BtB 2006 - Level 8 - The Blue Sun

Level by [christoph] (Christoph Summerer)

Walkthrough by Selene

Background Story:

Based on an ancient Chinese legend the mystic 'Blue Sun' gives its owner immense powers. Many thought the Stone is a legend, but it now turns out the legend is true. Lara heard from an old friend that the Stone has made an appearance in China. The only problem is - the 'bad guys' have found the stone already. So Lara sets out to search for it, because having it in the wrong hands is a threat to the whole human race...

Pickups: Normal shotgun ammo, revolver ammo, small medipacks, Yin + Yang (=Yin Yang), 2x Mystic Stones, laser sight, crowbar, 2x Dragon Stones, revolver, Chinese Fan + 1 Secret

Enemies: Snakes and ninjas

Going for a quick dip:

Lara begins her new adventure dropping into a small room on top of a slope. Nothing to do in here so slide down the slope to land in the pool below. Immediately swim straight ahead (W) and climb quickly onto the lower part of the waterfall to avoid the company of a hungry snake residing in the pool. Kill it from the safety above and once that is done jump in the pool again to get a pickup. Swim to the far right side of the pool, where some normal shotgun ammo is awaiting you in the S/E corner. Climb back onto the waterfall and go all the way to the top. In front of you there is a cascade in front of another pool, but the current in the water will prevent you from jumping into that area. We'll get back there later. For now climb the ledge on your right and pick up some revolver ammo. Turn to face E and continue up the stone ramp until you reach a balcony above the pool.

Creating balance - the Yin and the Yang:

Go to the far right side of the balcony, where you can pick up a small medipack. There's no use in trying to jump into the alcoves along the right wall, as the waterfall will sweep you back out and down into the pool below. Stand by the railing where you picked up the medipack (facing E) and look down into the pool. You will see that there is a pickup on the white block below. This block is too high to climb from the pool area, so we'll need to get there from this point. Stand up against the railing and walk two steps backwards. Run towards the railing while pressing the Jump key and Lara will leap across and land on the white block below. This will cost her some health, but unfortunately there's NO other way of reaching the block. Pick up the black Yin symbol, dive in the water and make your way back up to the balcony.

Notice that when you reach the balcony there are two shootable balls hanging from the ceiling above you. We do not have any weapons suitable for shooting them yet, so just take a mental note of them for now. This time go around to the left (N) until you reach the point of the balcony exactly opposite of where you jumped down. Look down into the pool on this side to spot the second white block below which also contains a pickup for you. You'll have to go for the same procedure here so once more stand up against the railing, take two steps backwards, run and jump. This will land you on the white block, where you can claim the white Yang. By now you will have lost nearly half of the health, but as mentioned before this is the only way to do it, so you'll have to bear with that health loss. Once you have it drop into the pool and climb onto the lower part of the waterfall again.

This time climb the ledge to the left. Stand facing the pool with the current (N/W). The current is strongest in the middle of the pool, so you'll need to get to the far right side of it, where it is somewhat weaker. Hop backwards and do a running jump through the cascade to land in the pool beyond. You will be swept off another cascade and land in the water below. As soon as you land turn around, swim up and climb out onto the low roof to the S. You can now turn around and shoot the two snakes that come to greet the guest. Note that these snakes are very mobile and will not stay still waiting for their execution so you will most likely need to get around on the available ledges trying to get a clear shot of them. Use the roof you're on (you will get to the other part of the roof by doing a standing jump across the sloped section of it), the passageway to the left (E) and the low block on the opposite side of the roof (by the S wall). Keep going at it, constantly changing location, until they're both history.

The Garden Part I - The Puzzle of the Dragon:

Now dive into the pool and pick up normal shotgun ammo between the four columns under the roof and a small medipack in the S/E corner. Climb out on the floor to the E and follow the passage until you reach a garden area. Note that if you enter this area with guns drawn Lara will aim for the baboons roaming around the garden. If she shoots at them they will retaliate, otherwise they will leave her alone. In other words: there is no need to make more enemies than necessary, so leave the baboons alone.

In the garden there are seven waterfalls flowing from the rooftops. Lara will in particular take note of the N/E section of the roof. To the left of the doorway where you entered (when facing into the garden) there is a small alcove with a closed black and white door. To the right there is a table with some fans on it, but one is obviously missing. At the middle of the right wall(S) there is a slightly elevated platform containing a trapdoor in the middle (which for now is closed) flanked by two bonsai urns. The E wall is the least accessible one for now, you'll only find a closed door and a closed gate there. To the N there are three doorways leading into the same room and in the N/E corner there is a blue dragon tile on the ground and some closed doors to the right of it. Let's start with the easy and most obvious part first: the three doorways to the N.

Notice that before each doorway you'll spot a dragon tile on the ground. The colours of these are from left to right: blue-green-purple. Enter the room beyond them and you will find a set of four moveable pieces: two blue ones, one green and one purple. One of the blue pieces is positioned on the floor, the remaining three up on an array of white blocks. Before doing anything else head over to the N/E corner and pick up some revolver ammo under the bench. Now go over to the white blocks. Climb the block with the green piece and look up on the wall to the E. There is a jump switch here so stand right below it, jump up and press Action to pull it down. Doing so opens a door in the S/E corner of the same room, revealing another switch. As you pull it you will see a door open up on the balcony above. 

*NOTE: At first I didn't see the jump switch and so I lowered the three white blocks before noticing it. If you do this you will not be able to raise the blocks again and so you'll have to go back a savegame. ALWAYS pull that switch before dealing with the moveable piece puzzle.*

The next task now is to find a way to get the three higher pieces down to the floor level. So start with the blue piece on the floor. Pull the piece with you all the way out of the building (about nine pulls or so should do). Go around it to the left and push it all the way onto the blue dragon tile in the N/E corner. Once you do this you will be shown a shot of the room with the three remaining pieces. Now the white blocks they're placed on lower, making them more accessible to you.

Go back to the room with the three pieces and I guess the rest is pretty obvious now. The only thing you need to do is some rearranging of the pieces. So: the blue piece must be moved to the blue dragon tile in the left doorway, the purple piece to the purple tile by the rightmost doorway and green piece to green tile in the middle (see map for further reference). When that is done nothing obvious seems to have happen. But turn around to face the S wall and run up to the elevated white platform and you will see that the trapdoor here has opened. Drop down and follow the passage around. Ahead to the N there is a star to pry off from the wall, but as you don't have the crowbar yet that will have to wait. Instead head left and pull the switch here. You will be shown onto the balcony above where one door opens revealing a passage with another door that also opens. The latter is located in the S/W corner of the room with the moveable piece puzzle so go in there and pull up onto the ledge.

Up on the balconies - about secrets and mysticism:

Follow the passage up to the balcony and go left (E) where you can pick up the Mystic Stone from the pedestal. Doing so opens a set of double sliding doors down in the garden below. Before going back down though jump over the railing opposite of the pedestal (N) and pick up a small medipack. Continue E and in the next room pick up Secret 1: the shotgun, two boxes of normal ammo for it and a large medipack. Leave the balcony the way you came, go out of the piece puzzle room and head left to where you pushed the first blue piece. The sliding double doors you opened earlier are right across from it.

Enter and start up the ramp to the left, taking out the ninja that greets you on the way. On top you will enter a room with a roof set up on eight red columns, cascades running down from the roof, three doors along the right wall and three switches in the far left corner. There is also a shooting ball high up above the roof at the far end of the room. We will get back to the ball later when we have found more practical means of shooting it. For now let's concentrate on the switches. The doors on the right(S) are opened by pulling the switches in certain combinations. Behind each of the doors there is another switch. Once you have pulled all three of them a door in the garden will open. The switch combinations are as follows (when facing the switches of course):

Left door: pull the middle and right switch

Middle door: left switch alone

Right door: left and right switch

Once all three are pulled you will see the final gate open. Leave this area and go back to the garden. Uh oh, three ninjas are running around in it now. I found that you can kill them safely from where you enter now, but the most daunting task is to avoid hitting the monkeys. As much as you can, try shooting only when it is clear that it's a ninja she's aiming for. If you should harm a monkey, either reload a save-game or kill the ones that pose as a threat to you. Once the three ninjas are down, enter the newly opened room in the E wall and pick up the 2nd Mystic Stone. Once you take it you will see some blocks protruding out of the wall in the room before you entered the garden. So go to the opposite wall (W) and follow the hallway back to the watery room where you killed the two snakes earlier.

The Chamber of the Tall Pillars - finding the lasersight:

The two blocks you saw in the previous shot are over by the left(S) wall. Do a running jump to the lowest one and from there turn left and do a running jump while pressing Action to grab the edge of the highest. Pull up and turn around 360 degrees. Perform another running jump to grab the next block and from there pull up and turn to face the waterfall (this was where you entered this room near the beginning). High up on the wall to the left (W) there is a crawlspace. Take a mental note of it for now, we'll be back here later when it's more accessible. For now do a running jump N towards the waterfall, aiming Lara at the middle of it so she will be swept back to the lower part of the waterfall from the very beginning of the level.

Once back there make your way up to the balcony from before. Place the 2 Mystic Stones on their respective pedestals. This opens the gate in the S/W corner up here on the balcony. Enter and follow the passage to a room with a fixed camera angle. It will be hard to see here, but you can actually use the Look button to get the perspective back (when you let go of the Look button the fixed camera angle will go back to be like before). Sideflip across the pillars, but pause for a moment on the fifth one to pick up the lasersight. Continue sideflipping to the end, where you can combine the Yin and Yang (if you haven't done so already) and use it in the receptacle next to the door to open it.

Tall Pillar Cavern - the crowbar and the stone of a Dragon:

Follow the tunnel until you reach a large cave with waterfalls cascading into a pool below and a row of pillars ahead of you. On the first pillar turn left. You can now spot some normal shotgun ammo on top. Jump up the slope and pick it up. Continue running across to the other side and slide down to the flat rock at the end. Go left and you will enter a small room with a shootable ball so low that you can whip out your pistols and shatter it. Continue around the passage to the opening on the other side and do a running jump from there to the ledge with the star on the wall. Proceed with walking W around the perimeter of the cave until you reach a gap. Do a running jump from here over to the next flat rock outcropping. Walk on around the ledge until you get to the point where it's impossible to go any further. Here drop to hang from the ledge and shimmy right until the end. Pull up and jump to the top of the slope where you can finally pick up the crowbar.

Make your way CAREFULLY back to the ledge with the star on the wall. When you get there you can use the crowbar to pry the Dragon's Stone off the wall. Continue back towards the way you came in. Do NOT attempt to dive into the pool as there is a grate with a strong current in the middle that will suck Lara down until she drowns. Retrace your steps back across the pillars to the other side and across the first set of pillars too. Follow the passage until you're back on the balcony above the starting room. Before leaving though pry open the left gate in the S wall using the crowbar (the gate with the bars and two blue dragon tiles below). Enter and climb the ledge on your left side. Do a standing jump over the waterfall to the ledge with the switch. Pull the switch to watch another block shooting out from the wall in the room before the garden. That's where we're going now. You can jump in the water and let the current sweep you back to the starting room, but I prefer to jump across the ledges and head back to the balcony.

A quick pickup - snakes, steel and a new weapon:

Go back down the ramp on the left side. Do a running jump over the waterfall with the strong current again until you end up in the room where you killed the two snakes. Climb the roof again and make your way jumping across the blocks up to the final one in the S/W corner. Now you can pull up into the crawlspace. Go along the passage until you're met by the sound of clanking blades and the sight of a pool with two snakes frolicking in it. You can easily kill the two of them from the safety of dry land. Once they're dead swim across the pool and climb the submerged block by the W wall. Look up to spot a crevice. Jump up to grab it and shimmy right and around two corners. When you are hanging from the approximate middle of the red pillar drop down and instantly press Jump. The trick is to make Lara backflip onto the wooden platform behind her before she slides off the stones below the pillar and back into the water.

Walk CAREFULLY up to the revolver and pick it up, avoiding the blades. Now position Lara as in this screenshot.

As the blades clank towards her run a few steps ahead, veering right as you reach the rightmost blade so that you can run straight to the edge, jump and grab the waterfall ahead. If you have done this correctly it shouldn't cost you any health (again this is my way of doing it. Please feel free to use your own methods if you find them easier and more efficient).

Go up to the top of the waterfall now. When you get to the edge stop and look ahead and right. On the other side you should be able to spot a shatterable ball. Arm yourself with the revolver and lasersight, aim for the ball and shoot it. The location of the ball is shown in the screenshot below:

Now run ahead and slide down to the middle of the pool and you're being swept back to the lower part of the cascade. Retrace your steps back onto the balcony and now that you have the revolver and lasersight you can shoot the two balls in the ceiling up here too.

The Garden Part II - locating the 2nd Dragon‘s Stone:

Time for a final run back to the garden area. Go down the left ramp from the balcony and do the same running jump over to the right part of the pool to be swept into the pool below. Climb out on the floor to the E and make your way back to the garden.

Once there drop into the trapdoor to the S again. Follow the passage around and pry off the 2nd Dragon's Stone from the wall here. Make your way back to the upper area with the three doors and switches. Go over to the switches and look up towards the roof. A final breakable ball is hanging from the arch up there so once more arm Lara with the revolver and shoot this one too. A door opens in a different room so go back down to the garden and once more drop down in the trapdoor to the S. Follow the passage here and you will now see that this is where the block retracted, revealing an alcove with a cascade running through. Drop into the water and pick up the Chinese Fan. Climb back out in the corner, go back up to the garden and head over to the table with the fans. Place the fan you just found on the table and a door opens to the right of the entrance to the garden. Run over there and drop down. Place the two Dragon's Stones in the receptacles to open the door in the middle.

Walking towards the light:

Run up the long ramp to find yourself in a courtyard with a cherry blossom tree in the middle. Go up the stairs at the middle of the N wall and continue until you reach some sloped blocks above a pool. Position Lara as in the following screenshot:

Do a running jump towards the next slope ahead and to the right and as soon as you land keep pressing the Jump key to bounce off the first and second slope. As you jump off the third one press Action in the last moment to grab the ladder ahead. Climb up to the top and do a running jump over to the opening. Pull the switch and you'll see some spikes lower in front of a green opening in the courtyard. Turn around and go back towards where you came from, but at the end turn left to see an opening in the wall. Climb up there and follow the passageway back to the courtyard.

Draw your guns and enter the green opening. Kill the ninja that bursts out from the right side and go down either the left or right ramp to a room with another switch. Pull the switch to open the second door back where you placed the Dragon's Stones. Go back out to the courtyard and leave this area through the ramp to the S. As you reach the door where you entered earlier go right and climb the green block. Run out towards the light to meet some unexpected company and a sudden end to the adventure.