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Temple of Bastet by Colin Benson

DJ Full 5 8 6 8
donna 7 7 7 8
eRIC 8 8 8 8
Jay 8 8 8 8
JesseG 5 8 7 7
Jose 5 7 7 9
Phil 9 9 9 9
Ryan 8 8 8 8
 
release date: 30-Jun-2020
# of downloads: 79

average rating: 7.59
review count: 8
 
review this level

file size: 41.90 MB
file type: TR4
class: Egypt
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
hh33@mts.net

Reviewer's comments
"I'm not a fan of Colin's levels but this one begins particularly bad, with multiple doors open, multiple sarcophagi to examine, multiple vases to shoot, multiple items to pick up and multiple enemies to fight without any stronger weapon provided, but the most dragging thing is going through every passage only to find multiple crowbar beetles you don't have the crowbar for. Again: don't PRETEND the game is non-linear if you demand a linear progress because you achieve nothing except from wasting player time... After 15 minutes I was already bored and skeptical but then I entered some good looking rooms and after 30 minutes I eventually found the crowbar. Then I cursed that puzzle which has you pull a far remote switch to open one door and close another, only to force multiple passaging back from the door to the switch and back from the switch to the other door, the same way the earlier, although more forgiveable block was forcing multiple pushing. What's the point in such design other than to annoy a player? Then I realized the shotgun was there all the time, in one of those rooms where I was supposed to check a short corridor to the right but I just happened to pick a long corridor to the left... sigh - why not to put major items in front of your eyes? So, so so many bad decisions, and it was only 1/3 through. Guess what happened at 2/3, then - I eventually collected four sapphires and found that secret bonus with all the weapons I was missing all this time, in the penultimate corridor checked. And when I look back in time, while appreciating signatures and trademarks, that one was the problem with this builder every single time he released anything. Eventurally, I got out to the sunny patio where I would be able to relax, if I wasn't too taxed and tired to do so. That only to find an obligatory invisible pad jumping. Then an obligatory dark maze. Then another set of rooms, constructed like a frigging fractal spreading in all directions. Then another long trip to the secret room, because it's placed in the middle so wherever you are, it's too far to go back to. And then, even more fractal-like rooms... for all this time, I was wondering how much of this monstrosity is still ahead and when it's going to end. That was when I posted this review, because I was so bored I took several writing breaks to procrastinate with the game, and by this very moment, I knew nothing would save the rating, even if Titak dropped a guest area of 40/10. SUMMARY: I just don't get it. Same thing over and over. Colin, Opaque and Osvaldo, the unholy, never changing trinity. Why not to build ONE magnificient location, organize the design around it, then switch the setting so it's not so tiresome? Optionally throw in some creative ideas to spice it up... it's not really difficult, it's simple and it always works, so I don't understand why you guys keep persisting in what will never do. CONDENSED SUMMARY: Pretty. Very pretty, and perfect beyond the uncanny extent, but it gives much less than the ratings might indicate. NOT recommended." - DJ Full (25-Oct-2020)
"Yes, this is a level that's much easier to play with Dutchy's walkthrough close at hand from start to finish, and no, this crutch didn't lessen in the slightest my enjoyment of the gaming experience. It's a complex raid, to be sure, but a fair one, and if you have no scruples against knowing in advance what's to come next, a thoroughly delightful one as well. The builder has used many of his trademark devices here, notably the use of secret crystals that provide access to all the accoutrements one could ever need and more. Sadly, we also have the obligatory dark areas and a bit more backtracking than I like, but the surroundings are consistently eye-pleasing and presented in a balanced mix of indoor and outdoor settings. The only change I would suggest is some reward for finding all of the 70 well-spaced coins, most of which are lying in plain sight but which have no utility whatsover. I was able to squeeze nearly five hours of net gaming time out of these two closely connected levels, and I can recommend it heartily." - Phil (16-Oct-2020)
"More than three months and only 5 reviews? I think the builder needs to take note about this and simply re-think about the kind of gameplay he offers to the players. The levels are very well builded, taking much care with the architecture and texturization, I take my hat in this sense. But what can find the players when playing? No puzzles to solve and only a gameplay based about a very huge exploration to pull switches and find artifacts to open doors. Of course, that's not all, there are also some timed sequences, breakable tiles and more, but even so the gameplay is a bit nasty, with a lot of backtracking and sometimes forcing the players to repetitive tasks like the pool room with two ropes in the second level; another times there are very tedious tasks like the unnecessary crawling (more than half an hour to explore all four holes) or the black pitched rooms always with flare in hand a very long time. The secrets are well hidden, and the option to choose your reward was a good idea; I found enough ammo, pickups and guns to deal with the numerous enemies, but I missed some more musics in certain areas. What are all those coins for? And what about all that tiny ruby switches in the second level? The truth is that I have to congratulate this builder for his big effort, but this time I really get disoriented and it gave me the impression that I was wasting my time with unnecessary tasks, dead ends and backtracking. If you decide to take a try, better download first the excellent G&D productions walkthrough." - Jose (08-Oct-2020)
"This two part level does tend to throw a lot of enemies your way, and initially Lara’s backpack is woefully low on supplies. If you find sufficient blue gems however, you can access rooms lavishly provided with goodies. I feel this would have benefited from being a bit shorter and ‘crisper’ as some of the tasks did feel repetitive after a while, but overall I found it enjoyable and the challenge aspect was just right for me. Those always lovely Cleopal settings have been put to effective use too, so the exploration was pleasant. Definitely worth playing." - Jay (17-Aug-2020)
"Maybe my own expectations are to blame for me not enjoying this as much as I'd hoped. Bastet is my favorite Egyptian goddess (what, doesn't everyone have one?), so I was super eager to play this. I'd figured it would have a strong Bastet/cat theme, like the Egypt levels of Unfinished Business, but it really doesn't, aside from a few cat statues. It essentially looks, and plays, like a combination of the Egypt levels of TR1 and TLR. The idea of exchanging secrets for weapons and ammo (seemingly inspired by similar mechanics in Rise and Shadow) is BRILLIANT, the sort of idea that at once is novel and makes you wonder why it's not the standard. I never saw much point in collecting the secrets in TR1-4 since I always played with the all-weapons cheats, so it was fun to have a reason to do it. It's obvious that these levels had an enormous amount of effort and love put into them, so I feel bad for feeling kind of ambivalent... I guess it just wasn't for me. (Side note, the first time I played, the rubies in level 2 glitched: though I'd pressed all of them, the door didn't open, so I had to start all over. That was a bummer.)" - donna (04-Aug-2020)
"Two levels that have the player search for many gold coins, alongside a number of other artifacts needed to progress. Besides combat against skeletons and other creatures, the gameplay is a scavenger hunt, with few traps and puzzles to speak of. The levels, especially the first one, have an overly complicated layout not intuitive from an architectural standpoint, making it hard to start playing again after a break. A very large amount of time is spent backtracking, especially if the player missed any important items. The second level has 12 ruby switches to use, but instead of being objects, they are pixelated red squares embedded in the textures, making them difficult to spot. I was also not a fan of the crawlspace maze or the sand room with invisible ledges, which only seems to be solvable with trial and error. The texturing is good in some areas, but wallpapered in others. Similarly, the lighting is good in some areas, but flat in others. The use of decorative objects is the strongest aspect of this level. In the end it is not a level I would easily recommend, but those who are a fan of scavenger hunts in large environments may wish to give this a go. 3 hours 11 minutes." - JesseG (26-Jul-2020)
"Despite only being a two-parter, there's enough gameplay crammed into this game to occupy you for well over three hours. If you've experienced any of this builder's previous works, you'll recognise many of his familiar trademarks: the secret system that allows you to exchange Sapphires for essential supplies, a strict thematic environment (in this case Cleopatra's Palaces) and gameplay that tends to place more of a focus on exploration rather than frenetic trap avoidance. There's also some neat puzzles, jumping sequences and timed runs mixed in for good measure (the timed sequence in the side room off the dark cave and the impressive platforming area filled with crystal ledges that required you to think laterally and scope out a reliable route beforehand being among the highlights). The enemies are also generally well placed, and it was a neat touch having one particular giant scorpion casually scuttling about as part of the environment rather than being target practice (assuming that was intentional). It's all very well constructed and extremely involving, but the dark labyrinth sections did tend to overstretch themselves a bit and if it hadn't been for the excellent walkthrough, I would have spent far longer in there than I would have cared for. Nonetheless, if you can overlook the occasional longeur, there's undoubtedly some fun to be had here." - Ryan (16-Jul-2020)
"4h20 net gaming time - 64 (35/40 + 29/30) coins and only 6 out of 12 secret gems found but that was sufficient to get enough weaponry to deal with the sometimes numerous enemies : harpies , big beetles , big scorpions , skeletons , dogs and demidogs and a few others. That was a long game where we can recognize the builders's multiple signatures, not only with the secrets system where you can choose which weapon/ammos you want when a blue gem is found, also with the gameplay based mostly on thorough non linear exploration of the maps. Not a lot of traps , a couple of torches puzzles , a couple of timed doors (i largely prefered the one in the first level) , a few puzzles with levers, and some good jumps especially in the last area where you jump with the torch on floating blue crystals. Some good ideas but also time consuming tasks for little reward (a rope swing to get uzi clips or flares). Some rooms are very beautiful. To the classic Cleopatra palace textures and objects the author has added some other stuff, like beautiful plants. The texturing is made with a lot of care and lighting is pleasant. The atmosphere is correct although more could have been done with music and there is a few missing sounds for objects and for the footsteps we only have the stone sfx. A good level for players who like to explore and are challenged to find everything." - eRIC (05-Jul-2020)