Level reviews

"This level offers some interesting ideas, but it's rather of mediocre quality. It's your usual base-type level with combat (which is nice and balanced) and key fetching. The aforementioned clever ideas are, for example, the flipmap with the moving submarine or the last "puzzle" with the cyborg, which you have to kill while he's underwater. There are also a few new moves, which diversify the game a bit. So overall, the gameplay is fine and quite entertaining. The visuals are rather poorly executed. Every room is very boxy, there are lots of wallpapered areas, and the lighting is just bland. I saw several incorrect textures as well. There are a few bugs, which I think might be related solely to the engine: when Lara is sprinting, she puts her arms in a weird position, or when she is swimming on the surface, incorrect sounds play. Overall, the gameplay is enjoyable, but the visuals are poor. Although, TR5 is the hardest engine to build with, so props for the author for even releasing this and actually there are not that many bugs themselves. Optional." - BlackWolfTR

"While I had the TR5 engine working on my system I went and played all the TR5 levels, coming back to this one, which is one I'd tried to play blindly back then (about five years ago, I think) and didn't really get anywhere on my own. Guess I'm that bad of a player. With Phil's guidance, however, I managed to see it through to the end and I'm glad I did. The new moves are interesting but hardly intuitive to memorize, and although they don't come into play as often as you'd think, you never really see when they're necessary (as in, you are always blind to the overhanging ladders) so I guess the walkthrough helped mitigate a lot of frustration on my end. Some neat tricks here, such as flooding an area to dispose of a cyborg and the creature stealing the mcguffin at the end, and all in all a well rounded experience. 60 minutes, 3 secrets. 04/23" - Treeble

"A nice TR5 arctic adventure, one of the very few decent TR5 levels we have. The gameplay is entertaining, the environment convincing, some nice puzzles, good use of enemies, nice texturing, lighting is good in most parts. Many new moves that must have been "wow" in 2008 but most of them are not so new any more and are easier to execute. The android was a nice addition, although it was very stubbornly avoiding electrocution. All in all, an enjoyable level that took me a bit more than an hour to complete. Recommended." - billie2001

"A nice level with many puzzles. The new controls implemented allow for vastly more exploration opportunities. The animations, particularly Lara's sprint jump, seem a bit un-smooth. I wasn't a fan of the "naruto- sprint" either. As far as level design goes, I really appreciated how each room as you progressed connected back to prevent tedious backtracking. The atmosphere was appealing for the most part. Some parts seemed too bright for lighting. Enemies were spaced well; it would've been nice to see some more non-human enemies. I loved the creativity with the underwater vehicle puzzle and the android at the end." - dragooncroft

"I couldn't come along with the story, because I didn't play the previous parts of this series yet, won't consider this in my review. This one is truly special, due to the magnificent new moves of Lara, that I haven't seen in any other level. And the whole arctic level has intentionally a design that makes the player use the new moves to progress. I kinda liked this release, it has some nice puzzles and the cold atmosphere in this makes the level beautiful and enjoyable. But why does a TR5-release once again end so fast? I think this one really could've been a little longer." - Nuri

"What a wonderful TR5 adventure this is. So much more so because there are so few of these that are well done and this one incorporates no less than seven new heretofore unseen moves that Lara can accomplish so well done JesseG. I highly recommend you spend some time in Lara's Gym to practice these new moves as you will forget how to do them in game. I thought the adventure was classic raiding just with the addition of these new moves and back tracking was kept to a minimum. Lighting and textures were great except for near the end when it became just a little too dark for my liking although there are sufficient flares to illuminate your way. I just do not like using flares as Lara always chooses to throw the depleted stub away just when she is in mid jump and wanting to grab a ledge or a crack and hence she misses. Funny how that always plagues me. The android at the end got stuck in the room and it took forever to coax him out into the water (not to mention 300 rounds of Uzi ammo). Anyhow, these are just minor complaints as I thoroughly enjoyed this and if it were not for the darkness at the end I would have given it the perfect score." - Torry

"Being able to use Lara's new moves always adds an extra layer of challenge and enjoyment to the game at least for me, although hardcore purists wanting more of a classic experience may be disappointed. This lasts approximately 50 minutes and the majority of the gameplay is based around figuring when and where to use these new moves and I was also glad to see the cyborg being electrocuted again (although this one was more stubborn than most). The atmosphere in this Arctic setting is convincingly done, and the setting is possibly more functional than inspiring, but that's a minor gripe. The ending was a bit abrupt, but *spoiler alert* that was probably explained in the next installments. With this, I have finally played and reviewed all existing TR5 levels and this was a nice one to end with." - Ryan

"After a long part we get a bit in TR5 engine, short but on-topic like the original episode. Jesse made another map a logical landscape explored with many new moves, extra care for secrets, this time basic interaction but still with several surprises, resolving with proper tension graduation until the final suspense. One guy decided to die beyond the room boundaries and took the crucial laser with himself so I lost some time before the bell rang. And I don't know what happened to the lighting, sometimes flat enough to mask the shape of ledges. SUMMARY: Now I think it could be an earlier map the author wanted to get rid of, but if that's the case he did a great job. All satisfying, recommended." - DJ Full

"The first level I downloaded from this site. I hadn't reviewed it because I didn't have a nick. I hadn't played the previous levels either. In this game there are several tasks to achieve, like making your way to find switches, or climbing and jumping with the new moves, which are always welcome to me. A challenging sequence of jumps in the last section of this game, where I died a lot of times. This was also the first time I faced that robot, and I kept shooting at it, wasting all my ammo but then I realized he was invincible, so I checked the walkthrough to find out how to kill it (a clever way to do it, electrocuting it). The lighting is the same in the outside, like a blue color. I liked the snowy setting though. One of the few TR5 levels out here that I like, besides The Book Of Destiny which I enjoyed as well. Recommended." - alan

"I didn't play the previous installations from this series (not yet at least) so i'm not sure if the gameplay is totally new or familiar already. Despite that i'm going to write this review taking in consideration that the game play is totally new for me. This was the first level from Tr5 engine that i've played, so i was not sure what kind of game and game play i would experience. Turn out to be one of the most fun levels that i've played so far. This level it's a perfect example of how good TR5 games can be (there are so little levels made in this engine). Absolutely LOVED the new animations, it made room for such innovative game play and it was REALLY well put together. Of course that some of the animations are just really weird looking, for example the "new" sprint feature. When Lara sprints her arms go backwards and the then sprint jump (a move from AoD) it's a bit weird. But all of these new animations allowed more room for dynamics puzzles and all of the additional puzzles were well thought. Of course that there are some bugs, like the laser-sight missing (guy that dropped them must not be between the boxes) and the running animation seems weird (yet again, first time playing a custom level from TR5, not sure if author's fault). One last detail, i LOVED the creativity of the author when the the numbers pad wouldn't work so he replaced it for a trigger. Oh! And the final boss puzzle was awesome. Perfect. TO CONCLUDE amazing AMAZING level. Really enjoyed it!" - Zhyttya

"What a pleasant surprise this level was! A really fun and well fought level with the "less used" TR5 engine. Lovely new animation, funny game play, nice work around for some stuff that could bug out like the password. There is little to nothing to dislike about this level. The custom animations were fun and useful and not overused. There was a little bug with the laser sight but nothing to big or that could spoiled the experience. The sounds were a bit strange under water and the animation while walking was a bit broken. The level design was well thought and i think it better this way than to try to do to much and just make unplayable games. Never the less, fun level with fun and different animations that are always welcome. I would love to give a higher score since i think it is a bit underrated but that would be a bit unfair to other levels in TRLE" - Leeth

"Having not played the builder's earlier releases at the time of writing this review, I didn't know what to expect going in. Now, while the arctic setting is done very convincingly(with some appropriate sound effects for when you're exploring outside alongside some decent texturing and great use of objects and enemies), the level design unfortunately comes off as rather monotonous, feeling more like a tedious maze to run through rather than a believable place, with a lot of the gameplay revolving around,'Get Item A to use on Item B', quickly wearing out its welcome as time went on, with the lighting within indoor areas being far too unrealistically bright at points. And finally, some of the new moves added to this adventure(such as the crawlspace roll or pole swinging), rarely ever seemed to work with my control setup and were also rather awkwardly placed, leading to many frustrating amounts of trial and error before Lara eventually decided to respond to my prompts correctly. While I won't put all the blame on the builder for this latter problem here, I still think it could have done with a bit more tweaking before release. In conclusion, while I don't consider this release to be that great, this is still one of the few decent TR5 levelsets to actually go through(from a player's point of view anyway.) Can only really be recommended towards those with a lot of patience and a handy walkthrough at hand." - Ceamonks890

"Having enjoyed the builder's previous level a lot, I was rather disappointed with this smaller offering which main concept is to carries the storyline along. The arctic setting is rather uneven in its quality because at the one side you get decently textured and solidly constructed areas, on the other side the lighting is often hit and miss, with a rather constantly flat bluish colour in most of the outside and underwater rooms, and in other rooms the textures felt a bit wallpapered and the rooms are too cubic. The gameplay heavily relies on the usage of the new moves, which are yet again very well implemented, this time in the TR 5 engine, but remains fairly simplistic otherwise and only moderately entertaining, I just found the setup to be a bit too much of "find an item to open something else on the other side of the map" and there could be a lot more interesting tasks on the way. Towards the end there were a few nice touches concerning innovative object usage (such as breaking a door with sliding into it, and - not to forget - the final scene with the wolf stealing an artifact) and the way to outsmart the final boss is rather interesting (though I found it rather tedious because the robot simply wouldn't jump into the water, no matter how often I tried). The only thing that lets down the new moves is that the poles don't always work as they should and one has to approach them quite precisely to either grab them or even be able to do the next jump! Those luck based (because it has nothing to do with skill) sequences took me a lot of tries and I almost had to give up before it finally worked... somehow. It's still the most (and pretty much the only) halfway decent TR 5 adventure out there, so my experience with those levels at least had a good, yet not fantastic, finale which took me 45 minutes to play, with all three nice secrets found." - manarch2

"This is the first TR5 custom I've played, and you can tell the difference. The swimming is much smoother unless you get stuck in the scenery. The level begins with Lara in a pool of water attempting find her way out. The atmosphere is quite pleasant and has an Arctic feel to it, with an almost abandoned base partially disguised by snow and ice. Textures here are fairly good but perhaps a little monotonous in places, but ice is nicely done with layers of ice or crystals of ice etc. Lighting is again good and fairly natural, very bright in front of some lights. More on the gameplay, there's possibly the longest swim I've encountered in a level thus far, very easy to panic and not find an air pocket in time. Then we open our access in to this place with a switch and backtrack . When we get there, a guard has to be dealt with appropriately, then shoot some glass which actually sounds like smashing glass, not like in TR4 levels. This indoors area feels very much like TR5 Russian base level, in terms of looks and sound. Suddenly back outside after a little crawling, and architecture is particularly nice, with diagonal walls, nice base style fencing, crates, and what looks like a train. You have to work your way up which requires Lara's new moves, shoot some windows, then you've got a choice of rooms to explore, most contain goodies, or soldiers, but the main route is down and almost back to near the start, where a door now lies open, a dogs are waiting for you. Further on we have to go for another swim through drains leading to a card slot - not entirely sure why this slot would be here but never mind. An air duct leads to a key which you use later. In the meantime, we have to go back to the start, vault across to the other side of a heap of snow, and find our way inside a cabin, I like the light inside which flashes on and off, we have to collect the key card and yet more backtracking to that room with the card slot. This triggers an impressive collapse in the ice, which allows you to go further. I like how the various parts of the level connect to each other such as here. In a new area, quite a few tricky jumps are required, followed by an area with a hut, and a pole vault, then more climbing. I like how one of the doors falls out of place when Lara bumps into it. More climbing, jumping, monkey swinging and poll vaulting, and a switch to open a door. There's a very easy to miss shatter able object here which releases a card - it is annoying you can not pick this up, you don't even have to remember the number as Lara enters it on her own, I'd have liked to use the keypad myself. You find yourself in a canal with baddies and dogs to take care of, then a cave with a hut (looks more like a house!) - I quite like the ambient lighting in here, and yet more shimmying or climbing, then a new idea of pole vaulting whilst still in a crawlspace, and since when do icicles look like stone or wood? Once you've pulled a chain, well electrical cable, it's time to get your guns at the ready for the final showdown, the boss here is very tough but as he takes damage, you can actually see he's a robot as his skin disappears - pretty impressive, it's best to stay behind him whilst shooting. You have to kill him indirectly though, but moving a block out of the way of some water, which will electrocute himself. Not much further on lies the end. I am in some ways disappointed in the end as it was over to soon, but it did give you the feeling that further adventures would be in store. Regarding sound, background track alternates between a harbour sound and hi tech indoors sound, which is good, and all the sound effects are there, Lara does seem to cough a lot when moving through water though. This level does have a genuine Arctic base atmosphere to it and has plenty to do, but there's too much searching around for irrelevant items, and backtracking. I noticed that it doesn't save your control key settings when you exit. Had difficulty in remembering all the new moves - very confusing - had to consult walkthrough constantly. Net gameplay 1 hour 20." - sonnyd83

"A level that reminds me the Basis of Tomb Raider Chronicles. The level itself is not so hard, quite smooth (even if hard passages-jumps don't miss); the thing making the game ​​ complicated is the add of new moves and it can probably happen that, when you need to use them, you forget what to do (which buttons to press), but fortunately, there's also a training level in the gym that explains how to make all the new moves. The secrets are not difficult to find. The gameplay is pretty smooth except at the beginning: the level begins underwater where I felt a bit exaggerated the endless path; in fact if you want to take all ammo-pickups, you need to do it at least 2 times because of the excessive length, while it's clearly impossible get at once. The rest is done more quietly, a little annoying the part near the end where some attempts or practise are needed to go over some ice sheets. Talking about enemies, we find some wolves and guards, but at the end there's a robot (like in Red Alarm of TR chronicles) with which we must find a way to get rid of it (good idea, even if it continues to get stuck at certain points in the wall). Globally, I would say, a medium difficulty level, not bad at all: good presence of enemies and not bad gameplay/puzzle and excellent atmosphere. Besides strong and weak points, I reccomend to play it." - Steven Svorticher

"You'd assume that after the death of the antagonist the story might have been well over, but one can see where the author might have been going with the mysterious, unresolved plot of one of the protagonists from his previous game - considering the powers Lara's object of desire in this snowy adventure possesses - it's easy to see how that particular issue would be covered once Lara actually acquires it! My smugness for figuring out the direction the story could be taking aside, I can't say I was as absorbed in this level as the author's previous offering. The looks, though done decently enough, aren't all that inspired and couldn't grab my attention. The gameplay has its good and bad moments as well. As usual the new moves are cleverly done, offering some of the most interesting tasks the level has to offer, but I believe having as many new combinations to memorize and possibilities to recognize is probably a bit too confusing and distracting - it might help to consider picking only a core few of the new moves to use exclusively throughout the level at hand for the author's next adventures. That said - I did feel fairly smug when I figured out how to find 2 of the 3 secrets using these moves, and in that respect I found them to be well placed! But if we return to the gameplay - another distracting thing I found was the mazelike feel of the entire map in itself. But maybe this was so because of me playing this on and off for a number of times before actually finishing it. Not to forget the good parts though, I found the final battle with the Android nicely handled, and the few clever touches with the fuel cord activating the battle and using the movable block to direct the flow of the water were neat touches as well. Overall - this is a decent level - but I can see why it's not a winner of any popularity contests yet. But it could be, if the author will fine-tune his creations enough so they feel a little bit less like work, and a little more pleasurable. He definitely has it in him, so I'm certainly looking forward to seeing where Lara's quest will take here to next!" - eTux

"An Arctic/Base adventure which initially left me a bit confused, as it starts with a bit of a maze like feeling and I also did not find the setting too inspiring, but it grows on you during the hour it roughly lasts, has a few nice special effect moments along the way and the encounter with the cyborg is very well done and serves for a good boss ending of sorts. Found only one of the three secret roses. Enemies are a few dogs and soldiers and with a quick look at the gym (and/or the readme) the new moves are quickly learned, but did not feel very intuitive or comfortable for me to use in game, so they rather became a little annoying than enjoyable. Still, worth a look for something different." - MichaelP

"In my opinion, there are good and bad features in this level. Good design, I liked the enemies, the environment, the good atmosphere, some light effects, new objects,textures and some puzzles. In the other side I can't understand the reason why all those new movements with too many keys to push sometimes you need to do some actions. Players are accustomed to the normal moves and keys, and It could be nasty to remember a lot of new combinations (more than one or two) once in a while to continue playing. It doesn't do the game more interesting, but more confused and slower. Another times you even can't use those movements but only in one shot, like slide back on a slope, grab the edge, climb and backflip with roll. You can't use the number keys to change your weapons too, and many times you need to go back to look for missed items. A clever work but not for my taste." - Jose

"I beta tested this game for Jesse and luckily, he was able to fix a few things!!! Unluckily, he wasn't able to fix that confusing load screen. That's the only thing that really bothered me in this level. Although I liked Jesse's previous levels a bit more, the game play was really entertaining and fun, with some good puzzles and wonderful sound effects. I had a great time with the new moves!!! I just love love love them! The cyborg "baddie" at the end was wonderful. I loved how parts of his skin slowly exposed the metal robot underneath as he was being riddled with bullets. Very creative! The ending was rather abrupt, leaving me wanting more. I guess Jesse did his job though, because I can't wait for the next level! Good job Jesse!" - beachnutt

"A must play for those with curiosity about alternates to the TR4 universe. A really enjoyable TR5 level, completely self-contained, with Lara in infiltration mode in what at first seems a maze-like base complex. For those who have had bad experience with Windows XP and TR5, rest assured. A patched xptomb5.exe file is also included, just put it in the folder and click to play, without worry about long load times. There is also a MAC version available. So once more experience TR5 game play, meaning Lara can open up cabinets without having to take a step back or position herself at an exact distance. In addition other moves have been added: Lara can do a monkey swing under a balcony, reach the edge, then turn around and hoist herself up onto the railings if they are climbable (monkey swing to ladder up); or, Lara can do a jump while sprinting, thus clearing extra wide gaps. Lara also has the ability to jump up across wide gaps in a ladder, or jump up while hanging from one ledge to a higher ledge. The new moves allow greater freedom in design, and enhance game play (except for the time I forgot about the sprint jump and couldn't figure out how to reach a ledge--better keep a list of the new moves beside your keyboard). I did have difficulty near the ending, but now players can consult a good walk-through, so any complexity is eased. One underwater swim pressed Lara to her limit; when she finally burst to the surface and pulled out she spent some time coughing and sputtering (I don't remember if Lara did this in the original TR5). The author is exploring alternates to TR4, which I applaud, as we can again see different features. From TR3, which may be next in his series, there are good vehicles like the quad bike, which is more maneuverable than the motorcycle. So I'm very curious to see how the author continues." - dmdibl

"To my knowledge this is the only TR5 custom level available for download and review at this site. If so, the decision to host it was a wise one, for this is an engaging raid that's in the same league as this builder's other levels in the TR4 Wolf series. Once again the builder provided a detailed outline so I could prepare a walkthrough while playing the level, and my game clock showed more than an hour and a half of net gaming time when I was through. You're required to make use of the same nonconventional moves used by the builder in his other levels, but once you get the hang of them they start becoming almost second nature. A number of players, myself included, encountered maddening delays in the load times, so an accelerator patch has been added to the level download for those affected by this problem. As for atmosphere, this level positively drips with it. Set in the frigid Arctic, the sound and visual effects are so convincing that I was tempted to wear an overcoat while playing. You get a number of neat touches along the way, including a bout with an android at the end who can only be killed by electrocution. This involves figuring out how to (1) flood the area, (2) lure the partially disabled android into the water, and then (3) drain the area so you can obtain the key held by the android. Good stuff throughout, so don't let the TR5 label keep you from playing this one." - Phil

"Not quite as good as the author's last rendering, this TR5 level still makes for a really nice adventure in base/arctic settings and just a few stuck moments. The new moves remain from the previous adventure and are always welcome from where I stand. The secrets are really secret as I think I found none although I'm not that much of a secrets finder (but it does plase me when the builders make them findable enough to have a simultaneous sense of difficulty and reward). I wish I could have played with the wolf himself, for I really liked him in the latest game but I guess he may come next... Which brings to mind that the author seems to intend to make it a TR3 game - hopefully he will make it also a TR5 level, so that one may play it without any need for demos and/or complicated installations, meaning I'm really looking forward to continuing this saga. And I think you should too!" - Jorge22

"I really like these levels with Lara's new moves, although we get to use them so seldom that I have to keep a printout of the readme instructions to remind myself how to achieve the various manoeuvres. I especially like the ladder/monkeyswing interaction that she can achieve here. This is a base setting and the action moves along nicely. Just be sure to have 'new moves, new moves' as your mantra or you might get stuck more than necessary. It was also good to be re-introduced to an old enemy from the official levels at the end of the game. The ending is somewhat abrupt, but I believe there is to be a continuation. Good." - Jay

"I always enjoy levels by SSJ6Wolf, but on this occasion my enjoyment was severely marred by the rendering of my controller as hypersensitive. This meant that it was very difficult to control Lara, so I had a great many reloads with this level set. Whether this hypersensitivity was the fault of the builder, I don't know, but I do doubt it. Nevertheless, setting that great annoyance aside, as I think I must, this set was yet another excellent adventure from this builder. Atmosphere was great, as was complexity. The swimming parts were a bit of a nightmare with the controller as it was, so Lara drowned often. Secrets were well hidden, or perhaps I should say secret, as I only found one. There were a number of bugs encountered, but they were invariably helpful, such as jumping up to one monkey swing that put Lara up to the next one instead, so it saved a bit of time. There was one that was unhelpful which, when trying to climb up from a ladder, Lara, when at the top, climbed 'up', back onto the ground below! It was good to see shelves and cupboards operating properly in a custom level for a change, but then, this is the correct engine for those objects. Some of the dogs got stuck in places, making them easier to deal with, and most enemies were quite stupid, making them equally easier to deal with. Toward the end of the level it took me a long time to do what was required, partly for Lara repeatedly refusing to grab a swing pole, partly for my own lack of understanding of what specifically to do, and partly for knowing what to do but not knowing how, so the robot annoyed me a great deal. Never have so many expletives fallen from my lips! One thing that does start to bother me with this builder's levels are the 'new' controls/actions. I think these are just getting far too complicated, requiring too many button/key combinations to achieve them. Yes, it's great to have these extra talents to make use of, but with such complexity and trying to remember how to perform this or that move, it rather spoils the fluidity of the levels." - Czar