| Reviewer's comments |
"A fairly typical example of an early Tut1 beginner’s level (also the only level this builder ever released), built with enthusiasm perhaps but at a time when its builder had only just come to grips with the very basics of TRLE. As a result, construction is reasonably solid if simple, in terms of design it’s adequate if not particularly inspired (or conscientious, for that matter), and the main feature of the gameplay is that you get sent back and forth across the map between various switches and the doors that they trigger. Other traits which this level shares with a great number of first efforts include, but are not limited to, the following: The builder places a bunch of perfectly useless pickups in the map but too few flares, or none at all; lighting is used or not according to the builder’s whim, and if it is, the most conspicuous form it takes is that of big fat shadowbulbs; near the end, the builder takes recourse to a maze (which is pitch-black, though I gather from other reviews that it’s small, and you’ll quickly leave it in your rear-view mirror anyway if you simply keep going left); and the level is, as you would expect, quite short: even with all the busywork that the builder uses for padding, you’d be hard pressed to eke out more than 20 minutes of gameplay. With the notable exception of a small but horrid outside area, nothing goes terribly wrong here, but there’s also very little that’s bound stay in your memory for any length of time.
With only one solitary ninja to remove from the map, it’s left to a few mummies to bother you during your exploration. You can see where the builder was going with them, but the rooms they’re in are too large for them to cause much of inconvenience. There are some simple jumps to perform and a few fires to avoid, plus a decent rollingball slope early on (albeit marred, as usual, by missing SFX). There’s another rollingball trap near the end which you might barely notice—it’s meant to be a sort of booby trap that prevents you from jumping between ladders on opposite walls of a shaft, but I unwittingly triggered it before I even knew there was another ladder I was supposed to jump to, nevermind a would-be fatal trap; so that turned out to be a bit of a wasted effort really. Also, making you aware of the existence of a ladder that you can’t see when entering the area would have been a perfectly fine reason for placing a camera, which the builder is otherwise fond of dong when they don’t matter.
Incidentally, I was prepared to accord this level an extra point in ASC for its cinematographic aspirations even though, unlike Orbit Dream for example, I’m not partial to the practice of triggering cameras at the slightest provocation. Then I recalled the small, but perfectly horrible outside area and had to subtract that point immediately. This outside room (for one mid-size room is all it is) is a right proper mood killer: not only because of its looks (illegal slopes, holes in the geometry, end of the world, no lighting), but also because you enter it at a dramaturgically awkward moment early into the level. If used at all, this outside area (and the Eye door that comes with it) should have marked the end of the game, as is the case in the original Tutorial level, for good reasons. As it is, once you’ve passed through the Eye door, the level potters on for a bit underground, only to end shortly after anyway at an arbitrary moment.
I became aware of the level’s sole secret only after reading RaiderGirl’s and Ejecta’s reviews. It is hidden in plain view and would have made for a perfectly fine specimen if, in the event that you do notice it despite misdirection by camera, you had to figure out a way to claim it which didn’t merely boil down to noticing an unmarked climbable wall. Speaking of which, I see some reviewers complain about the use of unmarked climbable walls (plural) in this level, but apart from that one instance, it didn’t occur to me to join in. Using, say, textures depicting sculpted hieroglyphs as unobtrusive markers of climbability, as this builder does, is fairly common and, I should think, reasonably intuitive." - Mulf (17-Sep-2024) |
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| "A very simple Egypt/catacomb type of level here, quick easy and linear to get through.
stretched textures and boxy rooms however there's enough in the level to keep you going. A
short experience only clocking around 15 minutes in the level. If your a freak like me that
has to play every single TRLE, then get downloading. Otherwise it may be worth a pass." - ColeMoles (22-Feb-2022) |
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| "A typical Egyptian level with a few of the beginners trademarks : some dark corners, a pit
from where you can not come back, end of the world seen in the outside area, and if you can
pick up revolver and shotgun by the time i got them i did not met ninjas anymore but only
mummies. Generally you see the doors or puzzle item holes beforehand so you know where to
look back after some action, that was well though out. The level plays rather well , i like
the fire room after the very long pole climbing and the easy jump room near the end." - eRIC (21-Feb-2022) |
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| "Short and inoffensive, your goal is to open a door with the Eye of Horus in order to find another artefact, which is
your key to escaping the tomb. Gameplay consists of simple platforming in high areas, pulling levers and
climbing ladders that are slightly too long, plus you get some thrills from a spiked boulder trap and a room with
fire to carefully jump past. There are a pair of mummies and a solitary ninja with a death wish as your enemies,
and there are few items except for a revolver you never get the opportunity to use, and a secret which is
apparently so well-hidden that even the omnipotent gods who write the walkthroughs for these things couldn't
find it. Music is used generously and there are some decent camera angles and a flyby, but the rooms aren't
really believable or made well enough to show off: the lighting is mostly decent, but the rooms themselves are a
little too large, which results in the geometry being high and at odd angles. In addition, the texturing is quite bad -
at times it's wallpapered and otherwise it's inappropriate and all over the place, and in the outdoor area you can
see the black parts of the skybox which is unpleasant. I can never truly hate a level that lets you swing down a
pole and feel like Rihanna in her prime, and I was very much a fan of the long drop into water with the - oh my
giddy aunt, there is a bloody mummy in this bloody Egyptian tomb' music playing, but the level ends immediately
afterwards. I guess that sums it up nicely - I wish there was more even though the level isn't that good." - Ejecta (23-Jan-2021) |
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| "Well, I must admit this game was not as solid as the author
mentioned in the level's description section within
TRLE.NET website. Gameplay and puzzles were fine, Enemies
and objects and secrets were alright, Atmosphere, sound and
cameras were cunningly used and placed, textures were good
and the rooms were properly lit and in general, the level
was pretty colorful. Thank you!" - Mehrbod (02-Sep-2018) |
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| "This one was pretty average and easygoing
overall. There is nothing that should
stump experienced (or even inexperienced)
players throughout the 15 or so minutes
you'll spend here, aside from a couple of
sneaky boulder traps. There's a few
mummies and a ninja to deal with, a couple
of artefacts to find and a little maze to
deal with. The texturing was pretty bland
throughout, but the lighting was creative
in a couple of places. There's also a
useless Revolver to be found somewhere.
Nothing bad, but nothing extraordinary
either." - Ryan (23-May-2018) |
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| "Another average level set in an egyptian setting with traps to
avoid, some enemies like baddies & mummies. But here there is
a jumping sequence near the end. There is also some
backtracking for the star. I liked the tracks used in certain
places. 13 minutes." - alan (29-Jun-2017) |
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| "Another classic (and short) egyptian level with some traps to avoid (fires and rolling spiked balls), only one enemie to shoot (I think) and mummies to avoid, some items to get and some backtracking; no more. No much care with the texturization, perhaps there's an abuse of the fixed cameras. The best: the lighting and the musics." - Jose (14-Apr-2015) |
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| "This is a short level with some neat features such as a boulder sequence coupled with a ninja ambush. There was also a boulder sequence that needed to be activated in order to backflip between ladders, as well as a few mummies to run away from while grabbing on to a pole or while picking up a key item. Aesthetically speaking, I liked the lighting of some of the rooms, the decorations of some of the rooms, as well as the contrasts between light and dark parts of corridors. However, I felt like the mini-labyrinth, as well as one of the jumping sequence rooms were way too dark for a level where Lara only has three flares. At least the binoculars helped make things brighter. Some of the objects (uzi ammo and the shotgun) were also unnecessary, and some of the large rooms had paper thin walls. Overall, this level is worth playing if you want to play a quick and brief Tomb Raider level." - Sakusha (25-Jan-2015) |
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| "This is a very basic, very traditional Egypt level, with approximately twenty minutes of easy gameplay, involving a bit of climbing, jumping, ninja killing and avoiding spike balls and mummies. There is a revolver to find, but you won't use it." - Jay (16-Jun-2014) |
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| "Rather average custom level with good textures but plain gameplay. You get weapons you actually don't need and there is no puzzles in this level, only some simply traps. But level is nice looking, small with good structures. Recommended if you looking for something short and nice." - Casual Raider (18-Jul-2013) |
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| "I don't know why but I just can't seem to get tired of Egyptian levels. This was a fun level, however it was a little too short for me as I finished it in 30mins (But I guess that's probably the average of most levels now - maybe I'm just demanding too much;). It was nicely executed and although there are a few illegal slopes in the outside section, it didn't hinder me to finish the level. Recommended for most Raiders but not if your in for a challenge." - Necro (21-Nov-2007) |
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| "Here we have a first attempt from the author and what comes out in an ok start. What really distracts from this level is the level texturing, level design and overall finish. What I saw were holes in levels without textures, horizon wasn't complete as I could look over walls to blackness. The level at points was too dark and flares were not given so some frustration was apparent. Level layout was ok with no inspiring design or puzzles. The puzzles consisted of switch pulling and a boulder trap. All in all, an ok start but with some glaring problems. If I had to give this level a grade, I would give it a D, a fail mark." - The Aussie Adventurer (18-May-2005) |
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| "Nice easy-going level based texture-wise on the tut1 wad not great looking in places where they're stretched misplaced or missing. I actually liked some of the rooms here like the first view of the room behind the eyepiece and the very first room. You wonder what to do only option left is to climb and that's what you do so in this way the unmarked climbable surfaces are not a big deal compared to other levels. You get a crossbow on a nicely designed high up place which means mummys aren't a problem. There's not much really to say just a simple quick run through. It was interesting reading Orbit Dream's review when I finished this one." - CC (19-Oct-2003) |
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| "For a first try I would say it's nice. It lacks puzzles and enemies though. The spike and fire traps aren't hard to get through and we have a fifteen minutes level with just the basic elements to begin your level building 'career'. A little jumping climbing that's all. I would like to see a second level of the author but seeing how old this level is I doubt that will ever happen." - Kristina (04-Jul-2003) |
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| "It was a nice small level. A lot of gameplay one killable baddie nice cameras and good textures a very small level." - Cory (24-May-2003) |
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| "Many people (well a few anyway) have asked me why I score a level in the way that I do. No honestly; at least two people have! Gerty was one I think (well I'm reasonably certain that she might conceivably have done) during an evening meal at an outdoor restaurant in Der Waag in Amsterdam. And my younger son Cory was another. So for Cory and Gerty (and anyone else who's interested) here to accompany my review of this level are the reasons why I have scored as I have. 1) Gameplay and Puzzles: These were rather good in a concise sort of way. There were only 23 rooms so the 20 minutes of gameplay were rather good value.(It equates to a little under a minute of gameplay per room in case you hadn't worked that one out). I would however caution against the Designer to include a puzzle piece (let's say for the sake of argument in Room 1) whose appropriate receptacle is located at the other end of the level (room 23); and having the door which this puzzle piece opens situated all the way back in room 1 again. This is really nothing more than an attempt to pad out the level's duration and usually results in a player/builder (such as I) sighing and saying something along the lines of 'Hey ho. Off I go all the way back again!' which isn't too good really when you stop and think about it. I did enjoy (it must be said) the use of the mummies which (for once) were not only well placed but actually created a sense of real menace. I'm thinking here in particular of the 'pole sequence'. Now in regard to jumping challenges: never go to the lengths of building a complex physical Jumping Course only for the player to avoid it by positioning Lara in a direction contrary to where the Designer expects her to go and performing a slightly unorthodox jump therefrom. This can be heartbreaking (from a Designer point of view) to read about in a subsequent review of their level because of all the hard work involved on their part in designing it. I'm sorry I have just done so! Pay particular attention to detail in outside areas also. Never allow the player to reach the 'end of the world' as this completely destroys the illusion of virtual reality. In particular never place an important lever adjacent to the 'end of the world' because that just looks silly. Finally if you're going to use Rolling Balls (and I always recommend you to do so at any opportunity because they never fail to create mild panic in the player) you must make sure that they are actually going to harm you. The two balls near the end of this level are completely useless in this regard. My scoring of 5 would indicate that while there are positive things to say gameplaywise there is nothing here that merits anything more than an average score. 2) Enemies Objects secrets: The mummies as I have previously pointed out are well placed and serve a useful purpose. I was also rather amused by the lonely and rather cautious Ninja who appeared in the distance at the top of a long ramp. Was it me or did his attitude suggest that he was nervous? And well he might have been because I shot him soon after. Objects were used efficiently (although the usage of doors needed some more work) but there were no secrets that I could discern. The 6 is really a reward for the good use of a hackneyed enemy. 3) Atmosphere sound cameras: This is a rather commendable aspect to the adventure. The atmosphere was efficient all the way through and certainly conveyed the feel of an Egyptian tomb well enough. Sound was quite acceptable. The camera work was for a debut level really rather interesting and certainly helped to spice up this rather short outing. For that I have awarded a 6; the scoring would have been average otherwise without the addition of the aforementioned cameras. 4) Lighting and textures: Texturally this was an obvious first effort. Many of the decorations on the walls were clearly stretched and (although some attempt was made to vary the surroundings with the use of greenery) there was nothing especially original which caught the eye. However what impressed me was the use of lighting which was rather accomplished for a first level. So again the 6 indicates a measure of satisfaction higher than mediocrity. And there you have it. My reasoning for the scoring system I have used in a nutshell. I notice though that Ms. Earl has not built another level since December 2000. So this was all rather a waste of time really." - Orbit Dream (14-Mar-2003) |
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| "I found this to be an enjoyable 20 minute level with nice atmosphere texturing and lighting. Quite simple really with basically linear gamplay some climbing and jumping to acquire the 2 eyepieces to use for once not to make your escape but to obtain the Hand of Sirius (? well one of them). Almost nothing in the way of enemies but a boulder trap and a couple of fire areas you had to watch out for." - Momster (29-Nov-2002) |
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| "So far this is the hottest day of the year so even sitting behind a PC is no joke. So I was glad this was an easy-going level. It starts underground and although there is no inclination of a climbable wall you can figure it out. Although the gameplay is straightforward it is not that linear. Some jumping to do some spike balls to avoid a very easy fire jumping. There is a very dark small maze. Enemies well a lost ninja and some mummies you need to avoid. Find the two hands or the Eye and a star. After a drop into a pool there is another door and there the levels ends. There were some textures missing and a horizon problem. The author put in some camera angles although those stopped me dead in my tracks they were not bad at all. 30-07-2002" - Gerty (11-Aug-2002) |
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| "Texturally this level was beautifully put together especially with the use of colours the creator mixed the outside with the inside using greenery to cover whole expanses of areas inside and vice versa having one large room set apart by itself outside this all worked exceedingly well the camera was also used differently than usual here in almost every room you get a 4th person view from a distance that never felt overused and gave a nice aspect to the game playwise this was a medium sized level and wasn't busting with puzzles or enemies but it still managed to keep the interest till the end." - Sash (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "A rather small 20 minutes level with only 23 rooms and an exe-file for installation. Gameplay is quite straight forward as are the textures although I hate it when climbable walls are not indicated as such. You meet a ninja mummies and a few rolling balls along the way and there is a bit of to and fro to find and place the pick-ups before you reach a maze like area and finish the level after a deep fall." - Michael (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "This was another one of those short levels that will keep you occupied for 20 minutes or so but I must say this one was quite enjoyable. There was not much here to tax the long time Raider or Raiderette but it was interesting enough to make you explore places that didn't really need exploring. The typical Egyptian textures and props were used but nothing was overused to make the level tedious." - Torry (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "Nothing bad for a first try. Lara starts sliding into the temple and she must find her way to an outside area to get the Hand of Orion then go back and proceed in the level with simple jumps to do and a pitch black maze to solve. I think the texturization could be better and I loved the fixed cameras (isn't this a great feature in TombRaider?). The converter showed 23 rooms but it seems to have much more!" - Treeble (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "With a few good parts such as the maze and the spike balls this level shows no difficulties and is rather linear. Classic textures from TRLR are applied with not much originality and many times the "end of the world" (as MichaelP calls it) is reached! In some places Lara can also get stuck with no other hope than turning to a mummy for eternity. Plenty and quite too many angle cameras. Fortunately they can be switched off with the look key. This level looks like a first attempt. If I am correct in this statement then these previous criticisms have to be taken as an encouragement to improve what is already a great effort to build a custom and personal level. I am waiting for the sequel." - Jbc21 (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "The Temple of Ash is a fun little level to play. It only takes about twenty minutes to finish and gives you lot's of places to explore and has you returning to previously explored areas to use one of the three total objects needed each of which is acquired through it's own little puzzle. With the boulder traps pits spikes the great camera angles fire puzzle a dark maze and some dark corners and the interesting jumps this stays interesting to the end and I always felt like a ninja was about to jump out at me but there were actually few enemies to be found. Even those are easily taken care of if you find the secret right away which is the crossbow and some arrows. This is great for a first level." - RaiderGirl (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "There isn't much to say about this level. You can reach the end of the world a couple of times and there aren't a lot of enemies. The gameplay is very straightforward and you don't have to be afraid to get stuck. The texturing is quite nice and the lighting is rather good. The level is short (it lasts for less than 15 minutes) and it may be worth playing just for that (if you don't have time to play a longer level)." - Magnus (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "Another quickie of the tutorial persuasion that provides 20 minutes of Tomb Raider by the textbook entertainment. The whole thing is a bit non-descript so I'm at loss what to add to the other reviews. There is nothing particularly bad here that I can complain about though I found it odd that you encounter no enemies in the second half. And there is nothing outstanding either that I could elaborate on except maybe the camerawork which is rather sophisticated for a debut level. So while the linear gameplay that has you backtracking quite a bit isn't very demanding the tasks at hand vary enough to hold you attention for the time you spend in the Temple of Ash. The maze is not too big the boulder trap rather harmless and the jumps very safe (not even a slope there). Still a solid first effort." - Dimpfelmoser (21-Jun-2002) |
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