MOTHER - PART I

Level by Ray Croft

Walkthrough by Phil Lambeth

After the long opening flyby, pick up the SCROLL that you're stepping on (shows as "load" in your inventory).  You can try to read it if you like, but it's written in German.  Lara is young, with flailing pigtails, so naturally she doesn't have a weapons permit.  Cross the field to the S wall and step into the shallow pit occupied by a small tree (cut scene of a remote area).  There's nothing of interest in the pool except a couple of missing textures, so head W past it along the street.  You'll pass two empty wading pools in the field to your right.  In the room beyond the street's end, you'll see a number of columns and a closed gate in the N and S walls.  It should seem familiar, because this is the area you saw in the cut scene. The N gate was opened when you stepped into the tree pit, but it was on a timer (just thought you'd like to know that), so go back and make haste to cover the distance this time before the gate slams shut.  You can gain some extra distance by taking running jumps while your sprint bar is reloading.

Once past the timed gate, follow the N passage down a ramp to a bare room with passages leading right and left.  You can take either passage, but you'll jump into a pool filled with icy water that will quickly drain your health.  However, you need swim only a fairly short distance N before you can pull out either left or right.  In the next area hop into the N opening and enter the next room.  It's also empty save for a pharaoh statute.  There are closed gates in the E and W walls.  Move the statue onto the marked tile NW.  Nothing happens.  Now move the statue onto the marked tile NE.  The E gate opens.  Step down onto the trigger tile for another cut scene back in the room with the columns.

Experience tells us this may another timed run (although it doesn't appear to be, unless it's on an awfully generous timer), so beat a hasty retreat through the icy water back to the room with the columns, and find that the gate in the S wall is now open.  Go on through and hop down as a question appears on your screen.  May be German for  "what took you so long"? 

Enter another outdoor rainy area with an abnormally short section of street pavement.  The small pool across the street contains a chocolate bar (small medipack).  There's an open passage in the SW corner.  When you enter a message in German appears on your screen.  Must have something to do with spikes, because they show up as you continue along the passage.  However, there are safe spots between each bay of spikes, so cautiously move forward until you're able to pick up the RED STAR.  Don't continue further W, or you'll be spiked for sure.  Exit the passage E and continue E along the street to the far wall.  I entered the opening there and puttered around a bit in several different areas but could find nothing productive to do anywhere.  I returned to the Street to Nowhere and headed S across the meadow.

Go past the walls into a large open area.  Loop around to the left and find an opening NE.  Go inside and start boogieing to some disco music.  It's a multicultural disco, with water spouting pigs' heads, Egyptian jars and grandfather clocks.  There's also a receptacle for your Red Star near the NE corner.  Place it and proceed through the N doorway.  The pool, as you might expect, is empty.  Go through the E gate you opened and make your way past the carefully concealed pit traps.  Head S along the passage, avoiding the obvious dead ends, and climb out E.

Hop down into the professionally designed pool, complete with wading areas and a peculiar patch of muck at the NE corner.  Take a swim if you like.  It's big, it's deep, and it's empty (other than the water).  Don't be teased by the coffin on the other side against the W wall.  I know we play this game to raid tombs, but the one here won't open.  There's a gate requiring a cartouche in the S wall, so let's go on a hunt for that artifact.

Climb the blocks at the SE corner of the pool and find an opening to another pool, separated by a razor-thin wall (cost-cutting measure for those expensive building materials).  Hop down into the new area and step on the trigger tile next to the S wall to open the gate in the N wall (timed, but only a factor if you're on crutches).  Go there and step inside onto another trigger tile that gives you a cut scene of a lava room you may have inspected briefly earlier.  Return to the previous pool and exit W.  Return through the maze to the disco and out to the meadow.  Continue N to the Street to Nowhere and go through the E opening in the wall.

Go down the ramp and vault up left into an architect's nightmare.  Go past the columns and over the wall to an opening that leads down to a lava room.  You actually have to be careful here, as a misstep will cause you to be fried.   Take a standing jump, curving to the left, to land on a safe ledge below.  Jump W to the trench that is now filled with water, thanks to that trigger tile you stepped on earlier.  However, the water is noxious and cannot be tolerated for long.  Jump in, swim down N and pick up the CARTOUCHE you've been seeking.  Swim straight up and pull out onto a ledge before your health bar is depleted.  Make your way back to the SE exit.  A standing jump with grab will get you to the ledge.  Pull up and admire the architecture again as you exit S.

Go up the ramp, cross the Street to Nowhere and go through the meadow, winding around left to return to the disco.  Go on through, navigate the maze once more and return to the huge outdoor pool.  Swim across, pull out S and run across to insert your Cartouche.   The gate opens to your right.  You hate for all this to end so soon, but as you slide down the slope your adventure comes to an abrupt end.