Level reviews

"Although the builder uses an augmented wad, this level looks very much Tut1, and very much like a first-time effort at that. Orbit Dream has said all there needs to be said about its design, except he neglected to mention the builder's odd fascination with the oily water texture from Cleopal, which the builder used as just another generic texture - that is to say, throughout the level he applied it indiscriminately to walls, floors and ceilings, sometimes in geometric patterns. It also cannot be stressed enough that the rooms are simply too large. This decidedly - gamey' environment might not have mattered that much if the game concentrated on platforming or combat, but as it is puzzle-based, it becomes wearying on the eyes in short order and thus affects the gameplay. This is particularly unfortunate because this is the rare case of a level that overfulfills its quota of puzzles, many of them some variation of the old game of step-on-the-right-tiles that can solved on the basis of nearby hints in the textures. The puzzling is interspersed with a few rollingball traps (mostly easy to survive on first attempt), a jump from a slope to a rope after which you have to figure out a safe spot to land in, and occasional fisticuffs with shivas, who aren't really as out of place here as MichaelP claims, since the builder doesn't care about his setting one way or the other. They are also not difficult to defeat, as they turn out to be really ninjas wearing fat suits.
In one of the puzzles your progress isn't saved correctly, because for some inscrutable reason the builder chose to raise blocks not by means of Raising Blocks but by means of flipmaps, of which he had apparently used too many already. That in itself wouldn't matter much if this puzzle were properly hint-based as the others are, but the fact is that this time it's by trial and error that you have to determine which tiles are safe and which are not; and to make matters worse, you have to do it three times in a row because the builder keeps moving the goalposts. The status of this task as an actual puzzle is therefore doubtful, and it becomes tedious and tiresome as the player has to repeat the same segment again and again. It also occurs close to the end, when you've had your fill of running through oversized rooms and climbing very long ladders (some unmarked, or ambiguously marked, though not necessarily the longest ones), plus the mid-level pushable puzzle had already been of the truly tedious kind (you have to manoeuvre eight pushables out of the way in order to reach a lever and a trigger tile), so the level eventually felt drawn out and overstayed its welcome quite a bit at my end. This, sadly, in spite of the fact that it avoids backtracking; instead, it has you loop back to the beginning with your hard-won Hand in order to claim your prize (a Cartouche that's floating mid-air). Weighing the good things against the bad, I come up, like Sash, with - mediocre'." - Mulf

"Upon booting this I thought it would be a basic Tut1 level, so I admit I was surprised when I ran into the first shiva statue. Excluding that factor, however, what you get here is a standard debut levels from early 2000's, with huge, boxy and mostly empty rooms, wafer thin walls, lots of stretched textures and unmarked climbable walls. Gameplay has a few nice ideas here and there, but I felt this backfired when reaching a room with four or so flipmaps and they'd stop working altogether upon reloading a game. 35 minutes. 09/20" - Treeble

"This standard and rather crude Egyptian level has some well executed gameplay ideas mainly revolving around texture clues, but you also get a couple of boulder traps, shooting exercises and slope jumps. The texturing and lighting is rather bland, so eyes candy isn't on the list. It's all about the gameplay, so whatever floats your boat." - Ryan

"This is a good level, with some interesting ideas and decent puzzles, but I found a bug in the room with the three pillars and three openings (I died) and I had to read the walkthrough. The architecture is very very simple, square rooms and very monotonous texturization. The enemies are some red scorpions and "ninjas inside the Shivas' bodys", LOL! Very poor atmosphere with no cameras or musics, the rooms are too huge and very very empty of objects; and lights are not well worked. Definitively, this author only thought about puzzles and some interesting situations, but forgetting all the remaining features which make better a level. Anyway I think it's a level worth to play." - Jose

"This level's Egyptian theme is entirely arbitrary.It may as well have been a City,South America or Steampunk level for all the interest and concern that the author showed in the placement of textures and creation of appropriate atmosphere - by that I mean:none.What you have instead is a succession of reasonably ingenious puzzles to solve in a sequence of rooms.Most of the time you're performing texture-hinted tasks;but there are a couple of decent boulder traps;a good sliding sequence;and a few fights with some rather limp Shiva's.One obtrusive save bug in a flipped room spoiled my enjoyment considerably,but it all ended up with a pleasing return to the very beginning shortly before the finish trigger.A no-frills puzzle level,then;and clearly the first attempt by a builder who quickly developed his own unique style." - Orbit Dream

"A level that offers 45 minutes of good raiding, with a good variation of rather big rooms with puzzles to solve, and a few passages with a bit of action in dealing with Shiva statues or avoiding spiked balls. Some puzzles are very good and not very difficult to figure out , although for one of them the placement of the antipad triggers was a bit enigmatic for me. There is also a couple of pushable objects to solve and flipmaps. A pleasant and entertaining level that is not too spoiled by the fact that the rooms look empty in general , repetitive/stretched texturing at times and absence of work on the lighting." - eRIC

"If you overlook the fact that the texturing and design of the rooms in this Egyptian level are all pretty bland then you can see that the puzzling has had some thought put into it. There's some precise tile jumping puzzles, movable object puzzles, and target shootings to be found, but unfortunately in one area I found that if I reloaded a save after having raised some blocks that those blocks then lowered themselves and I had to go back to an earlier save, and as this puzzle involves some chance in finding out the solution and death as a result of getting it wrong I found myself having to replay sections a couple of times until I just gave up and DOZYed past. So if I had to say if I could recommend this 40 minute level I would probably be in two minds about it as there are some definite pluses but just as many minuses." - Sash

"The setting is about as bad as it gets with the well known Egypt textures listlessly applied in rather huge and rather empty rooms. The enemies are mainly Shivas (which does not fit in at all) some beetles and scorpions. You find two cartouche pieces and a Hand get back to the start after 45 minutes and the level ends before you can grab another cartouche. So why do I rate this an 8 in Gameplay then? Because the author really put up a sequence of clever puzzles mostly related to some clues in textures which were fun to sort out. Had it not been for some save/reload issues with the flipmaps I would even have been inclined to give it a 9 simply for the thought that went into those puzzles. Apart from those there are a few boulders spikes and a few blocks to push. Rather original debut level - worth a look just make sure you keep your savegames in order as you might need to go back to one." - Michael

"The level starts where it ends. Lara must swim find the revolver and laser sight. After shooting the blue balls the doors open and she comes to the main room where she must step/jump on floor tiles to open the doors. Also some statues are to push and two puzzle pieces must be combined. The level has an underwater maze and in some places rolling balls are waiting for Lara. Opponents are Shiva's but they are no match for Lara Croft. Also she has some riddles to solve she must push blocks around. In the room with the beetle tiles I had a bug. I saved the game there and this was the reason why I couldn't raise the second block. But I was lucky; I had a savegame from an earlier room. I could load it and play only the room with the raising blocks again. Lara finds the star and returns to the beginning. After using the star the door to the cartouche opens but before Lara can pick it up the level ends." - Avmaster

"I think that we already played many Tut1 Levels and this Level is not much different standard objects textures and easy gameplay. The usual tut1 level." - Yoav

"Probably a first level by this author as it is bases on the tutorial and not bad at all if indeed this is a first. Rather straight forward with a bug in it. Found the same bug Kristina mentioned and although you can do it in one go I rather save in between. So I did need some practice runs. Get the Cartouche pieces and a Hand and as we know Shivas aren't much of a threat but some of them scared the living daylight out off me. Get however the sight and revolver for some practice shooting to do. Later on you also get the crossbow. The climbs you have to do are long as rooms are huge. As for the puzzles there are subtle hints and be patient as some doors take their time to open. And by placing the star the levels ends. 01-05-2004" - Gerty

"A Tut1 style level with lots of quite interesting puzzles and manoeuvres to accomplish in various rooms off a central area. Not too much in the way of enemies - scorpions and Shivas mainly. It's well constructed if somewhat plain - the rooms are rather empty - but the gameplay is enjoyable if not as good as the other offering from this builder and it's definitely worth a look." - Jay

"One more level based on the tutorial with very big rooms but mostly empty. The idea is to find a cartouche a hand and fight Shivas that sound like ninjas and are easy to kill. The small scorpions weren't much of a threat and the traps simple enough spike balls and fire tiles. I had a problem with the raising blocks in one area. After the first block the others wouldn't raise and as it turned out there is a bug in that room which means you can't save and reload. I saved before the room with the rope and slides with spike balls I completed everything without saving until I passed that area and only then I was able to continue. It ends while Lara approaches a cartouche. It's not a bad level but the 'Secret of the Tower' was much better." - Kristina

"This level was actually worse than his other one. Except for the puzzles - those were nice. Not too hard though. Rooms seemed empty and way too huge. Lara needs to find two cartouche pieces to reach a star. There are pushable object puzzles and have to look out for symbols. Again boulders and spikes as traps. Lara has to do some target shooting so get the lasersight and revolver. Enemies were Shivas. Very little camera work and sounds. Graphics not very special. At the end after placing the star Lara gets another cartouche. Have fun if you choose to play it." - Navi