LARA NEVER HAS A REST 3:
THE DERELICTED TEMPLE

Level by Emoeke (Garfield)

Walkthrough by Phil Lambeth, with thanks to Val for locating two secrets that I'd missed.

Lara begins in a deep trench with a closed door behind her. Climb up by using the ladder ahead and continue west through the opening into an area with a number of doorways. On the central structure ahead is a key on a pedestal that's surrounded by a cage, so presumably the first order of business is lowering that cage. As it turns out, however, it's close to the last order of business. By the way, it's possible to continue west and jump through the far opening, run forward to the hole in the ground and slide down the slope to end the level, but what's the point?

Let's try the south openings first. Go into the middle one to alert a ninja. Kill him, then go into the alcove where he came from, turn to the left and pull up into the crawl space. Drop down into the hole on the other side for SECRET #1. Pick up the REVOLVER, the large medi-pack and the flares, then return to the ninja alcove. Exit this area and make a hairpin turn to enter one of the doorways on either side and you'll find yourself n a large room with a number of wall ledges. Another ninja lurks in the NE corner, so go flush him out in order to get rid of him.

This room is something of an enigma. You begin by climbing the blocks near the SW doorway. Turn left and take a running jump to the lower ledge in the NW corner. Run to the far end, turn left and take another running jump to the ledge in the middle of the west wall. Run to the end of this ledge and take a standing jump and grab to the higher ledge near the SW corner. Turn around and jump up to grab the ceiling. Monkey swing across the room and drop down onto the higher ledge in the NW corner. The remaining ledges going around the perimeter of this room appear to be entirely superfluous, as they take you nowhere that you can't access by other means.

Turn to face east and take a running jump and grab to the column against the north wall. Pull up and take a standing jump to the roof. Run over and pick up the uzi ammo, then go back to the east edge of the roof. Hop back and grab the edge, make sure there's an opening beneath you (shimmy to your right if necessary), release and immediately grab the edge of the lower section of roof, and pull up into the cramped area. Run over to the north wall and pull up into the alcove. Step forward and pull up into the roofed area surrounding the open area below. Heroic music greets your arrival, but although you find receptacles for two artifacts you don't yet have, it's obvious you're not intended to be here yet. So go back down and let's try the north openings next.

The NW opening is blocked by a cage, and the NE opening leads to a slope that's too steep for you to climb, so there's nothing to do but try the middle opening. Stop to pick up the small medi-pack on the east ledge, then drop down and descend the winding staircase until you reach a fork. Go to the right for some shotgun ammo, then reverse roll and continue until you reach an opening overlooking an empty pool.

Turn around and jump up to grab the ladder. Climb up about halfway and back flip to land on a ledge. Turn to face west, run to the other side of the ledge and take an angled running jump to the ledge against the west wall. Run to the other end of that ledge and do the same thing to get to the next ledge against the south wall. Go to the pedestal and pick up the GUARDIAN KEY. A flyby takes you through the passage in the drained pool and points you to where the key is to be placed. Now retrace your steps back to the first ledge and take a running jump and grab across to the next ledge east. Follow the ledges in the same manner you did before until you reach the pedestal with the CANOPIC JAR 2.

You can get to the sandy ledge below without losing any health by going to the other end of the ledge where you picked up the Canopic Jar. Turn to face the south wall. Hop back, and when you clear the ledge press the action key. Lara's trajectory will be modified so that she lands on the block below. Simply hop back onto the ledge and pick up the uzi ammo. Go over to the NW corner of this ledge and take a running jump to the alcove, were you can climb down to the bottom of the drained pool. Pause if you wish to pick up the large medi-pack and the flares, then go into the north opening.

Pull up onto two large blocks, then turn to your left and pull up onto a ledge. Step forward and pull up into a dark area, go to your left and use the crawl space to enter SECRET #2. Pick up the grenade gun ammo and crawl back out. Run forward and drop down to the floor below. Climb up onto the cage that's protecting the button, and turn either to your right or your left and pull up into the room above. Locate the receptacle in the east wall (that would be very easy to miss if the earlier flyby hadn't pointed the way) and insert the Guardian Key. A cut scene shows two nearby devices lowering, including the cage around the button, so go down and push it. The bowl behind you tilts and starts feeding water into the pool.

Go back the way you came, except that now you swim now instead of walk/climb. When you return to the pool, immediately surface, pull out and shoot the three crocs that somehow slipped in while the pool was being filled. When the coast is clear, jump back in and open the underwater door in the west wall. Swim inside and follow to a new outside area that's also protected by a trio of crocs. Pull out on the north ledge and deal with them quickly, but don't turn your back for long, for as many as five scorpions attack from different directions along the sandy coast.

There's a lot of underwater area to explore here, but look for a large medi-pack near the middle of the west wall, and some flares near the middle of the south wall. Find a place to pull out on the south ledge and you'll disturb two more crocs. After you dispose of them, locate the button (it sticks out like a sore thumb) and push it. A cut scene shows a gate opening in front of the first Canopic Jar. Now follow the ledge around to the left of the button you just pushed, and you'll soon reach a spot near the water where you can jump SE onto a stable surface. A couple of standing jumps south from there will get you to the GRENADE GUN and SECRET #3. Jump into the water and swim NW, and climb onto the submerged pillar near a block island. Take a running jump NW to the block and step forward to pick up the crossbow arrows.

Near this spot, about halfway to the north bank ahead, you'll find a square hole in the floor of the lake. Swim down through the hole and follow to another hole where you pull out into SECRET #4, a small room where you pick up some uzi ammo, a small medi-pack and the CROSSBOW. Return to the lake and swim back toward the east end of this large area, and locate the square hole in the floor through which you arrived. There's a nearby small medi-pack that you may have missed when you first got here. After you pick it up, surface and pull up somewhere on the north bank. Run toward the structure ahead and you'll see a gated entrance to your right and an open doorway to your left. Go through the open doorway and kill the two ninjas who step forth to challenge you. Pause to collect the small medi-packs dropped by the ninjas, then run forward and pick up the CANOPIC JAR 1 from the pedestal in the now-open alcove. A cut scene shows the nearby gate opening, so go there.

Inside are three doorways. Does it make any difference in which order you take them? Well, actually, yes it does. First, go left into the west doorway. You'll find two caged pickups and three scorpions. Kill the arachnids and go outside to enter the north opening to your left. Run down the long hall and you'll arouse a scorpion near the far end. There's a devilishly indistinct crawl space at floor level in the north wall, so crawl inside for SECRET #5 and some uzi ammo and crossbow arrows.

Crawl out and head back toward the opening, and you'll see a couple of receptacles on either side. Place the two canopic jars, and a cut scene shows one of the cages lowering in the previous room. Go there, shoot another scorpion and pick up the LASER SIGHT from the open pedestal. A mild earthquake ensues, and you turn around to find that the second cage has vanished. Run over and pick up the second GOLDEN VRAEUS, and a cut scene shows an area you visited briefly earlier.

Exit this room and go across the hall into the east opening. Kill the rambunctious ninja inside, then shoot the last vase on the left to open the east door. Climb up onto the block the vase was on and pick up the GOLDEN VRAEUS. Another ninja attacks, so kill him. The other vases can be shattered as well, but all you'll get is a small medi-pack and another aroused ninja.

Now go to the east doorway. Ahead you'll see a gauntlet of blade traps, but you don't really feel like dealing with them, do you? Simply run to the south wall or the north wall and you can get to the other side without having to fool with them at all. Enter the east passage and follow it to a slope you've already seen from the other side. Slide down into the hallway and run outside into the sunshine.

Now it's time to place those artifacts you're holding. Go across to the left or right opening in the south wall and climb up to the higher roof area encircling this outdoor section. Locate the receptacles in the east and west inner walls and insert a Golden Vraeus in each one. Each time you'll get the same cut scene of an area down below. Go back down and deal with the ninja, then run across to the left doorway in the north wall, which is now open. Go inside and push the button. Reverse roll to find that the cage next to the obelisk has lowered, opening your way to the HYPOSTYLE KEY. When you take it from the pedestal you experience a mild earthquake.

Now to find a place to use the key. Go toward the west opening to discover that the earthquake has reconfigured the terrain, allowing you to run up the sandy slope. Enter the new outdoor area and run toward the hole in the ground. Step forward and slide down the slope. Looks like you didn't need that key after all, as the level abruptly ends.