Level reviews

"Absolutely brilliant. From the beginning I sort of expected a "return to" map, with the original map being changed around to represent the decay that took place in the years following Lara's visit, but you quickly get transported to a series of impressive chambers throughout which you will find scrolls to reverse what Lara had done the first time around. Gameplay is solid and enjoyable and level design is ingenious, never requiring you to backtrack too far as the side rooms often loop into thesemlves - but for the record I am taking guided experiences to make sure I reach the finish trigger in timely manner. Definitely worth your time. 35 minutes, 2 secrets. 08/22" - Treeble

"I remember causing some uproar reviewing this level so I put it away for 10 years to forget it and get unbiased. It might have been a mistake, because today even more things bother me which didn't back then: wrong sounds, stretched textures, cheesy lights and motionless water. Also, long are gone the times when any HD texture regardless from quality felt fresh and lovely. Thankfully the most striking is the title flyby and the first minute of the game, and then the head gets used to 2010 vibes and starts inhaling the nostalgia. And that's when extra effort gets a chance to be noticed - from setting a familiar mood in a logically collapsed place with fallen switches we remember from the original TR, as well as the previously inaccessible medikit you can now pick up; through a quite intact new hall with one of the cleverest pushblocks and one of the first instances of gravity puzzles we have seen; until Poseidon statues we encounter in the end, and which were converted to Atlas sculptures in such a seamless way I barely noticed they're a new element. On top of that, secrets aren't so useful but I appreciated them being harder than main gameplay. Now for the main problem in this level, the pacing: the final hall could be a bit less, and the side challenges could be a bit more. Lara should also see the puzzle holes before going for the scrolls, so it would be enough to just move the spawn location in the second part of the game to the final room, from where you would go to the central challenge hall instead, and then return to the slots. Eventually, I think the final sequence needs more explanation, because if you don't understand the idea of restoring the balance to the place, you won't know what happened, you will expect much more from this game, and you will feel like the ending as abrupt instead of conclusive." - DJ Full

"This is an excellent tribute to the original TR1 level, Palace Midas. The detail of the place being shattered because of the weaken magic, and at the end having a beautiful cutscene to show the place restored, even more beautiful than the original tr1 level, was the cherry on top for me. The level is very well decorated and it's a beauty to look at. Overall we can call it a true vanilla experience. There was no over the top puzzling it was rather easy and straight forward, however in this 1h of gameplay, I did spent a considerable amount of time looking at walls to find somewhere to climb. The latter it's not necessarily a critic, rather a way of saying that, in this level, it's not always clear where you need to go. The only thing that I'd love to see different was the music used. The difference in volume between the ambience music and "triggering" tracks was really big, creating discomfort. So, even though the ambience track is really smooth, you might want to turn down the volume because the rest of the tracks are very loud. Completely recommend." - Zhyttya

"Nostalgic raid that remains very true to the spirit of the classic Palace Midas level while also adding several very creative and intriguing twists. I enjoyed the level from start to finish. Pacing is good, puzzles are fun, and the platforming hits the sweet spot for traps. Never got 'stuck' or needed a walkthrough. I loved the chimney pillars with the hot air, the great hall and the many different murals and textures used. The atmosphere was excellent and the choice of soundtracks played only added to it. Very glad I went rummaging through the TRLE archives to find this one!" - Chel

"Another one I tested way back and it still is a great level to play. Nothing too strenuous and not much of enemies to slay that is what I like. There are nice ideas in here and the jumping over the hot furnaces was definitely a WOW moment. Do have a good look around, as the architecture is great to see. Good use of objects and finding music scrolls is your goal here. By placing them you get a final flyby and the whole place is restored. Nice concept." - Gerty

"This is a brilliant and inventive reinterpretation of the official Midas level. I appreciated that the textures and the music was were faithful to the original TR1, it really added to the experience. I enjoyed the "soaring across pyramids" sequence as well as the timed run and recreating the word "Midas" with pushblocks. Highly recommended for a nostalgic raid, although it's fairly short." - Ryan

"I really liked this level cause of nostalgy feeling from TR1 and it was perfect that it isn't just another remake, just resembling familiar environment and adding new story to it. Very interesting first room where it's easily to miss the right switch and well designed rooms with good textures and filled with objects. Recommended!" - Casual Raider

"Loved this level. at first I thought it would be a remake of Midas' Palace.I liked the fact you could recognize the rooms from the TR1 level but ruined. There were alot of clever and creative ideas such as the pillars that you had to jump over. The textures were fantastic. I managed to find both secrets (although the second one in the Au to Pb room was a complete accident). Overall a Truly fantastic level :)" - ChrissyDoc

"A very nice level here and a fitting tribute to the original MIDAS level in tomb raider 1. I liked the floating columns as an addition to the gameplay. Texturing and lighting are totally immaculate throughout, with very high resolution textures used. The music queues come from Tomb Raider 1, so the atmosphere is set very well. Paths and routes through the levels are not always obvious, and at one point I completely failed to locate a lever that I needed to use to progress (and had to resort to the walk-through). Over all however the gameplay is well balanced, making it suitable for both new and experienced players. You begin the familiar MIDAS lever room, which is looking rather worse for wear, and the proceed into some new never seen areas. The only real disappointment for me was length. There's such a great foundation here, which could be extended into a longer adventure. In total I got just over an hour of good quality gameplay. The great graphics, and undemanding pace make this one definitely recommended. Stiggy" - TheStig

"It's a very good level with a marvelous jump, i love much the levels of Aza , who are always well builded and nice to play. I recommand it much." - Minox

"I first thought it is a "real" remake, but soon realized the level is completely different. The textures are wonderful, gameplay was not too hard but not too easy, the floating effect to the third Au to Pb was a nice invention. If only there would be more puzzles, this level would be nearly perfect." - manarch2

"This is a solid, workmanlike level that should keep you occupied for 45 minutes or so. There are no particularly outstanding features that I can recall, other than a nice floating effect over lighted pyramids near the end, but there's never a dull moment as you work your way from one end of the level to the other. There's also a neat little block puzzle here. The enemies are your standard fare from TR1, and there are none of those frustrating moments that might tend to bring your gameplay to a screeching halt. Lots of fun. Recommended." - Phil

"My first thoughts are I was expecting something more original from Aza, but really, it's up to him and only up to him to know what kind of level he wants to build, in this case, as the name indicates already, rather classic tomb raiding. It is classic indeed. And in the classic section I find it quite well done. The music an sounds are fine, the puzzles are fine, the textures and settings all seem fine and the general idea behind it all (including the need to re-change the gold bars, the broken levers and how things get back to "normality" with the lions and gorillas in the end) is also good. So, no complaints from my side. It's not boring, no too much push and pull, no far too hard moments, things always seem to flow enough. It's a job well done, so whatever I may have been expecting I must say I liked it." - Jorge22

"There's a lot of invention crammed into the hour or so running time of this adventure;all enjoyable and none of it too challenging.With the exception of a nicely presented but straightforward block pushing puzzle,all the tasks are of the acrobatic variety - and great fun they are too;including a thermal flight sequence,which was a little gimmicky but way cool! Judging by his previous levels,this builder has a 'getting inside a large animal' fetish (well,who hasn't?) which manifests itself splendidly here,alhough the actual killable wildlife is pretty sparse. Textures and lighting are customised to some degree and are all very slickly presented;while cameras are used helpfully and the atmosphere is everything you could ask for. This is a fun blast with a degree of humour (the cheeky double hang-lever comes to mind);and I recommend it highly." - Orbit Dream

"This level was a fun to play. The gameplay was very well made but a bit straightforward i think. At the big romm with the golden head it would have been better if the player could have choose which way to explore first. :) I like how the treasure placed into the old greek environment and they fit well. I found only one secret on the top of a column but i have no idea where the second one could be lol. The only thing i would change on this level is the old greek columns. Some HQ objects would have look better but maybe it's just my point of view. The atmosphere is very nice thanks to the lighting and the well placed textures. I'd recommend to everybody to play this level :)" - wdavid

"This was a fun little level in a nice setting with some interesting gameplay ideas. I enjoy levels that tie in to older TR games, and so I really liked the story line for this one. Returning to a crumbling Palace Midas and setting things right was an enjoyable task. Gameplay was never too difficult, though there were a few well-hidden jumps, switches and more that had me wandering for a while. Most of all I enjoyed the jumps over the hot air pits, a great concept and fun to play. The MIDAS blocks made for an interesting puzzle, not difficult but you had to think. For all the enemies you see in the well-designed title flyby, there aren't too many in the level, but they do surprise you at appropriate moments. Objects were used well, I liked the gold glints of treasure among the dark stone. I had more than enough medipacks but found no secrets or other weapons/objects during my stay, save for the three scrolls. The level was fairly straightforward in that respect. Atmosphere was lovely, many of the chambers were beautifully designed including the large one with the golden statue. Sound was good, I liked the chosen background ambiance and the rest of the tracks fit perfectly with the level's theme. It all came together quite nicely. Cameras were very nice and used at the right moments. I liked the ending cutscene. Lighting was appropriate but perhaps could have been more dynamic. I liked the Textures that were used, a good mix of old and new and most of them in very high quality. Overall a fun level with a nice atmosphere, not too difficult but with a number of clever moments and a satisfying conclusion. Took me just under an hour to finish." - nite_traveler

"This was a welcome return to Palace Midas since I can no longer run my original version. I felt the level was destined to be longer once I saw the broken (or lack of) four switches in the fly-by at the beginning and assumed I would be hunting around for a crowbar in order to activate them! A fairly smooth raid with not too many annoying bats and other enemies to hinder one\'s progress although I did waste a good hour or so climbing in a circular fashion in the first area having completely overlooked the required switch near the very start! I look forward to more, similar levels from this builder who clearly has a fondness and a healthy respect for the original game. Great effort!" - High Priestess

"This was a fun and interesting Midas level that was surprising in parts! Midas was one of my favorite TR1 levels, and this was a nifty little side quest so to speak. I recommend this one for everyone." - Shandroid

"A very enjoyable game. Lots of puzzles and a great floating effect over, what I believe to be, kilns of some sort. I nearly missed that as I shortcutted to that scroll by using an oblique back flip. However, I realised what I had done and re-did it the way the author intended and it was certainly worth it.. Excellent use of a crawl space hidden in full view, had me puzzled for ages, was I kicking myself! Good atmospheric lighting without resorting to dark areas to hide switches. Great use of textures. I was sorry when the game ended and look forward to the authors next with eager anticipation." - Diz

"Great, great level all around. Definitely a must download. The textures look top notch giving the player plenty of eye candy. Level has some unique, thought provoking puzzles and cleverly hidden levers. My only complaint is that it could have been twice as long. One of those levels that is so good you don't want it to end. Can't wait for the designer's next masterwork." - yesrushdt

"well known concept, linear gameplay: three rolls have to be found, the spikes in front of their receptacles have to be deactivated. After placing them the level ends unfortunately.There could have benn more from that stuff. There ar e good ideas. A switch opening a door to reach a teleporter can only be found by some exploring, a rising block is moderately timed, also some burner-tiles spice up gameplay. A few structures deactivating gravity allow Lara to perform jumps over great distance; lightning is abolutly brilliant in this sequence - it is nearly perfect in the whole little adventure and creates an outstanding atmosphere. I'd like to see more from this stuff!" - Christian

"If there were ever a BtB competition with a Greek theme, this level would fit right in. Nicely compact, at about an hour length, not too taxing, but with some nice ideas and special elements. The idea to reverse the original Midas plot was simple yet effective and I had to smile at the broken switches and the nice idea of an ending flyby where Lara has managed to 'fix things' again. Gameplay holds interest with a few sneaky jumps, an easy timed run and is actually very linear because the author kindly locks you into areas and only lets you back out again when you have completed what you need to do there. The 'floating jumps' are a cool effect and well set in scene, the Midas puzzle could actually have been set up as a little more complex piece of gameplay than it eventually was. All in all, a well rounded experience for nice and quick evening raid. Recommended." - MichaelP

"Here we have a good idea for a level that has been extremely well executed and makes for a very satisfying raid indeed. The poor old palace certainly has suffered from Lara's first visit and I thought the broken wall switches were a particularly nice touch. The overall objective is to find three scrolls that will turn the gold bars back to lead and undo the damage. The gameplay is a good, well-rounded mix of agility tests, puzzles and exploration, with just a few enemies thrown in to spice it all up and nothing too taxing. The ending cut scene showing the place restored to its former glory is lovely and whatever your preferences/abilities are when it comes to raiding, I feel confident that this particular level will suit you." - Jay

"This neat little level's greatest strength is the internal logic the author has constructed for the way the gameplay works. The zealots who swear by the supremacy of everything TR1 related, might find the tribute part of the whole experience enticing as well, but for me that was secondary to the aforementioned part. I actually did not intend to rate the gameplay as highly, but looking back through all the tasks, it's hard to find anything really wrong with the game. There's nothing particularly ground breaking to be found, but the jumps, pushable puzzles, switch hunts, etc. are all fun to tackle and don't require any esoteric knowledge of the builder's way of thinking to figure them out. Even the extended jump over the furnaces, that wouldn't seem very intuitive if you had to figure it out on your own in any other situation, made perfect sense here. While I did lack a certain wow moment or two beyond the above mentioned jumps to award this a perfect score, what is there, is presented rather convincingly and should be manageable by players of all skill levels. There's nothing intrinsicaly wrong with the looks here too, but they play second fiddle to the gameplay. Such small issues like the occasional crack, logical texture continuity and application (i.e. fresco's awkwardly stuck in a corner, the same architecture element being textured differently from different sides, etc.) and a more sophisticated use of lighting would've upped the rating in that category if taken care of, but considering those are already high-end criticisms, it's all good as far as I'm concerned. More could've been done about the role of enemies and objects in the gameplay, plus the spikes and burners had no sound effects, while some of the audio tracks could be played repeatedly if you happened to step on the trigger tiles again. But all of that, while would've been nice if taken care of, won't really take away too much from the level's general appeal. I didn't find any of the secrets, so can't comment on them.
In a nutshell, this is a neat little level of 40 minutes or so, that, while not entirely without challenges, should be suitable for players of all skill levels, and due to the logical way the tasks function should not cause too many headaches in figuring them out too. For me it seemed more memorable for its tasks than the looks, but they can't be faulted as well, making this an overall well-rounded tomb raiding experience." - eTux

"Superb level. Stunning texturing, wonderful geometry, entertaining gameplay. Also, I must note that I simply love that the camera pointed to places to keep the gameplay flowing. The musics using is very nice, I simply loved it at the final flyby, it fits perfectly. Simple, but creative puzzles makes the level joy to play. The volcano things at one of the scroll was great too, such fun to jump through above them. It's short a bit, unfortunately. All in all, the various puzzles make you glued to the keyboard, and the visuals are luxurious. Highly recommended." - rtrger

"well what i can say ......... worthy game for a rainy day .....nothing special ... but have some highlights . like the jumping over burning platforms up for the scroll ... my impression was that was a bit rushing out cos the ending sugested it .... a long flybye after placing all 3 scrolls with a room with some lions / monkeys and a platform with 5 levers aligned ...... but sadly the game ended so i never reach that room ...... all in all not bad one just unfinished ......." - Jack&

"What a very good level! I've enjoyed it a lot. At the first areas you'll have to explore carefully to find your way through certain places of the rooms, but once you get the middle of the level, you'll be transported in a very good TR1 environment with no much backtracking. The four moveables puzzle was simply great!!! I've missed more enemies, flares and weapons, but the environment with all those lights, perfect texturing and the fog in the top of the pyramids where you can jump higher was really fantastic! Very recommended for all kind of players. Many thanks Aza! At the end I've seen that five switches were fixed... I expect there's a continuation for this. Great!" - Jose

"What a great idea of a level ! and a good tribute to the original without being at all a remake. I quite liked finding the way at the beginning , until reaching the 3 challenges, one room with slanted blocks and fire burners, one with actions and moves to perform , and the last one with levers to find and very long jumps over the chimneys for gold fusion ( those long jumps are great innovation and cooooool ). The movable blocks puzzle is fine and the ending makes a lot of sense. Everything makes sense here , even the small number of enemies throughout , before the last flyby showing the main room restored and all the wild life roaming , animals that Lara has probably killed before on her first visit here. Good sounds , flybys , architecture, and some special effects. The only little annoyance for me were the long reloading times on my old Windows ME PC, but that may be only me. Great work overall. [ 57 minutes - 1 / 2 secrets ]" - eRIC

"Very nice level with good story line, excellent textures, great cameras, flybys and lighting. Lara must undo what was done in TR1. The palace looks different though, with beautiful textures and lots of decoration. Only a few opponents which are easily taken care of. Some nice jumps, lots of burners and torches. Nothing too hard, although I had a difficult time finding where to go in the beginning (thanks for the forum help!). I wish the sound had been a different choice as the main loop in the background sounded somewhat like the London level from TR3 and didn't seem to fit into this Greek palace in my opinion. That was the reason why I didn't give a higher rating in the atmosphere rating. I liked the push block puzzle a lot. Very nice idea. A great level, that should be on everyone's "must play" list." - Blue43

"A very nice little tribute to the original Midas level from TR1! It's quite different from the original, though. I really liked the old school gameplay in this level. There are only a few crocs, lions and bats to battle, but puzzles,climbing and dangerous traps are Lara's biggest challenge. Just how I like my custom levels! The only thing that annoyed me when was that some of the wall textures looked too much like bland, modern brick. Not the warm, golden colour they had in TR1. Not a big deal, just a tiny annoyance. The level isn't very difficult, so I think new and old fans should be able to finish this well built and enjoyable level." - Thorir

"As the name suggests this is partially based in the original Palace, it feels like a slight missed opportunity however, as you spend a little bit in the main room of Midas before teleporting (so there's little link between the areas) elsewhere. However, the new areas are very good looking and carry the Midas theme well, including some interesting unique features like the head in the main room, and some excellent lighting and texturing. There's also a storyline subtly carried throughout (including a good ending cutscene). The big weak point of the atmosphere is the lack of music use; there seems to be no ambient music and "event" music is rare too. Looking in the files I noticed most music is MP3 so I thought it might just have not been converted to wav, but that doesn't work either, so either there are some strange bugs going on (as there is an ambient track in the files) or the music wasn't set up right.
Gameplay wise the level flows well and has a few homages to the original level (like a fire pillars sequence), and some cool new ideas like some wind tunnel things that make you float a little. Beyond a sneaky shimmy point there's nothing too intensive, and there could maybe have been a couple more puzzles (it's mostly switch-hunting and platforming), but it all works well enough. Definitely worth playing." - Mman

"Though the level looks really good, indeed, I am surprised, the Aza no nicer clothes has found. There are however, thus many nice outfits for Lara, nevertheless, there she must not walk around in her old slops. I like the broken levers. The small rise up to the Music Scroll in the room with the water basin is built very well. However, the crocodile has disturbed me. Since then only this crocodile appeared, after Lara had used the Jumpswitch. Before the water basin was empty. This is a little bit illogical. It would have maybe been better if beside the front door also an underwater door had risen. Then the crocodile could have swum from the room behind it into the water basin. The background sound could have been a little bit louder. If the grid doors open or close, they have the same sound. The time run to the second Music Scroll was relatively easy. Aza has given here to the player enough time, hence, beginners might also have no problems. Unfortunately, with the third Music Scroll there is a small Shortcut, because one can jump up to the Music Sroll without having driven the Raisingblock upwards. This is a great pity, because this area with his long jumps is very nice. The spikes where one must use the Music Scrolls have no sound. The same one is valid for the Burners. The many camera hints are very good. Thus the inclined player knows any time where he has to go there. Though there are a few smaller texture mistakes, but they strike only if one looks very exactly.
Summary: Apart from the appealed little things Aza has built a very good level in which the inclined player will have a lot of fun with about one hour net playing time." - Scottie

"This starts in the ruins of TR1 Palace Midas for a comforting familiarity, and to lull players into a false sense of security, since the level and challenges will be new (NOT a remake). I liked the appearance of "Midas Tribute"; it strikes the right balance of decoration and lighting to be suggestive of the original. Enemies are hoarse lions and pale orange crocodiles. It has novel game play with a double jump-switch slide, and four furnaces whose hot air blasts assist Lara in soaring through the air. It took about forty-five minutes to find the three scrolls that turn gold into lead (Au to Pb). After a straightforward block puzzle, it concludes with Lara placing the scrolls, which entails finding switches to turn off spikes. This is not difficult, so players can always hunt up the last secret. A final fly-by shows Palace Midas restored, with apes leaping around. I won't have minded seeing a bit more of the original Palace Midas incorporated here, or having the apes in the level itself, rather than just in the end fly-by. Not much more than an hour to play. The author's levels often leave one wanting more. Well done, recommended." - dmdibl

"Over 10 years I'm not playing to TR1 and to see the title (the TR4, not the title of this level) remember some good memories. However this level is not a copy of the original Midas, the gameplay consist mostly to search levers or cracks, there is also one push-puzzle and some "pixel jumps" with burners, but I cannot say I enjoyed this room... The final flyby is really excellent nevertheless I was a little disappointed when the game is over, I expected something "more substantial" after all these search." - Jerrod

"The Skribblez Stonez (still waiting for more) were one of my favorite issues in the TRLE Custom Level series and so I immediately downloaded Tribute Midas by Aza to see what`s going on in that part of the world. It begins with the well known TR 1 scenery where Lara encounters an area where she has to pull a number of switches in a certain sequence to open a number of doors, if I remember rightly. Now this time there is only one door to be opened but unfortunately all switches have been destroyed, scattered on the ground. Time for Lara to put on her thinking cap and put things into order again. And Lara would not be Lara if she did not take up the challenge to do so. This adventure is based upon one central area from which Lara has to decide how she wants to open certain doors, but all in all she can`t fail for the gameplay is rather linear and leads our heroine from step to step once she has accomplished a certain task on her way towards wisdom. As in Aza's previous issues you will expect a very well worked out game, no gamestoppers or impossible timed runs but solid good work, both in gameplay and design. The final flyby shows the central area again where mysterious things have happened. The broken wall switches have been repaired and wild beasts are roaming the place. But the golden gate still remains closed and so the game ends. I am almost sure it's just the shape of things to come. (Harry, can you hear me ...?)" - Ruben