COLD FRIENDS

 

Level by O-eight

 

Walkthough by Phil Lambeth, assisted by Doggett TV's video walk

 

 

Look behind you to see the snowmobile. Mount it and drive around the corner up the steep slope. Continue around to your right and gun it to clear the gap. Cross the narrow ice bridges right, left and right again, and come to a down slope. Watch out for the dropoff to your left, continue around to your left, jump another large gap into a cave and dismount. Vault over the stone barrier and run past the central ice column to awaken a white owl. I found it hard to kill, so run back to the snowmobile, mount it and wait for the owl to self-destruct.

 

Dismount and loop around left in front of the ice column to find a crack in the wall. Jump up to grab it and shimmy right to the corner. Jump back (down arrow key) to land on a ledge. Run forward until you're opposite the central column. Save your game for a tricky jump. Hop back from the edge, jump up once to give yourself a few extra inches, and take a running jump to grab the ladder surface. Shift left around the corner and climb to the top. Lara will transfer to the green ceiling track. Turn to your left and monkey swing along the track toward the W wall.

 

Just before you reach the wall you'll see four hanging fronds partially hiding a ceiling hole. Turn left there, and from the N edge keep the up arrow key depressed and Lara will turn and grab the climbing surface inside the ceiling hole. Climb up and pull up into an upper tunnel. Follow around to a crawl space (light the only flare in your inventory if you must). Crawl into a confined space and pick up the STONE DRAGON for SECRET #1.

 

Return to the ceiling hole and safety drop onto a ledge. Follow the ledge around clockwise to the end and look up left to see another crack. Jump up to grab it and shimmy right until you can pull up. Step forward and pick up the shotgun ammo, then shimmy back and drop down onto the previous ledge. Face N and take a running jump to grab the block next to the central ice column. Pull up, jump N to the next block and from there to the N opening.

 

Jump up the slope into an outdoor area. You hear funny noises, so if you look down NW you can see a couple of baddies waiting down below (later). Enter the E ice passage and find a zip line at the other end. Grab it and ride it down to the very bottom. You'll slide when you land, so grab the edge and shimmy left a bit. Release to grab the crack below, shimmy left around the corner to the end and jump back to grab another crack. Shimmy right around the corner and pull up into the opening. Run forward and hop down a bit to your right for a small medipack.

 

Pull up into the W crawl space and crawl forward a short distance into the darkness. Turn right and emerge in daylight once more. Pull up twice into an opening that overlooks the zip line. Turn right, jump up to grab another crack and shimmy left around a corner to the end. Drop down onto a stable portion of the ledge you slid down earlier. Take a running jump E over the zip line onto a corner ledge. Hop down SE in front of an opening that overlooks a new area with greenery and ice columns.

 

Slide down E and run forward to find the M16 and 2 x M16 ammo (the second ammo pickup is further away nearer the water). Before you have a chance to pick them up you're accosted by five raptors. If you run about the area a bit further toward the S you'll alert two more raptors. And when you get all the way to the SW corner for the flares and small medipack, four more raptors pop out of nowhere. A bit of excess, wouldn't you say?

 

Pick your way through the carcasses to the water in the NE corner and dive in. Follow the dark, winding and sometimes narrow passage to the other end and pull out. On the ledge ahead are a large medipack and M16 ammo. Face the E ice wall and save your game for an extended climbing and jumping exercise. Take a running jump to grab the wall, shift left around the corner and climb up to a slope. From the right side, pull up and take a rolling back flip to grab the ice wall behind you. Shift right around two corners to the other side, and from the lowest point against the wall take another rolling back flip to grab a crack. Shimmy right around the corner, turn around and jump back to grab another crack, shimmy left around the corner and ledge jump up to grab a flat ledge. Pull up in front of a monkey swing.

 

Jump up to grab the greenery and monkey swing to the far end. Keep the up arrow key depressed and Lara will turn around to grab the surface on the other side. Shift left, make sure Lara's feet are firmly placed and back flip to the ledge below. Hop down SE and go through the crawl space to a new open area. Loop around right to encounter another snowy owl, which dies with a mournful "whooo." Go to the S opening and save your game. Slide down two slopes, jumping off the right corner of the short second slope to land inside an opening. Immediately hop back, grab the edge and shimmy right along the crack to avoid the approaching boulder.

 

Pull up, grab the large medipack and turn left near the base of the slope to find a high crawl space. Pull up inside and lower Lara down the other side. Shimmy left and ledge jump up to grab a crack in the wall. Shimmy left around the corner, drop to grab a lower crack and shimmy left to the end. Turn around and jump back to grab another wall crack. Shimmy right around two corners and pull up into the opening for the JADE DRAGON and SECRET #2.

 

Pull up into the N opening and crawl around right (ignoring the opening to your left) through the cramped triangular space. The spider webs greeting you as you stand up provide a clue as to what's going to happen next. Shoot a host of baby spiders and find the S opening. Step out onto a ledge and go right to the E end. Hop back a step or two away from the E wall, grab the edge and drop to grab the lower crack. Shimmy left to the end and turn around to jump back into the S opening. Drop down at the end into an indoor area.

 

There are openings NE and SW that overlook deep gaps. Shoot a couple of baby spiders and go to the SW opening. Jump the blocks and ledges in a counterclockwise direction and face a climbing wall at the end. Jump S to grab the climbing wall, shift left around the corner and take a rolling back flip to grab another climbing wall. Shift right around the corner and climb up to transfer Lara to the green foliage. Monkey swing to the end, where you see the four dangling fronds as you did earlier, turn left there and keep the up arrow key depressed to make Lara turn and grab the other side. Climb the long ladder about halfway up and take a rolling back flip to grab the facing ladder. Climb this one to the top and pull up into the opening.

 

Crawl through and drop down the other side. Take a running jump N across the gap and grab the other side. Pull up and make your way to the end of the passage, jumping gaps as necessary. Turn around at the end to find a climbing wall. Jump to grab it and climb to the top. Don't pull up, but rather back flip over the ice slope behind you into a hole with M16 ammo. Pull out of the hole and climb the blocks to the top (watch out for the spikes below). Turn around and take a running jump to grab the S opening. Pull up, turn right and carefully jump up to grab the crack so you don't slide down into the spikes.

 

Shimmy left and pull up into a crawl space.  Drop down the other side and find another crawl space SE (not the one NW, which takes you back to a previous area). Drop from the other side and slide to a ledge. Take a running jump (no grab) down to the S ledge and pick up the small medipack. Turn right and follow around to a NE ice slope. Look up on the W wall and find the climbing surface. Back flip onto the ice slope and jump off to grab the ladder on the left side where it hangs down a bit lower. Climb up a bit, shift right to the wall and take a rolling back flip to land on a slope. Jump off with a left curve to land in some shallow water. If you fall into deeper water, the current will grab you and sweep you to your doom.

 

Wade out onto a ledge near the huge temple you saw earlier as you used the zip line.  Go up the steps to the temple and go around it to the right and deal with those baddies (I counted ten, but one of them, along with a warrior, was already dead when I got there) you got a glimpse of earlier. Check their dead bodies for 2 x M16 ammo, the SHOTGUN, a small medipack, 3 x shotgun ammo, a large medipack and the OLD KEY. Use the key to open the back doors of the temple and go inside.

 

Opening the red door in the far left corner yields nothing of interest, so go up the nearby stairs to the library. If you're in a destructive mood or need some fresh air you can shoot out the windows E and W, but there's nothing on either balcony. Locate the N book switch and pull it down to open a door on the third level. Before going up there, however, loop around the bookshelf jutting out from the N wall and locate a pushblock. Pull it back and push it aside to reveal a wall switch that lowers a block upstairs.

 

Go up to the third level and continue to the W wall. While you're deciding which way to go, right or left, the W door in front of you opens. First, go left into the bedroom to find flares next to the bed near the NE corner and the SACRED KEY at the SW corner. Exit the bedroom and enter the bathroom where the door opened automatically to find a large medipack. Now go into the passage where the block lowered and follow to the end. Pull up N into a dark attic.

 

Light a flare and locate the wall switch on a column facing the W wall. It opens the NE gate up here as well as another door on the third level. Go NE and shoot the glass enclosure on the plinth and take the KEY TO PRAMANIKA. Shoot a baby spider, get back down and enter the NE third level bedroom. Loop around left and insert the Sacred Key in the receptacle. Go around the bed for more flares and exit this room. Go down both sets of stairs to the first level of the temple and find that the SW door near the entrance is now open.

 

Jump to grab the ladder and climb down a long distance. Don't release at the end, however, or you'll be skewered on spikes. With Lara's feet on the bottom rung, take a back flip over the spikes into a passage dotted with spider webs. Crawl underneath the horizontal blades to the N end and stand up safely. In the next room find the pushblock in the E wall (just beyond the marked tile) and pull it once onto the tile. Go around left and push the block once N. There's a second pushblock in a S alcove. Move this block painstakingly around the room to the near NE corner, underneath a wall switch. Save your game before pulling it down, for a reason to be explained below.

 

Pull down the wall switch to open the far NE gate. Go there and come to a dark outdoor area with a shallow canal. Turn left and go to the waterfall near the SE corner. Get on the raised slab and walk through the waterfall to find a pushblock. Bug alert: The first time I played, Lara didn't recognize the pushblock and refused to push it, preventing further progress and bringing the level to a screeching halt. However, upon reload from the savegame mentioned above it worked. I have no explanation, except that on the second attempt I avoided splashing in the water on the way to the waterfall slab.

 

Push the block once, go around left and push it twice N. Two more pushblocks have been revealed. Push the one to your immediate left two times E. Go around to your left past it into an alcove to find the GOLD DRAGON for SECRET #3. Go back around clockwise and pull the first pushblock S once. Reverse roll and push the next block S once. Go around clockwise to find a floor opening in the NW corner.

 

Safety drop onto a ledge, light a flare and follow the ledge around to a jutting ledge. Runjump E over the water to the next ledge and turn left. Go to the end of this ledge and stand jump to grab the crack in the wall. Shimmy left to the end and turn around to jump to another ledge in front of an opening. I'm sure the pitch blackness is getting on your nerves by this time. Enter the W passage and follow to a dead end with a door flanked by two wall switches. Pull down both switches to open the door.

 

Run down the passage as torches light up to illuminate your way. Use your Key to Pramanika at the end to open the ornate gate. In the next room, take the SERAPH from the plinth. A trap door opens at Lara's feet, depositing her onto a slope that brings her down to a dark underground area guarded by a T-Rex. Kill it with the shotgun, before or after you pick up the shotgun ammo you saw as you entered. Go to the S wall near the dirt mound in the corner and jump up to grab the wall. Shimmy left a bit, ledge jump up to grab the next crack, hang right and ledge jump up to a third crack, shimmy left to the end, turn around and jump back to land on a rock at the top of the dirt mound.

 

Go to the NW corner, face W and jump up to grab the ceiling. Monkey swing to the SW corner, turn right and release to grab the opening and pull up inside. Pull up right into a higher opening and drop down the other side into a dark passage and go around to find a climbing wall. Climb to near the top and back flip onto the granite ledge.  Turn around, jump into a ledge in the darkness and work your way up to the SE corner. Keep climbing blocks until you're able to jump N to grab a higher opening. The W passage leads to a dead end, so pull up W to the right of that passage and follow to an opening that overlooks a deep gap.

 

Loop around right and pull up onto the block. Face S, jump up to grab the ceiling and keep the up arrow key to make Lara turn around and grab the other side. Climb to the top, shift left and drop down onto a slope. Grab the edge and shimmy left a bit before pulling up onto a flat ledge. Walk to the SE corner and save your game before taking a long running jump with a right curve toward the ice structure you can see in the distance. Keep trying until you land safely on the lower ledge. Hop up right into the niche and pull up E into the crawl space. (Will these never end?)

 

Follow around to another crawl space and drop down into an opening in front of a deep gap. Jump up to grab the ceiling and monkey swing across the gap. Release and shoot two baby spiders. Find yet another crawl space in the W wall and pull up inside. Hop down the other side into a passage and follow around to a canal with iridescent walls.  The water down below isn't deep or deadly, but it's ice cold. Jump down, quickly wade forward and pull up right. Do I have to tell you that there's another tunnel ahead?

 

Take the right branch, get on the low ice block and stand on the far right corner facing S. Side flip left onto the higher slope, jump to the next slope and jump to grab the wall crack. Shimmy right around the corner and ledge jump up to grab a higher crack. Pull up into the crawl space (yes, another one). Hang from the W side (facing the ice wall), turn around and jump back to grab the ice wall and pull up (yes, another crawl space). Crawl right and hang out from the N end. Ledge jump up and grab the opening.

 

Pull up and jump the blocks to a higher tunnel that looks the same as the others you've already endured. Follow around and jump the gap S to continue. When you reach the opening overlooking a deep gap, hardly different from what you've seen before, hang from the other side and shimmy right to the end. Ledge jump up to grab the opening and pull up to yet another tunnel. Climb the ice wall and take a rolling back flip to grab the facing ice wall. Climb up to a refreshingly different environment without crawl spaces and tunnels.

 

Run W along the ledge and loop around left to find a wall switch (first one of those we've seen in a while). Pull it down to lower a wall behind you, reverse roll and run toward that long-forgotten snowmobile. Mount it and drive it E past the lowered wall along the ledge past the wall switch and turn right to go up the green-tinted slope. Drive N into an outdoor area and start running over baddies with reckless abandon as you follow the ledge up. When you reach the narrow ice passage, gun the snowmobile to clear the gap into the temple library. Continue forward to the area where you shot all those baddies earlier and maintain your course until you hit the exit trigger.