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BtB2006 - The Riddle of Master Lu by masha

Anurag 9 10 8 8
Bene 9 9 8 9
Bojrkraider 8 8 9 8
CC 9 8 9 9
diamond 8 9 10 10
DJ Full 7 9 9 9
Dutchy 9 8 10 10
eRIC 8 8 10 9
eTux 7 8 8 8
Gerty 8 8 9 9
Jay 8 8 10 10
Jerrod 7 8 7 8
JesseG 7 8 9 8
Jorge22 8 8 8 9
Jose 9 10 9 10
Kristina 8 8 8 9
manarch2 7 8 8 8
MichaelP 8 8 8 8
Mman 8 9 9 9
Moonpooka 9 9 9 9
Mytly 8 9 9 10
nerdfury 7 8 9 10
Obig 9 8 9 10
Orbit Dream 8 8 9 9
Phil 9 9 10 10
QRS 8 9 10 10
Ryan 8 9 9 10
Sash 8 8 9 9
Selene 8 9 10 10
Staticon 9 8 10 10
Sutekh 9 8 8 9
Treeble 9 9 10 9
Whistle 9 9 9 8
 
release date: 01-Jan-2006
# of downloads: 197

average rating: 8.69
review count: 33
 
review this level

file size: 41.10 MB
file type: TR4
class: Oriental
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
frenkel.masha@orange.fr

Reviewer's comments
"While there are a few traps and enemies to contend with, this level is much more focused on completing puzzles in order to collect four gems. Unfortunately I use the term "puzzle" loosely, as a majority of the time is spent with simple "push this item a couple of squares to its matching square" tasks. I did enjoy the area with the multi-level pushable puzzle which stands out as a more cerebral moment. The visuals are strong, maybe not the most exciting lighting but there is nice architecture surrounding the various courtyards 53 minutes." - JesseG (13-Jul-2022)
"(7) Gameplay & Puzzles: I enjoyed the exploration aspect here very much, as well as the brief trap gauntlet. Aside from this, there are so many pushable "puzzles" and the gameplay gets very repetitive and old after a while. The large dark red puzzle room with white tiled floors and 4 pushables has a very clever concept behind it. However, the execution is poor as there is just so much pushing involved. This level would have greatly benefited from more varied gameplay and different puzzles that don't utilize pushables. (8) Enemies, Objects & Secrets: I thought it was weird that you don't even need to shoot the hanging ball in the courtyard with the tree. Shooting the ball retracts some spikes that don't even need to be retracted, as you can move the pushable over them without dying. I also thought that the method to grab the fan was too vague (is it a bonus item? It's not needed to beat the game). Enemy variety could have been a bit better (only 2 enemy types), however the object decor and trap usage was very good. (9) Atmosphere, Sound & Cameras: Natural elements (the underwater pool and the big tree) were too boxy however the vast majority of the level has perfectly crafted man-made architecture. It really was a feast for my eyes, to look around buildings once I ascended to the 2nd floor of certain areas. Cameras were generally good, although for a particular pushblock puzzle involving 4 falling balls, it didn't make sense to show a flyby each time a ball is triggered; just once, when the puzzle is complete, is adequate. (10)Lighting & Textures: This level was absolutely stunning to look at, from start to finish; even the small hallways which connected larger areas looked polished. I especially appreciated and enjoyed how the builder balanced colors, with cooler textures to balance red architecture. Overall, this is a very polished level visually, but the gameplay is too repetitive for my tastes. 7/8/9/10." - nerdfury (30-Dec-2020)
"What a beautiful level. Lighting and textures tastefully done, calming, cascading waterfalls and soothing music all combine to produce a calm atmosphere. But don't be lulled into a false sense of security. Lara needs to be alert to accomplish her tasks. Pushable puzzles (maybe too much), traps to avoid, switches to pull and four gems to find. At the end Lara gets the Fan of Relaxation." - Ryan (01-Jul-2016)
"The level has a bit satirical mood - while Lara seeks for balance, the Fan of Relaxation is surrounded with inevtiable pain and the corridors of Lu-san's house (is this Kuan-Lin's relative?) are filled with nasty henchmen ready to bash her with wooden sticks, or at least I hope this isn't some harder material. There's a shotgun hidden in one place and a revolver in some other but since the level is non-linear, in case of checking these locations in secondary order You need to fight through the most challenging (or cruel) part armed with pistols only, to be left with loads of not utilized bullets unless You enjoy endless undead baboon massacre. Unless... unless one wasn't supposed to push these blocks through the spikes and unless the switch lowering them wasn't meant to be destroyed with the shotgun, in such case it means I've just recklessly found two unintended ways... - hot DAMN, another one I should have betatested... but this is very unlikely to occur to anybody else, so in such case the trap corridor with the stick-wielding guys isn't nasty but creatively challenging. Anyway, enemies aren't a major problem. What really hurts are the puzzles. Except other differences, there is just one difference between me and Masha: I hate pushables, she loves them. And every floor of the house contains all four cubes utilizable with the contest package. Why not to trim all of these to three and apply various combinations, e.g. red-green-blue, red-green-black, black-green-blue and so on? That would cut out the unnecessary gaming time and could also be used in some concluding riddle, for example involving all colors but requiring to move just the one which hasn't been used yet. But the expected conclusion never comes and when the door to a really nicely crafted corridor which should lead to some megafight (fitting the rest of level and allowing usage of spare revolver rounds) finally opens, the game just ends on a completely unremarkable floor square. In fact the preceding pagoda ascent was the only part when the level got really, really interesting, for one can jump over all the surrounding rooftops and stop at each one for a while just in order to look down on everything around, and the sights are plainly marvellous. I guess the graphics of this part even surpass the winner entry. SUMMARY: A half of the game is really tedious while just a quarter could be. Still it's worthy to struggle with the pushcubes for the prefinal climb, and some things can make You smile. Recommended." - DJ Full (30-Apr-2015)
"I'm a fan of the builder's work but this level was a little disappointing. The introductory flyby suggested a rather open gameplay type and indeed, most things can be done in any order here, without being too confusing or complex - just to my likings. Still, the pushpuzzles in this level are too many and too long and after spending about 15(!) minutes on one puzzle that I figured out after some mintues only because it takes forever to bring four pieces up two stages I was pretty exhausted. It's a rather clever puzzle, but the execution - like in several other instances in this level - is pretty pedestrian. Really most of the puzzles don't require to put your brain on, they're more for the patient under us, and, sorry to say, this is the 19th BtB level I play now and it's quite possible that my patience is a bit limited this time - but it would probably be much better if there was the first. There are luckily some other tasks to solve here, including some fairly fun boulders that have to be avoided and a good trap gauntlet in between, and in one instance I was rather amazed about a puzzle requiring pushing the pieces onto timed spike tiles, which is in fact possible without health loss - only to discover the spikes can be deactivated by shooting a ball. More creative or difficult tasks like this pseudo one would have really helped this level. Concerning the looks, the texturing is almost faultless (with the exception of one pool where a blatant mistake is visible), but the rather sameish application of those together with the rather flat and too bright lighting the visual impressions are rather repetitive and not as strong as they could be. Architecturally, this level is very professional and the work in sounds and cameras is quite strong. Even the object design feels just about right here; there are quite a few enemies which are all very well and aptly placed, as well as the four fun secrets to find - especially liked that finding this secret provides a shortcut in the ultra long puzzle. So all in all this could've been just a great level if more imagination and care had been put into the puzzles. Still, it's an enjoyable 45 minute level that holds up well despite some shortcomings." - manarch2 (19-Mar-2015)
"This level looks great, with various Pagoda type areas and multi-layered rooms along with lots of attention to detail. It felt like there could be little more variety in the lighting, but that's about the only possible notable room for improvement in that regard. The gameplay is a bit too heavy on push-block puzzles, but only one takes much time to do, and it's at least somewhat creative. There are also plenty of other things to do, including some nasty trap sequences and enemy placement, along with plenty of exploration. The only non-push block issue I had was one overly hidden jump-switch. I also had an issue with a save game crashing after going off the game and going back on, but I was able to fix it after trying a few times, and this may not be a problem with the level itself. This is potentially one of the best levels in the contest, despite a couple of flaws in the gameplay." - Mman (04-Jan-2012)
"It's not that I don't like pushable puzzles,you understand;it's just that they're so damn time-consuming; (and the ones which involve heaving puzzles up onto an upper floor,even more so.) It's a shame,in that case,that at least 20 minutes of the game-playing time (for me,at any rate) was consumed with such a pastime,as everything else in this beautiful BtoB06 adventure was just about spot on. It's large,non-linear and often very sneaky;but once you get your orientation and find the way to begin,it all flows quite logically. The construction is faultless,with beautiful courtyards and pagodas complimented by plunging waterfalls;texturing is immaculate;and lighting tasteful. The music combines with the surroundings to produce the expected exotic atmosphere;and the secrets are well placed. This took me 90 minutes (avoiding the Walkthrough whenever possible),and it's certainly one of the better efforts of that vintage competition - although a little less pushing and rather more pace would have helped it score higher,in my opinion. Recommended for all fans of large,exotic non-linear adventures." - Orbit Dream (21-Apr-2011)
"Too many push-puzzle for my part and the problem with these puzzles, that they are not really original... Despiste a pretty look, this castle contains also some traps truly deadly & wicked ninjas, nevertheless the way for collect the Fan seems me unclear. Nice work with the camera but perhaps too many flyby (for one push-puzzle especially), more audio would be welcome." - Jerrod (20-Apr-2010)
"I seem to have arrived three years too late for this party (BtB 06) - but since I'm here now, I intend to enjoy it. And very enjoyable it is too, with lovely levels like The Riddle of Master Lu, which feels like a genuine little Oriental retreat (though a strange one, with snakes, blade traps and pushable block puzzles! ;)) Visually, the level is stunning, with waterfalls galore, very pretty oriental architecture, and all of it strung about with colourful Chinese lanterns. The BtB textures and objects are used very well, easily making this level the best looking of all the BtB 06 levels I've played so far. The gameplay is a little less interesting, as it consists mainly of pushable block puzzles. There is one quite long and intriguing puzzle, which involves some thinking and planning, but apart from that they are all quite easy. The traps are more fun, especially one small gauntlet of traps which keeps you on your toes. The music is nice, but a bit more variety in the background track would have been better. The puzzle to get the Fan of Relaxation is a little obscure - and even more confusing is its complete lack of use in the level, since you don't need to get it in order to finish the level. Also, the human enemies spoil the serene atmosphere a bit. But apart from such minor issues, there is almost nothing negative about this level at all. It's a very lovely level, preferably to be played on a rainy afternoon, when you need something bright and beautiful to look at, but not too taxing otherwise." - Mytly (09-Jul-2009)
"Wow! This level starts with a neat flyby showing the 3 main areas of the level. So far this is the most breathtaking of the btb2006 levels when it comes to waterfalls, temples and fine environments. The gameplay is good but tend to lean a tad to much on the pushables. There is one pushable puzzle that is extremely clever though. The secrets were well hidden and the overall gameplay normal to difficult in some areas. I found 3 secrets and two fans. No idea if they were supposed to be used or just nice comfortable relaxing fans ;) A stunning level that would have gotten all tens from me if the gameplay would have been more mixed. Way to go!" - QRS (10-Feb-2007)
"The areas in this level are very well done and I just loved the traps, very challenging. The main area is huge but not hard to explore with some cleverly hidden switches throughout the level. You'll have to solve puzzles with pushable objects, one of them was tedious with all the blocks we had to lower and raise, and find gems, a fan but your goal is the Yin-Yang. The puzzle with the fan has a problem though because if you step on the pedestal's block and then step off of it before the spikes pop up then you can't reset it and try again. The only solution is to lose some health and get the fan item while the spikes are up. The rest is enjoyable and colourful with all the nice textures. There is a lot of water in this game, naturally waterfalls too. I found three secrets." - Kristina (10-Mar-2006)
"This is one of the most beautiful levels in this project. It is a pity that we can't tack these parts into one; it would be a giant oriental adventure. :) We are adventuring in wonderful eastern gardens and buildings on this level as well. We don't need to miss the monks and snakes either, but we have lots of weapons. We are searching for the Fan of Relaxation and the Yin-Yang (Stone of Balance), but before that we have to collect the 4 Stones of Lu. The revolver and the lasersight have an important role, because you have to fire precise shots to hit the balls. On the level, there are also swinging and moving blades, rolling rocks, and small pushable statues that we have to carry to the upper floor. The jumpswitches are well hidden at certain places. I found 4 secrets on the level. The textures are wonderful, the adventure is great; I suggest it to everyone. You can find a Hungarian walkthrough (as we don't have English version), savegames and pictures here: http://treditor.hu/16/btb2006_6_the_riddle_of_master_lu.htm" - Obig (01-Mar-2006)
"When i start this level i have impressed so much. the level is very very good i liked every structure of this level and i don't believe that the author of this level have the same texture and object of my level. The all is too perfect. the graphic is wonderful. The structures are simmetrical and all is well done and seems to be really in an oriental place. the temple are well done and there is a beautiful use of the water. the puzzles are a little monotonous becouse are only with pushable object. But not for this they aren't well done. There are interesting some of it. for the rest i want to congrat with masha becouse this level have taken me soon and i don't want it finish. A very good level." - diamond (01-Mar-2006)
"A great level with a good design, excelent architecture and decoration, not very difficult tasks,... a level you must play. Secrets are well hidden, and the last stone costs me a long time 'cause the jumpswitch was very well hidden. In the gazebo with the fan of relaxation I don't know what is the way to get it without hurt Lara, I walk over all tiles and spikes retract, but when I want to pick up the fan, the spikes killed Lara, so I jumped over the tile with the pedestal to make the spikes go up permanently and then quickly run over the tile, pick up the fan and jump back before Lara lose all her health, using a medipack in the way. So I get the fan, but I didn't need it for any task. ¿What's the purpose of this fan?" - Jose (21-Feb-2006)
"This is a very well organised level that takes just over an hour. It starts with a very nice flyby introducing the spacious temple area that you will systematically explore for five secrets and plenty of pushable objects. I always like logical puzzles with pushables, but felt it was a bit overdone here, especially as some of the puzzles are really obvious and then it only feels like killing time as you tediously push things around, but it was fun nonetheless. There is also a bit of target shooting thrown in (nice camera hint with Lara looking at the target) and one area with a fairly tough sequence of traps that spiced things up a bit, while the timed run is quite straight and easy. Overall very enjoyable as you won't ever be stuck for too long (if you keep your eyes open for a few well hidden switches)." - MichaelP (19-Feb-2006)
"This level is definetely something for the eyes. You'll find a gorgeously textured garden surrounding a pagoda and the atmosphere is just top notch. As the title indicates there are lots of riddles to solve in order to find the four Lu Diamonds needed to complete the pagoda puzzle. There were few enemies in this level(again snakes and ninjas) and that's ok for a level of this kind(one that requires more thinking than shooting), but I personally do not find it fair to have to shoot ninjas when Lara is standing in a hallway surrounded by nothing but spikes and blades. There weren't many traps though and the main part of the level consisted in raising blocks and pulling and pushing pieces onto their matching tiles. In a way it's a good thing that the pace here is slowing down, because there is definetely lots of lovely stuff to look at. This builder has also managed to balance the sounds perfectly and this added everything to the atmosphere. There are four secrets to find and I got all of them. This is the BtB level I spent the longest time completing, but that's due to the amount of puzzles and it should be done in about 1 hour and 20 minutes more or less. The puzzles that I have mentioned so many times here may seem a bit overwhelming at first, but once you get the drill they are actually quite simple. I'd definetely recommend this level, for beginners and more advanced players alike." - Selene (10-Feb-2006)
"This has to be my favourite so far. I love pushing block puzzles and this level had them in abundance. Not only that, but an immensely beautiful setting to house them all in. I wasn't so fussy about the spike and blade passages but, heck, they didn't make up too much of the game and were fairly quickly passed. I kept coming back to the fan protected by spikes but could not get it without being skewered. As it doesn't seem to have stopped me finishing the level, I can only presume that it was a red-herring. Top-notch level and a must play." - Staticon (06-Feb-2006)
"Don't let the spacious environments and dizzy fly-by at the beginning fool you - this level isn't nearly half as confusing as it looks. As with all non-linear levels, you might be stumbled at first in which direction to go and what to do, but it's all quite manageable and resolves easily once you start doing something. The backbone of all gaming in this level is the pushable pawn puzzles. Now - I'm not a great fan of those, and I can't say the author of this level has found any novel way that would freshen up the well-worn concept, but at least the puzzles were doable and didn't use any obscure logic, so they CAN be done by anyone, I dare say. But my main complaint has never (well, seldom, to not contradict myself) been the puzzle itself, but the tedious pushing and pulling process, which just seems too convenient for the builder(s) to drag out the length of the level, and give the player the illusion that he spent a lot of time here, thus it must've been of great quality. But if I put cynism aside - maybe the builder just likes the pushable puzzles and incorporates them into his (hers in this case, if I'm on the right path with my guesses) levels because of that. And one can't say there's nothing else here as well - as shootable objects, hidden jump-switches and traps provide good company to the aforementioned puzzles. The environments are huge here, so that might be one of the first off-putting things if you're not so great with orientation, but you get familiar with them fast, and they're pleasure to look at, though nothing extraordinary, so it's all good. A good level in itself, but not among my favourites due to the slow pace created by the overuse (in my highly subjective opinion) of pushables." - eTux (05-Feb-2006)
"Nice level, simple yet pretty in its settings, puzzling at times, namely with some well hidden levers. There are very few enemies throughout the game but quite enough puzzles and mean traps, although I feel the author overdid it a little on the pushables. All the action revolves around a central pagoda where Lara must place four gems in order to complete the puzzle that will allow her to the end. Fan of relaxation? Hmm, not really. :) Anyway, it's a shame we never get to meet Master Lu, probably a Zen Budhist with some strange ideas on how to get his tense disciples relaxed." - Jorge22 (31-Jan-2006)
"Like the title suggests, you'll have some riddles to do. The level is constructed very good, in the middle you have a big pagoda which is the gathering point of the artefacts, that you collect. Then you have three paths which you can choose and try your first quest, if you're not succesfull you can try the next one and come back to this one later. There are quite some pushable puzzles, but they weren't of a long distance, that's why I liked them. As promised in the readme, Lara looked quite satisfacted after finishing all the riddles on her own. ;) Ok, she missed one jump switch and was running in circles for some time, but then she started looking more carefully what's hiding behind all those lampions. I'm not quite sure, if I played this level in a way like I should, because it seemed that I got a few artefacts before I turned off some spikes, what seemed a bit weird when the spikes were finally off and I've already done that area. But the gameplay wasn't affected by this - it's a matter of choice, you can do it the easy or the hard way. Time: 1/14/41. Difficulty: easy. Lighting: bright. Gameplay type: puzzles. Tech skills: basic. Other: some rooftops at the end." - Bojrkraider (30-Jan-2006)
"This level is absolutely gorgeous. In fact, it may be the most eye-pleasing level I've ever played. The action takes place within a fairly confined area, and the trademark pushpiece puzzles others have mentioned weren't so tedious for me as to become tiresome. The first one, though, leading to a Stone of Lu is quite elaborate and well thought out, requiring the use of various switches to raise the pushpieces to an upper tier of ledges where they can be moved onto their tiles. The gentle, soothing sounds of cascading water made for a refreshing change of pace, and the enemies weren't that plentiful or formidable. Not a bat in sight, I'm happy to report. Dutchy has provided a typically competent walkthrough, which I definitely needed for the first pushpiece puzzle and the four well-placed secrets. One of my favorites thus far in the 2006 BtB competition." - Phil (29-Jan-2006)
"This starts wit an impressive fly by that shows you the whole lay out of this beautiful compound. I know there is just so much you can do with the WAD given that in a way it is a surprise what one builder does with it. This one however went overboard in my opinion with the pushing. At a certain point it became even tedious. On the other hand the lay out was eye candy. The couple of levers were nicely hidden and finding the revolver and sight is a must for shooting targets. This for sure is a game to look everywhere for not to miss a lever or so. As for the traps, once you figure out what to do, they look harder than they really are. 03-01-2006" - Gerty (27-Jan-2006)
"Starting with a minute long flyby, you get a wonderful view of the beautiful red monastery and it's gardens that will be your home for the next hour or so. Firstly, I would like to preface this by saying if you do not like movable object puzzles then you are not going to find any glory in this level as most of what has to be done revolves around them, and although for the most part the movable puzzles are so straight forward you can not go wrong unless you have recently had a lobotomy and even then I'd give you a scornful look, but there is one fantastic one that involves raising blocks that I thought was a really smart inclusion. There are also some balls to shoot and some icky traps to pass, one made a little tougher by the terribly timed appearance of a ninja midway through, so revolver at hand is the way to go here. I finished having scored myself a yin/yang symbol and red fan to add to my collection of objects from over the years, and having found 3 of the 4 nicely placed secrets. For me this was quite an uplifting level to play and I recommend it very highly." - Sash (26-Jan-2006)
"A well made level with good architecture and roomy outside areas and rooms to explore. Fine texturing, excellent lighting, inspired secrets, and good puzzles. Well maybe there are too many of these pushable objects. The most difficult in this level is to spot a couple of switches, then everything falls into place. I really liked the spikes puzzle to get the fan of relaxation (it took me a while to understand the author has placed 4 spikes when it seemed there was only one). The series of traps and baddies in one place was good fun too. Special mention to the very beautiful camera fly-bys , and to the choice of audio tracks which create a natural atmosphere." - eRIC (26-Jan-2006)
"Its a Pretty interesting level with very less enemies, many traps & many many puzzles. So basically if u like the shoot them up type of levels so I wouldn't recommend it for you. But if you like Tomb raiding, solving puzzles etc then this is the level for you. All you have to do is evade traps & push pull the pedestals on their respective triggers with the help of some switches & levers. You also have to shoot some golden balls using lasersight. Find 4 gems of Lu & a Ying yang peice (guess it brings back mental balance to its owner). Exotic & extraordinary enviroment beautiful textures (I know all BTB textures are same but they have been laid perfectly in this level)" - Anurag (21-Jan-2006)
"This is a very beautiful level, all based in a gorgeous complex of houses, gardens, waterfalls, terraces, decorative pegoda roofs, plants, trees and flowers. I absolutely loved the gameplay, which consisted of puzzles (or riddles, as in the title). It could be that I was extremely lucky, and made sure I looked everywhere, because I found everything I needed, and was able to figure out the puzzles almost immediately. The only place I wasn't sure was that fan. I stood on one dragon tile to make the spikes drop, jumped over a corner of the pedestal to trigger them to shoot up and stay up, then walked in, grabbed the fan, and backflipped out losing a little health. I've no idea if this was the author's intention, or if I missed something. The nastiest place was where those spikes shoot up between two circular blade traps. There is another blade trap with a horizontal blade between them. As you crawl under the horizontal blade a thug appears. The easiest way to deal with him is to stay crouching and shoot two revolver shots at him. There are boulder runs, but I found them easy enough to deal with. We leave this lovely place with the fan and the yin/yang. Beautiful level, lovely gameplay, just enough medpacks and ammo to deal with the thugs and snakes, all accompanied by that lovely background music. Excellent!" - CC (20-Jan-2006)
"Lara's come for rest and relaxation eh? A likely tale. Still, the monastery certainly is beautiful and there aren't too many thugs about, the emphasis being on problem solving. I have to say however that the title should perhaps more honestly have been"The Plentiful Puzzle Piece Pushing of Master Lu" as that comprises the majority of the gameplay. Admittedly, some of the puzzles are well thought out, but after a while I found myself craving a little variety. The secrets are cunningly hidden, so I was pleased (and amazed) to find them all." - Jay (18-Jan-2006)
"This should be renamed the Push Me Pull Me level due to the number of time you have to push the blocks around. The game play however is quite varied with the biggest need is to KEEP your EYES wide OPEN, else you are bound to miss switches etc some of which are well hidden and one (to drop the spikes for the two movables down in the south room-shooting ball), I found I could get round. A level which provides for most kinds of raiding manoeuvres. Enemies are the baddies and snakes, at times both easily dealt with but others the baddies are a real pest. This is especially true when trying to deal with the multiple trap sequences. The textures are used imaginatively although I felt a little more variation could have been used with lighting. Generally the atmosphere set was good, but at times the camera work needed tightening up-the moved blocks in the East room when raised did not appear until you were very near them. Sound in these levels seems to be standard and in this case unobtrusive." - Whistle (14-Jan-2006)
"This was a great level. The whole game built around a central puzzle room where you have to collect Gems to get those pieces on their mark, several puzzles, all not too hard give you a nice gameplay. One time I was struck when I didn't find the well hidden Jumpswitch and that trap with the spikes between the Rotating knives was a crime till you got the hang of it. Nice variation of things to do and texturing, music and atmosphere were excellent..." - Dutchy (14-Jan-2006)
"This is an excellent level, although some things at the start got quite frustrating, and there is one area I accidentally cheated through. First off, the spike and circular blade alleys, well I don't mind them sort of traps, but not with a Ninja ta boot, it took me ages to get through it *grumble* and secondly the two movable objects by spike tiles, it is possible to move the objects onto the spike tile while still activated, I thought this was meant to be as it was so easy to do, but later I found a ball to shoot which turned the spikes off. No matter though, this was still one hell of a fun level and also quite stunning to look at. Lara is in search of the Ying Yang item and a fan, you need the Ying Yang to leave but not the fan which is stuck on a spike trapped pedestal, but with enough health and a little savvy you can take the fan quite easily. Enemies are Ninjas and snakes, and the Ninjas combined with the traps will really steal your health. Other traps are boulders. There are a few object moves to and the one in the ledge/block raising area near the end was a lot of fun and well thought out. There are some balls to shoot so the laser and sight is needed, but I found this was only the case for one ball, others can be shot with the pistols. I liked the fact we were shown which doors opened, if not then you could hear them opening, so I didn't get lost once, and there was no hideous back tracking searching to be done. All in all, this is a really enjoyable level, it looks good, game play is great and I was happy to leave with three secrets; but will replay to find the fourth sometime." - Moonpooka (13-Jan-2006)
"This one may be a personal favorite of the BtB '06 levels. Logic driven puzzles and secrets, with no need for endless medipacks. This is TR without convoluted jumps and the timed run doesn't call for an extra set of fingers. Well placed enemies and traps, with both coming together, at times, for an extra bit of challenge and fun. The colors, although garish, work well together in this setting. I was stuck for awhile as I was only able to put one of two movable blocks onto it's corresponding spike tile. No problem; a shot to a ball showed me the error of my ways. Not sure what purpose the Red Fan had but it was fun finally getting it. The one distraction, for me, was the sound loop, although that can be said for too many of the BtB levels and while I would like to give Sound 7, the Atmosphere deserves more. Thanks to the builder for a much appreciated game. Well done." - Bene (10-Jan-2006)
"Lara tackles on this mission after balance and relaxation and by the end, I as the player, also left relaxed. This is one quite nice level, one you have time to think about your next move - the scenario inspires you to hesitate actually. Especially once you're done with the stargate combo sequences. If you think having to go through those circular blades was nasty, imagine that coupled with a few other traps (either spikes or wall mounted knives) and to tap it all, some thug pushing you around. Neat, huh? I was really close to give a 10 to gameplay, but I think the author has overused the pushable objects - there are many of them, though most of the time you just have to push them once or twice, but there's one really clever puzzle involving a set of four in a two-layered room which I quite enjoyed. The atmosphere is really nice, eye candy scenario and the lighting is easy on the eyes - though it could have received some additional work. Having spikes piercing my body isn't exactly the idea of 'Relaxation', but maybe that's some sort of acupuncture recommended by Master Lu. ;) Recommended. 60 minutes, 2 secrets. 01/06" - Treeble (09-Jan-2006)
"If you like puzzles - especially moving things ones - this is the one for you. And, mind you, this isn't some kind of reproach because I happen to love them. Added to that, you'll find the exact right amount of (very very well-placed)enemies and traps which - while not numerous - are indeed well-thought. No tricky jumps, though. The level is very friendly in that domain and that would be my only regret, gameplay wise. Regarding the esthetics, it's beautiful with a perfect choice of colors, although the lighting is a bit flat. The music, while looping, is soothing enough not to get on your nerves. This is overall a peaceful level, one which relies on the brain more than the fingers (given the story that's told in the readme, that quiet atmosphere perfectly fits) but it never becomes boring. Highly recommended!" - Sutekh (06-Jan-2006)