HARP OF
SAILOR MERCURY
Level by Razyel
Walkthrough by Phil
Lambeth
Begin in a well-lit
corner facing a bumpy and winding path along a descending passage. As you step
forward and spiral your way down you'll trigger some spooky music about the
same time you start seeing skull tiles in the ceiling. Those tiles are there
for a purpose, as they warn you that a block will fall from the ceiling if you
pass beneath them. You have a second or two, however, while they rumble and
shake themselves loose, so it's an easy matter to avoid them. See if you can
trigger them all (the last one on the left appears to be out of order) before
you step out into an opening that overlooks a dig of some kind. It's guarded by
four SAS, two to your left and two (one of whom is at a higher level than you)
to your right. Kill them one by one with your pistols, taking refuge when
necessary to shield yourself from their return fire (although if you stay a
step or two back from the edge, they apparently refrain from firing while
allowing you to pour lead into them at your leisure), before dropping down into
the dig area.
As you explore the area
you'll find closed double doors in the south wall and a ladder on the north
face of the nearby pillar. Climb it and shift to your right once you've cleared
the scaffolding. Continue climbing up until you clear the ledge to your left,
then shift left and release onto the ledge right in front of the wall switch. Pull
the switch down for a cut scene showing the double doors down below opening
from the other side. You can also see out of the corner of your eye a gem atop
the west pillar that's presently beyond your reach. Climb back down and enter
the south doorway. Turn right and head down the stairs. The first thing you see
is another closed door with a gem receptacle right next to it.
Climb the ladder in the
south wall and pull up into the opening. Turn to your left and climb the blocks
to a higher passage. Turn left and run up the stairs into a still higher
passage and turn left to face a dazzling burst of sunlight. Walk down the
stairs toward the blinding light and shoot the two vases on either side for a
couple of stashes of shotgun ammo. Use the floor crawl space in the north wall
to access a ramp leading to that gem you saw in the distance earlier. Vault up
onto the pillar and pick it up (it shows as "load" in your
inventory), then hop down and go over to the dead SAS for a small medi-pack he
dropped while checking out.
Go back through the west
passage and crawl back to the previous room. Run up the stairs and retrace your
steps back to the gem receptacle. Insert the gem to open the adjacent double
doors and either crawl under the flame gauntlet or wait for the flames to
subside so you can run past the statues toward the obvious boulder trap ahead. It's
a piece of cake, however. Simply run forward to trigger the boulders, then
scoot to your right or left, enduring an annoying dart or two, until the
boulders roll slowly past you. Run up the west ramp into another sun-splashed
room.
As you step down, chains
on either side of you will start swinging back and forth. They pose absolutely
no threat to you, however, as you can easily squeeze between them, first to
pull down the switch in the south wall and then to exit through the open north
doorway. Before leaving, however, note the closed door in the west alcove. Also,
the sunlit pedestal has a couple of scrolls on it that you can't pick up. As
you head through the north passage you'll hear heroic music as a couple of
skeletons are awakened in the next room. Since you don't have the weaponry to
deal with them, simply run forward and jump up to grab the ladder in the north
wall before they have a chance to collect their wits.
As you pull up into the
passage you'll trigger a blade trap around the corner, but all you need do is
crawl under it toward the next room. The second you're past the blades,
however, you'll awaken two more skeletons in the next room, so hop up onto the
block and hug the hall so you'll be safe from their slashing blows. One of the
jugs hides a large medi-pack, but it might be more trouble than it's worth
trying to get it. After deciding and acting one way or the other, jump up to
grab the opening and pull up into an upper passage. There's another corner
blade trap ahead, so crawl forward carefully and drop down to the lower passage
where you'll encounter two more blade traps, one of which is too low for you to
avoid simply by trying to duck underneath it. You'll probably suffer some damage
as you scurry to safety toward the next room west.
Watch out for the hole
in the floor in the middle of the room, and pull down the wall switch between
the two angel statues that are bathed in bright light. A cut scene shows the
door opening in the room below, so simply hop back twice, grab the edge,
release to safety drop to the skeleton-guarded area, and run forward through
the open doorway before they have a chance to react. Turn right and head up the
stairway, and the skeletons won't follow.
In the next room you'll
find a huge flaming jar and an opening in the west wall. There's not much of a
mystery as to what awaits you there, as you can see the boulder before you even
step onto the ramp. However, you don't trigger it until you're halfway down the
ramp, so it's an easy matter to duck into the opening on your right before the
boulder reaches you. There's another boulder awaiting you just ahead, and this
time the ramp ends at a passage where a third boulder lurks to your right. Turn
left at the intersection and run down the ramp to trigger the final boulder. Scoot
through the opening to your right and continue along the passage into a new
room beneath that huge flaming jar you saw earlier.
Stand against the south
face of the tall pillar and back flip to the sloped pillar behind you. Keep the
jump key depressed and bounce off to grab the top of the tall pillar. Pull up
and throw the wall switch to open the door in the flaming jar room above. Turn
around, jump down to the sloped pillar and slide to the floor. Run back up the
boulder ramps until you return to the flaming jar room. Go through the open
north doorway and pause to take the large medi-pack from the pedestal in the
next room as a haunting strain of Celtic music erupts into triumphant singing. There's
a reason for this--a formidable foe awaits you in the next room.
You'll probably have to
hop down into the room to entice the Shiva out into the open, but if you hurry
back to the stairs you'll be safe from attack while pumping bullets into it while
it dances. When it dies with a belch, go back down and note the closed west
door requiring a gem, the closed north door requiring another kind of artifact,
and an east passage leading to the next room. Go into that next room and stand
underneath the waving tattered banners as you get your bearings. There's a
sun-bathed east opening and a south passage leading to a small room with
another closed door requiring a fancy artifact.
Go to the east opening
and hop down into the next room. Two skeletons are awakened at the far end, so
run quickly to your right and take refuge by hopping up into the south opening.
Step down into the next room, turn to your right and shoot the jug in the NW
corner for a very welcome SHOTGUN. Cross the room and go between the lion
statutes and through the portal into another room where a lone skeleton is
awakened. Run around it to the left and vault up onto the ledge where you'll be
safe.
Don't worry about the
next small room. It's dark, but it's also free of enemies. Use your pistols to
shoot the jugs on either side of the tall block for two stashes of ammo for
that newfound shotgun of yours. Pull up onto the block, run forward to the wall
and pull up through the ceiling hole into a dark passage. Vault over the short
block and follow the passage into a rubble-strewn room with a huge circular
door on your right. Shoot the jugs for a small medi-pack, more shotgun ammo and
one of those fancy artifacts you were looking for (and which still shows up as
"load" in your inventory). Strangely enough, there's an invisible
force field in front of the circular door, so you'll have to climb over the
rubble to claim all your goodies.
Go back through the
passage, drop down through the hole and run past the surprised skeleton in the
next room. It will follow you into the room where you found the shotgun, so be
careful. Hop up into the north opening and join the two skeletons in the next
room. Don't pause to try the artifact in the receptacle in the north wall, as
it won't work. Jump to safety through the west opening into the room with the
tattered banners, and take the south passage into the small room with the other
fancy artifact receptacle. What you're carrying fits this one, so use it to
open the door in the west wall. (The jugs here aren't the kind that will
shatter when shot.)
Follow the short passage
to a small room that's tinted blue on one side. Climb the tall block in the
center of the room and pull up through the ceiling hole into a passage. Climb
the block and enter an ornate room where you'll find the other fancy artifact
on a pedestal. Pick it up ("load," of course) and return through the
skeleton gauntlet to the room with the fancy artifact receptacle. Use your
shotgun to stun them long enough for you to open the door, then hop into the
opening quickly before you suffer too much damage.
Climb the blocks until
you reach another small dark room with a tall central pillar. There's a ladder
on the far (west) side, so use it to climb to the top. Pull up south through
the ceiling hole into an alcove leading to a passage. Turn left into the
passage and note the suspended boulders and swinging chains ahead. Head a short
distance up the ramp and trigger the middle boulder. You can avoid it with no
trouble at all. Continue up the right or left side to trigger the other two
boulders (the right side is slightly easier), and avoid them as well as you
dodge past the first chain. The side alcoves are dart trapped, so be wary of
those as you scoot past the second chain into the east passage.
Don't just drop down
into the next room, as there's a hidden floor hole in the corner directly below
you. The other corners have holes as well, but that's rather obvious from your
vantage point. Jump to a stable part of the floor and pull down the switch in
the east wall. A cut scene shows that giant circular door rolling away. The
quickest way down is a safety drop through the NW hole onto one of the pieces
of rubble. Slide down to the floor and vault up into the east opening for a gem
("load," natch). Go back along a familiar route past three skeletons
to the tattered banner room and beyond it through the west passage. In the next
room, insert the gem in the receptacle in the west wall to open the adjacent
door.
Hop down into the short
passage and from there down to the room below. There's a closed door in the
opposite west wall and a hole in the middle of the floor. Stand at the edge of
the hole, turn around and drop back to grab the edge. Lara's soothing theme
music plays as you release to drop down into a small pool in the room below. There's
nothing to do or pick up in the pool, so pull out to find that you’re in a
large underground chamber. Shoot the jar at the NE corner of the pool for an
extra shotgun.
As you explore the area,
you see a closed door at the end of the east anteroom, and through the
transparent floor there's a wall switch you'll need to find a way to get to. At
the south end past the rubble is an opening that's too high for you to reach. At
the opposite north end is a closed door to your left requiring a fancy artifact
to open it. Climb up onto the nearby NE block and walk forward to the wall. Jump
up to grab it, and when Lara's feet are set start shifting to your left until
you're able to drop down onto a flat surface at the NW corner. Turn around and
vault up onto the block, then step forward and pull up into the higher passage.
Follow it around to the opening at the other end, then take a standing jump
forward and grab the west wall. Climb down until you reach the opening to your
left, then shift left and around the corner. Climb up until you reach the gap
in the pillar, then shift left as far as you can and drop down into the corner.
Turn around and walk to the edge, and from there take a running jump to the
ledge jutting out of the west wall.
Walk to the other end of
the ledge and take a running jump to the small triangular ledge ahead. Back up
to the corner and turn slightly to your left. Take a standing jump around the
pillar to the adjacent ledge. Turn to face west, then hop back and grab the
edge of the ledge. Release and immediately grab the next ledge just below. Shimmy
to your left, and when Lara's feet become set continue shifting left and
underneath the broken pillar fragment until you can go no further. Release and
drop down onto a sloping but stable surface. Turn around and walk to the east
edge. Turn slightly to your right and take a standing jump into the south
passage that you were unable to access from below.
Run forward and drop
down into the next room. Your immediate objective is the closed set of double
doors in the south wall. Locate the pushable globes in the NE and NW alcoves. The
puzzle to solve, if you can dignify it with that name, consists simply of
pulling and pushing each globe along its track around the flaming pedestal as
far it will go until it comes to rest on a specially marked tile. When both
globes are so placed, the south double doors will open.
Enter and go down the
stairs to a lava room. There are four poles surrounding a central slab, with
closed double doors in the west wall and wall switches on the north and south
ledges. Ignore the nearest pole and take a running jump to the central slab. From
there take running jumps to the north and south ledges (again ignoring the
poles) and throw the two wall switches. The west double doors open, so take a
running jump back to the central slab. You now need to make use of the west
pole, so take a standing jump to it and grab it. Turn around and climb up three
rungs. Back flip to the west ledge, turn around and walk over to the pedestal
to take the fancy artifact. Walk to the east edge of the ledge and take a
running jump to the central slab. Jump to the east pole and repeat the
procedure described for the west pole to reach the east ledge.
Turn around, run up the
stairs and through the globe room, and vault up into the north passage. Run
through and drop down into the underground chamber. Cross over to the north end
and insert the fancy artifact in the receptacle to open the door to your right.
Go down the passage into a dark crypt and turn left. Continue down the ramp
into the next room and shoot the jug between the two lion statues. Pull down
the switch in the west wall to open the door in the east anteroom directly
above you. Reverse roll and retrace your steps back to the underground chamber.
Go to the east anteroom and watch the blue sparks fly in the next room as
another Shiva comes to life.
Kill the Shiva with a
few well-placed shots to the belly, and when it dies with the same vulgar sound
that the other one emitted, go to the central pedestal and take the final fancy
artifact you'll find in this level. Go through the opening in the north wall
and climb a series of four ladders until you're able to pull up into a dark
passage. Follow the passage into a room with a sunlit pedestal to your left. The
scroll sitting on top of it can't be picked up, so go through the south opening
and run up the stairs as you hear the sound of a door opening ahead. Step out
into a familiar room and cross it to the other side. Continue into the next
room and insert the fancy artifact in the receptacle next to the north door.
Enter and hop down into
the next room. Locate the ladder in the west face of the tall pillar and climb
it to the top. Turn to your right and pull up into the south passage as another
strain of Lara's familiar theme music plays. You're facing that elusive Harp of
Sailor Mercury, so run forward to trigger a nice concluding flyby.