BACK TO BASICS 2007:

Escape to St. Paul's

 

Level by PaoloM

 

Walkthrough by José

 

STORY:

Lara has finished a difficult mission in an area of London, and now she must find her way to return: the only possibility is to reach St. Paul's Cathedral, and it won't be easy.

 

NOTE: Many thanks to Tinka for providing the location of the secrets in this level.

 

WALKTHROUGH:

 

Over The Roofs

Slide and jump to grab the edge of the front roof. Shimmy left near the corner and go up jumping back with twist to grab a safe ledge in the roof opposite. Go up, turn left (E) and a running jump to the next safe ledge. From here you can shoot the SAS in the other side of the roof. Then take a running jump SE to land over the flat ledge he was on and pick up the uzi ammo he dropped. Take notice of the nearby key into the fire, you'll be back soon. Jump over the S roof, shimmy left and drop near the corner onto a safe ledge. Notice the red keyhole for later and safety drop over the crate near the ramp with the barrel.

 

The Metal Key

Run N, jump over the brown left crates and from here a running jump over the high brown crate in the NE corner. Turn W and jump over the fenced cornice to pick up a small medipack (you'll need it!); return to the high brown crate in the corner. Face E and jump to grab a crevice in the wall, shimmy right till you can get up over a metallic ledge, face the switch and save your game (timed run). Use the switch which turns off the fire in the roof hole with the key you saw before. Quickly go out and use the two horizontal poles to swing and grab the edge of the far N roof; shimmy left and go up over the nearby flat part of the roof; roll and do a running jump with a right curve to land on the terrace of the building; run and jump over the W brown ledges, turn left and at the end a running jump over the left flat ledge in the opposite roof  (you'll find an SAS on your way, I recommend you to stop and shoot him 'cause he drops the Uzis, very useful in the game; in this case you'll have to go all the way back over the roofs and down to the ground to go back to the niche with the switch); a running jump to the other side of the roof and drop into the hole to pick up the Metal Key before the fire returns. Do the same as before to return to the ground floor.

 

The Red Key

Go N again but this time open the door in the right side. Kill the SAS and pick up the uzi ammo he drops. Use the Metal Key in the N crate to open the trapdoor above and go up. Notice that Lara looks up to a power box in the high NW corner; we'll go back here later. Shoot the boxes at the west wall to get flares. If you go through the corridor at the SW corner, the gate opens to access outside. Look for the moveable block in the SE corner and pull it two times to enter the new passage. Get the small medipack over the left ledges and climb the right ladder. Pick up the flares and pull the switch. The barrel goes down the ramp and pushes the trash can, revealing the Red Key. Go outside and pick it up.

 

The Lasersight

Remember where the red keyhole was? Go through the nearby door into the room where you used the metal key, up the trapdoor and outside through the SW door, up the ramp and left to use your new key. Enter and pick up a small medipack to your left, kill an SAS at the end of the corridor and pick up another small medipack he drops and uzi ammo in the corner. Push the buttom to open the E door, go up the ramp and right to arrive in the room with the pipes and shoot a rat, but there's nothing here (?); go down through the W passage and the door opens automatically; push again the same button to close the E door and go back the way you came to discover the hidden passage behind that E door; enter and pick up the lasersight. Go all the way back to the front of this deceitful door and this time take the N stairs route.

 

The Long and Hard Way to Get the Revolver

Push the button to open the door and continue to watch the flyby. Don't try to shoot the SAS from the opening, angle Lara NE and take a running jump to land over the ledge above the SAS, descend, kill him and pick up the medipack he drops. Save in front of the switch (timed run). Pull the switch and jump to the metal ledge you came from; jump over the S slope, slide and quickly take a running jump to the SW raised ledge; another running jump over the S roof (as far left as possible); shimmy left and around the corner to finally climb up over another raised ledge; quickly another runnig jump with a right curve to land into an opening in the S wall and kill a rat (you can take a breath here)! At the end of the corridor drop on the top of the pillar and use the S ladder to get the ground floor. Advance N and kill the SAS who shoots you from a NW opening. Continue N and at the end near the barrel with fire pick up revolver ammo behind a crate and a small medipack jumping over a high nearby crate.

Return to the area with the grated fences where you shot the SAS. Destroy a single barrel at the N side and pull a grated block back and aside to discover a hidden crawlspace. Enter and push the button to raise a trapdoor outside. Go out and left (E) to climb the blocks and get over that raised trapdoor. Use the zipline to arrive into an alcove where another SAS awaits you, kill him and pick up the uzi clips he left. Press the button at the end of the stairs to open the glass over the switch in the E wall. Take a running jump and go there, pull the switch and see how the scaffold has changed its position. Go S, climb the ladder and climb to the opening where you killed the last rat before. From here take a running jump to the scaffold, turn left and jump over the next ledge till you arrive at the room where the revolver is. Pick it up (at last!) and kill two rats.

 

The Way Back

Continue through the N passage and the door opens automatically, taking you to the ledge where you pulled the switch for the timed run. Jump again over the metal ledge above you, face NW and see (use the binocs with light if you need): there's an opening in the wall of the W building. All you have to do is take a running jump with a left curve to grab the edge of that opening (it can take some tries). Once there continue through the passage and a trapdoor opens at the end to take you into the area where you entered this zone. Go W and down the stairs to arrive near the door where you got the lasersight. Go right (W again) and outside over a well known metal catwalk. Drop down over the crate, go N and right into the room where you used the Metal Key before. Jump over the block with the keyhole and up through the opened trapdoor again.

 

Opening the Way

Shoot the power box in the high NW corner with your revolver+lasersight; the nearby glass which covered the N button opens. Press the button to fill a nearby pool at the E wall. Dive in and pull the underwater lever to open an outside trapdoor. Get out of the small pool and go left, go outside through the SW passage and drop to ground floor as usual. Turn S and find the opened trapdoor behind the crates. Go down the ladder and arrive in a pool area.

 

The Main Pool Area

Go straight ahead and dive to pick up a medipack at the center of the pool. Continue underwater and dive into a crawlspace at the SE corner and pull an underwater switch. Go back to the main pool to get some air and get out of the water S where the fans are. Go W to the new opened door and right; take notice of the green keyhole for later and stand at the edge of the catwalk where there's no fence. Look up to see the monkeyswing and do a single jump to grab it. Monkeyswing to the next opening and go right. A door opens to give you access to the big fans platform, kill the SAS and pick up the uzi clips he drops.

 

The Water Rooms

Don't dive into the water but go around the S ledges and jump at the end to another ledge NE. From here do a running jump with grab to get over the N ledge. Turn right and from the very SE corner take a running jump to the SE slope and when you land over it jump with twist to grab the ladder at your back (this can take many tries). Climb the ladder and turn around 180º, take a running jump with grab to land into the new S passage, go left to pick up a small medipack and go back to approach the border of the new deadly pool room.

 

The Deadly Pool Room

Here awaits you some hard and tricky work. Turn right and single jump over the slope in the NW corner, inmediately jump to grab the horizontal pole and land over another slope W, jump and grab another horizontal pole to land over another slope at the E wall, slide and land over another slope at the S wall, slide and jump moving Lara to grab a jumpswitch in the central column, landing onto a trapdoor over the water; quickly turn right, jump and grab the E ladder before the trapdoor falls, then shimmy left and climb to a safe ledge, whew! If you are successful you'll have a camera shot showing you an underwater trapdoor opening somewhere, and you'll have to do a running jump from this ledge to the opening where you entered this room, this is a tricky running jump too. Angle Lara in a NW direction pointing to the very right side of the entrance edge and do a running jump trying to grab that edge. If you are successful you have passed the most difficult tasks in this level (but don't be tranquil, there are other tricky tasks later, and many actions).

 

The Green Key

Go through straight in the corridor till the end and face the ladder. Jump and go left into a new passage where the new opened trapdoor is. Dive into the water and follow the way to find an underwater lever. Pull it to open another underwater trapdoor somewhere, and return the way you came to the trapdoor opening you've entered. Climb down the main ladder and dive into the water, swim and return to the place where you killed the last SAS before and enter the door to go back to the main pool with the big fans. Go straight ahead W and at the end right and left to find the new opened underwater trapdoor. Dive in and pull the underwater lever to the left, a door opens above, continue to the end to pick up a small medipack and go back to the surface where you entered. Turn right and right again to find the new open door. Kill the SAS and pick up his uzi ammo, continue and arrive to the first big fan. Turn right (E) and jump through the opening to access to the second big fan, pick up the Green Key near the fan and go back the way you came to use this key in its keyhole, near the last underwater trapdoor.

 

The Nasty Pool

Enter the door and go down to pick up revolver ammo at the bottom. Light a flare and go left behind the second machine to find a crawlspace. Enter and push a button to see a door opening somewhere. Go out and continue diving S and prepare yourself for a compromised situation. After the flyby swim quickly left (E) and go out of the water over the ledge near the end before the SAS connects the big underwater fan at the other side of the pool. Now while he shoots you (you can't kill him from here) you have to look for and shoot three grey power boxes to stop the fan and escape. The first box is directly at the other side of the pool in the far west wall, the second one is into an alcove at S wall near the barrels and for the last, situate Lara at the very SE corner of the ledge then turn left and face in a NE direction, use your binocs to discover a small part of the box high in N wall near the fence. Once you've shot the three boxes the fan stops and you can safely dive again into the pool. Swim W and behind the big fan you'll find a new open door, enter to access a new flooded area, pick up the small medipack at the bottom of the new water room, turn N and go through a new underwater opening, follow the way and emerge in another outside area.

 

The Store

Go N to pick up uzi clips at the NE corner and a door opens beside you. Kill the SAS who appears from that door and enter to a big store room. Go S and dispatch an SAS high SW and pick up the flares. Go to the SE corner of the room to find the door you opened before in the small crawlspace, take revenge with the SAS who shot at you in the nasty pool and get SECRET #1: 2 x revolver ammo. Get back to the store and jump over the central crates taking your steps jumping and climbing to the NE area where you can finally jump to the high balcony and kill another SAS. Run S over the balcony and climb the crate at the end. Grab the monkeyswing and drop at half way over a high crate in the middle of the store. Running jump to the SE ledge to pick up revolver ammo and go back. Running jump to the next hanging crate and from here you can jump to the W zone with high crates and explore it to find a small medipack and the uzis. Finally jump over the last hanging crate with the Electronic Key, save your game and be prepared for a hard fight with a lot of SAS when you pick it up.

 

Escape With the Electronic Key

Kill them all and pick up the uzi ammo they drop; get the flares in a niche in the N wall too. Enter the new open door in the NW corner, go up the stairs and kill a new SAS if you didn't do it before. Approach the border and do a very nasty running jump with a hard left curve to grab the edge of the N roof (I'm sure that it can take many tries); shimmy right and at the end do a backflip with twist to grab the balcony ledge. Run through the corridor, kill another SAS who waits, jump where he was and pick up a small medipack. Jump to the N roof, shimmy right and around the corner and do another backflip with twist to grab a crack in the E wall, shimmy left and stand up in the niche; face W and a running with a right curve to the next ledge; pick up the uzi clips, grab the monkeyswing to get to the next opening: another tricky task.

Once you land over the ledge, you lose the control of the camera and a barrel will kill you quickly; there's an opening left, but a ramp doesn't let you go there running, so angle Lara in a NW direction before you land over the ledge, then inmediately jump over the ramp to land into the left opening before the barrel smashes you. If you are successful, pick up the medipack and go up the stairs to jump to the next balcony and kill another SAS. Turn around and use your binocs to discover a crack leading to a crawlspace in the NE corner; a running jump to grab the crack and following the passage you'll arrive to the ramp where the rolling barrel was; slide and grab a ladder to get SECRET #2: revolver ammo; go back to the balcony where you were. Run and jump to the ledge in the corner, jump and grab the high metal landing to shoot another nasty SAS; jump where he was and go right to the end. Take a running jump E to grab the edge of the next roof and shimmy right around the corner until you can advance no more, go up and do a backflip with twist and a final left curve in the air to land over the small bridge before, you'll lose some health. Advance N and a door opens to take you to the beginning of the level.

 

The Crane

Climb the nearby crates in the NW corner, grab the roof and shimmy all the way left, at the end stand up and use your key in the receptacle to move the crane. Go back the way you came and do a running jump landing on the hanging crate. Monkeyswing or just a running jump to grab the S face of the crane; if you need it you can go down to search for a small medipack in a niche at the bottom of the crane, if no take a small detour to get the last secret of this level, shimmy around one corner and climb to the very top of the crane. Go N and at the end jump to a high ledge in the nearby building to get SECRET #3: some uzi clips. Go back to the metal ledge with the zipline and use it.

 

The Cathedral

Kill the SAS and use the climbable wall in front of you to go up. Once there turn around and use another climbable wall to get to the top of the cathedral, kill the last SAS who drops the Red Key. Go down to the first floor and use the key in its keyhole to open a trapdoor at your back. Go into the new passage to finish (at last!) this laborious level.

 

08-january-2007