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BtB2020 - A Debt in Tibet by Tombraider95

Adrian 10 10 10 9
Allicya 6 9 10 10
BlackWolfTR 10 9 10 10
Dick 10 10 10 9
DJ Full 8 9 10 9
eRIC 9 9 9 9
HaniHeger 6 8 8 10
Jay 9 9 10 10
Jorge22 8 10 10 10
Jose 4 10 10 10
Josey 8 9 10 10
Lizard Queen 8 9 9 10
Magnus 6 6 6 6
manarch2 8 8 9 9
MichaelP 9 10 10 9
MigMarado 10 9 10 10
Mman 9 9 9 10
Mytly 9 9 9 9
nad 9 10 10 10
Nomad 9 9 10 10
Phil 9 10 10 10
Relic Hunter 9 9 10 10
Ryan 9 9 10 10
Saki Croft 9 9 10 10
Samu 9 9 9 9
Topixtor 9 8 8 9
Torry 7 9 9 8
Treeble 10 10 10 10
 
release date: 14-Jun-2020
# of downloads: 151

average rating: 9.11
review count: 28
 
review this level

file size: 146.00 MB
file type: TR4
class: Oriental
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
bsmy95@hotmail.co.uk

Reviewer's comments
"This level started out with so much promise but slowly morphed into a switch hunt that became so confusing you had to play with the walk through at your side. I actually thought the trek back to the wrecked plane to get Lara's pistols was inspired and I really enjoyed this side track but once I got back to the village it became a depressing slog. The final battle I found was best managed by simply avoiding the beast as he could not hit you if you kept on the move. Thanks to Saki Croft else I would never have found my way. Guys, levels do not need to be this complex." - Torry (26-Nov-2022)
"Well, that was a pretty good level. The surroundings obviously looked beautiful and were quite rich in textures, reflecting the characteristics of Tibetan setting perfectly as expected in these Back to Basics levels. Add to this the snow and freezing water etc. as a result the adventure had a lot of immersion. And the game had surprising layers for just one level, making me feel like I played through three levels instead: the initial village- y area, the temple grounds section, and the dangerous underground parts. I enjoyed each of these sub-levels, my favorite being the peaceful village parts. There is just something about exploring a cozy little village, if it can be called that at least. Like exploring a new town that you've just moved to, with no rush or fear of attack from any corner, and I guess it all feels real. The huge temple section was all about finding Lara's gear and also the prayer wheels and the like, and it all was colorful and exploratory fun, if unfortunately laggy. It reminded me at parts of my most favorite TR level ever the Barkhang Monastery and the reason wasn't just the textures or the Prayer Wheels. The only negative criticism I have about this part are those out-of-place feeling mice, which annoyed me a lot although they were avoidable with a basic reload. The last part consisted of classic tomb raiding, and was also in general handled well, featuring some traps that weren't over the top or anything. However the final area while exciting on its own, became a chore by making me do the same tasks a few times, but didn't affect my good opinions about the level much. The balancing of action and exploration was just right for my tastes and in my opinion true to Tomb Raider spirit. Another aspect which always helps custom levels is the existence of a plausible plot and so bonus points for this solid adventure, good job!" - Nomad (13-Nov-2022)
"A good level which loses a lot because of the package lagging... It should be obligatorily ported into TombEngine when it's out, to prevent this issue and give it a new life. I liked picking up the 5 plaques and 4 wheels - although a bit random, they provided nice chaptering for the plot. The final bossfight, omg, that could have been a bit less. And the cave backtrack was absolutely unnecessary. But everything else is in place, so I'll give it a low nine." - DJ Full (11-Jul-2022)
"What a massive adventure! Whenever I thought of coming close to the end of it, it just kept opening up some more and went on and on, but it actually kept getting more and more interesting along the way. The initial cosy village area is more about exploration and finding that next move you need to make, the siode adventure to get to the crash site is kind of eerie, going through the caves and from there you move on to classic and very diverse action oriented raiding in and around the temples with plenty of traps, a few enemies and lots of acrobatics for Lara. I can advise you to not be too generous in consuming medipacks, as you make take damage along the way if not careful. The other stand out in this game is the ten secret skulls to find (of which I proudly collected 9), even if some of them seem to be just lying around in corners, but others take some keen observation to collect them. Eventually it all ends on a high note in a grand finale boss room and without a doubt you will have a great sense of accomplishment when you hit that final stats screen - awesome level! [165 min]" - MichaelP (29-Aug-2020)
"I hadn’t even started this level, and I already hated all of the villagers. The story is about Lara crashing an airplane (yes, another one) and being told very sternly by her rescuers that she owes them one now, and she’s not leaving until she’s risked her life to retrieve a tacky trinket for them. Lara’s pistols were left behind at the wreckage, so you start the level without any weapons (presumably to keep you from immediately shooting up the place). You get to spend quite some time without your guns as you explore the village and try to make your way back to the crash site, and along the way you see plenty of things to shoot (boxes, windows, a bell, the odd monk). I quite liked this, because it felt really good to come back and finally get to shoot everything. The level is somewhat non-linear, as you spend a lot of time finding first five and then four key items, but they’re generally nearby, so the level never feels that sprawling. It is still rather long though, at eighty minutes net gaming time. The gameplay is pretty standard, with some platforming and traps and eleven levels into this year’s competition, there was little here that stood out. The level looks nice enough, but it failed to impress me. This is one of the more dreary-looking villages in BtB 2020. I was also a bit annoyed by the cracks that appear around objects set into the wall - an issue that crops up fairly often. Overall, I had a good enough time, but I still think Lara should have left the village to rot." - Magnus (27-Aug-2020)
"This is the 11th level in the BTB series I chose in sequence of the least downloaded at the time. What I liked about the level: 1) This is a stunningly beautiful level. The outside vistas are truly wow moments. I particularly love the outer pagodas with the deep green roofs and the inner temple with the 2 floor levers with sunlight streaming down into the shimmering pool below… so beautiful. 2) Out of all the search quests, I enjoyed the prayer wheels the most and of course… the catapult platforms!! Just when I thought there was only one, I walked over what I thought was a carpet and poof!! … catapulted into the air again! Scared the heck out of me, but I simply loved it. 3) I liked how if you stayed calm and did not move after the trap door dropped, you could shoot the large chicken Yeti from a safe place with pistols only and a lot of patience, which is my preferred enemy fighting style. What I didn’t like: 1) The computer lag (as in other levels with large open areas) was quite prevalent for me. I know it’s the sacrifice for having such magnificent vistas to view, but I think I would have given up some of those vistas just to have less lag as it did start to interfere with my enjoyment of the level. 2) Missing out on the grenade gun at the nasty timed run because I chose the left door instead of the right?? Sheesh, have a heart will ya? 3) I think (and is only my opinion) that the level could have done without the plaque search quest at the beginning as I found it a bit too long and the plaques very obscure to find. The subsequent quests remaining in the level are more than sufficient to hold the level. All in all, another excellent level with beautiful vistas and very good gameplay. Not sure if the timed run with the rolling spikes would hinder beginner or average players from completing the level on their own steam, so maybe more suitable for experts in this regard." - Lizard Queen (27-Aug-2020)
"I had fun playing this level. It has been frustrating at the start of the level without any weapons but it's not a big problem since you take them and then you have to backtrace, typical thing of TR old style! Which I really appreciate. I liked how the builder used the items and objects on the level, the puzzles where quite hard, but not so much, for me. I could handle them without any problem. It is funny and challenging to find all secrets. The area, with the big central torc, reminded me about TR2, especially the fight with the giant owl if we can call it like that. I appreciated a lot the sounds from TRL. I like how the textures has been disposed, all colorful and very typical for Tibetan levels. So these are my votes for this level! Nice work, hope to play other magnificent level from this builder whoever he/she is! You can find the video walk on my YT channel :)" - Saki Croft (26-Aug-2020)
"I found it a little hard to get started in this level, as there are many houses in the village at the beginning that you can explore, but you can’t really make much progress until you find the guns. But once I opened up the temple area and proceeded on to the crash site (where Lara can retrieve her pistols), the level flowed more smoothly. The gameplay in this level can be pretty challenging, especially the timed runs and traps during the quest for the prayer wheels. I must join with the other reviewers in hating the timed run with the rolling blades; though the one I disliked the most was the one for the jumpswitch in the main hall of the monastery. That said, most of the tasks are quite enjoyable; I particularly liked the tasks in the room with the bounce pads. I also enjoyed the boss fight very much, or rather, the complex set of challenges involved in deactivating the Seth-type boss (since he can’t actually be killed).
Most of the 10 secrets are not hard to find – some are even just lying out in the open – but in some cases, their placement is unfair. For example, one is placed behind one of two identical doors that you can go through for the rolling blades timed run; and if you chance to go through the wrong door, there is no way to get that secret.
The looks and atmosphere of this level are mostly excellent; the village and temple area at the beginning, as well as the interior of the monastery later on are particularly lovely and dripping with atmosphere. However, the underground areas can be a tad bland and dark, or at least not quite as impressive.
Overall: A beautiful and mostly enjoyable level, though the timed runs and traps can be a bit daunting. Recommended." - Mytly (25-Aug-2020)
"I found the city at the beginning of the game fantastic, really gave me a nice felling and looked real, the atmosphere in this game is really well done. I really liked that for you to get the 5 plaques, all of them needed the use of your gear, making this part of the game not appear linear, even if it is..? There were some challenges that were too difficult: one of the time runs. And others just boring or annoying: those spike doors with bad collisions. These things almost made me gave up on the level, thinking that the whole thing would be like that... The puzzles however, were much fun to do and figure out, moments where you had to make jumps to platforms as well, and the use of this new mechanic of climbing up or jumping backwards from a ledge were fun too and used well. The finale with the boss fight really helped to have closure to the level and gave that epic felling! Felt like some use with the cameras was needed to show when and what door was opened though. Some players may have problems finishing this level as it tries to be far too challenging, that is, not in a good way but in an annoying one, which is a shame for a level with such awesome visuals, that goes beyond this btb2020's WAD." - HaniHeger (06-Aug-2020)
"This is a very varied level thematically, with a town and monastery as the centrepiece but several other areas branching off, including a long trip through natural terrain to a crash site, and various ruins underneath the monastery area. It all transitions well with itself and looks good with strong lighting and texturing and distinctive styles for each area. It also uses a range of objects to support the theme shifts too. Some parts look a bit less good, but there are many areas, and the majority looks great. The gameplay has a lot of elements too; you start with no equipment and need to go to the crash site to get started, with mostly exploration to begin things. Then you start exploring the monastery area and traps and other obstacles start to ramp up, with a nice difficulty curve as a result. The backtracking after the trip to the crash site is a bit much, and the final "battle" is kind of odd (the actions you have to do are a little repetitive and the boss isn't much of a factor). Despite those issues this is likely to be high on my favourites list with it's well-realised setting and slowly building gameplay design." - Mman (05-Aug-2020)
"Visually this level looks great and includes many wide areas filled with lots of details. Gameplay-wise, the level starts a little slow with some item/switch hunting and a long trail that leads to your guns. After receiving the guns, you need to do quite a bit of backtracking to get back to where you started, which was slightly tedious in my opinion. However, the gameplay gets more interesting soon and I had tons of fun exploring the surrounding and completing some tough platforming tasks on the way. I liked especially the room with jump pads and the boss battle in the end was epic. Overall, it’s a great level, which I can highly recommend." - Samu (01-Aug-2020)
"The level progresses in quite diverse environments: one cute Tibetan village (I loved this part), one snowy crash site (really masterfully done, congratulations), dark and somewhat labyrinthic caves, and some beautiful, imposing temples. The challenges are varied, according to the environment, some terribly difficult to manage (as that timed run with rolling blades and invisible walls at the end, when Lara is scratched by a blade; I couldn't do it at all, thanks, Nad, for your save!), some of medium difficulty (the climbing of a trapped pole, the swinging of a rope to the next one), some of boring difficulty (what about that Wraith that kept returning?), some great fun indeed (I love jumping pads, sounding bells, and hubs with several rooms, each one with its tasks and purposes). The slow motion at some places disheartened me a little, and frankly, I didn't enjoy the Seth's sequence...it had too many repeated actions and backtracks. Anyway, a sound, beautiful, strong competitor for this contest. Thank you!" - Josey (24-Jul-2020)
"Another giant of a level but one that better fits its size than some of the other whoppers. In other words: A Debt In Tibet felt coherent throughout, with the various sections supporting the whole. I didn’t get the sense that extra gameplay was just ‘bolted on’ at the end. The level plays at a fairly high intensity from start to finish as new tasks come thick and fast. There was nothing really that irritated me - just the lag which forced me down to a cruder display setting, but, as I said in another BtB review, I’m not going to penalize any levels for that. One of my favourites. Well done." - Dick (21-Jul-2020)
"This is not a level, this is a mini-game, full of exploration, adventure, jumping around, fighting, everything.
You get to explore a village, to find the difficult path to a crash site, to grab a tone of objects, to explore a trap-ridden temple. Everything!
The only thing I think could be better are the enemies. They were many, some of them were tough. The problem was that with so many weapons and medipacks, I found them easy to get by all the time. Literally, always.
This minor caveat does not take away from this behemoth of a level. It is pure joy!
I truly loved this! Congratulations and keep 'em comin'! Thank you!" - MigMarado (18-Jul-2020)
"The contest ends for me with another good entry that just misses to be excellent. There are many interesting touches in the gameplay mixed with rather easy and almost dull parts. I really liked the path to the pistols but then the backtracking is a bit boring. Most of the plaques you have to find to enter the monastery are just hidden somewhere in the open map, and when you enter the monastery, two of the four prayer wheels do not really pose a challenge to acquire. However, I enjoyed some of the trap sequences in this one as well as the timed runs; though I'm amazed that my fellow reviewers complain so much about one where you just have to sprint diagonally through a room with a bit of good timing, I made an experiment and managed it in 19 of 20 (!!!) tries and IMO there are even harder ones in this level... whatever. Nevertheless, I have the feeling that the level had the potential for even more, and there are too many easy parts in this one despite the good ones being really good. The secrets were also not so well hidden, most of them are scattered somewhere on the map just like the plaques, maybe one or two require a bit more thought. The looks are quite authentic here with very clean texturing, decent usage of sounds and cameras and also very solid architecture; I loved the plane area and the main hall of the monastery, the rest is good too but not that impressive, also with a bit more contrast in terms of lighting, especially outside. I found one raising block in the village where Lara could drop into which was a bit odd but forgivable, otherwise I didn't run into any problems. If you don't have extremely high expectations, this raid can be a very satisfying and enjoyable one. Finished in 1:05 hours." - manarch2 (15-Jul-2020)
"This is truly a herculean effort, and I marvel at the builder's ability to conceive and execute this gem within the time constraints imposed by the BtB competition. The action proceeds without letup from start to finish, and although I was definitely not dragging my feet my game clock registered more than three hours by the time I finished. I played and wrote walkthroughs for other levels while playing this one, as I felt it needed to be savored a little bit at a time. Dutchy's walkthrough documents everything quite well, so I was never at a loss at where to go or what next to do. The ten well-scattered secrets provide nothing more than a skull pickup and the satisfaction of getting them, but the side excursions are worth the extra effort. The middle segment that takes place within a temple complex is sheer beauty. The one perhaps unfair touch was a brief timed run made artificially difficult by an ill-advised obstacle placed right next to the switch, and furthermore an invisible barrier kept you from getting past the timed door even if you reached it in time. The only time I was able to conquer it was when I managed to avoid even touching one of those roller blades. Even if you merely grazed one, that seemed enough to raise the invisible block. I don't know if this was intended by the builder or not, but it put a bad taste in my mouth. In all other respects, especially that concluding boss room with the high adrenalin flow, the level is nothing short of perfection. High recommendations." - Phil (13-Jul-2020)
"2h55 5/10 secrets found. Long level quite satisfying that we can divide in 3 parts : exploration of a little town and icy caves , a monastery full of traps and some puzzles , then diverse areas with traps again and bigger enemies. The tasks are rather easy generally with a few ones more challenging , but not so hard. A few details did not work so well in the monastery : the fire elemental that keep reappearing (it stopped showing up again after exiting the game and reloading a savegame), Lara could jump through a double doors located in the water without opening it, and the builder has textured with the transparency colour some walls behind objects , so points of light surrounder these objects and that spoils a bit the looks which otherwise are beautiful. Aside from these little details the level is beautifully made with lots of care , surely by one of the most competent builders , with some good ideas in the tasks to be done. Imo, one of the better levels of this BtB edition." - eRIC (08-Jul-2020)
"This was excellent in ways. It was also vast as the entire universe it contains. It starts in a small Tibetan village and to me, along with the mountain sections, that was the best part of the level. I didn't like it so much when all the blades came in kind of suddenly. After that, it was good, quite adventurous but not as annoying as annoying blades can be. Well, not actually annoying as even the final earthquake, one of Tomb Raider's most annoying features, was very brief. To sum it up, Lara has to go into multiple quests before she can get the Seraph back to the villagers as a means of repaying them for saving her life after a plane crash. The settings are generally very good and I can't fault the atmosphere. The timed run in the rolling blades room is near impossible (so much so it easily leads one to believe there's some kind of invisible block where the doors stand) and the fire wraith shortly afterwards takes quite a few tries (four, in my case) to die, which I believe could have been avoided. But the final enemies, main boss included, bring in a thrill, but not a nuisance because they seem to have been carefully planned and Lara has enough guns, ammo and medipacks to defeat one and all. I didn't find all of the secrets, but I think 8 were satisfying for someone like me, not a natural-born secret hunter. So... It could have been better if it had been more relaxed, but I mostly enjoyed it just the same." - Jorge22 (07-Jul-2020)
"Oh, wow. This was truly epic. I loved the level at first sight, with the small but cozy village where you set off after the garuda plaques, and I spent well over an hour just on that quest alone only to be faced with another quest, inside the temple itself, which lead to another, and then another. I think this level pretty much covers everything you can expect out of this year's event, as you have the town, temples, icy mountains and caves, and even underground chambers where the grand finale (which also pits you against two smaller bosses during the main fight) takes place. It's also a gorgeous level from beginning to end; I am positive this will be among the top entries this year. 125 minutes, 6 secrets. 06/20" - Treeble (06-Jul-2020)
"This level is beautiful. Loved the village the monastery and the complexity of the scenery. My favorite part was the way for the dual pistols in the crash site. I didn't like the gameplay when the player has to find multiple plates to open a monastery. Too many plates hidden in multiple different places and the player can easily get lost and stuck until solve this part of the level. Perhaps if the level had less plates hidden or a different gameplay flow this could have been a better experience. After solving this ter gameplay gets ok. Stunning visuals but the gameplay could have been stronger. I recommend the level though,specially because most of the gameplay is good and the visual is stunning." - Allicya (02-Jul-2020)
"What an absolutely exhaustive yet exhilarating level. This is another entry in the competition that exceeds the recommended one hour remit by at least twice as much, but I'm not complaining, quite on the contrary because this is so supremely constructed in every possible manner. The environments, texturing and architecture definitely among the most exquisite I've ever witnessed in a custom level and the gameplay meshes together in a most satisfying way. The exploration of the main village area is initially rather confusing and the backtracking between that area and the crash site did get a bit excessive, but once you start to open up the various temple doors, explore the rooms behind them and obtain the different artifacts, it all works out very nicely and the possibilities for confusion are therefore greatly reduced. Gameplay is nicely pitched at a moderate difficulty level, although one timed run past rolling blades might be a bit too difficult to conquer for some raiders and I had an odd issue with a wraith that kept respawning at various intervals, although it wasn't a major issue. This competition has been a cracker so far, and I'm not even halfway through. Highly recommended." - Ryan (01-Jul-2020)
"Likely to be a top 3 candidate. A long (over 4hrs for me) saunter starting by exploring a beautiful Tibetan village then a dash across the Monastery courtyard avoiding the immortal, yet aggressive monks, to search through the mountains for your plane and the all important pistols. Some good climbing required. Loved the mercenary falling from the bridge to be found on the ground below it. Then back to do the Monastery which had varied game play and onto the underground finale via a teleport of all things! A shame about the seraph door trigger, but I played it both ways - the intended way was much more satisfying. Overall a real pleasure to play." - Adrian (01-Jul-2020)
"I was really impressed by the design, amazing architecture and texturization of this extraordinary level, the bery best environments I saw in all this contest (still 4 levels remaining). I take my hat. There are also variety of tasks, well balanced enemies, great atmosphere... But I can't give a 5 or more in the gameplay section if I'm not be able to finish a level by myself. A pain. The timed run in the room with the three rolling wheels to get one of the books was totally impossible for me; trying it dozens of times with different strategies. Also, the global gameplay was not very friendly for me to like, too much no-lineal, in the first part I was exploring a lot of time the village and the temple area finding often dead ends 'cause I didn't have the pistols; later, I took the long and laborious way to the crash site and get the guns, and came back to the village, but after taking a lot of tasks, I never found the last plaque and I had to take all the long way back to the bridge in the crash site to get it, and again the long way back to the village. From now on, the gameplay in the temples was better, except for the very nasty timed run, so I was forced to download a savegame (thanks G&D) to continue playing and finish the level. Sorry but it was my unpleasant experience playing this adventure." - Jose (01-Jul-2020)
"This is one of the longer entries in the competition and it certainly is action packed. Before Lara can really get stuck into some solid raiding, she has to leave the pretty village to retrieve her equipment from the plane crash site and then the fun really starts. There’s a great deal of exploring to do in the large monastery area and some really enjoyable tasks to achieve. I especially enjoyed the bounce pad room, but all the different areas contained very well devised tasks of varying degrees of difficulty. I should say there’s something for everyone in this level, although it does require a bit of experience. Good boss ending too!" - Jay (28-Jun-2020)
"A very nice level that starts in a Tibetan village. Here Lara has to master some tasks before she can enter the monastery. The outside facilities of the monastery are very spacious and well designed. In general the whole thing is built on a very high level. The tasks in the monastery belong to the more demanding ones and are partly difficult, but they are still well manageable. There is a lot to explore and collect, which is entirely to my taste. I also found the gameplay quite good, since one rarely deviated from the intended course. Even at the crash site you quickly found the right way. The level is one of the longer ones, which didn't bother me much. In the monastery area there is still an underground area. The lighting is right here as well and the textures are very well chosen. A very nicely designed level, which is one of my favourites." - nad (26-Jun-2020)
"This one gave me some mixed feeling, at least at the start, but it kept getting mostly better as the game proceeded. The variety of tasks and settings was great, ranging from TRLegends vibes to classic TR2 monastery and catacombs to a mix of everything. Atmosphere was nicely done almost everywhere, with some exceptions (for example: after you move the big wheel to enter the last section of the game, there is an opening from where light and snow are descedning, but we should be underground in the middle of a mountain...); the starting village was pretty nice but nothing extraordinary, as I said the game starts shining after getting in the big courtyard and even more after entering the monastery and catacombs: I enjoyed the hunt for the ten secrets and the main gameplay makes great uses of bells, jump pads and everything the set can offer, including a couple of nicely executed boss fights (even if the hammergods where completely bugged) and a lot of traps, some of which served more as elements of the scenery than actual threats, giving a sense of "ruined place" wich I personally liked, so not many negative things about it. I never found the shotgun despite finding all secrets, I guess it was near the two mercenaries but oh well, there was LOTS of ammo for all the other weapons anyway considering how enemies were not many until the ending section (so, too many pickups, as always for my taste). Didn't like that the monks wanted to attack Lara and were unkillable but I'm guessing that's a set limitation since they seem based on the undead crusaders from TR4. Lighting was a strong point, and textures were too even if not perfect in my opinion. Reccomended, varied and long enough but leaving you wanting for more!" - Topixtor (20-Jun-2020)
"Very good, long and wonderful level. I really liked gameplay. We need to collect many things in different locations. There was many traps and nice puzzles. The locations was very nicely done. Wonderful athmosphere and environment. My favourite location was village. I really love villages and here it was very beautiful and we have more to do here. Also very liked monastery. All rooms are very nicely textured and lighted. We also had some really cool battle with bosses. I got 7/10 secrets, some of there were easy to find. I completed this adventure in 2 hours and 28 minutes. I definitely reccomend this game. Thanks!" - BlackWolfTR (18-Jun-2020)
"Absolutely splendid from start to finish! I was drawn in from the get-go with the storyline provided in the level info being actually present in the game itself as Lara starts her adventure in the Tibetan village she was rescued, and in return, Lara has to retrieve the Seraph hidden deep beneath the dormant monastery. First things first though - we help Lara get to the plane wreck she survived to retrieve her trusty pistols, and with guns in tow we make our way back to the village where the level begins to open up further. The village itself is fascinating in its quaint design and enclosure, with its houses furnished in a logical manner and varied in construction thanks to the diagonal walls. The monastery courtyard, the caves, and the plane wreck are also impressively built out with scenery and visual effects to bring the most out of those set pieces. The top-notch atmosphere continues inside the monastery, in the catacombs beneath, and in the final showdown room as well, making this adventure a visual marvel. The gameplay holds up very well too - there is mostly a focus on exploration with light puzzle solving. Starting gently with exploring the initial village and ramping up in difficulty as Lara retrieves her guns from the plane wreck before returning to the village and using her weaponry to open new areas. I know most levels are panned for backtracking, however, this backtrack was done well as the journey back with guns adds additional gameplay elements and some satisfaction in mowing down the snow leopards and some mercenaries on the way back. The monastery adds new thrills with traps to overcome and platforming to provide variety, providing the right pacing that leads to a face-off against a bird monster and the eventual showdown with a Tibet-style Seth and his hammer demigod minions. If I had to critique something it would be that the wall buttons were not very obvious and I was stuck trying to get the last Garuda plate for some time until I learned what they look like in this year's Back to Basics edition through pushing action on everything. The jump switches in the monastery tended to blend a little too well with the texturing too. Very minor nitpicks though overall. From start to finish this was a great adventure - I spent nearly 3 hours in-game time and found 9 of the 10 secrets. Highly recommended, and a for-sure top 3 contender this year. Major kudos to the author!" - Relic Hunter (17-Jun-2020)