Level reviews

"I've been very close to wrapping up my 2009 playlist for a handful of months now, but I've been consciously avoiding this one for two reasons: the length, and the alleged difficulty. I had played Legio VI Vitrix exactly a year ago and was a bit wary that this might have been equally, if not harder, difficult. While any memories are long gone, the impression I get from reading my own review isn't much different here. The walkthrough is pretty much a must if you want to get through this in a timely manner (and it still took me four week days), but there are a dozen or so very tricky spots with pixel precise jumps. Sadly, this does spoil the fun, and it's a real pity because the environments here are pretty striking, colorful and magical places. They're often massive and overwhelming, but the collectively written walkthrough guides you through and then some more, often with added tips for the trickiest bits. I personally loved the use of symphonic metal tunes throughout the adventure as well. 3h40min, 11 secrets. 05/25" - Treeble

"A not so ex-challenging levelset, I could even say that this is a bit easier than "Legio VI Victrix" but I have to say that Vikings is more fair than Legio in terms of gameplay. This time there aren't invisible walls like in Legio and the gameplay is overall, more coherent while still being challenging. There are some gameplay highlights such as the collapsible blocks in the mines area, the stargates tunnel in heroes and ropes in that same level. But there are other not so fun parts such as a key below a plant that is really hard to get (in the bad way, it seems like it is glitched because of the plant collision), the backtracking that has to be made in certain zones such as the last huge area in the last level, huge empty rooms (very noticeable in the bonus level). Graphically the level is pretty consistent and texturing and such is well done especially in indoors areas as outdoor zones had a really flat lighting. There are some other things that could've been improved such as the geometry because sometimes the enviroments were really boxy and with a lot of stretched and wallpapered textures. Cameras were properly placed most of the time even though they were missing sometimes but anyway. Other thing I can say I enjoyed is the fantastic approach the plot gives to a real story (Umberto Nobile lost partners in the north pole, its explained on the read me and on the level's front page go check it), I have to say that this is one of the things I like the most about Taras levels, his levels really reflect how much knowledge he has about other cultures and history and Im sure this is a plus for all his levels. Personally this level is my least favourite from Taras but that doesn't mean I don't like it as I enjoyed it a lot but it didn't gave me the same feeling from when I played She and Legio. Still a must play for pretty much everyone out there but especially for hardcore enjoyers." - Neltharion

"It's going to be difficult for me to review this game without being critical, but I have to be honest and recommend that you only attempt this if you are incredibly experienced or have the walkthrough to hand. This isn't nearly as lengthy as this builder's Tomb Raider She set (and maybe Legio, but I haven't played that to completion) and I do share other's feelings that this is a remarkable achievement, but I agree with Michael and Phil in saying that most of the tasks went too far into expert territory. They're definitely doable (I made it through without any savegames needed), but the sheer amount of precision required by the tricky jumps just took too many tries to get right. It's a pity because when it is more balanced, it is really, really enjoyable. The timed sequences are set just right, the varied puzzles are fun to solve and not too enigmatic and the exploration elements are well thought out. I also agree that the textures weren't very attractive to my eyes and appeared rather crude and disjointed. Furthermore, the music wasn't really to my taste and was overdone in places, while a few of the flybys went on for far too long. But like in the case of the gameplay, the author gets it just right in places, with beautiful music tracks and well timed, majestic flybys. In the end though, this remains an adventure that will appeal to the elitist raiding groups, but for me, the enjoyment factor was low and the frustration factor high." - Ryan

"Amazingly it has been more than 5 years since my review for the previous level of this rather uniquely talented builder and while at that time I thought Legio was not all that hard, I have to chime in with some of the comments made in the community on Vikings: It is very, very impressive in so many way, but despite being a seasoned raider who enjoys a challenge here and there, this particular adventure simply had too many of the "need so much precision on a jump that at the end it will only work with some luck in one out of 50-100 tries". And yes, I know all the tricks of the trade with feign grabs and stepped up running jumps etc, but still I ended up with probably a dozen instances where I had to attempt something 50+ times before I got it to work. Maybe that does not seem all that much in a 4+ hour long game, but it did not feel like fun when I kept reaching these points. Now, moving on, I also have to agree with some of the comments made by others about the music and the length of several of the flybys. I did not really mind, but the Nightwish tracks and the ever looping cameras are just not really working in favour of the overall atmosphere of the adventure. Which is a pity, especially given the author exactly knows how to get it right in some instances, with beautifully chosen atmospheric tracks and well timed camera sequences. And then last but not least, I think, especially by today's standards, the texturing and lighting is of medium quality at best with many stretched, squashed and wrongly rotated textures and with an overall rather convoluted and not very believable architecture. Now - all those negativity aside... make no mistake about two things: This is an awesome adventure for its originality in the massive use of custom objects and animations and in its apparent purpose of providing a very challenging raid for those of us who dare to try it. Yes, I do feel sort of proud for having managed it without using any of the provided savegames. But did I have fun while playing or did I feel entertained while playing? Not all that much, actually. Maybe I will now wait another 5 years before giving TR She a go? We'll see how adventurous I feel..." - MichaelP

"Well, at first i must say that i hate easy and medium levels because they are so boring and really not funny!! i love hard and very hard chalange like in tis Vikings and i enjoyed this so much. I enjoyed every moment exploring areas solving excelent and hard puzzles. Secrets were perfectly hidden and i have found 7/12 (but i found all 5 bonus keys needed for short bonus level). Everything in this game was perfect except one thing - music!!! I really hate choise of music in all of Taras` games, they are just unsuitable for TR!!! That`s my opinion. Nevertheless there are some good music and very good choise of background sounds which perfectly fit atmosphere. Textures and lighting was done greatly. There aren`t many enemies but even those few was placed very good. A Masterpiece and highest recommendation but only for experts! 10/10/9/10" - OverRaider

"I nursed this epic release at home for the better part of November while playing other levels on my office computer. I was not about to tackle this project without the walkthrough and bundled savegames close at hand, as I learned my lesson trying to play this builder's initial release. In the end, I found myself forced to use the savegames on four occasions over a span of nearly five net hours of gameplay, and I made it through regulation and almost all the way through the bonus level. (I couldn't master the collapsing platforms run near the end, and there was no savegame for it, so I called it quits at that point.) I was rather pleasantly surprised by the gaming experience, as there's much to enjoy in this adventure. However, while the environs were quite imaginative and pleasing to the eye in many places, I found the graphics rather crude by the standards set by other levels. I also found myself in complete agreement with the three major points made in Czar's review concerning the overall difficulty, the flybys and the music. I may not choose to express my opinions quite so caustically, and I'm not inclined to deduct as many points as he did, but Czar's review did what a review is supposed to do, and that is to articulate clearly the reasons why a level succeeds or falls short in the reviewer's opinion. (If you want to see what a venomous review is really like, check out some of the books reviews published in the New York Times.) Moreover, this builder has more recently made a public pronouncement that he doesn't build for the players, but for the purpose of indulging his artistic inspiration, or words to that effect. It logically follows that in releasing his works for public consumption and evaluation, he must be prepared to abide by the public's judgment of his artistic choices. Anyway, I feel that the positives of this adventure far outweigh its negatives, and I would certainly recommend it to those who enjoy a good challenge. But is it Hall of Fame material? Well, it's already there through application of established guidelines, so my opinion on that point is irrelevant." - Phil

"That was another wonderful work. Author used very beautiful objects and textures, so all the rooms and all places looked very nice and amazing. There are lot's of difficult moments, but I used a savegame only once." - Andzia9

"An unforgettable journey to the ancient Viking city. Lara's task is to find Arctic explorers lost in one of the most original early-medieval cities ever build with the editor. This thing binds the levels, creating a wonderful storyline, filled with atmosphere of discovery and a duty to explain what is unclear in history of Umberto Nobile's and Roald Amundsen's expeditions. Feeling of respect for heroes when a player finds them at last - is epic. This game is full of technical situations like never before. Creative jumps make a player discover Lara is able to do something what a player have never tried before or thought about. Many of jumps require a player's mind to use creativity and faith, because they are so weird a player simply doesn't believe they can be included in gameplay. Nearly all the objects and enemies are customized. I can't say a single negative word in this case and I'm glad of it. It was a pleasure to watch them all, horses, a crowbar, Midgardsormr, Loki's demigods etc. Also the soundtrack is one of the best I've ever heard in TRLE custom. Nordic symphonic metal creates a nordic climate and the cameras are well synchronized with it. Sequences from Helheimr part are a cinematic masterpiece, with their fantasy elements allowing a player to feel the presence of magic (it happens many times during the game, not only when a camera turns on). Flying ships approaching their port, dominatrix in hell and a singing skeleton are funny and threatening at the same time. Snow, cold water and icebergs make the visual, northern impression. All these things create a world filled with its own style. It makes "Vikings" a difficult and unique game. A must play for veteran players, but not for the beginners. Sometimes finding the right way or secrets is frustrating. Some secrets are simply mean and I think Taras is diabolically laughing at us when we can't find them. But, all in all, secrets contain what a player needs the most. And there is a bonus challenge. SUMMARY: IMO one of the best projects ever. I don't know if it's worth replaying, but it surely leaves immortal memories in minds of players. Beginners: STAY AWAY!!!" - DJ Full

"Well, when you finish a level like this you can do only one thing: start waiting for another one! I never played a level like vikings! yes, it is very difficult and sometimes i looked in the walkthrough.... but the lighting and textures are superb!, the music is wonderful!, the objects are new and very well done, the secrets are very well hidden and the story is original... i was sad when i finished this real masterpiece!" - Micael

"A great adventure, despite some very difficult passages (luckily there were backups, as the 1st hole in the top level). Settings are grand. I was fooled this time, and of course, the only hie this adventure, the scenery I do not think the title 'Viking', which is my somewhat disappointed, and appearance of the gun pome on the back of Lara, one would have said a shotgun in paper, but this adventure promises, like its author :)" - FX

"If I want to describe Vikings, I say: It's unique. A very unique levelpack. And the king of the challenging levels. Beating the pack itself is a challenge indeed, but it's a big achievement. If you beat this level, I think you can beat any kind of TRLE levels. I'm sure the author spent lots of time with making these levels, since you need horribly precised jumps at some places to get through. At some places, I thought I should delete the level because I'm not practiced enough. But I like it, because that means this level is a "more action-based" one. Also, I must praise the environment. Textures are lovely. Great wads. Well-used lighting. Secrets are just another tale. You'll need laser-eye to find them...;) Musics are sometimes a bit over-used, but they're awesome. Well, all in one, this level is a masterpiece. Recommended for experienced Raiders." - rtrger

"From a technical point of view, Vikings is a marvellous achievement. There's great use of a diversity of new objects helping to create good environments and add to gameplay. Despite the hard bits in the level, the gameplay is the strongest element of this levelset. I am very grateful to the players that provided the vital savegames, else I may have had to abandon the game at a couple of points. Although most of the tricky sections were achievable with patience and experimentation, I could not go close to making a safe 'run and ledge grab' through the two swinging balls in the cave chasm and one other long jump. The game difficulty is undoubtedly 'hard', so I found myself consulting the walkthrough a lot, which slightly lessened the immersiveness for me. There are some incredibly clever things in these levels - particularly some of the animated objects, and the final city area is truly beautiful 'eye candy' featuring some elaborate architecture. I loved the role the boat played in negotiating the icy water canals and thoroughly enjoyed the the Loki Boss Battle. As good as the game design is, there are certainly areas for improvement. Some great new texture sets are used. The application of them is generally good but could have been improved with more care, particularly in natural cave and rocky areas. The colourful lighting techniques employed create a definite stylised environment. However the effect falls short of creating a deep and immersive atmosphere. The audio track selection again, undoubtedly has a themed style to it, which I thought was used quite consistently to link the game and flybys. The author has clearly spent a lot of time building up a vast set of objects for the game including some really terrific ones, such as the aircraft, viking long boats and the airship. The texture work on some of these objects did not achieve the same high standard as the objects meshes themselves. The author could also look to explore the techniques of lighting static objects to sit more harmoniously in their environments, as this can significantly add to the believability and realism of the settings. All in all, Vikings will provide you with a unique gaming experience in seldom explored locations. Be prepared for a difficult challenge, and keep the set of savegames and walkthrough available to avoid getting bogged down in potentially difficult sections of the game. Well done." - EssGee

"After Legio VI Victrix, wonderful level, Taras give to us another job composed from 5 levels + 1 bonus, which it will be only approached after to have recovered 5 bonus key, of great technical and graphical thickness. Wonderful, superb and luminous acclimatizations, perfectly recreated, the most original and not at all easy enigmas, will force the player to engage themselves to bottom for being able itself to guarantee the possibility to continue nell' fascinating history vichinga. It is necessary but to evidence that the game it is not addressed to the lower-middle player or neophyte as the difficulties, many and impegnative, demand expert technical-crobatic dowries, therefore if it is not expert it is better not to begin the game. 12 secrets nearly all difficult and some to the limit of it make a game that it pleases also those like me that they expect that found is difficult. With this game Taras confirmation how much of positive demonstrated with the precedence job, indeed, for sure backs marks a new distance of editing, unfortunately followed only from little LDs, in creating not television levels, that is only beautiful to see, but difficult and that they defy the player in every passage." - Pablito_it

"Some reviews are more difficult to write than others, for different levels can induce a variety of feelings, and with some of those feelings being so mixed it can be difficult to know where to start, let alone where to go. With this level I am at such a loss. The nature of my struggle is whether to let rip and judge this level entirely upon its failings, because in its failings the level did irk me to some considerable degree. Or do I try to balance out those aspects with the positive elements in this game? After all, I did complete the game, so it must have had something which held my interest that was strong enough to overcome all that annoyed me. So, what is so bad about this level set? Three things mainly. Probably one of the worst aspects for most people are the difficult jumps. Some would say impossible, but they're not. They just seem that way. I like a challenge as much as anybody. Any level which forces the player to call upon every TR trick and talent they've learnt to use invariably gets a thumbs up from me, but there are some tricks which largely fall into the realms of chance for they are so pixel specific that it's going to take twenty, fifty or maybe even more reloads before you chance upon the right movement. Yes, chance. It doesn't matter how much I or any other player knows about Tomb Raider physics. Experienced players will know well enough that some tricks really do have an element of chance to them, and when I encounter such elements in a level set I quickly get the idea that the builder doesn't want to make an enjoyable game. Rather, I can only get the notion that they want to annoy and frustrate the player for some kind of sadistic pleasure that only they can understand. They might tell themselves they want to make a challenge, but they know well and good that these kinds of manoeuvres are going to seriously annoy a lot of players. Yet, they still insist upon sticking to the set up. Why? When any given element of a custom level gives rise to such exaggerated focus it threatens to over-shadow everything else around it to the absolute detriment of enjoyment. Furthermore, such things can put a player in such a bad mood that all other efforts of a builder can be so ignored that the builder has only done themselves a disservice. What is the point in going to good effort when your level will annoy players so much they will overlook that good effort because their attention has been wilfully focused on severe negatives? Not to mention those players who will just post on forum for a savegame because they either can't do a particular jump or don't have the patience for reload upon reload upon reload. Then there are those who will abandon the level all together. The builder is wasting their time because so many simply aren't going to do it. So, amidst a number of such manoeuvres, what else is there to irk? Music. I say music in the loosest sense of the word for again it is evident with this set that we have a fanboy/girl who just wants to inflict their taste upon everyone because they think it's cool. I can imagine it now as the builder gets the plan for the level set together, thinking how this track and that track can be used. Then the other track, oh, and this track can go in there too and where can I put this one in because I just have to use this track, and the other one and ... on it goes. So 'in your face' and over-done is this that it is completely clear that a number of fly-by sequences are not designed to show off the arena at all. No, they are simply made to allow track upon track of "music" to play out and further irritate the player with the gross impinging of grating noise. In some places this is easier to deal with by simply making a save and then reloading so that the infernal din is gone, but of course that can't be done with fly-bys. In the end I had to load all the tracks in a sound editor and blank the offending content completely. So, another wasted effort and more useless bandwidth for the download. I think it's time that builders start to make separate audio downloads for level sets for those of us who don't want to waste bandwidth on gross audio annoyances that we're going to tamper with anyway. Leading on from this we come to the third annoyance of this level set. The fly-bys. The reason I've already mentioned, filler for audio tracks, but honestly, I can't count the amount of times I sat sighing with boredom at the seemingly interminable fly-by sequences in this set. It's pretty dull to watch the camera rotating around the same object or area several times, over and over, or fixed looking at a statue or a door for what seems like forever. Yes, yes, we get it, it's a door, it's a statue, it's a building, it's a ... CAN WE GET ON WITH IT PLEASE? So, how on earth do I move on from all this negativity? It's very difficult, but what I will say is that there is much about this set which is at the least very well done. All environments are very expansive, nicely textured and lit. There is seemingly so much to do in every level that indeed even each single level can seem like an entire game in itself. The puzzles are very well set up and require some thought and investigation to solve. There is some great architecture in places, particularly much later in the level 'Heroes', where the very Arabian-looking buildings, or, actually, even something of the glorious past of India stand in what seems like some grand, royal courtyard. I half expected to see peacocks or other exotic birds about the place, and though actually consisting of very little at this last enclosure it was for me the best environment of the whole set. Find the five very well concealed keys throughout this set and you will gain access to a bonus level, which is very reminiscent of Richard Lawther's bizarre delights. That all said, I actually can't entirely separate myself from the negativity because it did absolutely over-shadow my experience with this set. Had these not been there, my review would likely have been glowing, but my notes on this level are full of angry exclamations and repeated complaints about another long cutscene accompanied by more racket. Even the sublime perfection of Basil Poledouris' Conan soundtrack used in part throughout couldn't make up for it." - Czar

"This is a truly original, innovative piece of work. I loved the theme and approach (wonderful opening titles). The choice of music is excellent, the objects and textures are well chosen, and in the later levels the architecture really comes together as the author clearly gets more comfortable with the editor. Unfortunately it's also the single most frustrating level set I've ever played. Jumps require absolute pixel perfection to achieve and many of them are on the absolute limit of what the game engine's control system can cope with. This massively effects the game-play and makes it pretty much un-accessible to anyone other than the most hard-core player who is willing to spend hours with trial and error until they hit upon the exact angle from which to perform a jump. I've counted no less than 50 attempts to complete one particular jump. In the end I felt forced to resort to save-games posted on the forums as it was the only way I could actually make progress (this is the first time I've ever reached such an impasse with a level set from here), such as shame as the actual structure is very well thought out. But I've written this before, and I'll say it again 50 or so attempts at a jump on the very edge of what this engine can do does not make good Game Play. Only the last level (hero's) gets the balance right. If you download this be prepared for a great and original adventure, but also be prepared to exercise allot of patience to get there." - TheStig

"well here is the second game from a builder -Taras- wich builded the hardest ever made game Legio Victrix v and still i think his fisrt game -Legio Victrix was much more tuff like this second game .but dont get me wrong this one was builded also for experienced riders too cos this one is filled again with very hard jumps & some timed runs (not so tuff like in his first game and not so manny )boulder chase and alot off puzzles ....i think this second game off him will get higher marks not necessary cos was better but alot more easyer for sure ..this game is set up from 5 levels .. well at real is 4 cos 3rd level is only a short demigod challenge and short timed task 3 lever pulling in mean time chased bye 2 demigods .. and a timer ,, was tuff run i must admit ....the levels are very nicely designed albeit i find the first jump at first level after u get off from the lake the moust difficult ...but along other levels will be 4/5 very hard jumps ...strangely he dont used this time spiked trapps wich was the moust frustrating ones in his first game ....u start at a freezy lake cavern to end up at a beautifull city splited in 3 parts all gameplay was marvelous / puzzles very good and some very challenging jumps ...albeit i was not find all 5 keys so i played the bonus level with a save from one off my buds ...i was have a big bugg at the first level finish right after flybye before the second level my game freeze . i needed a save game from other player to can continue .... but from it all was smoth and very nice adventure ... i can say only a big bravo for this very talented builder" - Jack&

"I don't want to give lower marks for gameplay because there were challenging sequences to do. Having played Legio Victrix I knew that it wouldn't become easy. In the end i did all challenges on my own; it wasn't frustrating, it was so much fun when I finally succeeded after a couple of tries. It's an outstanding set of levels with stunning atmosphere, beautiful places, simply great. The author has improved his gameplay since Legio. This time he kept the player in mind, his puzzles were more traceable. Highly recommended, but not for beginners!" - Christian

"Well it is hard to find the superlatives that this set of levels deserves. Te other reviewers have said most of it already. Yes it was challenging with those hard and frustratingly pixel-perfect jumps, but what a feeling when you finally achieve them...surely worth it. The gameplay was enthralling and the whole atmosphere (sound & vision) was fantastic with great attention to detail of the objects and blended so well together with the environment. Enemies were fairly scarce but for nce a builder did not skimp on medpacks which were very welcome all the same. Lighting was expertly done and cameras masterful. I managed to find 10 secrets and play the bonus level, and best of all finished with that mixture of conntentment, satisfaction and sadness that comes with finishing an exhausting epic level. Other builders who want to build high quality challenging levels take note: the bar has been raised yet again." - Adrian

"I really loved to play this levelset with it outstanding challenges and it's well composed gameplay elements! What's also really great, how Taras created places of gorgeous beauty like the huge place in Heroes and how he used well crafted objects and put a lot of imagination into the levels and how he set the story into the scenes of the level. On the other side must be said, that Taras don't has the hand for natural looking areas. The quality of texture appliance isn't good there and you`ll see a lot of cracks and alltogether the design isn't very believable in some areas. So I really wonder quite a lot, how all the reviewers could give a ten in the last category. The music choices I found a bit questionable, but somehow it also gave an interesting flair to the level. Unfortunately I encountered a graphic bug in the last three levels, but this I don't take into account for this review. So alltogether this is a must play for the more expierenced players due to the high level of difficulty." - Raymond

"If you have played 'Legio VI Victrix', then you know very well what to expect from this levelset by Taras! 'Vikings' is a massive nordic adventure, prolific in all fields, with the known unique gameplay style of its author. Although slightly less demanding than 'Legio', this levelset is nonetheless quite difficult and once again not for beginners - unless they want to try out a great challenging level to begin with, to check out how a real good custom TR game should be and feel like. 'Vikings' is split in five parts plus a bonus level. The first part, 'Freyja', is a colourful and bright level with several tough tasks and beautiful environments to explore. The second part, 'Loki's Demigods', is a brief tightly timed challenge that will have you with your fingers glued to the keyboard in your effort to make it on time. Then we move on to the snowy 'Red Tent-Midgardsormr' where freezing to death in the icy water is your constant worry (among other things!). In the fourth part, 'Helheimr', you go down some hot hellish caves to find four important items. In the fifth part, 'Heroes', the setting changes to a peaceful city where you however have to explore quite a lot so as to find the well-hidden routes that will lead you to four other items that will unlock another section of the city where other tasks await. After this, there is a short finale called 'Skibblandir' which brings you back to a familiar place for a spectacular exit. If however you have found all five bonus keys from the previous levels, you can unlock 'Gramr', the bonus level; a brief but quite challenging section where you explore a few islands in a frozen sea. You then return back to 'Skibblandir' for the same ending, but with one more precious item in your backpack, souvenir from the bonus level. This game is made once more with a lot of work, taste, mastery and detail; the environments are stunning. Music selections are beautiful again and ever so fitting, adding to the epic feel of the game. The gameplay is here too one of the strongest points of the levelset; there are no particularly crazy timed runs (although there is a really tough one where you have to go up some slopes carrying a torch) but most jump sequences are set with such an impressive precision that even half mis-step will have you reloading your game in an instant. I found 'Helheimr' a bit too frustrating even for my taste, but this doesn't mean I didn't enjoy this section; the tasks in 'Heroes' were fantastic too. Hunting down the keys and secrets was another challenge on its own, as most were very well hidden. I found all keys so as to be able to play the bonus level, but not all the other secrets. Great new moves make Lara perform previously impossible jumps (darting out of a crawlspace to land on a sloped block nearby, for instance). There are many beautiful objects, a few but interesting enemies who sometimes play a crucial part in the action (like in the second level) and the imaginative and highly inspired decoration of the various different settings once more reaches perfection. I could give only once advice to those who will play this game: save often! If you do this, nothing will stop you from enjoying this fantastic adventure." - Ravenwen

"This is a superb adventure. It's also very challenging, so be warned. One jump in particular took me about a hundred attempts before I managed it (and I'm still not quite sure how) so you'll need to be very patient and just persevere. There were times when I really didn't think I was going to be able to finish it without help, but I actually did manage everything myself and I feel so good about it. I'm obviously not as bad at raiding as I thought. Stick with it and you too can feel smug about the whole thing. Seriously, it's worth the effort you'll have to put in as it really has got everything right - wonderful, inventive story, beautifully built areas (especially the architecturally imposing city in 'Heroes'), brilliant gameplay, incredible animations and retextured objects. There aren't many enemies since the emphasis is firmly on agility and exploration, but what enemies you get are interesting and well used. Find all five bonus keys throughout the game and you get a bonus level. It really is a proper bonus level too, with quite a lot to accomplish, including quite a tricky rising/falling platform run. I had a marvellous time, but I think I could do with a bit of a rest now. My poor old fingers ache." - Jay

"First a warning to beginner and player, who play only now and again: You better make a big curve around this level, because this level is addressed to the advanced and professional Raiders! So really superheavy jumps we are used up to now only from the level builders from Japan. Or from Raymond, he is able such a thing because also very well. But now there is a new player in the level construction arena. Taras is there!! He has put already with his first level Legio VI Victrix the first scent mark, but here he has increased once again. And drives up a heavy gun immediately in the first level. This goes off already immediately at the beginning with the fact which one can rise though from the water, but then stands like the ox before the mountain because one nowhere gets on. But of course it goes on, namely with a not so easy jump. But if one has a look at the jumps afterwards, the first one was the purest rest. But there are not only superheavy jumps, but also high-class riddles and a great Gameplay. And sometimes one is surprised at the many Medipacks, but they are absolutely necessary. The second level is quite short, however, it has in itself. One must master a time job and, besides, has three Demigods in the nape. In the third level it does not become much easier. Beside the heavy jumps there is now ice-cold water. And in ice-cold water one cannot swim of course very long. Because one has, however, nevertheless, several duties, one is very often under pressure. The fourth level is the exact opposite of the third one. Here it becomes because so really warm and cosy, because Lara is, among the rest, in a cave complex with fatally hot lakes. And also here there are jumps with which one asks himself afterwards how one has managed them. And there are of course many nice riddles. In the fifth level Lara may investigate a wonderfully formed city of the vikings. After about 6 hours net playing time I am just enthusiastically about what Taras has created here. This serial is a real masterpiece. I love such challenges. How often I have thought which is impossible to be made this jump. And, nevertheless, everything is feasible. Of course it can already seem that one sits a little longer at a jump, but it would be dull if everything immediately functioned right away. The sound would have earned, actually, 11, because above all the pieces of music fitted so well to this level which one would have to play him alone so once again. It was very pleasant which there was only few opponents, so one could fully concentrate upon the partly difficult duties. Result: A masterpiece of the absolute top class. Here one must simply access." - Scottie

"I agree with the other rewiever; this level is made to be i think extremely hard, i think this somewhat ruined the gameplay for me since it took me so long to play,I was stuck on the very first part of the first level for up to 1/2 hour.Also i noticed some camera bugs which were very annoying and i kept getting stuck in spaces near items, particularly evident with the statue in the very first part. On the good side; i thought the sound was outstanding, i liked the first song by Nightwish; i thought it really made the scene, it sounded like some sort of secret mission. The lighting and Textures combine to make a beautiful and magical atmosphere. Secrets are very well placed and register and the play time for this game should last you quite a long time. Nice Work Taras, need to work on the gameplay next time. Overall - 9.25/10" - herothing

"Really a very good work. Sure that the author was very occupied hundreds of hours in the design, building objects, creating textures... Many thanks for this great work. In the other side we have to say that this is only a level for expert players. I know many players have abandoned the game after playing few time and reading the comments in the forums. This is really a challenge for all players. There are many good puzzles in the game, but sometimes players have desperated trying a task hundreds of times (like me) so I can't give a good score in the gameplay section. Secrets are really very difficult to find, and there are very few enemies in all the entire game. Atmosphere is very good, with impressive flybies and all those cool musics. Excellent architecture, great scenes, many surprises... Hard but recommended to play." - Jose

"A game of epic dimensions , Absolutely 10 ! Any player who decides to take up the challenge of an adventure designed by Taras should finally know what awaits him , so do not winge or complain , others have fought their ways through so why not You ? And to be honest : are we all not sick and tired of pulling switches now and then and hopping easily over gymkhana fences ? Taras new issue is again full of fantastic new ideas and designs (the snake-shaped switches or the wonderful toy which once was a beetle , only to name a few.) Cameras are very well executed , the beautiful fly-by scenes are in a class of their own. Never ever since TRA have I seen a TRLE game so fresh and new . Fantasic custom music (Pink Floyd , Blackmore)enhances the athmosphere throughout the game . About the difficulty : it is definetely not a walk in the park ! I had to use 1 savegame but only because I was so eager to see what lies behind , what is next ,just couldn`t wait ! The overwhelming beauty of this stunning adventure deserves a complete 10. Taras has even supplied a service for the faint-at-heart ones : On YouTube you can watch how to do it !" - Ruben

"In "Vikings," the author of "Legio VI Victrix" has once more taken events with mythic status and turned them into colorful levels showing imagination and talent. Be warned that these levels are designed to be very difficult, really in a category by themselves. As long as you know what to expect you can appreciate these magical and fascinating levels. I have to say that my opinion about such challenge levels has changed over time, that I have come to look back on "Legio VI Victrix" with fond memories. I approached "Vikings" knowing that parts of it would frustrate and aggravate me, and sure enough...There was the half hour spent looking for an invisible key (Taras might say the key isn't really invisible, it's simply buried in the sand of an aquarium, so Lara has to dig around in the sand)...There was the time searching for Hel's key in the third level when the arctic waters quickly drained Lara of health and the author decided to thrown in a sea serpent and locusts so that Lara used about 3 large medipacks in as many seconds...There was a whole series of circular cutting blades that were placed on collapsing tiles--yikes!...Well, now that I think about it the list of frustrating moments could be quite large. So perhaps there are some flaws here. But really the author is always trying to find new and inventive challenges for Lara, and some of these will work for different people. The deep mine shaft in level one that Lara must plunge down comes to mind: at first sight how many players look at that in total disbelief? The hunt for the four runes in level three can be both agonizing and very satisfying, once you have figured it out. Some players have complained about the very beginning, but I had Lara run, bounce on a slope, and sail into a hole on the second attempt. As with "Legio VI Victrix," different people have different opinions about what is difficult. No doubt "Vikings" will get a walk-through that references and links to various savegames, to assist everyone in making progress. The best graphic parts of these levels are like the works of fantasy illustrators that grace the covers of magazines with fantastic tales. I am still amazed at the beautiful ending to the fifth level. (I have just started the bonus level, which looks promising.) Highest recommendations." - dmdibl