Level reviews

"Excuse me what. This is so much padding half of it could go. Looks quite good yes, but almost every good looking room has an evil twin - a minute more in the same architecture and I would die irl. Thankfully we catch some breath in outside episodes, and we even get some combat - but why pistols only if you never find the secret weapons, which don't have enough ammo anyway, and that bike in the end should just be used earlier to run those final people over instead of struggling pistols only - yes you heard it again because I ran out of ammo for the second time. I'm so glad Danilo made balanced stuff in later years and didn't end with this level because it would be another sad scenario. But eventually we got Knowledge and Resurgence, which are two good reasons to live in this universe and not in any parallel one." - DJ Full

"A beautiful jungle setting spread over three levels. While it's very reminiscing of the original India levels in TR3, the water and fog effects from the TR4 engine make this a much appealing environment. On the other hand, however, the overall scale seemed a bit off resulting in several massive rooms which seemed rather empty and some of the areas felt quite similar, especially with the symmetric approach used quite often. There's a fair share of backtracking to be done and some huge underwater temple areas to navigate, and you're not packing a compass but Sutekh's got you covered. All in all, this was a very pleasant raid. Ah yes, I'd never have expected the main artifact to be so literal. 105 minutes, 6 secrets. 09/21" - Treeble

"We're back in India again, so expect those rustic stone textures, climbing around treetops, killing off the local wildlife and meeting a few Shivas. I thought this was quite fun. The gameplay may not be very difficult or challenging, but I liked the flow it had and it certainly held my interest. A couple of object puzzles, lots of levers and some swimming. Recommended." - Ryan

"A pleasant three-part adventure set in India. While improving on the TR3 levels in terms of gameplay and visuals, it doesn't stray too far away from the original. The textures we know from TR3 get a little repetitive in some places, but it isn't very striking thanks to the nice use of lighting and fog. I noticed a black spot among the rocks towards the end of the final level, perhaps a missing texture? I found some fixed camera angles unnecessarily annoying, but one of them was actually successful in deceiving me and got me stuck for a few minutes. I found the flybys useful and atmospheric. As for the enemies, they are well-placed. I also think that the relatively small number of them fits the atmosphere of lost, forgotten ruins quite well. The final fight with the goons is not that hard, especially if you've kept your eyes open for the ammo. I was pleasantly surprised by the underwater city. I dreaded something similar to Lud's Gate but I found the sequence visually pleasing and cleverly constructed. All in all, the levels turned out to be quite easy for me, so I recommend the level to those who want a relaxing adventure. I enjoyed this set of levels more than the original adventure." - Mortensmor

"This is a three-part release that takes place in an India/jungle setting, and in my opinion it's head and shoulders above this young builder's maiden trilogy. I'm a sucker for scenic environs, so I took my time playing this one and managed to milk three hours of gameplay from it without ever becoming bored. The puzzles and challenges may seem somewhat simplistic to the seasoned player, but I had a grand time here and I'm looking forward eagerly to Danilo's latest offering that to date boasts Hame of Fame review scores. There's plenty of light, colors and outdoor tasks in Eye of Shiva, which are always welcome to me. Highly recommended." - Phil

"If you want to play an enjoyable level including jungle and temple areas, I recommend this level for you. Level designing is pretty good and the variation between outdoor and indoor areas makes this game interesting to play. The way to use textures and light effects isn't particularly creative but everything looks still good. The gameplay is rather good as well but I wouldn't mind if there were more actual puzzles in this game. Most of your time you look for switches that activate doors or other things but much thinking isn't required. I think that this level isn't outstanding but it deserves good scores because it is created with good knowlegde of the editor and much time must have been used for level designing." - Samu

"I really am glad that the environments are sometimes so delightful, especially the second level with the huge river with waterfalls stretching through the expansive canyon, as the gameplay sadly for me started to become quite repetitive. This repetitiveness came in the form of always having to do two actions for one result, so say if you needed to open a door it would undoubtedly need two keys so you would simply go one direction to find one and then go the opposite direction to find the other. Had there been some real puzzles implemented in getting to the keys apart from flipping levers above and in water this may have kept my interest a whole lot more than it did. The enemies, Shivas, guards, and crocs, were very few and far between but when they came you knew about it, and this I'd say was a smart way to play it as the author allows you to get complacent where you start to not expect them and then you are thrown into quickly having to respond and come out of your complacency when they attack. On the whole this 3 levelled game set in and around temples in the jungle, where I felt like I was submerged in water a third of the time, was quite intriguing and grand with the use of vast areas and I couldn't help but enjoy it in the end. 145 minutes, 6 secrets." - Sash

"I know, it is lever galore in here but nevertheless I had a great time. I still do love the TR 3 jungle levels, so this one was just what the doctor ordered. It isn't a walk in the park and it sure could use more puzzles, but luckily it isn't hard as well. Apart from finding Keys and levers of course, there aren't that many enemies, until the end. Not much traps either and the ones that were there were pretty easy. The environment was stunning, I can't deny that. But that doesn't make a game superb. The secrets however were fun to hunt down 11-03-2005" - Gerty

"Lost Ruins part 1: I do like the good old India textures. Yes, I know they can be time consuming to explore but don't they create a marvellous atmosphere? This begins in a lovely outdoor setting, soon progressing to indoor temple areas. There's climbing, rope swinging and fire emitter avoiding to be done before you find an Indra key and return to the outside area. The only enemies in this part are occasional crocodiles so it's quite restful. There are two purple roses (thistles actually) that give you access to a vast underwater room that's breathtaking in more than one sense of the word. Be prepared to exercise your drowning skills at this point as you search for a series of underwater levers. There are quite a few levers to pull above the waterline as well before you find a second Indra key to open that great big door you saw earlier. Lost Ruins part 2: Oh how I hate having to shoot those beautiful, bright, bouncy tigers. We're back outside again in a lovely jungle clearing by a river. After a wonderful flyby of the river valley, a short climb and swim, comes another clearing. This one is occupied by large men with even larger guns so finding the shotgun is really timely. Inside another ruined temple you will find a Ganesha key and then you are free to enjoy some rock climbing high above the river and I must say the view is rather spectacular. There's climbing to be done in the treetops too and I always enjoy that. Oh and you will have noticed by now that the Shiva statues in this section are not purely ornamental. The Eye of Shiva: This part is set in a large, impressive temple building with lots of rooms and underwater areas to explore. Lots of swimming, lever throwing and senet piece pushing later you get a couple of Ganesha keys and enter an area richly populated with Shivas and tigers. After a bit more exploration of this area you finally get the object of your quest - the Eye of Shiva and then all hell breaks loose and you have to battle your way past any amount of SAS to reach the end of the level. Not too bad unless you missed the uzis along the way. Well worth playing if you like the India settings. " - Jay

"Lost Ruins - Part 1 (8/7/8/8, 60 min., 3 secrets): Right from the start this is an impressive jungle/India setting and it develops into a fast paced raid with a few crocodiles along the way, as you search for two purple roses and two Indra Keys. I liked the solid camera work and the good use of fog. The big underwater cave was a bit tedious until you found the right way to go through it, but the architecture was great nonetheless and the flipmap with the floor on chains that drops and the changing water levels are quite clever. Lost Ruins - Part 2 (8/8/9/8, 40 min., 2 secrets): Atmospherically I liked this part best with its beautiful mountain/river setting. You infiltrate a soldier camp for a Ganesha Key, pet a couple of tigers and fight it out with a few Shivas. This part has a few really sneaky moments but if you keep your eyes open you will never be stuck for too long. Missed a key for one door - another secret maybe? The Eye of Shiva (8/8/8/8, 30 min.): More of the same here plus a few objects to push to their places in order to progress and a series of spike and dart traps. A few more Shivas in your way as you get to the desired Eye artifact and then a dirty dozen (or so) guards before you reach your bike and the adventure ends. All in all, quite entertaining throughout and beautiful to look at. It did become a little repetitive at times, so maybe a little shorter may actually have been better, but it is definitely a great jungle series that you should not miss!" - Michael

"Did you like TR3 jungle levels? Then, 'Eye Of Shiva' is for you. It is not a great level, but playable. Geometry is not very good, puzzles are simply (most of them look for and pull switches to open doors), secrets are easy to find, few sounds and cameras, light and textures correct. You go out of your tent and adventure begins. In the first level, if you jump behind a moveable block which you need push right of a big stairs you can go back again but not put the block over the tile anymore, so you have to reload a savegame. When you are going to put out one of the fireblowers over a switch, you don't have to use the two ropes and the ladder, only swing from the first rope to the top ledge. There is too much switches/levers for me to like, in the first level 28 and in third level 26. When the SAS attacks, you can hear a water sound? and you can't enter into his tents. Sometimes, the switch to open a door is very far of it, what incredible mechanism had to be builded! Jumpswitches are well textured to confuse with the walls. I miss more ammo and some flares in the third level (I haven't found flares in it). Perhaps there were too much SAS at the end of the game. Definitely, a level that can be played but no more." - Jose

"I liked these three levels. The adventure takes place in India, and we have to go through three levels to save the world and collect The Eye of Shiva, so that we can preserve this world from being destroyed; after all we are living in it. :) The challenges are not so hard, and there are not much enemies either. Crocodiles, tigers and gunmen are the main enemies, who'd like to gain the amulet as well. Some Shiva-statues come to life too, but they are all pushovers. We are adventuring in wonderful surroundings, with the textures of Temple Ruins (TR3). But if it's possible, the creator has also enhanced also these. I liked the locations very much, especially the rocks girdled with rivers. There are not too hard tasks o the levels, but we have to look around well at some places to find switches for get on. We don't have to use medipacks, not even if we fight during this challenge only with the default pistols. The added sound has raised the feeling t oo. If you liked Temple Ruins of TR3, you shouldn't miss this fantastic adventure. You can find a Hungarian walkthrough (as we don't have English version), savegames and pictures here: http://www.treditor.hu/15/eye_of_shiva.htm " - Obig

"A nicely done India level that works on a basic level. The gameplay is mostly a great many levers, with spurts of intense fighting. I found the gameplay to be a bit slow in many areas - there are long series of levers and switches that need to be interrupted by enemies and puzzles. The author shows a grand sense of scale and makes some nice rooms, which could have been a bit livelier. A good choice if you are looking for a fun, low-stress level." - Duncan

"A wonderful little series from Danilo here, and so far his best work. This adventure has Lara looking for the eye of Shiva, hidden in a temple among the jungles of India. The start of the level looks very promising, with a good flyby and beautiful outside areas, with waterfalls and crystal blue water, and the level contains more of outdoor and indoor areas that are very nicely constructed. There is a lot of swimming to be done, and there are a lot of switches to find to access more areas, and different puzzle items. There are also some fun rope swings here and there, as well as running over spikes. I also liked the way how the author used a camera to show you to the right switch, when you walked into a room that had a booby-trapped switch, as the two rooms were identical. Most of this level is bright, but there are some dark areas, but they aren't all that dark, so it's possible to get through them without frustration. I thought that the eye that you had to get from the temple looked rather cool, and after claiming that eye Lara must make a run for it from the bad guys. The enemies here are placed well, with crocodiles underwater, the soldiers outside, the Shiva statues inside, and there are some tigers to deal with here and there. All I can say is, great job! I'm sure that Danilo's next level shall be even better." - Relic Hunter

"There is no second-guessing where this game takes place. Your adventure will lead you into huge rooms where the Indian texture seems to shimmer and shake (are my eyes getting old or is that just a by-product of this texture?). Your quest for keys will keep you throwing levers and switches and wondering where you left your flippers for those long swims. The scenery is very nicely done and I thoroughly enjoyed this game. I had one thought as I was playing - the rooms seemed a bit repetitive in structure and action. Don't be lulled into a false sense of security by a lack of enemies in the beginning - you'll be battling lots of them in the end." - Mugs

"Lara travels to the jungle again and needs to recover a precious artifact. Puzzles are nice, you need to find a few keys, there is a lot of diving and doors to open under water. Many levers to pull and puzzles with pushables to solve. Enemies are well placed, especially SAS make Lara's life more difficult (sometimes they come in fours) and Shiva was used here and I liked that a lot. Textures are well applied but a bit monotonous across the three levels. Sound was standard but suitable for the atmosphere. Beautiful graphics, especially the waterfalls and the mountains. All in all, solid gameplay." - Engelchen Lara

"A very interesting series of levels from the author - his best work yet. The major improvement from his other levels is the gameplay - there are somewhat decent puzzles along the way which mostly include swimming, flooding areas, avoiding or deactivating fire traps, jumping, swinging on ropes and lots of levers. Lots and LOTS of levers, it's a lever orgy in here I'd say actually. You activate levers to access more levers, flood areas to activate even more levers you couldn't interact with before, gather key items from mostly symmetrically structured areas to access new areas where there are even more levers. Don't get me wrong - there are some simple, yet very good tasks - like spotting tiles on deadly boards, moving pushable items on their tiles, draining and flooding areas so you can progress - dropping a board in the middle of a pool so you can climb out of it. Nevermind the good and the bad - another good thing is that the gameplay is very fluid - besides some blind moments like missing the crowbar or some obvious triggers - I got through without problems and enjoyed it thoroughly, though the levers made it a bit tedious. The scenery is beautiful, though it could be better, but generally acceptable - I enjoyed the vast River Ganges especially, and the area with the entrance to the temple is very beautiful. The enemies are mostly soldiers in the outside areas, shivas inside and crocodiles underwater. I found a couple of secrets, but I believe there could've been more since I never visited an area guarded by a key in the middle of the 2nd level. The eyeball trophy is somehow gross and cool at the same time too. The cameras are another category I'm unsure about - they're there mostly when needed, but sometimes a long fly-by shows a pretty obvious event taking place nearby, while at other times you activate a lever and the door opens on the other side of the level without a camera clue. Overall a fun adventure in which I spent 106 minutes and enjoyed them, though sometimes wished for more... Recommendable, especially if you enjoy jungles." - eTux

"What a nice little set of levels! Very easy, admittedly, but quite relaxing and incredibly fluid. The India settings are very reminiscent of the TR3 levels, and there is a little atmosphere, despite some rather empty rooms. This is a mini-game devoid of any pretense (as well, unfortunately, as any ambition), where you have the feeling it has been designed just for fun (and fun I had). There are some (again very easy) puzzles, especially in the third and last level, some nasties enemies in the 2nd (namely, SAS), some good research in the first. Oh and there is that sound glitch (mentioned in the readme) that made me believe first time I encountered it that I was attacked by some blobbish creature from Outer Space (which would have been fine but a bit out of place, if you ask me), and turned out to add a lot to the fun. Apart from this one, some other glitches here and there, such as terra firma tiles moving like water, but nothing serious. Some fixed camera could have been avoided, while others were just perfectly placed. And I wonder why on Earth we are to play without a compass. All this said, and all in all, a nice mini-game that's worth playing but which could have been tweaked a tad more." - Sutekh

"I don't play many levels these days but the thought of a jungle romp appealed to me so I decided to check this out. I am glad I did. Overall it was a very enjoyable level to play with a well-paced gameplay that had me scratching my head once or twice but never stuck for long. It is refreshing to play a long level and never have to resort to forum help or a walkthrough and at the same time feel that the level is not too easy. The level had a pleasing atmosphere and was generally lit with great care throughout; it definitely caught the jungle vibe of the TR3 India levels - including some nice music originally used in those levels. More custom music like this would have been nice. Textures were good but sometimes they were stretched or compressed and there was too much repetition in some areas. The biggest problem in the level was the lack of cameras. The author obviously does not know how to correctly use the fixed camera because when he felt a camera shot was essential - he always used flybys. That's something he needs to sort out before releasing his next level. I found 5 secrets." - Dick

"In a very nice India setting with indoor areas and outside ones with tents, the player is searching for keys to unlock and explore new places. The game consists of three levels with enemies like crocodiles, shivas, soldiers and there's also some swimming involved. The underwater hug area was well constructed but be very careful as the corridors down there are long and the water holes for air are not close. This makes you nostalgic for the good old India level in the official game only this one has all the moves from TR4 which makes it better is we are talking action here. It doesn't have any ingenious puzzles, just levers and switches but it was most enjoyable for me. The textures have some problems though in general and there's a horizon problem in the outside areas. the fans of older games will surely like this game. I found 3 secrets and the level ends with Lara accessing the motorcycle that will help you continue her adventures." - Kristina

"There's a lot of exploring in this search for levers, keys and purple roses that leads you to the Shiva Eye. I found the gameplay to be strangely addicting and even the underwater area which I normally do not like, to be well thought out and fun. It's dark, at times, but with enough flares and there's more than enough medipacks, ammo and weapons for the late appearing enemies. Very well done opening fly by but then, everything is well done here. I vacillated between an 8 and a 9 for Gameplay and Puzzles. Where is an 8.5 when I need it? lol With this, a three level game, Danilo has won me as a fan and my only regret is not being able to ride the bike at the end. Nice to see his skills as a builder increasing and I hope he's already working on his next level as I am looking forward to it." - Bene

"Regarding the looks of it, the textures, the lighting, this is a very good level. It even succeeds in bringing back jungle memories from TR3. That having been said, this adventure in three chapters is much easier than the original TR3 jungle and offers too little puzzle variety, mainly consisting of using levers plus Indra and Ganesha keys. I believe it could have used some well thought traps and timed runs, which are desperately missing here. Despite becoming somewhat monotonous - although not enough to be a bore - there were some memorable moments in the game and I count the huge underwater areas in the first part among those. One last thing, I liked the shivas, even though their AI is as bad as that of the remnant baddies. My advice to the author for a next game is to try and vary the action and the puzzles, otherwise any game runs the risk of being more and more of the same. My advice for the players is to go ahead and download The Eye of Shiva... If you like beautiful jungle settings, you'll love this. (January, 2 2005)" - Jorge22

"Wow! What an excellent set of levels! Well done Danilo. I loved the texturing and lighting in these levels! You are the God of making India levels! You rock! So did your Sacred Stones series. Keep up the good work!" - Kookee