DARK SKIES 2: CITY RUINS

Level by Justin

Walkthrough by Phil Lambeth

Begin the level in the Porsche with a bumpy ride down a ramp to street level. You'll hear the thunder crackling all around you. Get out of the Porsche, as you won't be needing it for a while. (At this point you can't even drive it over the sunken wooden pad near the end of the short street you're on.) Walk straight ahead, noticing the strange "give" in the wooden pad as you step on it. Ignore the telephone in the corner next to the flaming barrel; it's out of order.

Turn right at the end of the street and walk through the red laser beams (which are harmless), tripping a short-lived alarm. Take out the two SAS guards who come out at you through the door that opens to your left. Relieve them of their ammo, go through the open door and vault up into the passageway.

Go into the passageway and make a right at the dead end to enter a large open courtyard area with a column jutting up in the middle. Make your way clockwise around this area until you reach a gray ledge. Step out onto this ledge and turn right, then take a standing jump to the next column ahead. Take a running jump and grab to the next column. Pull up and turn right. Take a standing jump to the central column and pick up some grenade gun ammo. (If you want to be fancy about it, you can angle to the left and take a standing jump down to the slanted roof. Slide down and grab the edge, then shimmy to the right until you're opposite the central column. Pull up and back flip onto the column.) Take a running jump back to the previous platform. Run up into the passageway and slide back down into the room with the red laser beams.

Go back into the lower passageway and this time turn left at the dead end. Go into the next room and shoot the SAS guard lurking to your right. Pick up the LASER SIGHT he drops. Notice another sinking wooden pad in the middle of this room. Go through the open passageway straight ahead and head up the stairs either to your left or your right. Pull up into a new area and enjoy the spooky music.

Straight ahead is a telephone booth. Enter it, then hop back and shoot the scorpion that's trying to puncture your heel. Then jump forward and grab the meshing on the wall of the booth. Climb and pull up to the platform at the top and turn left. Jump up and grab the catwalk above you, then monkey swing your way across the room. Turn left at the juncture and drop down onto the level awning. There's a slicing blade trap near the end of this awning, so quickly take a running jump over to the next awning north. Turn left and hit the look key to catch a view of the sloped platform ahead. Angle Lara slightly to the right, so that she'll be facing forward when she begins to slide, and take a running jump over to the slope. Keep the jump key depressed and grab the lip of the alcove ahead. Pull up and open the door. Enter the room and shoot the SAS guard to your left. Take his MP-5 and then shoot the box near the spot where he fell to reveal a switch on the wall. Throw the switch to open the door back in the street where you began this level. Stop to pick up the flares on the computer desk before leaving this room.

Take a standing jump and grab back to the sloped platform, and safety drop down to the lower level. Drop down the hole to your left and go back down the stairs. Run through the room ahead and take a right in the passageway to bring you back to the room with the red laser beams. Exit to the right and run back down the street toward the Porsche. Before you reach it, take a right and go through the doorway you just opened.

Make a hairpin turn to the left and climb up into the upper room. Shoot the SAS guard and go over to the far wall. Throw the wall switch and drop back down into the hole next to the chimney column. You'll find that the basement area is now open, so go around to the right and through the passageway into the next room. There's a moveable block in the far corner. Drag and pull it onto any portion of the central wooden area. Although there's no audio-visual evidence of this, positioning the block so will stabilize the sinking wooden pad outside, allowing Lara to drive over it.

Leave this room, step onto the slightly raised wooden platform in the next basement room, turn around and jump and grab the floor of the room above. Pull up to street level and exit this building.

Get into the Porsche and drive it to the end of the short street. Turn right and go through the red laser beams. At this point it would be nice if you could simply turn left and go through the open door and make a left into the area you need to get to next, but that would be too easy. So instead, zig to the right and drive up the slope that was too steep to scale on foot. At the top, turn left and line up the Porsche with the launching platform ahead, then back up as far as you can against the wall.

The jump you now need to make is tricky, and there's no way you'll make it by simply driving the Porsche straight ahead. You'll need to angle slightly to the right in midair to access a lower portion of the next platform, then swing immediately back to the left so that you literally skim over to the other side. (This will likely take a number of tries, and the experience can become somewhat frustrating, but don't even think about using the DOZY cheat while Lara is in the Porsche. If you do, the game will go schizophrenic and crash on you.)

Once you're safely across, drive counterclockwise around the open area and turn right into the tunnel. Drive through the passageway into the next room and run the Porsche across the wooden pad. Voila! The door ahead is now open.

Leave the Porsche for now and vault up onto the platform. Go through the newly-opened door, vault over the lower box and draw weapons. Step down on the other side of the boxes and note a dead raptor on the floor in front of you. Yes, this is a warning. Walk forward while listening to a neat theme, and take note of the mist-laden subterranean area ahead. You'll hear a strange chirping noise and think that maybe some bats are on their way to plague you, but it's much more serious than that. No, it's a raptor coming out to greet you. Shoot it from the relative safety of your perch, then shoot another raptor that will be alerted when you reach the misty floor of this area.

Ahead and to the right is a partially-sunken military vehicle of some kind, and someone has apparently gone off and left the motor running. You can walk around and inspect it, but you can't get inside it right now. Climb up to the top of this contraption and note a raised platform near the front. Step onto this platform at its juncture with the slatted bridge, with the vehicle behind you and facing the closed door at the end of the bridge. There's an open shaft right above you, so jump up and grab the climbable surface in the wall of the shaft. Climb up and pull into a dimly lit room. Pick up the flares in the corner and note the three closed doors and a wall switch.

Throw the wall switch to open the door directly behind you, as well as the door in the wall of the subterranean area below. Jump back quickly, draw weapons and kill a scorpion. Then go through the open door and face your next major challenge.

You're now in the first lava room, where the earthquake never stops. Walk gingerly to the end of the passageway and angle Lara to the right. Take a standing jump over to the base of a winding stairway. Go on up to the top of the second highest level of stairs and turn around to see a rope dangling overhead. Take a running jump and grab it, then turn around to your left and swing over and release into the alcove above. Throw the wall switch, which opens the door at the end of the slatted bridge down below. You'll notice that directly across the lava room there's a ledge you can swing over to, but now is not the time. Instead, safety drop down to the stairs and make your way down and out of this disorienting room. Be careful at the end to jump and grab from that last step (or simply run across at an angle) in order to land safely back in the passageway.

Back in the central room, drop or climb down the shaft and cross the slatted bridge toward the now-open door. Crouch down to avoid the dart blowers in the passageway. Then get ready to shoot another raptor that steps out to greet you from the right as soon as you clear the darts.

Now the camera angle will change as you come out into another rumbling lava area. Keep to the left and make your way across the area shown on your screen. It's actually pretty hard to fall off, so you don't need to be extra-careful here. Your control of the camera is restored when you turn left at the other end of this area.

However, even though you can again see where you're going, the earthquake rages on unabated. Zig to the right and up onto a bridge--broken in part, so be careful--that leads to the next area. In the distance to your right is a swinging blue ball. Combine the laser sight with the desert eagle and shoot the ball to disable the switchblade traps lurking in a few of the areas ahead. Then cross the bridge, jumping as needed, and at the other end make a hairpin turn to the left and note the ladder. Take a standing jump and grab this ladder, then climb down to the bottom. Take the LEFT EYE from the pedestal, then climb back up and back flip near the top into the passageway entrance.

Turn around and draw weapons. As you approach the eerie green image ahead, a raptor will charge out from the right. Kill it and jump over the flaming carcass. Turn right at the image and run up the stairs into the next lava room.

From the safety of the platform at the entrance, look around and note: A number of blocks jutting up from the lava, some slanted and some level; a rope hanging from a central block in the ceiling; and three of the eerie green images which differ from the first one in that they're intermittently blowing deadly flames across platforms jutting out from the wall just beneath them. The trick here is to navigate your way across the room, using the blocks and the rope, to each platform and step on it while the flames aren't blowing. So let's get started: Walk out as far as you can go, and take a running jump and grab to the sloped block in the northeast corner of the room. Pull up and turn right. Take a running jump to the slanted block ahead. Keep the jump key depressed and Lara will jump to the adjacent slanted block. Slide down a bit and jump again, using the left arrow key so Lara shifts in midair to reach the next slanted block against the wall. Immediately jump and hit the end key so Lara will flip around, and grab the opposite wall. Shimmy to the right until Lara reaches the sloped alcove, then pull up and immediately back flip onto the column. Turn around and face the rope. Jump and grab the rope, wait until the flames subside, and swing over to land on each of the three platforms in turn. Immediately upon landing, reverse roll and jump back to grab the rope. The act of stepping on the third platform will open the door in the upper southeast corner of this room. Swing over to the ledge on the southern wall and exit.

You'll now see a bridge spanning a very deep room. Step onto the bridge and immediately step back, as you've triggered a couple of those huge spinning tops with the razor-sharp edges that kill on contact. They'll bounce around until they reach the floor, where they'll continue to careen noisily about. When you reach the break in the bridge, take a running jump across and continue to dash ahead to avoid the second wave of the deadly spinning tops.

Turn left in the corridor and note the wall switch at the end on your left. Position Lara in front of it, then throw it and immediately take a side flip to the left while drawing weapons. Turn around and take out a raptor that charges at you through the door you just opened. Jump over the flaming carcass as before and go through the open door back into the central room.

Drop or climb down the shaft to the top of the half-sunken vehicle. Look across the subterannean area to see the now-open door. Jump down and run through the mist toward the open passageway. Stop at the edge of the platform and think about what you're going to do next, because it all happens rather quickly. In fact, you'd be smart to draw your combined desert eagle and laser sight and save your game at this point.

Looking down, you see a steep slope leading down to a wooden surface. As soon as you land on that surface, it'll start rising and will continue to do so until Lara is impaled upon some nasty barbed wire affixed to the ceiling.

Here's what to do: Slide down with weapon drawn, and immediately look up when you hit the bottom. You'll see two swinging blue balls in alcoves near the top, one on your right and one on your left. Shoot either one of them and then immediately turn right and dash into the open passageway before Lara reaches the barbed wire (and before the timed door shuts in her face). Whew!

Talk about jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Now you find yourself in another lava room with fiery geysers and more tricky jumps to make. DOZY, anyone? Anyway, the trick is to make your way over to the exit alcove on the other side of this fairly small room, without getting yourself fried. Turn to the left and take a running jump over to the slanted block (angling Lara slightly to the left will help). Keep the jump key depressed and jump over to the other slanted block in the dark corner. Keep the jump key depressed again, and this time hit the end key as well so that Lara will spin in midair. Grab the sloped top of the block ahead. Pull up, allow Lara to slide a short bit and jump and grab the opposite wall. Shift right, release and hit the jump key immediately upon landing. Grab the edge of the opening, pull up and make your way quickly though the corridor ahead, avoiding the delayed-action switchblades as you pass through.

Now you're in a very tall room with more jutting slopes and platforms placed here and there. Make a hairpin turn to the right and stand in front of the wooden column. Jump up and grab. Pull up, and just as you're about to fall back down, jump and reverse roll and grab the climbable surface opposite the column. Climb up to the next level. Pull up, turn left and go to the end of this ledge. Turn left and take a running jump over to the platform. Throw the switch and jump back to the ledge you just left. Jump back down to ground level. You'll find a platform has been raised, allowing you to make the next move. Walk to the edge of the slanted platform and take a standing jump up to the next level. Turn to the right and find a moveable block. Pull it out twice. Jump down, go to the other side of the block, jump back up as before, and push the block twice more into the alcove at the other end.

Jump back down to the ground and stand in front of the wooden platform to repeat the jump, pull and reverse roll maneuver you did earlier to get back up to the second level. Pull up, turn left and pull out the moveable block twice. Turn right, jump back and grab the ledge, and shimmy to the left to get around the block. Pull up, turn to the right and push the block twice more into the alcove at the other end of the ledge, causing part of the ceiling above you to rise. Use the climbable surface on the wall, shift over to the right, and drop into the uppermost level of this room. Turn around and find the RIGHT EYE. Take it and jump back quickly to avoid those devilish blades. You'll hear the sound of bamboo sticks making an adjustment to your left. Jump across the gap, grab the bamboo sticks and climb to the top. Shift left and drop into the passageway. Turn left and walk to the end of the short tunnel, where you'll trigger another earthquake.

Jump up and grab the surface above. Monkey swing over to the flaming pillar to your right, making a turn to the right as you lose camera control. Before dropping down to that flaming pillar, hit the look key to regain camera control and turn all the way around so that you're facing the central pillar (which you need to jump to next). Then wait for the flames to stop billowing from the pillar below. When the coast is clear, drop down and immediately take a running jump over to the central pillar. Angle Lara to the left and take another running jump SW to a slightly higher pillar. Then turn around and jump up to grab the ceiling track above.

Monkey swing your way carefully past the blowing flames, hitting the look button each time you lose camera control, and drop down onto the ledge at the end. Turn left and take a standing jump over the slanted pillar ahead (when the flames are down, of course). After a brief slide, jump to the pillar in the corner and wait until the very last instant before jumping over to grab the slope of the taller pillar near the exit. (To be honest, I wasn't able to make this jump legally when I first played the level and when I replayed it years later.) You can now pull up and jump over to the exit passageway. Instead of jumping, allow Lara to drop forward past the final slanted block into SECRET #1. Pick up the UZIS. Turn to the left and take a running jump over the lava to the platform. Turn left again and take a standing jump to the next level area. Jump ahead one final time and find the climbable wall. Climb to the top, shift left and drop onto the same ledge past the blowers mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph. Make your way past the slanted pillars as before, and this time leave this area by taking that final jump and grab.

Watch for the flame blower on your right to subside, then jump over the small lava pit. Don't rush out yet into the passageway beyond the lava pit. Take one step inside and immediately hop back. One of those deadly spinning tops will roll down from your right and come to rest in another lava pit. Turn left into the passageway and jump over this second lava pit. Just beyond it is another slope that triggers another spinning top. Whether Lara jumps or slides down this slope, she'll lose temporary control of her movement and be killed every time by the spinning top, unless you hit the end key as soon as she hits bottom to make her roll out of harm's way.

Turn right and run up the slope from whence issued the second spinning top. When you reach the far wall at the end, turn around and hop forward. Jump up and grab the scalable wall. Climb and pull up into SECRET #2. Light a flare if necessary and pick up the large medi-pack and the uzi ammo. Climb back down and walk down the slope.

At the bottom, find twin slopes leading further downward, both of which contain spinning top traps. Sprint down either one, timing a jump and grab across the lava pit before the triggered death top reaches and kills you. In the passageway ahead, stop to pick up some ammo if you need it, then walk out to find a broken bridge facing a rope.

Walk out to the end of the bridge and take one hop back. Then take a standing jump and grab to the rope, and negotiate a short swing ahead to another section of broken bridge above and across this lava room. Run up the passageway and throw the wall switch. Immediately turn and draw weapons to kill the raptor emerging through the now-open door behind you. Jump over the flaming carcass and enter the central room, where all three doors are now open.

Since you now have both of the eyes you need, turn left and go back through the west opening into the first lava room where the perpetual earthquake reigns. Make your way back to the rope, and swing in the opposite direction as before, to a ledge along the far wall. Turn right, walk to the end of this ledge, then jump up and grab the ledge above. Pull up, turn around, and take a standing jump and grab to a ledge still higher up. Pull up, turn to the right and insert the Right Eye in the receptacle. Then turn to the left and take a running jump (because of the low ceiling) and grab to the next ledge over. Pull up, turn right and insert the Left Eye in its receptacle. This opens the door to your left, leading to a cityscape with infiltrating lava.

Drop down to the platform below, turn left and take a jump south over to the ledge. Turn right and run to the end of this ledge, then pull up to the roof above. Step forward, turn left, draw weapons and shoot the SAS guard standing watch over the strange machine in the adjacent room. Go around the machine and throw the switch on the far wall, allowing access into the half-sunken vehicle below.

Leave this area the same way you entered, and exit the lava room as well. Back in the central room, jump or climb down the shaft onto the top of the vehicle. Drop down to the ground and find the open doorway on the side of the vehicle. Enter and turn to the right. Shoot the box, revealing a wall switch that opens the door to the front area. Throw it and immediately draw weapons to take out the SAS guard who comes out through the open doorway. Take his grenade gun ammo and enter the front area. Make a hairpin turn to the left to find another wall switch. Throw it to open up a new area back where you left the Porsche.

Exit the vehicle, turn left and return to the room with the Porsche. Note that what used to be exposed dirt against the east wall is now a hole providing access to the next area. Get in the Porsche and maneuver it so that you approach the hole with your left shoulder flush against the wall. Drive into the hole and turn immediately to the right after a short drop to the ground below. Continue driving slowly down the short passageway leading to a courtyard area.

From the top of the slope it's fairly easy to slalom off the launching pad to the area across the way. Then turn left, hugging the wall, and drive across the gap to the next area, using the friendly platform for assistance if you need it. Get out of the Porsche and jump over to the central column to the east for some desert eagle ammo. Jump back, get into the Porsche, and locate the little south alleyway that's almost hidden next to the shiny slanted area to the right of where you and the Porsche last jumped across. Drive slowly into this alleyway and prepare to be impressed by the sheer immensity of this next (and final) area of the level.

Urge the Porsche to the right, past a wire-mesh platform, a stone platform and a portion of a waterfall. Take a hard left across a wire-mesh bridge (you'll return to this spot soon) and bear to your right across the tiles with the diamond pattern. The camera angle will shift here, so be careful. Zig back to the left and roar up a couple of short steps, past a torch and across a gap to another wire-mesh platform. Turn left immediately and drive up the slope. Park the Porsche in the cramped area ahead and get out. Push the floor lever in the alcove and listen for the faint sound of a door opening in the distance. Where is it? We'll find out soon enough.

Say farewell to the Porsche and slide west back down the ramp. Turn right and jump back over to the tiled area. At this point you're free to waste a little time exploring this huge area if you wish. Over to the right in the distance is a closed door. Make your way over to it, open it, and take a running jump and grab from the doorway to the tiled platform. Pull up and grab a spare set of uzis. This will also alert a couple of raptors down below, so if you're interested in maximum kills you can either try to shoot them from this elevated perch or wait just a little bit and exterminate them later.

Turn around and take a running jump and grab back to the doorway. Pull up and head over to the far western part of this chamber. Find the westernmost ledge with the diamond tiles. (There's an inconvenient triangle-shaped lump situated near the middle of this ledge.) Position Lara at the north side of this lump, right next to it, and turn to face the western wall. There's a flat surface immediately ahead, but you'll have to angle Lara slightly to the left. Take a running jump and grab to the earthen platform. Pull up and turn left, facing the waterfall. Take a standing jump and grab when you slide down to the ramp, then release to slide further down the waterfall. Grab again, pull up and immediately back flip onto a short stone column, which is SECRET #3. Pick up the large medi-pack and some grenade gun ammo.

There are a couple of crocs swimming around in the depths below, but unless you're a completist there's not much point in going down after them. Besides, if you should happen to fall into the water, you'll be sucked into a square hole that causes instant death.

Locate the ladder near the north wall, and take a side trip if necessary to dispose of those two raptors you awoke earlier. Then use the ladder to climb back up, and pull up near the wire-mesh bridge that you drove the Porsche across upon arrival. Turn around and notice a door at the top of the stairs that's now open, thanks to your work with the floor lever. Take a jump to the stairs, turn right and go through the open door. Turn right and jump up to grab the scalable wall. Climb and pull up to the uneven (but stable) surface at the top, then back flip and turn around.

Ahead and to the right is a moveable block. Pull it out once, go to the right side and pull it once more, then run around to the other side and push it once. Now go all the way around to its south face, using the uneven earthen platform for maneuvering room. Push the block once so that it's flush against the northern wall. Go around to the right and push the block repeatedly along the ledge until it's in the far corner across the way.

Now climb up onto the block and turn right. Climb up into the dark alcove and side step all the way to the right. Turn to the left and back Lara against the wall. Angle her a little bit more to the left and take a standing jump up to the ledge above. Face south and walk to the end of this ledge. Take a running jump over the gap and note the tunnel ahead and to the left. Take an angled running jump and grab to land inside the tunnel. Draw weapons and turn left to take out the SAS guard. Run down the tunnel and turn right to see what looks and sounds like a giant bug zapper in the next room. Actually, it's the exit portal, so run into it to complete the level.