Levels listed...
TR5 - 31
TR4 - 3141
TR3 - 177
TR2 - 133
TR1 - 61
72342 reviews (20.4/level)
3532 (99.7%) walkthroughs
445 Hall of Fame levels
1221 levels rated >= 8
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release date: |
24-May-2019 |
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# of downloads: |
1538 |
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average rating: |
9.39 |
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review count: |
20 |
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review this level |
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file size: |
159.00 MB |
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file type: |
TR4 |
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class: |
Egypt |
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| Reviewer's comments |
"Was thinking its been a while since I played a Sabatu level so decided boot up this level.
Have to say I had a really good time playing this level! It looked stunning throughout the 2
levels and it played just as well too! If you haven't played this already I would definitely
recommend you give this level your time!" - Feats (02-May-2023) |
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| "The puzzles were very interesting and not easy to understand on this level and the
symbols were not clear and so blurred. I love the overall design and the desert/Egypt
vibes and Sabatu is good at them, I enjoyed playing this level & recommend it." - p1kaa (08-Sep-2021) |
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| "Masterpiece! Great geometry of levels, lighting and textures! The sound is also great! The riddles do not cause any discomfort, which is undoubtedly good for me. Wonderful level!" - ddaring_dash (05-Feb-2021) |
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| "(9) Gameplay & Puzzles: This adventure is heavily exploration and puzzle-based, with many different hieroglyph-based puzzles. There's little challenge in terms of traps and platforming. I enjoyed myself, with my favorite part being the dark pit with the fire wraith, however I do feel like the gameplay is a bit too "safe", if that makes sense. I did feel like I was going through the motions after a while, without needing to stop and analyze the situation. While I am very appreciative that the builder utilized many puzzles, I would have liked to have seen different puzzles that don't use hieroglyphs, and more adrenaline-based moments -- moments where you wipe your forehead and say to yourself, "Phew! That was a close one." (10) Enemies, Objects & Secrets: The enemy placement/selection was done well, the object decor is perfect, and I enjoyed the many secrets. Of particular note is that the builder used animated sunray objects to amazing effect. (10) Atmosphere, Sound & Cameras: You know that song "Stop and stare?" Well, that's what I did constantly throughout this adventure, admiring the stunning room design and architecture. Even smaller connector rooms have visual interest and I never felt like I was exploring a generic Egyptian tomb. I enjoyed all of the custom sounds and music tracks, especially Lara's sassy "Aha!". Static camera hints and flybys were used very well. I do think there should have been a guidance flyby, showing the receptacles for the 3 ankhs, once Lara reaches the underground lake in level 2, but it's no big deal and I think this category still deserves top marks. (9) Lighting & Textures: The level and its HD textures look spectacular. I'm usually quick to cry "WAHH! Egyptian tomb too dark!", but the builder is very generous with flares and applies color balance perfectly, offsetting dark tomb areas with warm, well-lit rooms. The visual highlights were the areas that the builder incorporated plenty of green to balance out all of the sandy textures, such as the pond near the end of level 1 and the underground lake in level 2. I was a little surprised that there were a number of warped textures, underwater cracks, and the load screens look wonky, since the builder is clearly very skilled in aesthetic design. Overall, this is a very high-quality exploration-based adventure that is suitable for beginners. I prefer more adrenaline-based gameplay but it's the perfect fit for those who want chill, no-stress exploration. 9/10/10/9." - nerdfury (04-Feb-2021) |
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| "If I have to sum up this level pretty quickly, I would say "Simple but Efficient". I
can already say this level was really enjoyable to play, and I can try to explain
everything in this review.
This levelset is made of 2 Levels, of which the first is split into 3 parts. Since it
is a very big level, I prefer to talk about each category separately:
Gameplay & Puzzles: This is what the "Simple but Efficient" statement refer to. The
gameplay in this level only uses stuff from TR4 or Remakes of TR4, to create some fun
puzzles. Of course, nothing too innovative, nothing involving scripts, but still I
think this was good gameplay nonetheless. This level really makes use of puzzles that
involve Binoculars(that was a change compared to many other TRLEs) and it was
welcome.
Regarding the Platforming part of the game, some parts(especially in Level 2) had
very precise jumps that honestly I don't mind since I love challenges, but I am sure
that many people could find it frustrating. An example of this is a Secret that has
been cut from the game(I asked the author a while ago): It was supposed to be in the
second level. The thing is, the secret room is still there and it is full of good
loot. To reach it, you need to do very precise platforming that I honestly liked.
So, to sum it up, I find the gameplay of this level to be pretty neat, I was having
fun the whole time.
The only "negative" thing I could say about the gameplay would probably be the ammo
balancement: you start with Pistols, Shotgun and Uzis. I didn't like that you start
with such an arsenal already but it is the author's choice. The problem comes when
you end up with very limited Uzi Ammo and an Huge amount of Shotgun Ammo, to the
point that there is no other reason to use other weapons beside the shotgun, even for
the smallest enemies. This is a thing even in TR4 unfortunately. Besides, I won't
rate this level down for this.
Enemies, Objects & Secrets: This is where the game could have improved a little bit.
All the enemies and objects(or, most of them) come from either TR4 or Remakes of TR4.
The problem from this is that at times there were some objects that didn't fit the
game at all. Few examples are the Gem Knights(that I really didn't see fitting) or
the Pushing Globes in Level 2(since... well, they have greek letters carved on it)
but other than that, it was pretty nice. Secrets were not that bad honestly.
Atmosphere Sound & Cameras: despite some objects breaking the immersion, I really
have to say that most of the levelset does a great job on the atmosphere: I felt
"inside" the game many times, and I really wished I could visit those places in real
life. For reference, my favourite areas are the "Canyon" orange area with the opening
on the ceiling in Level 1 - Part 2(where that small lake is, where you take the
crossbow) and the whole giant cave in Level 2. Let's not talk about on how the Giant
Scorpions were introduced, that was majestically done. Camera work is pretty nice,
and I really enjoyed the boulder cutscene in Level 1 - Part 2.
Lighting & Textures: Lighting is top notch. Texturing is done well, for the most
part. There is only one problem: there are stretches everywhere. Seems like Sabatu
forgot to fix all of the stretches. In his defense, most stretches on the rock
textures(especially in level 1) really make the textures stand out more, the
stretches made them look even better! So I am not really complaining, it was probably
the first time I saw texture stretching used to make the game look better instead of
worse.
The only thing is that there were some stretching in some parts that really didnt
have to be stretched at all, like Human Buildings. One of the most evident ones are
in Level 2, on that diagonal platform in the water. Some textures there are so
stretched or compressed and it really looks off. A little fix could make it look way
better!
So in short, what do I have to say? This is most probably the best Egypt level I have
ever played as for now. Great Job Sabatu!
Recommended? Must-Play.
Difficulty? Medium-Hard.
Duration? Approx. 2h-3h30m (It depends a lot on how much you look around your
surroundings)." - TombExplorer (21-Oct-2020) |
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| "This was a cool level with unorthodox ways of challenging
climbing puzzles, which I found fun. The puzzles were
mostly easy to understand, sometimes it's the luck of the
draw in picking the right answer though. There were a
couple design mistakes that hopefully will be fixed in the
future firstly the loading screen is a very weird
screengrab and not something I would think should make it
into the final outcome. There was also a missing texture on
the way to submitting the last three Ankh's in Tears of
Crocodiles. Despite this, I still enjoyed! 8.5/10" - gryffinstark (01-Sep-2019) |
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| "The builder has learned from the reviews of his previous games, and this is certainly his best level up to date. The raw materials he uses have been seen before but this time the atmosphere is really well done with great looking large areas, very realistic lighting and quite good texturing too, although there are a few misplaced textures here and there that could've been easily fixed. A few other minor gripes are the fires not perfectly matching the wall torches (why not using the normal small fires?), a few cracks in terms of lighting and the load screens being placed out of the map resulting in some odd views. But overall it is a quite cleanly looking and very solidly designed adventure. The gameplay is also fairly enjoyable, being quite puzzle-based - what I like - but perhaps most of the puzzles are a bit too sameish so a bit more variety here would be welcome, perhaps also adding a few more timed runs and the like. Still, progression is very smooth and exploration is also done nicely, spiced up with a few platforming parts where the challenge is to find the next spot to jump to. So being observant is indeed very helpful in this game, also because a few things are sneakily hidden and not only the secrets. The enemy and object placement is good overall, but there's nothing outstanding to say about it. I liked how the secrets were hidden; just as another reviewer I think that one or two hidden rooms with ammo would've easily qualified as secrets but they do not register as such. Anyway, a very competently built adventure - perhaps for the next time, the builder can try out something a bit more unique now? Finished in 70 minutes." - manarch2 (15-Jun-2019) |
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| "Very beautiful atmosphere and excellent sound effects. The
challenges are quite solid and enjoyable ( binocular is the
key). A top-notch moment was the chase with the fire demon
in the dark room. Recommended." - requiemsoul (15-Jun-2019) |
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| "Before preparing this review I checked up on Sabatu's
earlier releases and was mildly surprised to find that none
qualify for Hall of Fame status. The scores are spread
fairly evenly among the 6, 7 and 8 categories. He started
off with TR3 levels, but I'm happy to see that he's been
sticking with the TR4 engine since then. Anyway, Mystery of
the Lost Pyramid is a quantum leap forward, and I have no
doubt that it will achieve those coveted HoF honors before
long. It's well lighted and easy on the eyes, which in
combination really gets the level off on a good start. The
occasion dark places are dark for a reason, but the player
is provided more than enough flares to meet all conceivable
needs. There's been some discussion in the stuck threads
about the secrets - where they are, how many there are, etc.
- and even the builder shows some lack of certitude about
this. Dutchy has documented 10 of 10 (according to the
official stats) secrets, but there's a place in the second
level that seemed to me to cry out for secret status. That's
the upper room in the lake area that requires a number of
tricky jumps to reach, and you get more goodies there than
any place else. Anyway, I applaud the builder for a job well
done. I spent about three hours here, thoroughly enjoyed
myself, and will probably replay this fun raid if I live
long enough." - Phil (11-Jun-2019) |
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| "Amazed by the art of this author to create natural environments with a perfect geometry; I take my hat. The texturization is very good too, with high resolution textures and always well aplied with few defects. You'll find many dark areas, but never black and always with a lot of flares to light the way. An adequate dose of exploration, hints for the puzzles, not very hard to find the secrets, well balanced enemies, enough pickups, good use of sounds and cameras... Really a small jewel you can't miss. Highly recommended. Thanks, Vaclav!!!" - Jose (11-Jun-2019) |
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| "Excelent, equilibrated difficulty, great atmospheres, very
beautiful level." - Luisa (10-Jun-2019) |
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| "This is an Egyptian themed set of two maps. The visuals
are very well executed, with great use of modern Egypt
textures, varied geometry and good lighting; there's
nothing super-surprising, but what it's going for is
handled about as well as it can be. Both the terrain
exterior of the first map and the indoor ruins of the
second that make up their respective main "hubs" are
great looking. The gameplay isn't especially challenging,
but there's a good mix of tasks and multiple
puzzles/traps with nicely implemented clues (I couldn't
work out one or two without trial and error, but, based
on the majority of clues, I give the benefit of the doubt
that I just missed something). Like the visuals there's
nothing super surprising or original, but it rarely goes
wrong in what it's aiming for, and you'd have a tough job
finding better levels for this Egyptian style. A strong
set of levels, and Sabatu's gradual improvement has been
nice to see." - Mman (09-Jun-2019) |
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| "Beautiful and very atmospheric. Eye candy textures. I
really loved that, the grandeur throughout, and everything
in between, much action and quite a few puzzles plus much
exploration. Being chased by a fire wraith along platforms
in the dark as well as the way one enters the final combat
really were moments to be remembered. I felt some of the
puzzles were a bit... too puzzling and so were some of the
paths. Of course you can say that's basically my problem;
still, being the reviewer here, that's where my 9 in
gameplay comes from - not that I think anything was badly
crafted in any way. So, yeah, it is still possible to
create great Egyptian levels and this one is obviously
highly recommended." - Jorge22 (04-Jun-2019) |
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| "Now, this is about as good as it gets in
the classic style. Extremely high quality
raiding in a sumptuous looking setting.
The textures and lighting are absolutely
gorgeous (the dark spots aren't at all
inconvenient as they are few and far
between), the atmosphere (complimented by
the usage of some majestic audio files) is
brilliantly convincing and the gameplay is
always involving and never runs out of
steam. On occasion, you may stumble upon
the actual puzzles before you find the
respective hints but even if you do, you
don't have to retrace your steps too far
to find them. Enemies are quite fearsome,
consisting of mainly giant scorpions and
demigods (and do save some of the more
powerful ammo for the final boss), but
nothing overwhelming and supplies are
profuse anyway. I could probably pick out
many highlights, but the huge climb up the
pyramid, the hunt for the 10 secrets and
the numerous hieroglyph puzzles definitely
stand out. The only very minor gripe is
that the curved jumps did get a bit
tedious when they had to be repeated, but
it pales into insignificance when you
consider the wonderful experience here.
Highly recommended!" - Ryan (04-Jun-2019) |
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| "This is great fun. It’s a two part adventure set in some really gorgeous surroundings and boasts a good roundelay of action, occasionally quite head scratching puzzles, traps and enemies. Some of the clues you need to solve puzzles are not exactly close to hand and on one occasion I’d solved a puzzle empirically, only to find the relevant clue later on. It neither stopped the action nor spoiled the enjoyment however. I think possibly my favourite part was finding the route up and down the great pyramid – a lovely nostalgic moment – and my least favourite the underwater maze, which luckily wasn’t a long segment. Overall, I had a very good time. Just one word of warning – don’t use too much fire power on the giant scorpions as you’ll need a fair bit for the boss ending. Unmissable." - Jay (02-Jun-2019) |
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| "This hits all "classic" boxes as best as it can and is as double-edged as every other game of this type: you can either play it or just imagine it in your head because there is no surprise, no twist, nothing out of the box. I'm waiting for a moment when Sabatu (and some other builders) dare push it further than stock resources allow, and make something literally "custom" as those levels are meant to be." - DJ Full (01-Jun-2019) |
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| "I played some levels of Sabatu but this one is without a doubt the best.
Apart from some details seen in this level, the set is exactly the kind of level that I like. Great spaces beautiful, beautifully textured and illuminated, well placed enemies, very good audios, and a nice non-linear gameplay. So the few details that I encountered: the final boss disappeared after a few shots with the gun (I had to resume an earlier backup), a jump to the jumpswitch not easy(for secret), and some textures a little crushed (very little) . Found 5 secrets.The set is quite simple to play and I highly recommend for fans of Egypt levels." - Drakan (29-May-2019) |
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| "This is a well-balanced two level set from Sabatu. There's a nice diverse range of environments to explore, ranging from rocky canyons, subterranean puzzle rooms, oasis temple complexes and the buried pyramid itself. Gameplay is pretty solid throughout, and was never excruciatingly difficult for this raider. This is a level that is best played with eyes open. Had an easier time of it after I started paying attention to the small details. Sabatu did something very different with the location of hints, and unless you make a lucky guess (push puzzles and tile-jump puzzles come to mind) the hunt for the hint will take you longer than the actual puzzle solution. Sure, some things can be done by process of elimination, but it's much easier to just keep your eyes open. Sometimes this causes some unneeded frustration, as some parts of the first level were not linear (oasis temple complex) and I solved a puzzle for which I later found the hint. I really want to score gameplay a perfect ten but I can't due to this quibble that has the potential to cause a lot of frustration. That being said, I thought that the rest of the gameplay flowed nicely and Lara and I were able to keep moving along at a nice clip. There are plenty of pickups along the way, which allowed me to blow away the nonhuman enemies easily. The atmosphere is great, thanks in part to the use of some excellent sound effects and ambient BGM. Lighting and texturing were nicely done, creating an environment that I had a hard time walking away from. Spent about 2.5 hours with this one and snagged 8 of 10 secrets my first pass through." - Chel (27-May-2019) |
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| "A great adventure. Very impressive with big areas and a
great atmosphere. The background audio loops are perfect
and Sabatu has also come up with different sfx sounds for
some enemies and objects. We can almost feel there are
hidden mechanisms in the ground when a door opens
somewhere , and the sound of the Egyptians dogs are more
demonic. It is beautifully done, somehow in a realistic
kind of way while we can feel the threats in some places.
Gameplay is right up my alley : exploration , finding
your way with jumps around big areas , and many puzzles
with Hyeroglyph symbols. There are a few traps too.
I noticed only a few (very minor) defects : a palmtree
not attached to the ground or a few textures not applied
as they should , and in the middle part of the first
level some cameras shew me some areas and doors i had not
reached yet but probably it was just me not raiding in
the most logical or optimized way.
Several times in your progression , you can choose to
raid 3 paths in the order you want, i like that.
Some parts are unforgettable : the great setting at the
beginning, the climbing of the great pyramid , the
challenge with the fire wraith...
The second level is shorter (and perhaps less impressive
than the first but that one was so great that it was
impossible to top it), as you have reached a big
underground water area under the pyramid ; it is still
quite good : you swim a lot , solve puzzles with symbols
, fight giant black scorpions and the boss at the end.
Frankly i really loved raiding here in this 3 hours of
net gaming time game which i found relaxing. Great job ,
gorgeous setting and atmosphere and very pleasant to
play. Thank you Sabatu !" - eRIC (26-May-2019) |
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| "An excellent two-parter set in Egypt that retains a satisfying amount of challenge in its gameplay(in spite of several puzzles being unnecessarily obtuse with letting you know whether they've been solved or not). But outside of that issue and the lack of necessary camerashots, the rest of the game's overall quality more than makes up for it(with incredibly immersive environments that you can't help but stop to admire as you take in the breathtaking atmosphere in-between exploration and gunning down of threats in your path). Even managed to find half the secrets miraculously which is rarely ever the case for me. So what are you waiting for? Give this one a go!" - Ceamonks890 (25-May-2019) |
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