The entrance by Hartmut
Volmer
How to install:
1. Make a safe copy of your original Catacomb.tom, script.dat and
english.dat as these files will overwrite the originals when extracted.
2. Double click the entrance.exe found in this zip
3. Open your level converter and convert the Catacomb.TOM file into a
playable level.
4. The new level can now be played under The Entrance
Walkthrough by eRIC
This level is quite subtle and it is easy to miss the crossbow , the
explosive arrows , and important clues for some puzzles.
Walkthrough
Crossbow and explosive arrows
After a long slide, Lara arrives in a small room. To the right
is a long hall, to the left a small room with a door that can’t be open. Also 2
small doors are closed ,one needs a Pharos knot to open. It is maybe not wise
to shoot the vase near the skeleton as that will
awaken him. Shoot the other vase near by the spiked
ball in the North-West corner to trigger it and get out of the way to
not be crushed. Go on the block where the spike ball was and run/jump/grab the
ledge above the entrance of the small room. Shoot another vase up there to
collect the Pharos knot.
Before placing it into its receptacle, go to the long hall where you
see two skeletons waiting for you. On the way you can see below the bridge the
grenade gun in a toxic pool , it’s unreachable.
Warning : after the bridge , the different pattern tiles on the ground are fire burners. Go ahead and push the lever near by the
skeletons , you will be hacked a bit but you will soon get your revenge if you
wish. Return to the beginning avoiding the fire burners, the 2nd small door is
opened , go down to collect the Pharos pillar.
Now place the Pharos knot and enter. After a bit of crawling, slide and jump
over a hole of water to collect the beloved crossbow.
Dive in the hole, Lara is taken away by the current. After climbing a ladder
and a bit of crawling, you arrive in a hall with a door on the right side that
opens by stepping on the 3 different pattern tiles on the ground. That’s the
exit to return to the beginning, so first go to the end of the hall where you
will see 3 doors and place the Pharos pillar. The left door opens , go stepping
on the white tile to open the next door, endure the swarm
of beetles , go out quickly as this 2nd door is timed. Push the lever
there to open the 3rd door. Enter the 3rd door , slide and jump over the fire and pick up the explosives
arrows. They are the only useful ammo you will get in this level. To
come back, jump/grab the right wall (although they do not look climbable) and
shift to the left in the alcove and to the exit.
Return to the door you opened by stepping on the 3 different tiles ,
slide to return to the beginning and then to the long hall. Now you can take
your revenge on the couple of skeletons if you want. You see another skeleton on a hanging ledge above a deep pit, you can
explode it if you want to make the jumps that follow more quietly (albeit it is
more fun to make the 2 first jumps while avoiding the skeleton).
First gem : the four levers puzzle
Make 4 running jumps above the deep pit, (beware that the ledge with
the different patterned tile is another fire trap
). Go down the ladder into the pit. You see 4 levers and beyond a toxic pool are various different patterned tiles which
are all fire burners , and the blue gem on a
pedestal.
From left to right :
The 1st and 3rd levers raise a block in the middle of the fire traps so
that you can jump on it ,
and then have access to the blue gem.
The 2nd lever triggers dart emitters ,
see if you want to push this one.
The 4th opens the exit door above you.
After collecting your first gem , climb back the ladder and enter the
exit door to a big room, the main area of this level. From this area you can
branch on 3 other quests to collect one blue gem in each. You have the choice
of the order. So the 3 different quests below can be played in a different
order. You can notice a closed door East with 2 gems receptacles, a closed door
South , 4 blocks with fire emitters in the corners, a central pool with a water
labyrinth below , 2 pushable objects on the sides, and 4 different tiles in
each corner. All 4 tiles look the same but only two of these tiles have smoke
on them, that is the hint for the pushable objects puzzle.
Second gem : skeletons and safe tiles puzzle
So push and place the 2 objects in the North-East and South-East
corners, that will open the door South. Behind it is a little alcove. There is
a walkthrough wall ahead , shoot the vases that prevent you to go through the
wall. Then go down into the catacombs. After the dart
emitters, you can pick up shotgun ammo
in front of a door (although there is no shotgun in this level). The door opens
on approach. Run up the ramp , notice the spiked ball
, and enter a crawlspace to pick up flares. Go
out and run to escape the spiked ball. Go right , a door opens and blow out 2 skeletons that come out. Notice a closed door on the
right side (it’s a fake door , it can’t be opened). Come out and continue your
way. Blow out 2 other skeletons. On the right
side is a closed door (also fake , it can’t be opened) and shoot the vase for a
small medipack. Enter the crawlspace ahead
which is the entrance of a little maze. Firstly go ahead until the end, after
some turns you will find a lever. Push it and return the way you came towards
the entrance of the maze. Turn left then right to find a 2nd lever and blow out
another skeleton. Actually pushing those
two levers will give you hints for the puzzle to come (it would be
quite possible to solve it without pushing the levers but only by trial and
error then). Find the exit of the maze (North-East) and go down in a big room ,
on a bridge separating two pits with deadly floor. The ground in the lowest and
central part of the room is of the fall-through kind , only 3 tiles are safe.
Look at the other side of the room : 3 fire burners are lighted (by
flipping the two levers in the little maze) they give a useful indication where
to jump. Go to the edge of the fall-through floor just after the dart emitters and in front of the left burner and make
a standing jump straight ahead. Then turn South-East and make a running jump
you will land on the 2nd safe tile lined with the 2nd burner. Another running
jump South-East to land on the last safe tile along the right wall and in front
of the last burner. Then a last running jump to go to the end and to solid
ground. Grab the blue gem. Make a
diagonal running jump to grab the ladder. At the top, follow the
straightforward way to return to the main big room (at one point on the right
side, you will see a closed door that will open later in the following quest)
Third gem : a risky journey
Go to the North-West corner and jump to land on one corner of the block
with the fire burner, or even better try to jump
over one of its corner without landing on it : the fire turns off. Climb on the
block and make a standing jump to grab the small opening in the wall. After a
bit of crawling, grab the ceiling bars and monkeyswing over deadly black water.
Around the corner you will see a mummy on a
block , a bit farther a second mummy in an
alcove on the right side and a climbable wall on the left side with also a
third mummy on a block. Continue to monkey swing
a bit farther and to the right you will see another alcove. Let drop and grab
the block. Pick up a big medipack. From there,
you can blow out the third mummy. Jump to the other side on a flat block. Turn
and see another alcove behind you , jump here to collect a SECRET : a coin .
Jump to return to the other side From there you can blow out the second mummy.
Face North, drop to grab the edge of the block and shift left using the
climbable wall. Make a jump backwards to land in the alcove where the 2nd mummy
stood. Here you can grab again the bars of the ceiling and continue your
journey monkey swinging towards smoke emitters.
Near the end of ceiling bars, drop , slide and jump over the deadly water and
land on flat blocks. Jump to the sloped block on the left side and jump again
to return behind the pillar. Continue , jump over slopes , grab the crack ahead
just after another smoke emitter and shimmy
left. After that, the journey along the banks of the deadly black river comes
to an end. So turn right and run up the corridor. Stop after the third
different patterned tiles. Walk carefully backwards 2 tiles from the last
different patterned tiles and save your game. Step backwards again one tile and
run down the corridor as a spiked ball is
triggered, jumping over 2 fire traps along the
way and turn left to avoid the spiked ball. When the path is clear, run up
again the corridor, jumping over the fires (a good method is to jump a bit in
diagonal bumping slightly Lara’s shoulder in one of the walls) At the top of
the corridor is a long room with water below and ramps on the left side : many
spiked balls will roll down from there. You can see shotgun ammo on a block
below. Pay attention to the different symbol in the water : if
you fall into water beyond this tile, you will be taken by the current and
eventually die. Also remember this symbol as it is an important hint for later.
Go to the first ledge. Walk forward a bit to trigger 2
spiked balls and step backwards quickly. When the path is clear, make
one or two steps backwards from the edge of this first ledge and make a series
of two running jumps and grab the third ledge (you can save your game here).
Pull up and quickly make a running jump to the fourth ledge, run/jump over the
fire burner and immediately a standing jump slightly in diagonal to the right
to avoid the last spiked ball. In the next
corridor, notice the closed door on the right, the door ahead opens on
approach. You see 3 gems on pedestals : which one to pick up ?
If you remember the symbol in the water, you will avoid to be spiked or
burned.
So take the blue gem on the
right pedestal , exit the room and turn left by the opened door. You are now at
the entrance of a maze with spikes pits. Firstly
turn right and jump over a spikes pit to collect flares.
An angry spirit shows its face. Make a roll and
turn right. Turn right again , jump over another spikes pit and you will be in
a long corridor where you will find on the right side an alcove with the little
bird statue. Once the spirit has exploded , you can return to explore the
little maze if you wish but there is nothing to find except more spike pits. So
continue West in the long corridor and turn right after the door that opens on
approach. Continue until you’re back at the main area (as you did before after
collecting the second gem). Now it’s time for a good swim.
Fourth gem : Water games
Dive into the big pool. The goal is to open the door located in the
South wall in order to annihilate the current that prevents Lara to swim down
to the hole at the bottom (that’s where the last gem is). Dive a bit deeper , 4
big openings lead to a labyrinth. Swim to the North opening and turn left. A
bit farther there is a small opening on the right side. Pick up the Pharos knot.
Immediately after, swim left and up to a big room with holes in the
ceiling. Take a breath of air in the second hole ahead and take note of the
closed door. Now swim around the room clockwise and find the hole in the
North-East corner. Pull the lever here. Return in the water and swim
counter-clockwise to the previous hole with the door. Pull another lever that
opens a door for later. Now swim again clockwise and find the hole in the
South-East corner. Enter the crawlspace and endure a swarm of beetles. Fortunately, they disappear at the end of the
crawling. Enter the next corridor at the end of which is a small medipack on a pedestal. The flares bug and the
camera bug kick in so it is not easy to see what you do and what you will
trigger. Climb the left ladder. Endure smoke emitters
and place the Pharos knot. It opens a door in a corridor located above this
one. Backtrack and jump ahead to the ladder. When you are approximately two
blocks from the top, back flip in a corridor and push the lever. This lever
opens the South door in the central pool. Go back to the ladder and return to
the water room with holes , enduring another short swarm
of beetles on the way. Exit the water room with holes by swimming down
in the hole in the North-West corner. You will see a long UW corridor , it is
quite possible to return to the big pool this way but it is a lot easier to
return the same way you came here. So immediately after swimming down into the
North-West hole , swim into the little opening on the right side at the very
beginning of the long corridor. Then swim left (East) ignore the first opening
on the right and take the second and bigger opening on the right : you are back
into the central pool.
By the opened door of the South wall , go swim over the different
patterned tile : that will annihilate the current in the water. Now you can
swim down to the bottom of the pool and pick up the fourth blue gem.
Behind the doors : calling for a sequel
Go place two of the gems on their receptacles to open the big doors
East and the two remaining gems to open the way in the following room. Jump
over toxic water and blow out 4 skeletons if you still have arrows. Enter the next
area to end the level.