trle.net ::: Level Reviews

Level:	Antarctica - Unfinished Business
Author(s):	Jamie White

total rating:	3.45	Gameplay & Puzzles	Enemies, Objects & Secrets	Atmosphere, Sound & Cameras	Lighting & Textures
	CC	3	3	2	2
	Dimpfelmoser	1	2	2	2
	Dougsan	2	2	5	8
	Gerty	4	3	4	3
	Kristina	4	3	4	4
	Magnus	1	1	0	0
	MichaelP	4	3	3	4
	Momster	4	4	4	4
	Orbit Dream	3	3	2	2
	RaiderGirl	5	4	5	6
	Sakusha	7	3	1	1
	Sash	4	4	2	4
	Scottie	3	5	4	3
	Whistle	7	7	7	6
	category averages (14 reviews)	3.71	3.36	3.21	3.50

Reviewer's comments

"And here small instructions for selfhypnosis. If you followed these instructions, you will have a lot of fun. Should the selfhypnosis not succeed, nevertheless, the fun will keep in narrow borders. Hence, I wish you a lot of success with the selfhypnosis.
Kill them!!! Kill them all!!! And if they are friendly to you, kill them anyway!!! Leave nobody at life!!! And grab everything what lies on the ground!!! All the same whether you get back pains, grab it!!! And don't let you disturb from the annoying wallpaper textures. And don't let you disturb from the annoying labyrinths. And don't let you disturb from the missing climbing textures. And don't let you disturb from the idle running. And don't let you disturb from the annoying statue pushing. Fulfil your mission!!! Kill them all!!!" - Scottie (23-Mar-2010)

“This level's plot is similar to the one in Tomb Raider II. The fact that Lara has to jump out of a plane (like in 'Tibetan Foothills’ except that there was a pilot who died of a heart attack and the story takes place in Antarctica) before it crashes and the fact that other people besides her are looking for a part of the key for Tohokan's temple which is the Eye of Horus (in Tomb Raider II Lara and Bartoli's mob are searching for the dagger of Xian and in the meantime Lara has to get the Seraph in order to open the temple of Xian's entrance). The author misspelled Antarctica (cf folder where it's written 'Antartica' instead of 'Antarctica') and tried to explain why Lara is wearing a tank top in Antarctica. I am afraid that it is unrealistic because she would've had hypothermia if it were in real life. The three mazes were very interesting. The first one wasn't too hard (many switches and doors) the second one was a little difficult (many switches and doors but it was more mind-boggling than the previous one) and the third one was fairly easy (Lara has to push a statue in three different spots in order to open the door which leads Lara to the exit). Lara also has to kill baddies along the way (approximately 17) and obtain two Ba cartouches. Unfortunately the lighting is at R 128 G 128 B 128 (except in the last room) there are too many items (ammunition and medipacks) the textures are stretched the doors are half-buried (however they made Lara have trouble avoiding two boulders in the first labyrinth. So that's sometimes a good thing because it increased the difficulty of the level) there are a few paper-thin walls I have noticed two butts (you must use DOZY and head towards the sky in order to see them) and the rooms are huge. I felt like the sound triggers were usually out of place I haven't detected an iota of atmosphere in this level and there aren't any cameras. So I had to give a one for atmosphere. I have found two secrets in this level. The first one is so obvious that it shouldn't be deemed a secret but the second one was well-placed because Lara had to step on squares that may look like death squares but they are not (you have to do a leap of faith in order to reach them but you can't distinguish them from the deadly squares before you jump). Overall the author made some improvement as far as gameplay is concerned (some elements from 'The Crypt of Tohokan' became more complex in this level) but there is still some work to be done concerning level designing.” – Sakusha (27-Nov-2004)

“All this was way too weird for me. If you take the look alone we are in the desert blue sky sandy mountains ninjas galore hands and cartouches . . . but . . . the place where you move around is in the ice and snow. The architecture gets beyond weird in the icy maze with doors buried half deep in walls and missing parts to walls paper thins ones etc. Then it becomes a little Tinnos looking and more mazes and levers. One time you reach a kind of tented village and get to open the weapons store. Here you will pick up a truck load of ammo and also give yourself a fright by thinking 'what on earth am I going to meet with all this stuff'. Didn't do anything for me at all. I found two secrets.” – CC (21-Oct-2004)

“After reading some of the reviews of the level I couldn’t help but laugh when the installation instructions started with the phrase ‘To play this really good level…’ Truth to be told there’s nothing good about this level. Not a single thing. It’s not fun to play and it lasts for twenty-three minutes – way too long for a level like this. I want my money back.” – Magnus (29-Jan-2004)

“It's a simple level with bad textures I have to say and not much of a gameplay. The player will find two hands two cartouches and the Eye of Horus I never got to use one hand or the Eye. At first when I read the author's notes I was a little concerned because he mentions mazes but they are easy the one with the statue is boring and time consuming as you need to push it around four times. The baddies are the only enemies but randomly placed and you see them just coming down from the sky out of nowhere in the outside area. Push a lever here and there open doors pick up the items pick up a ton of ammo and weapons you won't use and slide down to end the level. Not much to see in this one.” – Kristina (10-Jan-2003)

“Mazes levers a long arduous movable object puzzle and pick ups out the wazoo this level maybe should have been left unfinished. Okay I might not have been in the right frame of mind when I played this so give it a go but I don’t think I’ll be playing it again any time soon.” – Sash (02-Dec-2002)

“Apparently Lara's plane has crashed in Antarctica leaving her stranded with no warm clothes and a quest for part of the key for Tohokan's temple door. In her search she will find two hands two cartouche and two eye pieces and go through two mazes and a pushable object puzzle to get them. I don't usually like mazes but these were great fun and featured many doors and switches - once I found another switch it would usually open one door and close another though I was never trapped and could always find my way to the next area easily enough. I tried to beat Michael's time of 6 minutes in the third part but didn't quite do it - It took me 6:18. I was prepared for some big battles after I found all that ammo (plus three secrets with more) and was disappointed that most of the baddies were near the beginning before I had even got most of the many pickups. I got tired of running down long empty hallways pretty quickly but since I was on my way to the next fun maze puzzle I didn't mind so much.” – RaiderGirl (02-Nov-2002)

“Antarctica and Lara only dressed in her shorts. You don’t have to be worried that she’ll freeze to her death as there is so much running around to do that she is glad she left her winter gear home. After all the carping that most reviewers did including me about mazes I thought it was really nice to put in diagrams so there is no way to get lost in these three. As in his first level there is a load of ammo to find. Wish I could take it with me *sigh*. There are only ninjas to battle and cartouches to find that will open doors. In the third maze there is some pushing with a statue to open the last door and with the Eye of Horus and a Hand I left the level. A tedious level with long climbs long empty corridors and the pushing of that statue. I liked the jumping over the burning tiles. Found 1 secret. 14-10-2002” – Gerty (19-Oct-2002)

“Well I want to see Dougsan finish this in twenty minutes before I believe it. On the other hand it took me approximately 5 minutes to pick up the ammo in the secret arsenal and I didn't bother with half of the grenades. If you skip that you might get a head start. This must be one of the worst levels I've ever played but what can you expect when you get three maze maps with the download. The best moment for me came when I reached the slot for the cartouche in the final maze and I realized that there was no more pushing of the statue as I feared it would go on endlessly with all those doors. I could go on forever listing all the designer flaws and irritating aspects of the gameplay but what would be the point?! It's only redeeming feature is a hopping sequence over a deadly floor but that hardly justifies the download. I usually try hard to find positive things to say about those beginners level but I'm lost for words here. Again I'm kinda shocked to see that this is rewarded with 7 point for gameplay by one of the jury members and even Ian is kinda generous by his standards. Ahh maybe it's just me.” – Dimpfelmoser (07-Oct-2002)

“Rather long walls/runs just to get to the next section of game play these could have been cut by half. Left with loads of ammo and health along with hand of sirus and the two eye pieces. So lots to pick up and not use rather overkill. Enemies – ninja type - coming in groups. Graphics produce thin walls rather see through at times especially when you turn around you end up inside the walls. Just about worth a quick play.” – Whistle (19-Sep-2002)

“I don't know why Jamie created Antarctica Unfinished Business any more than I know why I finished the game. As I played it the game consisted in Lara running through an Arctic environment dressed for a jungle expedition killing a large number of ninjas who were dressed for an Arctic expedition. Lara has as many weapons and health packs as she could ever need and in case she gets lost in either of three VERY simply mazes she has detailed maps of all of them. In my opinion a waste of my time - 20 minutes start to finish.” – Dougsan (13-Sep-2002)

“Oh my. This level should be titled ‘If You Like Running Around in Mazes and Pulling Switches to Open Yet Another Door Then This is the Level For You’. There is really not too much gameplay involved here. Lara must find here way through a lot of looonnng icy passages and mazes all the time flipping a lever and opening a door with killing a few guards on the sidelines. She eventually makes here way to a building of sorts to which she must gain entrance. Some long climbs to access yet another lever and another long climb. The highlight of the adventure (?) is a jump from rock to rock over a burning floor. Some more climbing and then a really irritating moving statue to 3 different squares to open yet more doors. Ultimately you will collect 2 eyepieces and exit the level.” – Momster (13-Sep-2002)

“The Tohokan story continues and while this 45 minutes run is still a level full of design flaws (thin walls huge rooms textured with the same tile long and eventless runs through empty corridors tedious climbs etc.) there is a bit of not too bad gameplay involved as well. The first maze is rather simplistic but the second had me thinking a little. You get two hands two cartouches and pickups a plenty so the 20+ ninjas are not really a threat. The third area with the pushable object was also a little tedious and took me six minutes alone to complete - can you do it faster? ;-)” – Michael (09-Sep-2002)

“My scores speak for themselves but can I say that I was endeared to (young?) Jamie from the moment I read his read-me in order to find out more about ‘this really good level’ and noticed that he'd provided some well-drawn diagrams of three of the rooms in case the player became stuck. They really weren't necessary but it was a lovely gesture. As for the rest it's a small download for an hour long level and that's good. There are loads and loads of neatly placed pickups which is quite funny and useful if you're worried about the combat. There's no need to worry about such things as lighting or textures as Jamie clearly isn’t either. There is a wonderful moment when some of the guards run down the side of an of ice column; and when all is said and done (and despite a push/pull puzzle which achieves levels of monotony hitherto thought unreachable) it cheered me up nicely.” – Orbit Dream (09-Sep-2002)