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Level: Castle Doomsday back home search
Author(s): Data
total rating:9.01 Gameplay &
Puzzles		 Enemies,
Objects &
Secrets		 Atmosphere,
Sound &
Cameras		 Lighting &
Textures
Aims 8 7 8 8
Bex 9 9 10 9
Cbl 10 9 10 10
CC 8 8 10 9
Cuqui 8 8 10 9
dantheraider 9 10 10 10
Dimpfelmoser 9 9 10 10
Dougsan 8 8 10 5
Drew 8 7 7 7
Duncan 9 9 10 10
Engelchen Lara 9 9 9 8
eTux 9 9 10 10
Fairy Godfather 9 8 8 8
Freeman Porter 9 9 9 8
G.Croft 9 8 10 10
Gerty 9 9 10 9
gfd 8 9 8 8
Grayboy 9 9 9 9
Ivan 8 9 9 10
Jason 9 9 9 10
Jorge22 9 7 9 10
Jose 6 8 8 8
Juan Carlos 8 8 9 9
Kristina 8 8 10 10
Leandro 9 9 10 10
Loupar 7 8 10 9
Ludwig 9 9 10 10
Magnus 9 9 10 9
Martin 8 8 9 9
MichaelP 8 8 10 9
Momster 10 10 9 9
Monika 10 9 10 10
Moonliteshadow 9 10 10 9
Navi 10 9 9 9
Nicky 10 7 9 7
Orbit Dream 9 9 10 10
Patson 9 9 10 10
Phil 10 9 10 9
QRS 9 9 10 9
RaiderGirl 9 9 10 10
Sash 8 7 10 10
Sheevah 10 9 10 10
Staticon 9 8 10 10
Tombaholic 8 7 8 9
TombRaiderFan 10 10 10 10
Torry 10 10 10 10
Treeble 9 10 10 9
TrueRaider 10 9 10 10
Tune Razor 8 7 10 7
Whistle 9 8 9 9
category averages
(50 reviews)		 8.82 8.58 9.50 9.12

Reviewer's comments

"I played this level for the purpose of reviewing it, being convinced that I'd already played it years ago. However, if that's the case I remembered absolutely nothing about it, for everything was as fresh as if I were seeing it for the first time. It's not terribly difficult (even the timed runs come with a liberal timer), and Staticon has provided a walkthrough written in his customarily droll sense of humor that removes any element of surprise, but it's the spooky atmosphere that really makes this a great level in my opinion. Even with the walkthrough close at hand I logged about 80 minutes here, which means you get a generous amount of gameplay for a small download (even if this is one of the few remaining levels where you have to use the compiler as in the old days). Try it for an interesting change of pace if you're looking for an atmospheric and a not-too-taxing raid. High recommendations." - Phil (22-Sep-2010)

"Level with a creepy atmosphere inside a well builded castle. Not good the gameplay 'cause you can let back items you need and it's difficult to explore the areas 'cause the very dark ambience. As usual, flares were not enough for me. Easy tasks, many times there are not cameras when you trigger something in another rooms (ex: the timed run for the jumpswitch) so it's not easy to find your way sometimes, and you have to explore a lot the same areas. Very few musics but many tetric voices from the boss of the castle as you advance through the castle. The best for me were architecture and textures." - Jose (14-Aug-2009)

"I actually booted up Castle Doomsday right when Tina released it, at the time when she was a moderator at the Eidos Forums, but for some reason I didn't get past the chess puzzle. Six years later I come back to it, and I was actually shocked when I got stuck in the chess puzzle room -- again! Knowing I had been missing on such a great adventure (the little I had played until that room proved this level oozed atmosphere), I decided to check the walkthrough. It turns out you have to push the block square by square, and not in a row. Getting past that, the level turned out to b very straightforward yet most enjoyable. It has the right balance between all things that are often overused in levels (ie a maze, and darkness). It's not actually a very dark level, but I did run out of flares. You can ruin the illusion in the outside room if you decide to use the binoculars, and the rope actually allows you to reach the high beam from where you're literally a jump from the moon. Anyway, these are minor details that definitely do not have any effect on the gameplay and fun factor this raid provides. I just hope it doesn't take me another 6 years to finally play the sequels. 55 minutes. 09/08" - Treeble (30-Sep-2008)

"I really liked this level, especially because I only had to refer to the walkthrough once and once only! The ‘scary’ atmosphere here really fits the level’s sinister feel. The enemies were good and well placed (not too tough but not ridiculously easy either, mainly due to the fact that you are provided with just enough ammo to see you through). Lots of good things to do here, including a fun water/land maze, a few nice timed runs and one or too puzzles. A few bad points here and there though: there’s a hidden block by the lava near the start that seems to be safe, until you jump on it and it kills you. It only becomes safe later on, when it moves! I felt the level needed more cameras because you shoot some bones or flip a switch but aren’t always sure what happens. There’s also a very annoying ‘climbable gate; annoying because I’ve never known them to be scaleable before. I completed this spooky and (thankfully) not too taxing level in 2 hours. Well done Tina!" - gfd (30-Oct-2005)

"This is my all time favourite custom level. Reviewing this now, simply because of the new layout of the website i have just notcied realised that i havn't reviewed it yet! 10/10 from me. The reason is because this is my type of level. The whole atmosphere, sounds textures etc all look fantastic and thsi is the type of level i love alot! here's so much to do including fighting knights keys and lot's of weird puzzles to solve. The reason i like this level is because throughout the level it is continuos and goes with the flow. As for some levels they feel a bit dis-jointed. But for this level, the whole gameplay and surroundings feel realistic. The backgroudn audio, the creepy soudns etc all make this level a classic! Thanks Tina, shame your not around anymore :o(" - TombRaiderFan (16-Sep-2005)

"This has got to be one of my most favorite levels, its something that you should play on halloween, its very creepy. its great. I love it. The puzzles could be harder and the gameplay can improve. But a job well done for a debut level. Its just stunning." - dantheraider (25-Aug-2005)

"A really scary level. Great puzzles and hard to find secrets. The atmosphere is great and the textures from doom looks cool in a tombraider level. An amazing level, especially as it is the first from this author! I'm on my way to play the other parts right now! 2005-05-24" - QRS (24-May-2005)

"A classic series that holds up as one of the best. This first one is good and creepy with engaging gameplay, including the famous chess game. I loved the crocs retextured as fire demons (salamanders), and the lava room towards the start. A must play." - Duncan (14-Feb-2005)

“Here is the 1st of Tina's trilogy although I played it last! I didn't really like this that much it is my least favourite of the trilogy and Terry's one. The level is very dark and there isn't many flares to help which was annoying so I had to turn the brightness on my monitor up so I could see better. The level takes place in and outside the castle picking up gem's and using pressure pads and levers to open a new door. Lord Doomsday speaks up often saying things that make you think the next area will be really hard and in fact it isn't. I didn't find the level too hard. It did get a little tedious after a while doing the same thing over. I liked some of the textures in it like the cobwebs dragon pictures on the pressure pads a chess room some question marks and the creepy red marks with dead faces in. The background music was good too really creepy and original. All in all not bad it is a good start for a beginner level builder recommended!” – Aims (12-Aug-2004)

“Wow! What can I say about this level? The sounds are awesome. The rooms are great. The enemies are not too numerous but enough of a challenge. The puzzles are devious and with some well hidden doors or entrances to go into. There is a voice that sounds so evil it sent goosebumps down my spine nicely done by Staticon. There is an army of skeletons Golden Harpies (which almost knocked me off my chair) crocodiles but not so many that it seems like all you’re doing is looking over your (Lara's) shoulder for an attack. There are many different kinds of traps; spikes rolling balls flames and a Great maze. There is even an earthquake. The story line is that Lara wants to take the Golden Beetle from the evil Lord Doomsday and keep it for herself. Of course that would mean relinquishing control of his ‘castle of the walking dead’. And Lord Doomsday is going to do his best to prevent that from happening. But can Lara win. Yes! With the help of things like the ‘Holy Prayer’ scripture she can. And she has a wonderful time scouring the castle while she's at it. This is a different kind of a level and very nicely done. Thanks Tina. Off to play the next in this 3-level series!” – Patson (17-Aug-2003)

“Oh oh! here I go again adding to an already long list of reviews. So briefly this level is flawlessly textured very spooky atmosphere seriously added to by his Lordship's treats (good voice Stat) as you work your way through what looks like a castle in hell i.e. the devil's faces all over the place the bleached white bones the screaming lost souls room the last huge red head of a screaming soul. Loved the retextured stars gems and boulder. The chess puzzle was great. 'For whom the bell tolls' came into my head as I saw the bell ropeswinging to be done after placing the scroll (holy prayer). And now we're outside like a castle with a dead knight under a red starry sky and red moon. Down to another dark cave with a clever puzzle of switches to get a gem. And wouldn't you know it starts an earthquake and brings a harpy to annoy you. There's no need to worry this is a straight forward level that even beginners can play.” – CC (11-Aug-2003)

“I don't know why I'd never played this level by Data. Perhaps since I like open air environments I didn't feel like getting Lara trapped inside a castle... Anyway I'm pleased with how solid this creation is. I liked the gameplay and the atmosphere the lighting and the textures are all extremely well. It is by no means a difficult game... Data makes it easy on you. You don't have to do any backtracking or almost maybe just a little at the beginning. I couldn't find any bug and everything looked really solid which can't be said for every custom level there is. Staticon's voice is a plus in the game. I found the part where you get out to the castle walls a relief and a welcome change from the "interiority" of the rest of the game. But may I add it's true you don't feel locked up in this castle as in other custom levels castles... On the other hand I don't know whether or not I found any secrets..... at least I never heard any chimes anywhere. Have I missed them aren't there any or is there some problem with the chimes (I think I'm going to take a look at the statistics to see if I found any...)? Finally this short (yes short) level is one I would advise to less experienced as well as to more proficient custom level players being that I only got briefly stuck twice: first when I hadn't realized there was a lever on the castle wall and I couldn't find out how to open the door above (I was helped there by a couple of members of the Eidos forums) and secondly in that room next to the end where you have four ramps that all lead to each other as you go. I had been to the pool and noticed the lost souls entrance I had even tried to enter but it hadn't worked - was it already too late at night or does one have to shoot the crocodiles before entering? I wonder... I'll check that out too. All in all this level isn't really very original in the sense that so many other custom levels are but it is solid indeed and accessible too. Albeit short (and that's a sign that it didn't tire me) you can see by my ratings I didn't consider it a minor game at all and I've already downloaded parts 2 and 3 which I'll start playing right after this. Ah one last thing that chess puzzle... At first I thought I had to get the horse to the entrance by moving it in an L shape as you do when you play chess - and there was no way the door would open! Only after a while did I notice some of the horse drawings on the floor were turned to the left and some to the right... Ok. It's a possibility. And in fact you don't even have to know any chess at all to solve that puzzle that way. So maybe that was the point in it. Was it? Alright I've said enough and I'm even sorry I leave so many spoilers. So I'm off to playing part 2 now. What else? :)” – Jorge22 (01-May-2003)

“Lara starts her journey in a mysterious castle. The atmosphere was tense you had to expect the worst. Puzzles were very diverse. The graphics of the castle are well designed and sound and cameras were suitably added. There were various enemies and Lara had to find a number of artifacts. In some corners it was rather dark but still brilliantly crafted.Congratulations.” – Navi (28-Feb-2003)

“Well I did not like part 1 that much. The atmosphere didn’t come across for me. Puzzles were nice though plenty of things to do: mazes diving jumps levers ropes and a few timed sequences too. I liked the chess puzzle best. It was rather simple but a nice idea. Lara needs to find three gems a scroll and a star. Don’t miss the crowbar near the start ;-). Textures were cleanly applied and I thought it was a bit too dark in places. Sound was not as ingenious as with the successors. Enemies are skeletons crocodiles and many harpies. But you will see the improvement in the sequels :-) For now my Lara has seen enough spooky castles ;-) Thanks Tina :-)” - Engelchen Lara (16-Feb-2003)

“Very nice level and very well done. Not difficult. Atmosphere is excellent. A little dark but as the adventure is in a castle it's right. The chess puzzle is fun. I enjoyed this level and I'm going to play Doomsdays Dungeon.” – Cuqui (15-Nov-2002)

“If you prefer your custom levels on the easy side then Castle Doomsday is for you. But being easy or I should say not as horrendously difficult as levels like The Last Crusade does not detract from this level's charm. I loved the castle setting and Tina does a great job of using textures that one would expect to see in a castle. Of all the environments Lara has visited in the official games a castle has never been one of them and I thought why has nobody ever thought of this before? It's the perfect setting for Lara: dark gloomy and full of interesting things to find. I was very pleased with the use of the Lord Doomsday voice-over. It helped give some personality and character to the setting. I also liked Tina's use of one-way doorways. It's very spooky to walk through an archway or passage turn around and see there is a door or grate there that you can't go back through! The chess room was a very cool addition that broke up the castle atmosphere for a bit and made me put my noggin to work. This level also has what you could call an alternative path although I was a bit disappointed that there was nothing to find there. There are a couple of coffins at the end of the level that have no collision and stuff like this really bothers me but there is also a great battle with some skeletons and fire breathing birds. I found a mechanical beetle that I never had to use and there are some switches and levers that I never figured out the purpose for. Overall a great well designed level that should prime you for the more difficult ones.” – Ludwig (21-Oct-2002)

“I just played this level Castle Doomsday and seconds ago placed the final stone in the keyhole and exited. I must say frankly that it was the best custom level I have ever played even better than The Last Crusade which is one of my favorites. It was a scary and satisfying experience. When I first dropped in and saw the stagnent water in the first room I recoiled thinking ‘What is that stuff? I don't want to know!’;). From then on I was utterly captured in the game play. The constant chiding of Lord Doomsday was spooky and ominous. The textures were fitting to the surrounding and the pick-ups such as medi packs were scarce but placed at appropriate points. The use of the grenade launcher certainly came in handy for the number of skeletons beneath the castle. An extremely satisfying experience:)!” – Cbl (18-Oct-2002)

“Wow. This level makes you believe that you're actually *there*. No really it does. From the dingy dismal dark beginning to the earthquake-ridden finale I can guarantee that you'll believe you're in a doomed medieval castle. The atmosphere is amongst the best I've ever seen and is made extra-special by Staticon's unique voice-overs. Bad points? Well I'm hard-pushed to find any. If I'm being picky the chess thing stumped me for a while because I don't play chess but logic dictated what to do. Also some wraiths just committed suicide on me no need to jump back to the obligatory statue - I just stood by and laughed my ass off while they topped themselves. I also missed the 'Star' key thingy at the beginning so I had a bit of backtracking - but that was my own stupid fault. All in all though a fantastic level and one that I'll be recommending to my friends. Can't wait for the next part.” – Bex (12-Jul-2002)

“Another over 20 review level so instead of boring you with too much repetitive scribble I give you what I consider its high point and low point. The high point for me lay without doubt with the brilliant texturing one of the best looking castles if not the best I have played so far combine this with the great atmosphere and lighting and it gives to being a very eerily satisfying experience. As for the low point well as much as I enjoyed this level the ending I felt was for lack of a better word wasted. It just felt that the last 15 or so minutes of the entire 75 minutes turned into being merely running through the environment till you hit the end and when I compared it to the first hour of really fun and full gameplay it really stood out as an obvious let down to the overall game. As a debut for Tina though this is remarkable in so many ways.” – Sash (21-Jun-2002)

“A fabulous adventure in a gripping atmosphere which heavily reminds you of the good old times when we were all playing 'Doom'. The lighting and texturing is impeccable and the custom sounds (voice of Lord Doomsday) nicely add to the storyline. I particularly liked the chess puzzle and the four sloped pillars jump sequence near the end. The maze is a rather simple one (thankfully) and overall it is a pity that the gameplay as such is rather linear making your way from one switch to the next although the see-through windows do keep it interesting throughout. The flyby across the battlements is nicely done and enemies are all in all well used (many skeletons harpies a knight and a few crocodiles) including a decent final battle. Definitely one to play!” – Michael (21-Jun-2002)

“Well Data I'm impressed. Not only was this a level that required some thought the ambience was near perfect and the play of light on shadow extremely well done. Although the interior of your castle was dark the light that was available was sufficient to turn this level into a pleasure rather than a nightmare. Your use of the TR tools of play was also done to perfection giving the player a little of everything without over abusing the game or the players nerves. I have only given this score on one other occasion and both these levels gave me joy and that is what editing is all about. Well done mate and I hope to see another level from your databank soon. (Just leave Spot out of it ok?). LOL.” – Torry (21-Jun-2002)

“This was a fun level with a very dark and eerie atmosphere and some original textures. I especially liked the way the spirit of the castle talks to Lara throughout the level - a really nice touch. Gameplay moves along at a nice clip only moderately difficult and includes a nice ‘chess puzzle’ midway through the level.” – Tombaholic (21-Jun-2002)

“When Data first came onto the level editing scene I had difficulty believing it was the real commander Data. But after having played this masterpiece the super human capabilities are clearly shown! No mortal could ever have created this fantastic hour of brilliance! There is so much to say about this level. It's fun from beginning to end. The textures are unbelievable the atmosphere could not be better and the backing sounds make this level ten times more enjoyable! The rather gothic feel of the castle comes across well with evil faces on the walls arched doorways and candlesticks in the more elegant rooms. The difficulty is perfect for all abilities not easy but not frustratingly difficult. I recommend you play this in a dark room to add to the atmosphere and so you don't use as many flares as some sections are dark. The plot makes it seem better and I can't fault it in many ways. Perhaps there could have been a few less switches but otherwise it is pretty much perfect. I was very impressed by the brilliance of some areas such as the lava room with two bridges and the outdoor part. Well done Tina! You should be very very proud of yourself for brightening up our sad little lives! Now you will make TrueRaider's dreams come true and build another level. :D” – TrueRaider (21-Jun-2002)

“Excellent level with brilliant textures and atmosphere. I’ll tell you - in real life I would never have gone into that castle spooky! Lara has to steal the golden beetle from Lord Doomsday and he and his guards haunt you all the way...” – G.Croft (21-Jun-2002)

“What can I say about this level? BRILLIANT! SUPERB! PERFECT! Or almost perfect... Anyway this level is quite excellent. But not only because of its brilliant architecture superb use of textures or even perfect lighting effects. This level also could have better puzzles and the objects aren't very well used sometimes... But even if this level had stupid puzzles (but I have to say IT HASN'T!) it still deserves a ‘special award’ for its atmosphere. Lara is raiding a castle... a haunted castle I think. And what do you think this level could look like? A disco? No it looks like a castle and looks PERFECTLY like a castle. The rooms are dark and the background music was very well chosen. And sometimes when you're playing a ghost voice gives some advice to Lara... really smart touch! So may not be the best level ever but you should download because not so soon we'll see a level with such great atmosphere.” – Leandro (21-Jun-2002)

“It's almost hard to believe this is the creators first level as it's very close to being absolutely perfect! The first thing you'll notice is the nightmarish voice of Lord Doomsday. Recorded by fellow level creator Staticon the voiceover fits perfectly into the level and adds so much to the story and atmosphere. The formidable surroundings and atmosphere soon had me afraid of my own shadow - there are few enemies but as I turned each corner I was confident that I was about to run into one of them. In fact I hated to use one new object the Holy Prayer just because I was hoping to keep it with me for luck. The key ingredients here are a great story a mixture of interesting and clever puzzles some difficult jumps and moves retextured objects rarely seen enemies and brilliant new textures. It's because of levels like this that I'm afraid to even attempt to make my own - there's just no way I could top this.” – RaiderGirl (21-Jun-2002)

“You got me with this level. It is superb. I was blown away by the music all the way through. The voice of Staticon as Lord Doomsday gave me the shivers hearing it for the first time. Mind you I didn’t find this an easy level to complete as I got stuck quite a few times especially in the beginning till I found out that I had to jump into the small openings of the castle wall to find a lever or a tile to step on. Would liked to have some inclination what to do after using a lever. Enemies you encounter are: some skeletons some wraiths a grumpy knight dragging his sword some harpies and crocs. Don’t know what went not completely as it should be but the harpies were very easy to get rid off as they somehow flew into the wall and it was a funny sight to see them sticking their heads into the walls and ever so easy to finish them off. Also encountering the first wraith I made good use of the bird like statue but the second third and even fifth the just flew into the statue and I didn’t need to worry at all. The atmosphere is gloomy a bit too gloomy for my taste as I hate to play in total darkness just to see what went on. But all in all it was a great level to play. 05-05-2002” – Gerty (21-Jun-2002)

“A spooky level with a lot of new textures objects and sounds especially the sounds make good atmosphere. The enemies especially the flying ones came always surprisingly. The puzzles were unique like the chess-room some levers very well hidden in dark places. I liked this level a lot and it is fun to play and I know in a spooky castle it has to be dark but obviously for me it was too dark. But the level was well tested and no flare bug arrived so enjoy Castle Doomsday!” – Freeman Porter (21-Jun-2002)

“This level is very atmospheric. It's dark but what haunted castle wouldn't be? The texturing is good and the enemies are well placed. The puzzles are good some easy some hard (I'm of course thinking about the chessboard). It's fun to hear Lord Doomsday speak to Lara it's just a shame that he didn't want to come out and play too. By the way I don't think that he's evil he's probably just misunderstood. Anyway this is a good atmospheric level and I played for almost exactly one hour.” – Magnus (21-Jun-2002)

“This is a level made specially for Torry; dark and gloomy (and only 1 flare pickup). Lots of good jumps to do which took time to figure out. Some of the switches were so well hidden that we had to wait till someone got back from school to find out where it was. Near the end I found myself bouncing round and round on 4 pillars wondering where to get off with crocs below waiting for me to fall. A neat change round here. Can the next level be a little brighter please? And please another level!” – Fairy Godfather (21-Jun-2002)

“Starts with a good eerie underground set of passages which set the mood admirably. Then into the castle itself for lots of fun and frolics. Through various sections of the castle you are asked to stretch the gray matter to avoid nasties and acquire the necessary items. Enemies appear infrequently but in keeping with the various sections and surroundings. A level were strategy is paramount. Not a massively long level but none the less a very enjoyable time should be had by all.” – Whistle (21-Jun-2002)

“Magnificent! Good to see that Noonian Soong's positronic Off-spring is capable of such imagination and creativity. There is almost nothing here to fault. Well I say almost nothing; the sky texture for the outside area was probably unnecessary and the maze was a doddle compared to many that Lara's been stuck in. However everything else was perfect. Textures sound gameplay puzzles you name it! The best Custom Level out there in my opinion.” – Orbit Dream (21-Jun-2002)

“The level begins with a great impressive atmosphere very impressive with the mix of official textures with some personal textures (I prefer the personal textures). But as the level goes the atmosphere turns bore because is always the same. The use of lights is a perfect work Lara always looks in 3D congratulations. There are only a few triangle textures not rotated correctly and a few textures with wrong size but anyway this work has been excellent. I think level needs more cameras. The sound has been a great work I loved it. The gameplay is funny but easy and there aren’t hard puzzles but I have enjoyed the game.” – Juan Carlos (21-Jun-2002)

“What a great level! The author caught the atmosphere of a cursed castle perfectly even without too many dark corners just by the use of lights. And where else do enemies like skeletons fit better than in a castle? I found the shotgun and the grenade gun to get rid of them. I liked the puzzles they were tricky but not too hard to solve e.g. knowing a bit about playing chess is helpful in order to get further ;o). This level is now one of my TOP favorites and I'd like to recommend it to everybody.” – Sheevah (21-Jun-2002)

“Super level very original setting makes a pleasant change to have a castle instead of the usual Egyptian based levels. Difficult to believe that this is a first attempt - many authors don’t reach this standard after several levels! Gameplay was not too difficult the chess puzzle was excellent and some well-hidden switches had me stuck for a while. I would have loved to kill that crippled knight in the last scene! If you enjoy a good level they don’t come much better than this.” – Grayboy (21-Jun-2002)

“I enjoyed this level immensely you had a variety of puzzles to sort out some of which were just switch type puzzles and others were sequence puzzles. The chessboard was one of these sequence puzzles. Look high and low for the switches especially the jump switches as these were well hidden. The sound was good and I did like the voice over in fact they sound just like Frank Bruno (was an English heavyweight boxer). The lighting and textures was spot on and that helps with the atmosphere as well.” – Jason (21-Jun-2002)

“This is a level one should play especially if one likes to explore old sinister castles. The castle the atmosphere everything is just right. It is a gloomy place just as I imagine a haunted castle would look like. Otherwise I think everything else has been said already.” – Monika (21-Jun-2002)

“This level is the first from Tina but it is very impressive the way it was built. The atmosphere the lights the textures are going to make you believe that it was made by a professional. The story is based on a castle so imagine an environment that has dark and spooky areas to explore that are followed by some surprisingly good voice effects. As a castle must have some skeletons that are haunting it and of course a knight. Those and some other kinds are the enemies the player is going to face. It is really interesting the way you have to navigate in this level from the upper areas to the underground or from the search of a key to an amazing room with a chess board on the floor. That room and the lava room at the beginning were the best for me. Although the puzzle in the chess room isn't an easy one it requires some observation to solve it. The gameplay flow is good but the end of the level is a little sudden of course some information given from the builder say that there will be a sequel so we are looking forward to it. A work well done with this one.” – Kristina (21-Jun-2002)

“Castle Doomsday is the first offering from Lt. Commander Data and I have to say it is superb. I have been fortunate indeed to have had the pleasure in play testing the final version of this level which throughout is very Doom like. Lighting and texturing are excellent; puzzles needed a bit of thought and just the right amount of enemies who nearly all caught me by surprise. (Just when you thought it was safe...). I am not noted as the fastest player around but the second time I played it it still took over an hour to complete. And that was when I had an idea of where I was going. It is a largish download but well worth it. Sound and atmosphere alone will have you looking over your shoulder. Play it. Now.” – Staticon (21-Jun-2002)

“A very nice and most of all scary level. I got the creeps when I started it and they aren't still gone so I can tell you. The sounds where well placed and of course the ‘voice-over’ was superb! I got shivers of the atmosphere but did expect more enemies and objects a lot more to be honest. My flares were all gone in a few minutes and I didn't found any more. (But that can be my fault also). The level was very dark but that was part of the atmosphere too. Maybe next time some more objects and enemies? The climbing part after the -amazing- maze ;o) was great to do and you had to use all of Lara's movements. The puzzles were really fun to play (especially the chess-puzzle) and it always makes me think of how you all keep coming up with new ones again and again. Well done. Michael maybe we should make a minimal-age class for this kind of creepy levels!? ;o)” – Nicky (21-Jun-2002)

“Well it's hard to describe this level. The puzzles were original the atmosphere perfect the custom textures were nice but there were quite a lot untextured squares which might not be noticed with an un-trained eye. But the lighting effects mostly 'camouflaged' the black holes so that wasn't much of a problem. I'd advice not to look in the lava though my eyes started to hurt after about 10 seconds. The harpies always came by surprise you never know when one pops up the knight was a great choice for the castle as an enemy or guardian but I didn't find much of use for it in the gameplay. Too bad some of the objects near the end didn't have collision but otherwise - no complains. This isn't my favourite level but definetly a must-play. So get it.” – eTux (21-Jun-2002)

“In order to have a vague idea what I was talking about I played approximately 70 custom levels before I wrote my first review. Now I would like to rate all of them but they tend to blur into one big adventure and only a handful stand out. Castle Doomsday is definitely among them cause this here is truly exceptional and unique and without a doubt one of the most original and authentic settings ever. This is exactly how I imagined a haunted castle to look and feel like. The different rooms the outdoor area the enemies the textures and the lightning it all fits so well. The gameplay is great but even it wasn't just to walk around this castle is a memorable experience. If the maze had been a bit bigger the jump switch puzzle a bit trickier (or could it be that by fluke I got it right straight away) this would be the perfect level. For some reason moving the knights didn't open any doors for me the first time around and I suspect it might be because I never triggered off the golden ball as I backflipped over the railings.” – Dimpfelmoser (21-Jun-2002)

“A nice level enjoyable to play. Nice atmosphere with custom audio files to set the scene enhanced with good lighting. Not too difficult but not too easy (I ended up using some help from the walkthrough on Tina's site). Easy to install and no nasty bugs found. To sum up worth the download and I look forward to any other levels Tina may produce” – Martin (21-Jun-2002)

“Good gameplay in general; only a couple of puzzles a bit confusing: I have no idea about what the four wall switches in the cavern were for. And there's a possibility of getting stuck if you miss the Holy Prayer. The enemies and objects are scarce and: and are there any secrets? I didn't find one. The re-creation of a Cursed Castle is great and over all the voice of Lord Doomsday. Lighting and textures sometimes very dark but... What must I expect in this sort of scenery? I'm sure I will play Escape from Castle Doomsday.” – Loupar (21-Jun-2002)

“Absolutely something new for Tomb Raider and very nice work. Atmosphere is excellent had very nice sound effects with little view of Return to Castle W....I like this game and I like this Tomb. Of course waiting for and looking for see next cute levels.” – Ivan (21-Jun-2002)

“I played this before Saudi Arabia. I thought it was kinda dark part of the dregree of difficulty then. But now I appreciate the little light I can use here more than SA. I like the extensive use of the voice over by Staticon. It freaks you out! The puzzles are not particularly potential stuck points. A number of lit skeletal remains tend to make you think they are artifacts you can pick up. You have to conserve on the shotgun ammos and be an excellent marksman to drop the baddies into the holes; the skeletons are a plenty! There's a part where you may choose two paths that'll lead you to the same area. This is a good attempt at non-linear approach to a level. There's a chess part too which is novel. I like it because I play chess. There are some switches though that up to now I haven't figured what they've done in the game. With the provided walkthrough I can understand if Data the author is not quick in helping stuck gamers or those asking for some clarification. Like I don't know what those switches at the earthquake cave did. The use of cam cut scene in some not all of them may have been helpful. Or I wanted to know if the use of the exploding ammos in one part where the undead warrior is will accidentally break the wooden fence there thus making the knight useless. But these are just minimal hiccups in the game. For a one-level custom game it's well conceived and balanced! Will definitely play the sequel.” – Drew Pizza (21-Jun-2002)

“Quick playing level but I found it a lot of fun and more addictive than most of the custom levels. I attribute the addictiveness to always knowing where I was and where I was going. Some ‘raiders’ seem to prefer more confusion than I. Always an engineer I want things more neat than not! I didn't find any of the puzzles challenging but I enjoyed the logic -- simple as it was -- of the chess puzzle. The only real complaint I have is the darkness. I have grown to hate dark games. There are enough flares but the darkness is too distracting. Yes it does add excellent atmosphere and Castle Doomsday is VERY atmospheric --WELL DONE -- but I just think the darkness bit has been done to death in the custom games. Each scene was designed beautifully and rendered with imagination. All in all a most wonderful effort. Well done!” – Dougsan (21-Jun-2002)

“Great atmosphere the haunted castle is pretty scary! I jumped backward on my chair a few times! I have really enjoyed this game. I found it realistically difficult to get away from the demons. Some games make it just too hard and stressful for me. Certainly worth playing definitely recommend this one.” – Moonlightshadow (21-Jun-2002)

“I don’t usually go a bundle on dark levels like this - too much groping about in the dark reloading saved games and repeating sections in the dark to conserve flares - but this one though frustrating at times was really quite enjoyable. Quite tricky too I found but no less enjoyable for that. Where this levels really triumphs is in evoking a really sinister spooky atmosphere that had my spine tingling from time to time. Largely responsible are the custom sounds the background ambience is really creepy though some of the other sound effects do stray onto the wrong side of cheesy. Visually (when there is enough light to appreciate it) the level is very attractive with some nice touches such as the arched doorways (pity Lara can simply walk ghost-like through the surround). There is a variety of puzzles mainly finding levers in darkened corners but also a couple of timed runs (not too tricky thankfully) a block pushing puzzle a maze and a bit of swimming. The level design is fairly linear though I did miss the crowbar early on and had to backtrack quite a distance and search hard to find it. Enemies take the form of skeletons. Great once you’ve found the grenade launcher but a bit of a pain whilst you’re armed only with the shotgun and have to manoeuvre and blast them into a thoughtfully placed pit. There are a few crocodiles a couple of harpies and a psychopathic knight who I expected to be needed to smash down a barricade that never materialised. If there are any secrets I didn’t find them. One particularly tricky rope swing yielded a large medi pack but no secret chime and a slight sense of being cheated. In all a very enjoyable and challenging level that I felt satisfied and relieved to complete.” – Tune Razor (21-Jun-2002)

“I can't believe this author hasn't written another level before this one! Superb gaming and adventuring. I encountered no bugs and believe all worked as it should have. I did get a little stuck where the grate went over the lava pit. I thought you could crawl thru and it was drop down to cross. Enjoyed immensely looking forward to the sequel.” – Momster (21-Jun-2002)
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