THE QUEST FOR THE ASPHAEING0S AMULET

Level One: CITY OF BLEZQI ZATSAZ


By Fabio Ribeiro (Phabius Phodes)

This is an unauthorized walkthrough written by Phil Lambeth.  (update Nov 16, 2022): The first secret mentioned below has remained undocumented until now (actually, it turns out to be the last secret), as Ejecta has graciously provided us the following information: There is definitely no secret in the maze; in fact, the final secret unlocks after placing the Hand of Orion in its receptacle near the end of the level. Instead of diving down in the pool, the player should go back to the area with the grates where they climbed up after escaping the dimly-lit temple area with unmarked spike traps - the other grate has an underwater chamber at the bottom, and if you follow it to the end you can find some revolver ammo and the final secret, then you can climb up and go back to where the pool was, dive down and go on to finish the level.


Begin in a dark tunnel. Run forward and pull up to the right. Run E past the columns through the entrance to another area with similar columns. Take out the ninja. Ignore the doorway straight ahead and take the one to the left. Turn right just before you reach the wall. Shoot the vases for target practice and some shotgun ammo. In the next room E shoot two vases and a scorpion. Go back out and turn right. Climb up and over the wall.

Run forward and turn left (noting the closed door in front of you). A door opens. Inside, kill a ninja to your right. In the same area, light a flare and locate an overhead platform. Jump, grab and pull up, and push the floor lever to open a gate elsewhere. Go back outside, turn right and climb back over the wall. Drop down, turn left into the E doorway, turn left again at the large gate and deal with another ninja. Shoot an empty vase if you wish and locate a ceiling hole in the SW corner. Climb up and push another floor lever. Go back down and outside. Climb over the wall to your right. A door has opened N. Go into a new open area and turn right. Run E down the tunnel and turn left before you reach the doorway into the next open area. Turn left at the end and pull up into an alcove. Turn left again and pull up into an upper level with animal statues. Turn right and vault through an opening to a veranda with lion statues.

Take running jumps around the lion statutes, turning in midair as needed. Then turn left and take an angled standing jump SW into an alcove. Angle to the left and take another standing jump SE to a ledge. Turn right and vault up into a new area. Turn right, then left, and vault up into a dark area.  Hop down into a maze-like area. A mummy emerges from your left to harass you. Eluding it as best you can, explore this area thoroughly. You'll encounter two more mummies along the way, pick up some shotgun ammo after shooting a vase in the NW section and push the nearby floor lever to open an underground door. There's some uzi ammo in a SW window alcove.  An earlier version of this walkthrough indicated that SECRET #1 was in this maze-like area, but I couldn't find it when I replayed this level.  Make your way back out through the leftmost window in the east wall. Return to your starting point past the lions. Vault over the opening and turn left on the other side and go through the opened door.

In the new area go up the steps and across the fenced-in bridge. Throw the floor switch downstairs to open a door outside. Go back across the bridge, make a hairpin turn to the left and vault up into the opening. Take a running jump and grab to the sloped slab across the way. Pull up, turn to the right and run and jump your way over to the ledge against the south wall. Turn left and vault up into the opening. Run through the tunnel (listen for the spike sound) and stop at the gap. Take a standing jump and grab, shimmy to the far right and pull up and slide down into the hole. Turn right into an alcove for SECRET #2 and some shotgun ammo. Step back out of the alcove and turn facing the south wall as far away from the spikes as possible. Jump up and grab, pull up, take a back flip to the next slope and back flip off that one to a ledge.

Turn around and go through the N opening. Go through the crawl space, jump with grab over a gap and kill a scorpion near the opening to a larger blue-tinted room. Stepping only on the plain squares (the dotted ones are fire-trapped), make your way in a counterclockwise direction to the rear of the pedestal and claim the first CARTOUCHE PIECE. Kill another scorpion and make your way back outside. When you reach the gap, step forward so that Lara slides down face forward (or slide down backwards, grab and take a rolling back flip). Jump and grab over the gap and pull up. Hop down, run forward and a door will open in front of you. A cut scene shows three alerted ninjas, so draw weapons and take them out quickly. One will drop a small medipack. Across the way is a NW opening leading to an area with a pool, but there's nothing to do there except wash the dust off with a swim.

Instead, head south down the alley. Turn right before you reach the closed door ahead, run west down the connecting alley and turn right into the large hallway. Turn right at the wall and head down the stepped ramp. Kill a couple of scorpions, then continue ahead into the E alcove and locate a crawl space in the right corner. Enter for SECRET #3 and a large medipack. Go back out and run back up the ramp. Just past the intersection, continue W up the ramp and trigger a boulder trap a short way up. After you've turned around and dashed to safety, go back up and pick up some flares. Continue up the ramp and turn right at the landing. Angle around to the left and enter another pool area. You'll lose camera control at the entrance, but run around the pool to the left and note the opening into a central pit. This is your exit portal, so remember it for later.

Continue around the pool and locate the climbing surface in the northwest corner. Climb up past the ledge, shift left and drop down. Run to a point underneath the bridge, jump up and grab its underside. Monkey swing across to the other side. Drop down and turn left. Run to the climbable wall and climb up. Shift left around the corner when you get above the ledge, and drop down. Face S and take a running jump and grab to the bridge. Pull up and run around to the S entrance of another blue-tinted room. Same drill. Avoid the dotted squares, which will set Lara ablaze, and make your way (clockwise, this time) to the pedestal for the second CARTOUCHE PIECE. Retrace your steps after shooting the scorpion and take a swan dive into the pool below. Pull out E and navigate up and down the stairs to return to the outside alley. Turn left and run through the opening to the adjacent alley. Turn right and duck into the tunnel to the left of the closed door. Combine the two Cartouche Pieces and insert the BA CARTOUCHE in the gold receptacle. The double doors outside open.

Enter and turn left. Crawl S down the ramp to avoid the dart gauntlet and kill a ninja in the alley below. Pick up the revolver ammo he drops. Turn into the doorway to the right and hop backwards up the dark ramp to trigger a boulder trap. After the boulder rolls by, continue up and pick up the small medipack at the top. At the outside landing, turn right and execute a series of jumps and grabs to the other side. Take out a ninja who comes out of a tunnel to your left across the alley, then reverse roll and do the same to another ninja who's shooting at you from below. Take a running jump across the alley to the ledge and enter the tunnel. At the end, pick up the shotgun ammo and crossbow arrows.

Go back outside and safety drop to the ground. Crawl N down the ramp at the east end of the alley, again dodging the darts. You'll come to a torch-lit room with two grated openings leading to water. Kill two scorpions, then jump down into the far W hole. (If you jump into the near one, you'll miss a secret.) Enter the W opening, follow the passage and an underground door opens as you approach, connecting the maze of tunnels. Just before that, however, turn right into the S side passage and locate SECRET #4.  Pick up the shotgun ammo, then swim E through the opening.  Take the right fork for some flares, then swim the other way until you come to an E opening leading to an area with a tall central column rising out of the water. Pull up and deal with an assortment of scorpions that await your arrival.

Watch out as you explore this area, as there are unmarked places where spikes will impale you without warning when you trigger them (as well as dotted burner tiles). Make your way to a doorway near the northwest corner of this room. Run around the stone barrier and locate a pole on the other side. Climb up the pole to the next higher level. Back flip to a plain square in the southeast corner so you won't burn up. Jump to similar plain squares until you reach the interlocking abutments that criss-cross this immense room. Jump all the way across to the S wall and pick up some crossbow arrows. Then turn left and continue on until you reach the southeast corner, where you'll find an opening leading to a similar obstacle course (step on the plain tiles only) ending at another pole, which takes you to an even higher level. You don't have to worry about fire traps up there. Follow the N passage. You'll come out to face a rope, but don't try getting to it from here. Step down to the ledge and take an angled standing jump to the right. Vault up into the tunnel and turn left. Take standing jumps and grabs to get past three pits, then turn left to step down onto the outside ledge. Take an angled standing jump to the right and claim your reward of a small medipack for all that work. Go back across the three pits and step out onto the ledge at the other end.

From this vantage point take an angled running jump and grab the rope. From there, swing to the central abutments and drop down. Avoid the parapets, which are fire traps. Make your way over to the west, where you see another dangling rope. Use it to get to the ledge against the wall. Vault into the opening near the northwest corner and enter the crawl space. Jump and grab over four pits until you reach a floor switch. Throw it to open a door below. Reverse your steps and make your way back down to the floor of this large area. Navigate to the opening in the northeast corner, again being mindful of those devilish spike traps. Go around the stone barrier and through the doorway that's now open. Kill the scorpion that comes out to greet you and push the floor lever.

Now go back to the water and dive in. Swim through the opening in the north wall and surface when you reach the air hole. There are more spike traps here, so be careful. Take a standing jump to the right, or northeast, corner and use the climbable wall to get out. Quietly draw weapons after pulling up and kill the ninja whose back is toward you. Go up the steps and into the sunshine. Locate the climbable surface in the west wall to your left. Climb up and pull into the opening. Run left through the tunnel and emerge over the veranda. Jump down, draw weapons and shoot the ninja. Near the other end of the veranda you'll find some uzi ammo. Climb back down to the floor.

Ahead and to the left are some flares. Enter the nearby NW tunnel and turn left. Run down the stairs and kill a ninja who steps out from the right. In the small alley, turn right and enter the dark portal. Run up the stairs. Shoot the vases for target practice if you like. Run down the stairs, ignore the hole to the right, and note an area with a receptacle you'll need later. Go back outside, turn right into the open area and run to the other end. Take the alley veering off to the right to locate an alcove with a closed door and a climbable wall. Climb up for some shotgun ammo. Safety drop back down to the pavement and run to the other end. Pull up left onto the small structure at the S wall and step forward to pull up onto the roof. Turn around and face the opening in the wall. Take a running jump and grab, and pull up. Head up the stairs and you'll reach a dark room with four vases and a receptacle you'll also need later. Shoot the vases for target practice and a scorpion.

Make your way back to the open ground, run back through the portal to the east and continue ahead until you reach the first open area. Continue to the east wall and turn left into the passage. Emerge in another open area. Turn left and run past the first group of columns. Take a right before the second group and locate the climbable wall. Climb up and back flip onto the ledge. Draw weapons and shoot the ninja on the bridge in front of you. There are no goodies on either ledge, so jump to the bridge and run W into the open area with a wading pool. Shoot the two ninjas posted in the openings to your right. Vault up into either opening and push a floor lever to open a door outside and below. Go out to the bridge and jump NE to the ledge. Use the climbable wall to get back down. Run across the alley to the NW opening and run up the stairs. The door is now open to a new area. Draw weapons and shoot a ninja to your left. Climb up on the roof and jump over to the marble structure against the E wall for some crossbow arrows. Drop back down to the floor and find some shotgun ammo in an alley in the northeast corner. There's some uzi ammo on the cobblestone near the northwest corner, dropped by the ninja.

Go into the dark W opening. Climb down the wall and shift to the right before dropping down, to avoid the spike trap. Light a flare, then draw weapons to kill two scorpions. Turn around and carefully take an angled standing jump and grab to land inside the opening and thereby avoid another spike trap. Run down into the tunnel and wade until you reach the end where you can pull up. Kill the two scorpions that await you.

Light a flare in the dark room and locate the two statues perched on runners near the west wall. Pull and push them to the other end of each runner and the double doors in between will open. Go inside and take the HAND OF SIRIUS from the pedestal. Then turn to face N and note another artifact perched atop a column that's seemingly too far away to reach. Locate the ladder and climb down into the darkness until you reach the bottom. Light a flare and run around the stone column to the other side. Kill a scorpion and locate a climbing surface on the north face of the column. Climb to the top, vault up onto the ornate block and pick up the first EYE PIECE. Climb back down and up to return to the area with the first pedestal. Return to the dark room E and run to the other side, where you'll find two water holes. Jump into the one on the left and wade to the end for a small medipack. Go back out and jump into the other hole. Wade through the tunnel and run up the ramp. Don't forget the spike trap in the next room. From the opening, take an angled running jump to the right corner. Climb up the wall, shifting to the left as necessary to clear the opening at the top. Pull up, draw weapons and kill the ninja.

In the open area, turn right about halfway down and go through the open S door and down the stairs. In the next open area, turn right and run down to the other end and turn right into the SW doorway. When you emerge into the next open area you'll be greeted by a ninja, so dispose of him. Continue across and enter the NW doorway. Run through the tunnel, and when you emerge in the small alley turn right and run through the dark N portal. Make your way up the stairs until you reach the receptacle you noted earlier. Insert the Hand of Sirius, and the door behind you will open.

Reverse roll and enter the open doorway. Slide down the ramp and you'll come to an area where you need to brush up on your Palace Midas moves to make your way across the timed fire pedestals. But first, swim down and explore the underwater nooks and crannies. On the southwest end is some revolver ammo, and on the northeast end is a small medipack. At the southeast corner is a higher opening to SECRET #5 and some crossbow arrows. After pulling out SE and making your way safely over the tiles to the other side, turn left and enter a darkened room. Three statues are blocking crawl spaces, so push them out of the way and enter each crawl space in turn, starting with the W one on your right. Make your way past the steam blowers and drop down into the next room. Vault up onto the block and pick up the second EYE PIECE. In the room beyond the next crawl space (to the south) you'll find the HAND OF ORION; in the third one E, a floor switch that opens the door behind you and gives you a short cut out.

Reverse roll and return to the open area, where a ninja awaits you. Kill him and continue ahead to the south wall. Turn left and pull up. Step forward and pull up to the roof. Reverse roll, face the opening in the wall and take a running jump and grab to it. When you've run as far as you can go, insert the Hand of Orion in the receptacle. A door opens behind you for another short cut.

Now it's time to leave. You emerge on the ledge overlooking the pool (you couldn't access this ledge earlier from below). Jump or dive into the pool. Pull up and go into the open doorway to the south. When you get to a familiar open area, a ninja greets you from the right. After killing him, follow the alley to the south. Turn right at the opening (before the open double doors) and prepare to kill another ninja in the next area. Turn right and enter the large dark N portal. Turn left and run up the ramp and continue around until you reach the pool. Turn left and run past the two pharaoh statues and into the pit in the next room. You'll land on a column. Jump down, light a flare and run forward to the S wall. Combine the two Eye Pieces and insert the EYE OF HORUS in a receptacle you probably can't even see in the dark. The wall ahead will open up, allowing you to run forward and exit this level.