Reviewer's comments |
"Here’s another would-be cinematographer who found himself miscast in the role of a levelbuilder. This ephemeral Catacombs level mainly has you push buttons to open doors, and you’ll be doing very little of note in between. What little there is feels like the builder is making token efforts to pretend that it’s a real game (early on, a Pharos Pillar, the only puzzle item you’ll see until you come across the eponymous Crystals at the very end, is simply sitting right in your path waiting to be picked up).
A follow-up exists, in which the builder reduces the gameplay (as well as the room geometry) even further, concentrating on making flybys instead. There’s one or two of those in this one as well, but here it’s more about the placement of fixed cameras, for example during a monkeyswing where nothing happens, and especially during a dive where nothing happens. Of course there are also rooms that you simply run through without anything happening, but these get cameras of their own only on one or two occasions. In the case of a ridiculously long crawlspace, which you have to crawl through to push another button at its end only to then crawl back the way you came, even this consummate visual artists could not come up a camera angle that would make this particular ordeal appear any less tedious than it is. The cinematographics are sometimes complemented by overblown audio cues, as when a couple of minutes in, you use a lever to open a door a few feet away, and the sound engineer gets mad with excitement and acts like you’ve beaten the game. The scene also gets its own flyby.
The rooms in which this takes place are usually bright and bland. The texturing is generally clean, but uninspired and wallpapered on a number of occasions. To the extent that the builder evinces architectural aspirations, they’re modernist flourishes that don’t serve the purpose of creating a plausible ancient environment, nor do they succeed in lending it a character of its own (e. g. a lattice texture contrived to be rotated by 45°). He overuses light statics for a stretch (but applies the correct texture to go with them), and also makes a few odd choices when it comes to object placement, such as having a small waterfall emerge from a blank wall in a lava room or stacking pillars on top of one another.
In three or so rooms the floor is lava because the builder wanted to make bridges and ledges but had no idea what to do with the space beneath. It would have been better if he had stacked these rooms on top of one another, as a first step towards creating a more interesting space for the game to take place in, one where you acquire the Crystals in different places maybe, after performing a number of different tasks perchance. Just a suggestion. As it is, the Crystals are all sitting in the same place right next to each other, and each gets its own musical cue when you pick it up, which is cut short when you pick up the next. You could politely wait for the procedure to run its course, but you’re in a bit of a hurry because a couple of wraiths are chasing after you and won’t go away until you hit the finish trigger. (There is a Bird Statue in the area, but it doesn’t seem to work, unlike an earlier one, underwater, which worked just fine.) In the end, the wraiths aren’t much of a problem though, because you don’t have to perform any task other than moving the Crystals from storage into their receptacles, and even if the wraiths drain a chunk of your health away while you’re busy doing so, the level ends immediately thereafter anyway." - Mulf (21-Sep-2024) |
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"An easy adventure with a lot of cameraworks. They're fine, though, because they make the
level a bit more interesting, and they also show which doors open and the next place to go
to, so that's good. What I didn't like were those extremely long crawlspaces and
monkeyswings. But aside from that, I liked playing this level till the end. There were a lot
of supplies like weapons and flares, but I didn't need to use them much, as there aren't a
lot of enemies. I thought the 4 crystals would be scattered throughout the level, but they
were all in once place, so that makes things a lot easier :). Also, I saw a grenade launcher
that was impossible to get because it was inside one of the ledges. I guess it was a troll
grenade launcher." - alan (18-Nov-2022) |
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"Wow, this is a 2001 level that has some impressive camera works, the camera that follows you that was made famous after the Egyptian dream tutorial was published is here, 4 years prior. How??
Either way this is your average standard level with not really much to do in terms of substance, some annoying gameplay choices, I am looking at you you DAMN infinite crawl space! And some way annoying spirits that unfortunately for me I once forgot to kill them and I had to do that crawlspace 3 times :3 ... :3
Enemies were almost absent in the level, secrets were none, I praised the usage of objects because it was decent enough.
Texturing was ... err, a bit repetitive for my taste, BUT it was decent and non stretched that for the time was impressive, especially considering the mark the level has.
Oh You are asking me if you should play this? Probably not, but if you do, do it for the cameras, some nice cut scenes await!! Wolfy Regards." - Wolf7 (03-Sep-2020) |
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"A cute little adventure, but also a tad too short. The
monkeyswings did not bother me as much as the long
crawlspace (which is supposed to be traversed twice, so it
takes like 20% of the actual gameplay). Reminded me of my
beloved TR1 and one of the rooms gave off Chamber of Secrets
vibes." - Mortensmor (09-Aug-2020) |
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"Quite a different Catacombs experience, and a bit
strange, not only for the texturing. It is all so easy as
you progress from area to area with doors closing behind
you. Only a few enemies posing no great threat (the last
elementals took long to to die on the bird statue but it
was no great threat), an artefact simply placed on the
floor of a room , long monkeyswings , and one very long
crawlspace you do twice with the return trip. The
highlight here is the work done with fixed cameras esp.
when Lara is monkeyswinging and the use of the 'see-
through' textures for some floors : from a builder
perspective that is very well done. Too bad that Lara
does not appear in 3D (flat lighting) , the use of
objects is not coherent (no use for the revolver), the
texturing is sometimes odd , and the gameplay is quite
uneventful. This said, well worth a look." - eRIC (08-Sep-2019) |
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"A pretty ordinary 20-minute romp in a catacombs setting. The camera angles are interesting at first but ultimately annoying, and that half-mile crawl is simply inexcusable. You are provided the shotgun early on, which is helpful in dealing with the skeletons, but I saw no reason for the revolver and laser sight, especially since the only remaining enemies are wraiths. Still, the lighting is good and the environs are easy on the eyes, so the download is certainly not a waste of time." - Phil (24-May-2018) |
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"This is otherwise a fairly standard 25 minute
level, but it is at least memorable for some
very creative camera angles (I particularly
liked the angle showing Lara swimming and
traversing a long monkeyswing). It's rather
tame apart from that, with Lara encountering
the longest crawlspace ever, avoiding some
skeletons and wraiths (the last two refused to
perish on the nearby bird statue) and finding
the eponymous four crystals." - Ryan (01-Mar-2017) |
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"Twenty minutes of very straightforward and generally fast paced raiding in a catacomb setting. It's pretty much a lever throwing exercise, with skeletons and wraiths for company. The action only slows down for a ridiculously long crawl and the odd monkey swing. You won't have to work hard to find the crystals either - they are all to be found in the same spot! The builder certainly managed to fit in some arty camera angles, but otherwise there's nothing remarkable going on." - Jay (28-Aug-2016) |
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"A short mediocre level with simple puzzles, and a very
straightforward gameplay. Levers were in the same room with
their triggers, one opened the door right across it and a
cutscene showing the opening with dramatic music followed,
which was a bit unnecessary. There was a long uneventful
crawling only to press a button and return. The said four
crystals were also in the same room side by side, and picking
each one triggered the same music which made it sound like a
loop. On the plus side, the builder has built some atmosphere
by good lighting in water and lava rooms, and good camera
works. Especially the halls which lights came from the
ceiling and some architectural windows were done good. With
more interesting gameplay and various textures this level
would have been much better." - Nomad (05-Feb-2016) |
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"Lineal level very easy to play with a fast gameplay. This time the author took a big effort placing a lot of cameras almost in all rooms, and also a lot of coloured lights, but textures are deformed in irregular surfaces. I didn't like the very looooong crawlspace only to press a button and go back the same way; unnecessary. Also the very long monkeyswing over the water channel. No puzzles to solve, very few enemies to shoot (only a couple of skeletons) and some wraiths to avoid. I didn't found secrets. Playable, but only to enjoy the good atmosphere." - Jose (01-Feb-2016) |
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"What do you say, one can still find really small fine pearls. In this level the inclined player finds entertaining Gameplay and interesting camera perspectives. Sometimes it is a little bit too light for my taste and the crawlspace is too long. Above all also, because one has to go two times through it. Both skeletons are no problem, because Lara has the shotgun in the luggage. And one gets rid of the minds with the small bird's statues. One can see some very nice rooms which are however mostly quite empty. Anyway this was a very nice level which is well suitable for beginners, because there are no difficult places and he is not too long." - Scottie (30-Apr-2010) |
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"This level didn't have too much to offer which was a shame. I liked the idea of having to collect 4 crystals but they were all in the same place. You might as well have changed the title of the level to find 1 crystal. I didn't like the long crawlspace which you had to double back through and some of the pickups seemed pointless. There was a revolver, bullets and sight all placed on the same square. They could have been placed in different rooms to avoid an unattractive heap on the floor. Having said all thar, there was no use for them as the only baddies were wraiths - and they were a pain to get rid of. I used a shed load of health packs trying to get the statue to extinguish them. Not one of the best I have played." - Necro (25-Feb-2009) |
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"This level has a significant amount of gameplay. The enemies and the traps are perfectly positioned and the level is pretty challenging (pulling an object while trying to keep the skeletons at bay was pretty interesting). This level will also teach you that the little statues won't always defeat the wraiths. Unfortunately the crystals are all in the same room and they trigger the same sound. There are also too many shafts and the crawlspace is too long. Some cameras can give the player some hints and some are just there to annoy the player. Concerning the textures there are one or two errors. The revolver and the lasersight are useless because there are mostly wraiths in this level. In any case you will get them after you run away from the skeletons. If you are trying to make your level challenging I suggest you download this level." - Sakusha (10-Apr-2004) |
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"Good camera-angles can't help a level without any real gameplay. Yes - some of the cameras are excellently placed but what does a camera help when you have to monkeyswing a really long time? The crawlspace could have used some cameras though. Crawl crawl crawl... Why? Why make an unnecessarily long monkeyswing? Why make an unnecessarily long crawlspace? Why not make a real level? Still you might want to play this level just for the cameras. It lasts for less than fifteen minutes so it doesn't waste that much of your time." - Magnus (29-Jan-2004) |
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"I liked this level a lot. Although it's straight forward I liked the flybys and the excellent camerawork. I liked the rolling spikeball that blocks Lara from swimming back and the gates and doors that slam shut each time she enters a new room forcing you to make sure you've done everything and collected everything along the way. Most times a pickup is right in front of you. I thought some of these rooms looked terrific and it's obvious the work that gone into the level. Textures are mostly catacomb but not the usual catacomb stuff. I liked the use of the wraiths. Obviously you're aim is the four crystals and when I placed them and ran ahead the game crashed but I think that was the end anyway. Huge potential from this author." - CC (19-Oct-2003) |
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"Four crystals to look for, then to find and to use... Well... it's not a bad script but put the four crystals in the same place, that is a bad idea! The level has started good for what... it was very beautiful! But the end is enough 'sad'. I think this is a good level to test but the author abused of cameras... and forgot the rest... unfortunately! 14.05.2003" - Neso (15-May-2003) |
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"Once upon a time there was a woman who didn't know you were supposed to blow skeletons off of ledges with a shotgun (*blush*). That's how long ago I first tried to play this extremely simple level. Try as I might I could never get that pushable object where it belonged without the skeletons knocking me into the lava (lol). Thankfully I've come a long way since then and re-discovered this nice little 20 minutes level with the magnificent camera work. Other than those 2 skellies and some nasty wraiths Lara is mainly going from room to room pushing buttons or picking up objects to advance her search for the 4 blue gems." - Momster (01-Dec-2002) |
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"Excellent use of cameras (doesn't Lara look elegant when she's swimming?) closing doors and sunlight. Not so excellent use of gameplay (very linear and straightforward tedious crawlspaces and some seemingly unkillable wraiths). This is ideal for a fun TR experience when you have less than half-an-hour to kill. Next!" - Orbit Dream (23-Sep-2002) |
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"The only thing I can say about this 20 minutes level is that the game play is incidental in fact my score of 5 may have been generous what this level should be played for though is the really interesting use of cameras from the ever changing underwater views of Lara swimming the view of Lara monkey swinging above as a camera shoots from under the water below there's even a camera shot that makes you feel as though you are a predator stalking Lara as she walks unaware and many more. The goal is to find the 4 crystals as the name states and place them while being chased by 2 unkillable spirits which takes place in the last 2 rooms unfortunately getting to this point is extremely basic with a couple of levers to pull and a few buttons to press one after a very long crawl. So don't play this level for the game play it for the brilliant 4th person visual aspects." - Sash (21-Jun-2002) |
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"Short and crisp 20 minutes adventure with linear non challenging gameplay. Only two skeletons and a few wraiths as enemies but you have to check this one out for the excellent variety of camera work and the ever-closing doors behind you that push you forward. A rather long climb and another long crawl spoil the fun a bit though." - Michael (21-Jun-2002) |
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"This is quite a simple linear level but the thing that makes it stand out is the use of camera angles so that you see Lara as never seen before. One particular stage had her swinging along a roof whilst the camera was under water directly below her. Just shows what a bit of imagination can do. Watch out for the spirits at the end of the level they don't want to explode. I finished the level with them still chasing me LOL." - Torry (21-Jun-2002) |
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"Your objective in this level is as the name suggests to find four crystals. I think the level is good overall. I liked the author's work with the cameras giving the player a cinematographic view in the level. The level is short (20 minutes of net gaming) and the puzzles are obvious but it's not bad for a start. The movement of the "fire" is also great but it's strange that there are water fountains in middle of the fire. I just don't like the excessive use of wraiths. Instead of killing them I just ran away :)." - Treeble (21-Jun-2002) |
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"A really well done first go at building a level. The author focused on exploring the possibilities of the cameras in the level editor and succeeded in that. The gameplay itself suffers from that a bit as you have to master endless crawling and long climbs to reach a switch. But the cameras make it worth the download and the entertainment lasted only 20 minutes. By the way I also could not get rid of the wraiths and simply ran away from them." - Qwendo (21-Jun-2002) |
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"Well; 2 skeletons and some of those wraiths otherwise just run straight on in this very short level. The whole level feels like an experiment with (sometimes strange) camera angles which I don't always like because it prevents you from looking around. Find the four crystals as the name says put them in their receivers and then finish; it took me 20 minutes. (I manged to kill the last wraiths by running up the stairs around the middle section and then down again. I remember another level where you had to do this - enter another room and then go back to get them killed.) " - G.Croft (21-Jun-2002) |
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"Your only objective in this catacomb style level is to find and place four crystals or blue gems and then escape through the door that will open. Sounds fairly easy especially considering all the crystals are together in one small room just waiting to be picked up. However the fact that you are being chased almost constantly by elementals is what makes this level a challenge and quite exciting especially put together with the great camera angles that make this a truly memorable level. I found plenty of weapons and ammo (though one weapon I couldn't figure out how to get) I didn't really need them as there are only two skeletons. What I really needed was some more medipacks as I was constantly running from the elementals and taking a lot of damage including quite a bit during one long monkeyswing and through a long crawl tunnel. The rooms are quite lovely as you run along with doors closing behind you and urging you on and the camera angles make it look even better. A short thrill though at only 20 minutes." - RaiderGirl (21-Jun-2002) |
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"And finding them I did. A very linear gameplay but fun nonetheless. I met two skeletons but could blast them with the shotgun I found earlier and 4 wraiths. And if you don't happen to find the cross nearby you're in for it as there is only one medipack to find. They were annoying even when I did found the cross they took their time disappearing into that. The camera angles are awesome and fitted very well in this level. Lara's knees must be hurting from that long crawl that was tedious to say the least. 12-05-2002" - Gerty (21-Jun-2002) |
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"A nice and easy 30-minutes level very linear with many different camera-views. The goal is to get 4 crystals to open a door for ending this game. Not very difficult a level to play when you don't have much time. Not bad for the first one I wait for the next work of Formel16" - Freeman Porter (21-Jun-2002) |
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"A rather short catacomb level with a very simple gameplay. There is an unnecessary long crawlspace you have to crawl through just to push a button and then crawl the whole way back. Shotgun and revolver can be found but you don't need the revolver at all as there are just two skeletons und some wraiths in the level. The switches you need to pull are mostly near the door that has to be opened. So playing wasn't that much straining and after 20 minutes I finally found the four crystals and I finished." - Sheevah (21-Jun-2002) |
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"It's exactly what the title says. The only thing you need to do here is push a lever and open the door in front of you I have no idea why the flyby was for every time it's pretty obvious which door opens because there is no other in the room plus the game play is so poor that it didn't need that a little search wouldn't harm anyone. Now what search you will say nevermind. The rooms are empty I met two skeletons nice guys of course I had to blast them although the thought crossed my mind to keep them as company in those areas Lara felt lonely. Did I say I got the revolver and the laser-sight don't ask me why ask the author. Anyway after many doors and a couple of swims and a lava area you find the four crystals not that they were hiding from you place them in their receptacles and you're done. See you next time." - Kristina (21-Jun-2002) |
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"Of course I had to have a look at this for professional reasons and indeed the camerawork in this one is most ingenious. Even a rather dull long monkey swing becomes so exiting when viewed from an unusual perspective. Sadly enough there is nothing to break the tedium during one particularly long crawl. I liked the shafts of sunlight that broke through the ceiling in almost every room and I appreciate all those doors that fall firmly back into place once you rushed through thus you are never tempted to backtrack. Just make sure that you don't miss the little statue when a couple of water wraiths are in hot pursuit. Speaking of which; you'll encounter the first attack underwater and I urge you not to head straight for the statue but instead swim down the tunnel; the view you get is most spectacular with two wraiths chasing you. The gameplay is not very challenging but as far as twenty minute levels go this is one of the best I've ever played. The catacomb setting is nicely done though there is not that much variation as far as the textures are concerned. But what were the revolver and lasersight for?" - Dimpfelmoser (21-Jun-2002) |
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