MOURNING PALACE

Back to the Basics: Level 8

Level and Walkthrough by Nadine (Horus)

Move forward into the next room and shoot the vases to get some ammo, then turn left and jump over the pool to avoid the skeleton and in the big hall turn right and follow the path to a lever. Don't shoot the vases there to avoid some beetles. Now return to the small pool and get to the spot where the skeleton raised (there is a face-texture on the ground). Grab the edge and drop down on the archway, drop down from that one too and cross the big hall to the steps in the south. Enter the hallway with the polerope and use it to get up. As soon as you arrive a skeleton is there to greet you.

Go up the ramps and through the door you opened earlier with the lever. Get through the crawlspace and use the lever to open the door. The water in the next room is toxic so it would be a nice idea to avoid it while jumping around. Get the shotgun to get rid of some skeletons. Use the lever on the far side of the hall to open a door to your left. Now you can get higher up. In front of the stairs is some shotgun ammo. When you went up the stairs run to the other side of the hall and step on the big face tile. This will open a door for some time, so quickly jump and run over to it and get the crowbar.

Return to the big hall again and run to the balcony (shoot the skeleton down in case if it's too annoying). At your right there is a little pile of sand and stones, jump to it and Jump up to the little crack and crawl into it. Make your way up until you reach the monkey swing at the ceiling. Thus you get to the other end of the big hall and now you can get a golden star. A camera shows you where to put it. Looks actually easier than it is.

Turn around and locate a slope at the front of the palace. Make sure you have full energy and then do a running jump towards it with a slight curve to the left so you will be sliding backwards down. Grab the edge and let go to grab the crack underneath. Shimmy as far as possible to the left and climb up where the crack is a bit bigger. Turn around and let go to grab again a crack underneath. And once again make sure you have plenty of health and drop down.

Get around the corner and face the ruins in the north. Looking up to the two corridors, turn right and jump over the slope (quite difficult jump, I would suggest you save before you try it). Move to the climbable wall and get up, then use the polerope to get in the room above. Get into the room next to this one and climb up another polerope, mind the fire under it this time. Place the star and see a big gate opening on the other side. Get down the ropes again and look for a ladder at the back of one of the two flamethrowers. Use the monkey swing to get on top of the other pillar and climb up the wall at the window. Cross the room and take the pillar. Return to the monkey swing and walk over it to get some flares.

Now move through the big hall and enter the palace. On each side you'll see an entrance to a room with a big face on the wall. Enter the left room and place your pillar on the right side of the face. A camera shows you that the big hall is now halfway filled with water. Mind the opening in the centre of the screen. You can now dive through that hallway and swim through various tunnels and get some air. Don't get out of the water there but swim a bit further to use a switch to open a door in the big room with the fog. Behind the door you'll find a quite empty room - empty except for that nice little face-texture on the ground. As soon as you step on it you'll see a door opening. The problem is not only to get somehow up there but also get up there in time before it closes again.

I personally prefer this route: dash out of the room and up the ramp, make a running jump to the pillar on the right and then a standing jump to the next. Now again a running jump and a sideflip to the left. Turn around 90° and jump and grab the edge and pull up. Turn around again and monkey swing to the end. Let go and grab the edge below, pull up and run a bit forward until you can reach the next pillar with a standing jump. Now keep running and do a running jump, standing jump and a running jump again. Get up and through the door before it closed. It might be clever to save here and there while she is pulling up and edge or while jumping. As a reward to this you'll get the knot. Return to the big stone face where you placed the pillar and put your knot in a place for it near to it. You will see a block lowering in the water. That is near the steps in the north of the big hall, there are some bubbles coming out of the hole so there should be no problem finding it.

In the next room swim to the top and find a triangle-shaped hole in the wall. Climb out the water and see a mummy wandering around in the room. If this little buddy buggers you too much shoot him once or twice with the shotgun and he will fall and stay on ground for a while. Push and pull the movable to the northeast corner of the room right in front of the stripe on the wall to the right. Now move to the opposite side of the room and step on the big tile. This will open a door, also timed. Once inside get up the polerope and use the monkey swing. Jump to the lever to raise the movable. Get into the little hole in the wall beside the movable and push it on the tile on the wall with the pillars. This opens the big door, and you can get into a room with some more toxic water.

But before you reach the end of the platform you'll be attacked by a wraith. So get quickly over the pool with the rope and take the Hathor Effigy. Activate the switch next to the entrance to open a door to a room where you can get rid of the wraith. Get near to the bird-statue and then run to the right to use the lever while the wraith is having a date with the bird, destroying itself. The lever made a flame at the upper end of the polerope disappear. Climb up and get the Ornate Handle. Move down again and get on the big block to open a timed double door. Be careful not to hit the flames while sprinting to the door. The lever behind the door opens the other door in the room with the flames. Dive into the pool and enter the underwater maze. Swim left, left, straight forward, left, right. You are now again in the big hall.

Enter the palace and place the combined Portal Guardian in front of the stone face on the right. This will open a door right outside. Pull the lever and a camera will show you where to go now. As son as the elevator stopped you see a big ramp in front of you. Mind the crawlspace to your right and the special tiles on the floor on the ramp. Obviously they don't trigger something when you step on them so let's try luring the two boulders at the end of the ramp there. Step under them and sprint immediately down the ramp again and get into the crawlspace. The two boulders opened now the door at the upper end of the ramp. You'll notice a ring of metal in that room. As soon as you step on it you'll be attacked by a big boulder. Quickly get back and wait for the boulder to roll down the steep ramp. Now save and try to get down the ramp as fast as possible because two other boulders will come down while you slide down.

Now move even faster in the next room and push the two big buttons. Save before you move through the door. Jump over the slopes and grab the monkey swing at the end. Save again and turn around and wait for the flame to disappear and slide down the last slope. Jump with a turn to the right on the floor, avoiding the toxic water. Now just jump to the middle of the room to the burning big crystal to end this level.