Level reviews

"A good starter for Xmas. Says no secrets but has things which could be, e.g. you will go past the crowbar for sure. But the map is tiny so you'll deal with it quickly. I wish there was better lighting and a longer ending, because both the manor and the town style is unusual and should be showed more prominently." - DJ Full

"a sweet little christmas level which starts off in a icy wilderness then onto a mansion and then finally ending up in a town, textures especially in the house were lovely, as was the lighting and snowy atmosphere outside. music fitted in well with the theme of the level but as for gameplay it was little too simplistic and generic, with nothing really interesting to do, unfortunately most tasks are pulling switches, collecting objects and keys and using them to open the next room or the next gate etc. there's a pushable, some things to shoot as well as a pole to swing on but that doesn't make up for the lack of any puzzles or interesting tasks. it was still a pleasant experience but just too short and simple to excite me" - John

"It could've been a decent, if somewhat uninspired 15 minute effort, but IMO it is at least slightly ruined by the fact that the builder obviously copied the home and other parts from Momo's Searching for Presents (even if permitted of the builder), as it's really not a large issue to design something like this and definately leaves a bad aftertaste. The rest of the game is somewhat run-of-the-mill style raiding with a lot of items to be found in order to open doors and so on and so on... a few things are also quite sneakily hidden. The looks are fairly bland, with dull lighting, okayish texturing (at least a bit more colourful) and basic architecture. There are three background songs in the three areas, which work nicely in a way but the quick changes are not so professional. A few sounds are missing (is there any level in the '07 calendar that doesn't have this problem?) and camera clues are scarce as well. The builder didn't even try to hide the end of the world at the start and especially towards the end - which could otherwise have been the best looking part of the level. If you ask me, this is a fairly rushed, boring and - worst of all - not even full selfmade level that I can't recommend. No secrets to find, either." - manarch2

"A (very) short Christmas level that's not without its charm, but which also doesn't present anything particularly interesting. There's a new move to make use of which isn't mentioned in the readme file, so you may need the walkthrough for that (the crack which needs it doesn't lend itself to a hint in my opinion) and there's some brief exploration of a snowy trench, a mansion and a village where the level abruptly ended. Not bad, but too short for my tastes." - Ryan

"Christmas levels for most part aren't known for their complex or ground breaking gameplay, and this level unfortunately doesn't offer anything that novel even by their standards. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it all seems too familiar from the word go, and amounts to a linear romp through an icy valley, a house and a brief visit in a village before all is said and done. The additional audio tracks were nice, but somewhat unnecessary. The looks are ok, but don't stand out for anything in particular, and the end of the world can be reached too easily in the village area. The tasks were a bit of a letdown for me too, as there wasn't really anything that puzzling - most of the items were either scattered randomly around the level with little to no clue as to where to look (how was I supposed which bush hid the crowbar or that one of the blocks supporting the columns in the house hid a key beneath it?) and worst of all - not that much camera guidance as well. All of this doesn't really make it a bad level per se, but it won't be particularly memorable as well, even among the advent calendar games. Still - you could do worse than playing this if you want a short, generally uncomplicated, if a bit confusing level on your playlist." - eTux

"Having a new move, even if it has already been in some level (or not) doesn't mean that the players know immediately what to do. So why there was no readme to warn us of this new move is beyond me. So that was a big NO in my book. For the rest the hunt is on for some keys to get the final double doors open. It did look Xmas to me and I would have like a bit more exploring in the little village." - Gerty

"Don't get me wrong this isn't a bad level but I could have been better. It's pretty simple with a few keys to find inside a house you reach after some exploring outside in the snow. Everything is hidden, the crowbar and a very well hidden moveable block inside the house. The doors you open will finally lead you outside again and eventually to the final gate which is the end of the level. It is nice but not very good." - Kristina

"A Christmas feeling is about all you get in this nice little level, which is over in 20 minutes or so. It's a fairly pedestrian exercise of finding a switch or a lever to open a door, run there and find a way to open another door, etc. You're also inexplicably provided with a shotgun and extra ammo for it, although there are no enemies in sight. Still, it's a pleasant enough raid with a suitable Christmas atmosphere that beginners would probably find more enjoyable than seasoned players." - Phil

"This is a very short and quick level that spans a small two-story house and a little town. I think the trickiest part of this level is the crowbar, which is hidden beneath a bush (and just after you decide not to investigate each bush because no one hides stuff inside them anymore). Progression is fairly simple. The end of the world is unavoidable in the town area, could have easily been fixed. Happy holidays! 20 minutes. 12/07" - Treeble

"This is a Christmas level with some nice areas to explore. I liked the outside areas a bit more than the indoor areas, as they are in the old-fashioned style that I am not a fan of. I was really impressed with some of the nifty new moves Lara did, for which, of course I discovered accidently. I think these are the "surprises" the author speaks of. The music was nice sometimes and a bit annoying sometimes since it looped. When Lara arrives in town, the level ends abruptly." - Shandroid

"Short level but nice to play. I don't know how the author didn't write in the readme the new Lara's moves so you can't almost began to play. There are not difficult tasks but a lot of dissimulated or hidden features as shootable items, moveable blocks, the lost crowbar throwed anywhere,... and sometimes there are not cameras when you trigger something so, you'll have to remember well all you left back. Definitively, easy to play but not easy to finish. At least there are some flares to help you in your exploration. The best I liked was the nice environment and the textures." - Jose

"The first half of the level is extremely linear--almost track-like, and was largely uninteresting for me. Some of the gameplay elements in the first half almost seem superfluous (a lever for the sake of a lever). The stimulating part of the level begins when you get to enter a house and later into a small town. i liked the details included in the decor of the house and village (what was the portrait of the pig all about??). But i definitely felt that the town section could've been far more interactive. Lara has some new moves in this level, but i have mixed feelings about whether their use worked well for this level. i'm glad the builder used music throughout, but i think some better music choices could've been made. all in all, not bad." - drguycrain

"A very pleasant nice and easy raid with kind of three phases, each of about or below 10 minutes. First a linear run towards the house with a nice new move from out of the pit and a sneakily hidden crowbar, then explore a house with a sneakily hidden movable block and finally a small city with two keys to find to get to the end. Each phase has its own Christmas song as ambience which gives this a very relaxing touch as well. Nice little debut, for the future the author should watch out for the invisible door blocks though and a little more to the gameplay than trying to hide things in touch places." - MichaelP

"This level is quite simple and repetitive, in that it follows a 'pull lever, open door, find key' formula. That said, it was quite fun in parts and the occasional variation into pole swinging and a jump or two were good enough. I felt as if I was progressing all of the time, and there wasn't a lot of backtracking to do (apart from when inside the house). The presentation of this level is generally quite nice, with good texturing, lighting and a nice atmosphere created by the music and starry sky with falling snow. On the other hand, the looped music tracks did eventually grate slightly, but not enough to make me turn off the sound altogether. I would have also liked more cameras, as it was sometimes hard to know which of the many doors inside the house had opened when I pulled a certain lever. This was a pleasant Christmas level that shouldn't prove too taxing to most people (apart from the evilly hidden crowbar) and is a good debut from the author." - Spike

"Nice short level that fit well in the Christmas mode. Where were the puzzles that were promised? Unless the new moves were the puzzles. I must admit I was stuck in the pit looking for a climbable wall but with help of the Stuck forum finally made my way out. From there gameplay was pretty straight forward and easy. For a debut level I think this builder shows promise, but hope remembers to include vital info in the readme file." - guss18

"There are some pretty good new Lara moves in this level. The atmosphere is very good and suitably Christmassy and I enjoyed running around in the snow, but I'm not sure what the builder meant by 'puzzle solving' as the level seemed very easy and straightforward. I should have liked a little longer in the pretty village, but this is a pleasant Advent experience even if a shortish one. I see it's a debut level and a very decent one it is too." - Jay

"The story promised some puzzles but there were in fact none, just simply finding levers and a few keys. There was a cool jump from the pit at the beginning, and a new anim for the pole jump too, I've never seen these before. I also liked the very realistic moon. The atmosphere is Christmassy, but I had a problem with the music, even the at first pleasant Silent Night can be annoying if looped couple of times, the music at the end in the town was positively annoying. I liked the one played during the title though, I wish if that was in the level itself. All in all a nice Advent level, and a solid first effort." - Akcy

"I suspect the builder finished off this level in a bit of a hurry,as the whole thing seemed rather incomplete: Lara doesn't collect anything along the way (aside from keys);the end-of-the-world was easily reachable;she arrives at a large Christmasy town only to have the level end for no reason;and the interesting new move which it is absolutely necessary to know about in advance is not mentioned anywhere in the Read-Me. That being said,it was a relaxing and gentle little experience without much challenge and no enemies,and at this time of year is rather welcome. Play it for a pleasently chilled experience,although it's best to omit the Casio-rendered Christmas tunes which make up most of the download." - Orbit Dream

"This level was really short and easy but at least it was in the correct season's mood. It includes some new moves, namely the one that you use to get out of a pit but I think maybe the author should have explained it in the readme. There's no real challenge here except for finding a few keys and objects but I liked it. The atmosphere is Christmassy and so is the music that changes a few times along the game. Nice little level." - Jorge22

"Cute level for about relax time and about 30 min. Everything is about looking for and find keys or hidden levers. Atmosphere is ok and corect for christmas time with some snowman, iced lakes, frozen trees and some bushes which save secret objects. House is nice too and frozen iced horses are beautiful most. Its too short for playing." - Ivan