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Level: Black Fortress of Antarctica back home search
Author(s): Ruediger
total rating:6.38 Gameplay &
Puzzles		 Enemies,
Objects &
Secrets		 Atmosphere,
Sound &
Cameras		 Lighting &
Textures
Catherin 7 6 6 6
Cory 9 7 7 6
Daffy 7 7 6 7
Dimpfelmoser 6 6 6 5
eTux 7 5 7 6
Gerty 7 7 7 6
Kristina 5 5 6 7
LePerk 7 5 6 4
MichaelP 6 6 7 6
Obig 6 6 6 6
Orbit Dream 8 5 7 7
RaiderGirl 6 7 7 7
Sakusha 7 6 6 7
Sash 6 7 7 9
Sherry 6 6 6 6
category averages
(15 reviews)		 6.67 6.07 6.47 6.33

Reviewer's comments

"Level begins with a pretty course in the snow before entering the fortress, inside is rather dark and the lack of torch can quickly be felt. In another way decoration is sober and gloomy. Gameplay is not too much complicated, alone final slide before accepting the rock on the head posed me problem, I ended up succeeding after a lot trials. Here is a very advisable and amusing enough level to cross a right time." - Daffy (27-Aug-2009)

In this level, Lara has to watch out from the beginning of it. She must grab the ledge on time, shimmy and climb up. The textures and the lighting reveal interesting contrasts between light and darkness, the camera effects and the bats contribute to the atmosphere of this level, the author makes a balance between outside areas and inside areas, and I was particularly impressed by the penguin. The first two secrets are well-hidden (the third one, however, wasn't too difficult to find), the enemies can be quite challenging at times (eg. the demigods), the darkness contributes to the difficulty of the level, and the traps are remarkable (eg. the floor and ceiling spikes). I have enjoyed the winding underwater maze and the last boulder trap. Lara needs to obtain the gate key and a star in order to get through this level. It also seems that this fortress has been well-guarded by skeletons. Gameplay consists of dodging boulders, shimmying, jumping, killing enemies and going through a timed run. However, I don't see how jackals and crocodiles can live in an environment as cold as Antarctica, and I was surprised to see demigods in a region that has never been conquered by Ancient Egyptians. - Sakusha (01-Jul-2005)

“This was the hardest level I’ve done in my Tomb Raider career. I wouldn’t have demigods in a fortress though. Everything about it was difficult. It was way too dark for my liking. At the very beginning I found a secret. This was the first level that started with Lara doing something. The penguin was hysterical that brightened up the first bit too bad it didn't light up inside the fortress LOL. I loved the way Ruediger built this level from beginning to end. I found the rope swing a bit tricky or it might just be my rope swing technique. Dad at the boulder slide said to grab grab climb and run I tried but it didn’t work so I shimmied. I was almost out of life when I faced the last demigod there was no way to survive so Dad had to use DOZY but can you blame him because I had no medipacks and the smallest amount of life you can ever imagine. The best level I’ve played so far. Well done Ruediger!” – Cory (28-Jun-2004)

“The level starts in an icy environment and penguins watch you from an iceberg. Great! I also liked the footprints in the snow and Lara’s nice outfit. She has some ice floe jumping to do and other challenges (like boulders a good timed run spikes) to master. She also has to fight dogs bats demigods nasty skeletons and crocs (the first croc was quite a mean one. haha). This level is not very difficult but you can have fun anyway. Unfortunately it was way too dark for me and I used all the flares. Nevertheless it is an entertaining level and Lara is quite busy coping with all the challenges.” – Tinka (16-Aug-2003)

“This has icebergs that float in mid air and some kind of animated gold Egyptian statues and palm trees in Antarctica and a block of stone also in mid air weird. The gameplay is good challenging but not frustrating. You get sucked into the action quickly and it doesn't stop for the whole level. The textures are wallpapered on and minotinous (is that spelt correctly?). But a fun level. Weird penguins too.” – LePerk (24-May-2003)

“This is a small entertaining level and from how much I've played the authors best level to date (have to check out the later released levels yet though). I liked the jumps on the platforms which were very fun and the skeletons provided a nice challenge too. The small timed platform the spikes popping out from above and below and also the last boulder make this a fun experience. Also the penguin textures looked rather funny (in a good way). Won’t mention the negatives as others have explained them well and my ratings reflect the weak points in here too. A fun adventure in Antarctica you can surely find better ones but this can't be thrown in the dustbin either.” – eTux (22-May-2003)

“This is one of those levels where on occasion you think to yourself ‘Oh poor Lara! Why does her life have to be so tough?’ as spikes descend from above and shoot up from below skewering our helpless heroine for the tenth consecutive time before you finally get it right and move her on to the next nasty obstacle. (And it will be a nasty one because Ruediger has apparently studied at the 'Surekill School of gameplay design' wherein Lara must have her life violently threatened almost constantly from first moment to last). It's a lot of fun of course. The challenges (which are completely physical; no dull block pulling/pushing; or lever activations here) are vigorous and fast paced; the enemies thirsting for blood (perhaps too many Fireball-throwing creatures? They might better have been saved for a big finale); the platform jumping well designed. My greatest reservation is in the choice of textures. Tinnos is a decidedly cold (obviously) texture set with little chance of generating anything other than a bleak atmosphere; and so it is here. But the game itself will keep you entertained from first moment to last for around 40 minutes. And that surely is enough to recommend it?” – Orbit Dream (26-Apr-2003)

“I'm going to be the spoilsport. I didn't like it. WAAAY too dark for my taste. I thought it got better as it carried on but crocodiles and skimpy outfits in the Antarctic tick me off - not to mention demigods. However it probably will suit most people just fine. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood so don't pay any attention to me.” – Sherry (17-Feb-2003)

“Starting outside in an icy area with a surprising and deadly jump you'll soon find yourself inside where your first objective is to get around some skeletons bats dogs spikes and demigods for a set of keys. Soon you make your way through a tunnel where you can again see the way outside but the best part is still to come. There's some great jumps and climbs as you search for and use a star and then escape a tricky boulder trap only to find yourself right outside the exit to the cave. Overall no tricky puzzles but quite an assortment of action and enemies and I loved the penguins!” – RaiderGirl (16-Feb-2003)

“It's one of those levels that you have to review immediately after you've play the thing otherwise you might forget most of it. Oh well I finished it rather late last night and today the only thing I remember is that I found it way too dark there were too many crawls for my liking and the penguin looked dead good. But I had a glimpse at the other reviews and suddenly it all came back. I think the gameplay has potential but all the different elements didn't really add up to a gripping atmosphere or believable storyline. The texturing was a bit monotonous at time and what are demigods and crocodiles doing in Antarctica anyway? Still with that timed run some good jumping and rather well placed enemies an entertaining half an hour of linear raiding.” – Dimpfelmoser (13-Feb-2003)

“Although it was very dark at certain areas the flares were enough and fortunately no flare bug. The game play is poor though only a set of keys and a star to pry with the crowbar. The rest of the level is all about an underwater dark maze and a few jumps plus shooting dogs crocodiles bats demigods and encouraging skeletons with the shotgun to take a swim. The spike room wasn't hard at all but I had to do the timed trapdoor three times because although Lara managed to pull up in time she fell while the trapdoor was closing. I liked ending the level with a challenge and that was to slide down and avoiding a boulder and a big gap I shot a dog and while Lara ran to the outside the loading screen appeared.” – Kristina (07-Feb-2003)

“This had a lot of potential there is some nice jumping good placement of enemies and some well used traps but in the end it just felt underdone to me. From the white snowy starkness in the beginning the inside of the fortress was just way too dark and although the design of the fortress was made to fit the tasks at hand it didn’t have any character to it. I have to say though that I absolutely loved the audio that went along with finding the 3 secrets I think it may have been American Indian singing but whatever it was it was gorgeous although if it is American Indian singing then it was way out of place in Antarctica. Okay it sounds like I didn’t like this much but I did it was just a little too easy and at 30 minutes a little to short.” – Sash (31-Jan-2003)

“It's not a particularly difficult level. The texture is a bit monotonous. I don't like such dark places but there are enough torches. There's even not a puzzle in the level just a timed run but it's not difficult too. I had reload only the last sliding down several times. There's no own audio. The enemies aren't too hard to overcome and the Demigods can be destroyed with pistols too. Although for the first time I used a medipack too.” – Obig (29-Jan-2003)

“Certainly Rüdiger’s best effort to date. You get half an hour of rather straightforward raiding which starts out in an Arctic environment with a few jumps on the trickier side and then progresses to the inside of the black fortress. Found one secret outside (those penguins were a laugh) and one inside if you go to the right first near the Uzi (if you don’t you might miss this area entirely as you can finish the level without going there). There are a few spikes to maneuver to get a key and then it becomes quite entertaining with good jumping/platforming sequences getting a star an easy timed trap door some crawling and diving and bats dogs demigods crocodiles and skeletons sometimes sneakily placed and a good boulder trap at the end. Good fun – try it out!” – Michael (27-Jan-2003)

“This level starts with a bang as the only thing you CAN do is jump. Don’t think it will get any easier as then you have to find a way not to fall into the abyss (again). There is even a penguin looking at Lara LOL. The contrast between outdoors and going inside that fortress is huge you’ll see what I mean. I escaped this level with all my medpacks used up and hardly had any life left but I know you all do better than me. And I only found one small medpack so be careful. Enemies the ones in here are placed in a way that they do damage Lara and I was glad I found the shotgun. There are dogs bats crocs skeletons and demigods. Finding first the gate key and later a star will send you on your way. I had a good laugh when one of the skeletons missed a jump on the ice blocks and fell into the water. There are some boulder traps and spikes and poisons arrows and a timed run over fierce water have fun I had. Could have used a bit more light as the use of dark rock makes the place not gloomy but dark. 26-01-2003” – Gerty (27-Jan-2003)
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