FRANKY'S CASTLE (Il Castello di Franky)

Level by Franky (and Leo)

Walkthrough by Phil Lambeth

After the opening flyby through a rainy courtyard, look around while the helicopter flies off unnoticed. Go to the W wall opposite the portrait of Leo and locate a hole next to the nearby archer statue.  Drop down to find a wall switch, but don't pull it yet. Guards appear on the NE and SE corners of the castle, and later another guard appears on the SW corner. There's also a wall switch on either side of the castle gate, but don't pull them yet either. Instead, note that the archer statutes all appear to be moveable, but some are locked into place.  Find three near the helicopter landing pad that you can push to the ground, and move them into alcoves SW, NE and SE.  Now, pull down all three wall switches you noted earlier to raise the archer statues that you moved.  Move each statue onto the nearby gray tile (you can climb up on the other archer statutes). 

After all that work, the first pair of castle gates should now be open.  Go inside to find another pair of gates that open upon your approach. After the flyby, shoot a knight.  The suits of armor scattered throughout this area appear to be moveable, but they're on raised tiles and can't go anywhere.  Go to the NE angel enclosure.  Just for fun, save your game, pull back the skeleton in front of the angel statue and jump toward the large medipack to see what happens.

Go to the bridge abutment near the entrance and pull up E. Step forward, pull up higher and turn around. Jump W to grab the sloped pillar, pull up and take a twisting back flip to land on a platform. Jump E to the bridge and turn right.  Locate the tightrope and yes, it's safe to pick up this large medipack.  Use the tightrope to go across to the W wall.  When you get there you can go right (N) or left (S).  I chose to go S first.

Take a running jump and grab the pole.  Swing around until the green bar is nearly full, then jump off to soar to the SW corner.  Locate the nearby hole. The S surface is climbable, so climb down and grab some flares on the way.  At the bottom pull down the wall switch to open the gate and let a knight in.  

Get back up to the bridge the way you did earlier and use the tightrope to cross over to the W wall.  Save your game. Jump N to grab the pole, swing around and jump off toward the NW corner when the green bar is completely full.  You'll hopefully land safely on a small ledge. Jump from here to the NW corner. The hole here is considerably larger, but you can climb down the N side. Pause for a large medipack on the way down and at the bottom find another hole at the NE corner.  Hop down and pick up the GOLD KEY.  Get out and pull down the wall switch to open the gate.

Get back up to the bridge for a third time. Run across to the E wall.  Turn left and take running jumps N to grab the ledges and pull up.  When you reach the NE corner, climb down the N face of the hole, pause for flares and pull down the wall switch at the bottom to exit.  Up to the bridge again, run down to the N wall and use your Gold Key to open the gate.  Run along the passage to the other end, where the gate opens upon your approach. 

In the next room you're met by a bunch of wraiths while the gate closes behind you. You can extinguish the wraiths by jumping into the water, but by doing so you'll attract a school of piranha, so pull out quickly. Go to the NW corner and climb the pillar there.  When you reach the top the pillar will lower beneath you if you're not quick, so jump E into the alcove and turn left to find a wall switch. Pulling it down freezes the water down below, so safety drop to the floor and climb up to the archer statue. Jump up to grab the pole, and climb up through a hole in the ceiling.  Back flip into an upper room and take the SILVER KEY from the plinth.  Slide back down the pole and find that the exit gate is open once again, so return through the passage to the bridge.

Run halfway down, turn left and use the Silver Key to open the E gate. Run through the long tunnel.  When you emerge in the next room, cross the long tightrope to the other side and take the REVOLVER and the LASER SIGHT from the plinths.  Combine them.  There's nothing in the high blue alcove S, so stand at the SW corner facing the W wall.  Back flip onto the sloped pillar and jump off to grab the W opening.  Pull up and follow the passage down the steps.  Along the way you experience a slight earthquake.  Something has happened behind you, but there's no need to go back and investigate.  Continue down the steps and around the corner.  The gate opens for you, but step through quickly into the next room before it closes again.

There are two closed gates to your right and an angel statue to your left. Go past the angel statue and see your next challenge: a green-eyed helmet head.  Take shelter either right or left before you're incinerated and arm yourself with the revolver.  Step out and shoot one of the green eyes before the deadly bolts find you. You have only a few seconds, so don't try to shoot both eyes in one go.  When both eyes are gone the menace is no more.  Go toward the slab it was resting on, and you can see a key to the left of it. However, a force field of some kind prevents you from stepping forward to pick it up.  Don't try to climb over the green slab, or you'll fry. Instead, stand in front of the key and turn slightly right. Get down on your hands and knees and crawl NW at the corner where the force field meets the green slab. You'll be able to get through, enabling you to pick up the BRONZE KEY.

Run around the green slab and emerge to face another green-eyed helmet head to the S. Deal with it in the same manner you did the first one. This one doesn't explode when vanquished but is rendered dormant, which is all that matters.  To the left of its green slab you'll see a BLUE GEM. Run around the green slab counterclockwise to pick it up. Exit S and find an open gate near the angel statue. Go through, turn left and go up the steps to return to the lava room. Jump SE into the blue alcove and use the monkey bars to get back over the lava pit (the tightrope has disappeared). Drop down at the end and go back through the long passage.

Back on the bridge, turn left (S) at the junction and use the Bronze Key and the Blue Gem to open the gate at the far end. Follow another long passage to a labyrinth.  You enter facing S. Take the first passage left (E), then the second passage right (S). Run past a knight statue and continue S until you reach another knight statue. Turn left there (E) and run to a third knight statue. Turn left there (N) and just follow your nose into a dark section where at the end you'll find a plinth with a BLUE GEM on it. Retrace your steps to the knight statue at the corner, and when you turn right just keep heading W past the next knight statue, all the way to the SW corner where you encounter yet another knight statue. Turn right and just follow your nose to another dark section and the second BLUE GEM on a plinth at the end.  Return to the beginning of the labyrinth (left at the second knight statue to head N, all the way to the N wall and left, next right and you're out).

Return to the bridge and use the block structure near the tightrope to get down. Go to the SE gate near the fountain and use the two gems to open it. Enter a winter wonderland studded with large ice blocks.  If you try to go forward between them you find that you're blocked by one of those force fields.  Look to your left and see the snowman.  Approach it.  Go in the direction its carrot nose is pointing.  Run all the way E and turn right.  Another snowman is pointing you in a new direction.  However, a force field bars your way as you attempt to go W.  Crawl under the force field and look left to see another snowman.  Go in the indicated direction to the next snowman.  Turn right and continue to the next snowman. Stand in front of it and crawl E under the force field. Go forward until you see another snowman in the alcove to your left.  Face S in front of this snowman and crawl under the force field into the central area.  You come up short, tantalizingly close to the central block. Turn left here, run forward a short distance and turn right to stand in front of the next snowman.  Crawl W under the force field. You can now shoot the glass cover protecting the key, but you can't pick up the key from here. Go clockwise around the central block and approach it facing E. You can now pick up the BLUE KEY.

Now you've got to get out of here. I was able to loop around left to the previous snowman and crawl in front of him NE and get back to the inner path by which I arrived. Go W to the next snowman, crawl past it and go S to the next snowman, go E to the next snowman and crawl past it.  Go N and turn right to crawl E to the snowman near the outer wall.  Now you can exit this area without further incident.

Back in the rainy courtyard, run to the gate in the N wall and open it with the Blue Key.  Go down the long tunnel, passing five friendly guards along the way.  Push the button to open a door leading to a conveyor belt and a laser gauntlet. Jump over the stationary lasers, and wait for the two moving ones to approach before jumping over them as well.  When you pass the last laser you'll get on a descending elevator. When it reaches bottom, get off N and step onto another elevator. The N gate at the bottom opens upon your approach.

In the next room, go into the E opening between the flame bowls, leading to a room where you'll find a large medipack in each of the four corners and the UZIS (with unlimited ammo!) at the E wall. Exit this room, turn right and go to the large rolling door that opens briefly upon your approach (so don't waste time looking at it). Go on through and save your game before entering the next room. You meet a veritable hell of eight hydras situated on a central dais. After laboriously killing them all, get up onto the dais, shoot the near-invisible force field surrounding the artifact and pick up the RED CARD.

The N exit gate is now open, so go on through and let the conveyor belt carry you along to a glass door that opens sluggishly as your body presses against it. Follow the long passage to a friendly guard, who's guarding a phantom alcove (while facing it). Go inside and push the block E into a lava room, but be sure not to push it into the lava. (You may have to shoot the guard if he takes up a position that keeps you from pushing the block.)

Move the block S as far as you can, get up on it and jump SE to the taller block against the S wall. (A force field prevents you from climbing directly onto it.) Jump NE to the rope, then turn to your right and swing/jump SE to the next rope. From there turn left and swing/jump onto a short sloped block on which you can stand. A force field prevents you from grabbing the logical taller block to your left (N), so don't try it. Instead, time a jump E over the flame blower to the exit portal (which is presently blocked at the end by a closed door). Run/jump N and grab the sloped pillar, pull up and slide/jump N to grab the next pillar. Pull up and slide/jump off the next two sloped pillars and grab the flat block.

Pull up and time a run/jump W to grab the block on the central structure. Pull up twice, step forward and shoot the glass cover protecting the GRAY KEY. Turn around, hop down to the lower block and time a run/jump E back to the flat block. Jump SW to the taller block (no force field on this side) and run/jump SE down to the exit portal. Run through the short passage and turn right. If you turn left you'll just wind up back at the conveyor belt. You'll run through a trigger of some kind and meet up with a friendly guard who passes through the seemingly solid W wall. Follow him into a sewer area infested with rats, scorpions and barracuda.  (I didn't stop to count them, but try not to target the friendly guard while you're shooting them. What I did was to turn my back to the guard and wait for the enemies to arrive, back flipping over them before opening fire.)

Make your way through the maze-like sewer area in a consistently S direction until you emerge in a tunnel headed E and go through another trigger of some kind. Follow the long tunnel until you reach an opening to your right. Head W until you reach an icy wall. Climb up to a new snowman-assisted maze area.  You can actually climb up and walk along the tops of the maze walls, but that won't help you much. Turn left and pass the first snowman, who's pointing to a second snowman in the distance. Continue following the snowmen's directions until you turn a corner and find that there's no snowman in sight.  Look left into the first alcove, and there he is. Continue following, and you'll soon emerge in an open area where you'll find the glass-protected ORANGE CARD.

Exit the maze, reversing the directions described above, and climb down into the lower tunnel at the NE corner. Run E to the dead end and turn right. Follow the tunnel to a ladder. Climb up and wait for two friendly guards to kill two soldiers. Insert the Gray Card in the slot to open the W door. In the next area you can access two side rooms by pushing the nearby buttons. There's a large medipack in each one (you must stoop to pick up one of them). Use the Orange Card to open the next W door.

Don't venture far into the room. Instead, wait while two friendly guards kill two soldiers and then start firing at the two dormant demigods posted at the stargate. Run along the stairs to your left until you reach a point where you can pull up. You'll alert the demigods before you get there (unless the guards have killed them by now), so run up the stairs E out of their firing range. Use the Red Card to open the door and loop around to enter each numbered alcove (1 to 5). Lara does something in each one without your having to press the action key.

Exit this room, go down the stairs and run up the central ramp toward the stargate. Step inside, and after a brief flyby through a wormhole you find yourself in the Egyptian desert. Walk S down the ramp to trigger the closing credits. Continue toward the obelisk and the level ends.