LABYRINTH OF FIRE

By Mark Lunney

Walkthrough written by the author and included in the level download.

Kills: 7 Items: 13, including 2 keys and 1 Load Stone

Secrets: 5 (Note: Be sure to find all the secrets so you can access the bonus level at the end of the game. Note that one of the regular pick-ups here will be the SHOTGUN if you didn't get it in the previous level.)

Objectives: Pass through numerous traps and puzzles to find a key and trigger an earthquake. Fight a boss then enter the labyrinth of fire and find load stone. Escape the labyrinth via a collapsing tunnel then dive into the water to end the level.
Start: After a quick slide you will see three doors (one locked), but before entering these there is an easy secret:
SECRET #1: As soon as you start, turn left and you will see a small gap between the slope and the wall. Jump through to find a small medipak.

Now you can choose either of the opened doors, I suggest starting with the one on the right:

The Three Trials

The Trial of Skill: Pretty simple stuff to start off with, each square with holes indicates that spikes may will pop up a second after you step on it. To get through them all you will have to sprint, but line up carefully or you’ll veer into the spikes at the side. As soon as you pass these, you’ll be sliding down a slope, similar to the start of TR3. Just jump over the holes or you’ll fall to a splintery death, the last one may take a couple of attempts.
The Trial of Mind: The basis of this puzzle is lining up jumps, much in classic pillar jumping style. But instead of pits, missed jumps will result in you setting on fire. Don’t light a flare because all you have to go by is the small patches of light, these are the safe places. The correct path is:

SECRET #2: The S in the diagram is a secret. The easiest way to get it is to light a flare just before you leave the room and turn right. Climb down the pit to find some shotgun ammo.

The Trial of Courage: The name pretty much sums up what you need to do here. There’s no way past the flames and crocodiles, you’ll need to sprint and swim as fast as you can. You could leave straight away but climb out and find a large medipak, which you’ll probably need. Now you can finish off the crocs but I suggest just dodging them, they won’t follow you for long.

Key Room: Before picking up the key go down the tunnel and check out the cool light effect. You can’t walk to the light because of the rocks, but when you pick up the key an earthquake will start and knock some of them away so you can pass.

SECRET #3: Before climbing out of the tunnel, roll, crawl and drop back throught the crack. There is a hidden small medipack.
Back to the start: Climb out and re-slide down the slope you started on. Head for the other door.

The Cavern of Light: If you were hoping for a nice linear level, think again. The cavern of light is a madly complex puzzle, here’s the gist: Four colored tiles, three colored doors. It’ all based around light mixing:
Red pad + Blue pad = Magenta door opens
Red pad + Green pad= Yellow door opens
Blue pad + Green pad: Cyan (turquoise) door opens

Beware: Hitting all three tiles will trigger deadly spikes, so you will need the white switch. This resets everything and should be used before you enter any new door.

SECRET #4: Before doing anything else, search the south west corner of the room underwater to find some shotgun ammo.

The first door you want to open is the yellow door (underneath the ledge with the tiles on). This requires you stepping on the red and green tiles. After hitting the tiles be careful, a crocodile will have swam into the water, finish it off before you progress. Now swim through the yellow door to find yourself in a flame-lit room with a pressure pad, hit it to cause a small tremor. This will have blocked off the passage which links the two halves of the main room thus draining one half.

When you leave the yellow room you need to get the cyan door open. To do this hit the white tile then hit the green and blue tiles. Swim to the other half of the room and safety drop into the now-drained pool. Through the cyan door is a wooden stick which you should light using the flame (ctrl). Then take this flaming stick to the main room. You need to take it through the magenta door but its close so you need to get back to the switches. To get out of the empty pool you need climb the blocks in the north west corner of the pool. But first you need to drop the flame (it won’t go out). When at the tiles hit the white tile then hit the blue and red tiles. Now work your way back to the flaming stick that you dropped.

Pick up the flaming stick and head through the magenta door. Get out of the tunnel with a side flip. Now don’t step of the lion tile. If you do a boulder will crush you. If you have played TRLR then you may recognise this puzzle, you should use your flame to burn the rope (jump under it) so that the boulder falls. You can then safely step on the lion tile which triggers (another) earthquake. The labyrinth of fire is now in reach.

Working your way back: Firstly get back to the tiles as you did earlier. Now go around the left of the centre pillar from where you can figure out how to reach the entrance, the last jump is a bit tricky, it apparently only requires a standing jump but you should take a run and grab if you don’t want to have to return to the empty pool below. Now fit your key into the gate and get ready for the skeleton boss.

Skeleton boss: You actually don’t have to kill this boss, but I suggest trying it out first and if you can’t see ‘alternative method’. Run to the top left of the room to pick up the shotgun. Equip it and try and manoeuvre so that the skeleton is directly between you and the pit. Now fire like mad and, hopefully, he will plummet to his death. If you run out of ammo there is some more in the top right corner. Now safety drop into the pit yourself to pick up the key for the gate. Open it and there’s a huge walk along the cliff, I suggest sprinting but be careful if you spring or even just run off the edge you will be trapped in a pool of water. You should safety drop onto the ledge below

Alternative method: Instead of killing the skeleton you can just pick up the key and open the door, but he will probably dissect you whilst you fit the key. Also, you will probably want the shotgun so if you’re picking it up you may as well just kill the guy.

Labyrinth of Fire: This is all about flames and colored tiles. A colored tile will turn off or turn on a flame of that color (the flame itself isn’t colored, the tile it is standing on is). The first puzzle is a bit of an introduction, hit the red tile to turn off the red flame so that you can safely climb the block. Now use the slopes to get over the flames then if you look left you will see a long line of fire, the last one with a blue light. Carry on forwards to find the tile that turns off the fire so that you can run-jump over the flames. Danger: As soon as you land a crocodile will attack, I suggest finishing off your shotgun as he’s a bit tricky to kill without falling into the flames.

Main light puzzle: This puzzle’s crazy, but really quite simple if you know what to do. Work around the corridor clockwise using nearby tiles to turn off flames. Eventually you will be at the start again but this is where you want to be, step on the first tile (again) but don’t go any further, turn back and head down the now passable corridor (because the yellow flame is out). Another alligator will attack, it is the very last enemy so finish of your shotgun if you still have any ammo. Head forwards (noting the white-lit flame on your right) and pick up the Load Stone.

SECRET #5: The key has a white light shining on it so if you’re observant you will realise that this turns off that white flame. So after picking up the Load Stone go back and find a grenade launcher, but don’t get too excited, there’s no more enemies to use it on, just keep it as a trophy.

Boulder Run: Don’t think the level's over yet, the hardest part is still to come. Drop down the hole in the Load Stone room and pick up the large medipak (you’ll be weak from the drop so you’ll need it). Now run (but don’t sprint) like mad as boulders will be dropping from both sides. At the end there’s a huge flame pit, run, jump and grab to get over it. Now there’s another even harder boulder. Sprint down the tunnel for a couple of seconds but then slow into a run. Keep your eyes open as there are two turn-offs along the way, cut into them. Spikes will pop up after 4 seconds so as soon as the boulder passes jump out. No more worries now, carry on down the corridor, crawl through the gap and dive into the water. This is the pool you might have been trapped in earlier, but now there is a small gap that you can swim out to end the level. Congratulations, you’ve won the level! But did you get all 5 secrets? And how long did it take you? A time under 45 minutes is good, but I’ve managed it in under 30.

Thank you for playing.
Mark Lunney