging sequence across four individual ropes somewhat spoilt it as it had to be negotiated twice. That said, the majority of the gameplay is still enjoyable, with a nice utilisation of various hub rooms and corresponding tasks to perform, and the ninja attacks added a frisson to the proceedings, although the ending demigod fight was pushing it slightly (despite more than enough ammo and health packs being provided). This game may require a bit of patience, but it's still a worthwhile play." - Ryan (13-Oct-2018)
"I had some harsh comments for Osvaldo's early efforts, but his recent releases have seen a quantum leap forward. I haven't yet tackled Temple of Seth, but his frequent and less ambitious efforts released over the past couple of months have definitely been fun to play. They're not as taxing (while not being ridiculously easy) and they're definitely not as dark. I don't think I've had to light more than one or two flares in all of this year's levels that I've thus far played and reviewed. The Golden Skull is typical of these, offering solid entertainment easily attainable by players of all skill levels. The two parts take a bit more than a half hour each to play, and they're both cut from Egyptian cloth. The secrets, two in each level, are cleverly hidden, especially in the first level. Rarely have I seen a builder improve so dramatically so quickly. Recommended." - Phil (13-Aug-2018)
"This rather suffers from bloated gameplay. It's very entertaining in parts, but it also involves a lot of repetitive actions ( I found myself thinking if I had to jump through one more circular blade trap in a corridor, I might just scream) and eventually begins to overstay its welcome. Trimmed down, it would have made a far better game. Finding hands and a cartouche in several areas off a hub section involved some nice agility tests, but one room involved jumping to four ropes and could have done with a shortcut on the way back as frankly doing it twice was just tedious. The rather over the top boss ending with massed ranks of demigods was rendered less terrifying due to the lavish amount of pickups provided. It's pretty straightforward and not overly difficult to achieve, although possibly not suitable for very new players. If you can overlook the undoubted longueurs, there is fun to be had along the way." - Jay (01-Aug-2018)
"Osvaldo does a really good job with the overall design. Textures are well placed, lighting is OK, architecture is basic but well done, enemies are nicely placed with enough ammo and medipacks to get pass the battles. It is mostly fun to play, but there is one negative aspect to point out: the gameplay tends to repeat itself too much, and the level becomes tedious after a while. Too much blade rings and fire traps in your way on every hallway, searching for the same Hands over and over. I couldn't finish his first release "The Temple Of Seth" because of that problem, I lost the motivation to proceed after feeling I was spending an eternity on the Tomb Of Seth, but that's not the level I'm reviewing so it won't count on the score, just thought it was worth mentioning. I liked the tower of the first level and the final battle. I'm sure this author could build great levelsets if he chooses to add more variety of atmosphere, textures, places and objects as you go forward." - Feder (30-Jul-2018)
"Good to see an average level. From my point of view, everything was at it's average. I totally enjoyed the puzzles which brought memories from past to my mind. Enemies were not bad, but not perfect. Somehow the textures were repetitive and made gameplay's atmosphere a bit tiresome. The lowest rating for this game is the "Lighting" element. The lack of lighting and the overuse of ambient lighting somehow made the environment a bit unrealistic, but I encourage the builder about not using too many dark areas, as I've played tons of levels in Egyptian class which they looked boring because of their dark environments. Thank you!" - Mehrbod (29-Jul-2018)
"2 levels very nice to do, many platforms, I have almost never been blocked. So not very difficult. The usual enemies for this kind of levels with a big fight in the end against the bosses. Recommended" - Drakan (29-Jul-2018)