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Maze of Abu Simmo by Steve Simpson

alan 5 5 6 6
Andi Croft 8 7 7 8
Dimpfelmoser 7 7 7 7
eRIC 7 7 6 7
Gerty 7 7 7 8
Jay 5 6 6 7
Jerry 5 5 6 5
Jose 3 5 5 5
Kristina 6 6 6 7
Lizard Queen 5 5 5 5
MichaelP 7 6 5 6
RaiderGirl 8 7 7 7
Ryan 5 6 6 6
Sash 8 8 7 8
Scottie 5 5 7 6
Tombaholic 6 5 5 6
Treeble 5 5 5 5
Yoav 6 6 7 7
 
release date: 19-Apr-2001
# of downloads: 61

average rating: 6.14
review count: 18
 
review this level

file size: 13.91 MB
file type: TR4
class: Egypt
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
skimmer3000@aol.com

Reviewer's comments
"I read a review here where the reviewer said he could not finish because the maze map was missing from the walkthough, so I decided to play this one. What I liked about the level: 1) Just a personal thing, but the nostalgia of old school TRLE brings back very fond memories for me. What I didn’t like: 1) Pickups for revolver and shotgun ammo but no guns that I could find. No mention of finding the guns in the walkthrough either. 2) As much as I advocate cutscenes to show what a trigger does, it’s not a good thing when you can’t tap out of it. 3) The choice of Lara flambé or a never ending life in purgatory with no level ending trigger.
The Maze: This is the technique I used to navigate it. 1) At the beginning, face north and use the “right walls” technique killing ninjas as you go and you will eventually find an orange trigger tile to step on (no floor lever). Continue the “right walls” technique until you reach the beginning entrance. 2) Face north, do the “right walls” technique again and you will eventually reach a floor level that you CAN push. Now use the “left walls” technique back to the beginning entrance. 3) Face north go straight until you hit a wall, face west then hit a wall, face south then use the “right walls” technique. You’ll run into another trigger tile (with floor lever that you can’t push) and possibly a ninja. Continue the “right walls” technique and hit another trigger tile (with another floor lever you can’t push). Keep using the “right walls” technique until you see the beginning entrance south. 4) Face north then follow the “left walls” technique, past the orange trigger tile until you reach a small raised step and see some blue metal floor tiles on the right. Keep using the “left walls” technique and you will reach another floor lever that you CAN push. Head out until you reach the raised step again and try to keep going south thru the blue metal tiles area until you finally reach the beginning again. 5) Face north go straight until you hit a wall, go west until you hit a wall then follow the “right walls” technique and now a green grated door is open where you can reach a final floor lever that you CAN push. Head out, go south, east then south and you’re back to the beginning. 6) Face north then go east hit a wall then go north and you’ll see the blue metal floor tiles again. Explode the mummy and to the left is the open door to the water where you swim for some pickups and the Hand of Sirius at the end. Come out go south, then west, south, then west then south back to the beginning. This is the end of the maze sequence. Hope this helps anyone stuck.
Conclusion: As much as I enjoy mazes, this one didn’t have what I really like in mazes and that’s the doors that open then close behind you to really mess up your mind. So other than the nostalgia, I didn’t feel anything special here. No timed runs, no tricky jumps, so appropriate for beginners to get their beaks wet." - Lizard Queen (25-Aug-2020)
"The title makes reference to the level. After some quite straightforward gameplay you enter to the big and nasty maze. I don't understand why the levers were placed one block lower than Lara, making it impossible for her to pull them. In that part I didn't know what to do, and the image on the walkthrough is not visible anymore, so I had to quit." - alan (29-Mar-2018)
"There is indeed a maze in this 45 minute long level and a rather annoying one at that due to the fact that a number of levers and trigger tiles need to be activated to ultimately find the Hand of Sirius. It's pretty much standard and unremarkable stuff otherwise, with some ninjas, scorpions and mummies to shoot as well as some climbing and swimming to do. If you can get through the maze unaided (the map in the walkthrough no longer works), more power to you, but you will get confused otherwise." - Ryan (06-Jul-2017)
"Other than stumbling around in the maze, the main purpose of this fairly standard Tut1 offering seems to be seeing just how much stuff Lara can fit into her TARDIS-like backpack. Well, that and shooting ninjas/mummies/scorpions. All a bit underwhelming, sadly." - Jay (22-Feb-2016)
"Without Harry's walkthrough sure that I abandone the level when exploring the nasty maze. There are a lot of pickups (I finished with more of 10 large medipacks in the inventory), excessive enemies to shoot (as usual in this kind of levels, white ninjas and red scorpions) and also a nasty backtracking repeating the same movements through a long path to get the hand and back again. There are stretched textures, the top of the poles is invisible, and another small defects. No interesting puzzles. If you don't like labyrinths, don't play this level." - Jose (30-Jun-2015)
"The first part of the level was quite easy to play. Kill some enemies like guys, mummies and small scorpions (many of them popping out of nowhere), do some climbing and diving and explore the rooms for ammo, levers and 2 eye pieces, that's all you have to do here. No mean traps, only some dart spitters. Then I reached the maze part, and all that running from one end to the other and back again to find the trigger and then the according door, was not really fun, not even with the help of the walkthrough. A big thanks to Harry Laudie and his map that helped me to find my way through. Textures are not very well applied, many of them are stretched, some are even missing. Lighting was not bad except for some very dark spots. Recommendable for players who like simple gameplay and mazes." - Jerry (02-Aug-2009)
"And if nothing occurs to me, I build a labyrinth. Exactly this must the level builder have thought to himself. The first rooms correspond precisely with the Tutorial level. Then he has moved own ideas. And exactly there it sticks. Now and again one saw stretched textures and now and again they were completely absent. Then baddies appeared on occasion very suddenly. The level was ok, apart from the labyrinth. A few rooms looked quite good and the lighting was also quite well-arranged. Then in the labyrinth one had to open several doors. Indeed, there were no camera tips. And one could not also always use the ground levers, because the level builder had put them wrong. But the doors opened luckily also without the levers. After one had found the hand of the Sirius and the eye of the Horus, it went to the level end. The was no Finish-Trigger. Lara slides down and burnt. Without this superfluous labyrinth the level would have been a lot shorter. Thus I have used 30 minutes. Opponents were Baddies, mummies and scorpions. Result: Who likes no labyrinths, should not play here. All the others can access" - Scottie (11-May-2009)
"The number of reviews for this level actually speak a lot. Why does every level that mentions a maze or a labyrinth in its title drives people away? Fact is, mazes aren't really popular but are easy to create. The one in this level, albeit big, is rather simple once you get familiarized with the gates (some of the levers can't be thrown, though, due to bad placement, but just standing beside them will be enough) you'll get to the hand of Sirius in no time, so you work your way back and follow another path where you'll find the two pieces of the Eye and simply work your way to the end, which ends up with Lara burning in a black room. I think this was a clever way the author found to make the game return to the title screen, as it didn't really require any special setup with finish triggers. 30 minutes. 03/07" - Treeble (11-Mar-2007)
"Nice and easy well not so much in the maze and it looks good, for a moment I thought it is the tutorial level. Enough quantity of ammo and medipacks to deal with many ninjas, scorpions and a few mummies, only three objects: two pieces of the eye, easy to find, and a Hand of Sirius. After you solve the maze, also Lara shoots here many vases, just for fun. Wondering who is Abu Simmo that gave the level a name lol." - Yoav (01-Jun-2004)
"I was doing fine in this level until I found the maze. It resembles very much, actually it's a copy, with the tutorial level but after the first rooms it's not so typical anymore. The maze isn't that bad but it's complicated because you don't get any cameras except for the first door and two levers can't be pushed because of lack of space. As for enemies and items there is a hand, the Eye of Horus to be found, plenty of ninjas to kill along with mummies and scorpions and some swimming involved. I got through in thirty minutes mostly because of the maze. Have a go at it." - Kristina (18-Aug-2003)
"I had put this one off because I knew it had a maze in it, which I usually am not fond of. In the end though I had a great time in this level and even enjoyed the maze. I didn't see the map that everyone is talking about so did it on my own, but it was relatively easy and the whole level took me just 30 minutes to get through. The first three rooms are just like the tutorial level then it branches out into a nice Egyptian level that has you find two halves of the eye piece and then finally the hand that is found in the maze. Then all that's left is to place the hand and moments later place the Eye of Horus, which gives you access to a solid black slide that sets you on fire and I'm assuming is the end - though a strange end it is." - RaiderGirl (12-Jan-2003)
"Thanks to the map you will find at the bottom of this page I was able to complete the level in 43 minutes. Mind you, half of that time was still spent in the maze as I just had a cursory glance at the map before I loaded the level up, memorizing the way from the entrance to the exit, wondering what the green squares are for and then I was really shocked when I arrived at the exit and it was blocked by a gate. So I set out onto the tedious search for the green squares. However, just the knowledge that there is a map somewhere that you can refer to should you be hopelessly stuck made this maze less frustrating. The maze is always a bit of a brainwash, isn't it? I can't remember much about what happened before. Some not very spectacular, though entertaining TR action in a solidly crafted tutorial tomb. But I remember clearly what happened after the maze. You use the eye of Horus and then slide and jump along a non textured slope until you finally reach a pitch dark room. Is this another maze? I couldn't find a fishing trigger so I left it at that." - Dimpfelmoser (08-Oct-2002)
"In the beginning I thought: It is the tutorial-level. There were the same rooms. But the other rooms were different. I found a lot of health-packs and a lot of ammunition. I had to find two pieces of the horus-eye and the Hand of PAIN (Hand of sirius). This was one of the hardest labyrinths I ever saw. (I hope one of the ninjas was you - the author -, in the dark floors, I shoot all of them down). The enemies were ninjas, scorpions and mummies. I was playing one hour for this game (30 minutes for the labyrinth). This is a nice level and you will have fun." - Andi Croft (11-Aug-2002)
"If you are into loads of enemies, a load of pick ups and loads of fun then this level is well worth checking out. Do not get confused when you start this level as its first 3 rooms are except for some very insignificant differences the tutorial levels rooms, the rest though is totally original. Most of the rooms hold plenty to do but do not get complacent as you can never tell when you will be under attack by usually more than one assailant at a time, and when finally you come to the maze take note of everything as it will be a confusing and deadly run around as you backtrack to find one gate trigger after another. At 45 minutes it seemed to finish too soon but that was because I really enjoyed it and you should too." - Sash (21-Jun-2002)
"I guess it is because I do not like mazes that this one took me about an hour rather than Sash's 45 minutes. With only 34 rooms this level is actually quite big, starting with a copy of the tutorial level it soon becomes a bit of a standard Egyptian level with some ninjas, scorpions and mummies along the way. Also, there are countless and not needed big medipacks to find. I reached the maze after about half an hour and actually for the first time had to draw a map to not get lost (see below if you are really desperate). The end for me was a fiery death in blackness." - Michael (21-Jun-2002)
"You start this level with a sense of deja-vu because it's, well, the tutorial level. Following the first three rooms and a plethora of pickups, the level veers off onto its own path. After a few minutes, and quickly collecting two halves of the eyepiece, I was thinking this would really be a walk in the park. Then I ran into the closed gate next to a receptacle for a Hand piece - and I had none. So, back Lara goes the way she came. It did take a bit of poking around to find a well-hidden switch, which eventually leads to the maze, which is the namesake of the level. After running around the maze until you're a but dizzy, the Hand is located. The end of the level can now be reached, which is Lara sliding down an un-textured tunnel and being flambeed. Oh, but if you like shooting ninjas, this is a good one because it's ninja Grand Central Station - they're practically tripping over each other to take potshots at our heroine. So, not a bad level after all, but still very standard Egyptian stuff with no new twists (and to be fair, I'm reviewing this over a year after its release - I probably would have rated it higher back then)." - Tombaholic (21-Jun-2002)
"This level starts in the same room as the tutorial level. As a matter of fact the first three rooms. Before you will start exploring do open up the three rooms first. As I didn't, I had to go all the way back as in my opinion it does trigger something. There is loads of ammo and goodies to find. Enemies are of course scorpions, ninjas and some roaming mummies. Main goal is to place the two pieces of the Eye, but you do also need the Hand of Orion to do just that. And that is the hard part. As the Hand is in the maze. I did have an easier time as the map provided by Michael (thanks) was very useful. Don't get thrown off by a lever you can't push, the minute you stand on the tile, you'll trigger whatever there is to trigger. All in all I had fun playing it, as there are some twist and turns that will have you running back and forwards if you don't pay close attention. 25-06-2002" - Gerty (21-Jun-2002)
"Don't be afraid by the title: this level has not only a maze, there are also other rooms rather well textured with many pickups to find and a big bunch of enemies, some of them are well placed. Actually the maze in itself is not very big but it confused me because there is an unuseful lever but I have not been lost in it. However I was stuck in another room searching for a passageway well hidden in the dark behind a statue. There is some good swimming, monkeyswing, crawlspace but not many jumps to do. The end is strange as I could not avoid Lara to die after using the eye of Horus. All in all a good level." - eRIC (21-Jun-2002)