Level reviews

"A romp through modern looking Venice. It took me just shy of an hour to beat and It's a definite improvement from the author's earlier work. City is decently textured and lighting is solid. A few bland spots here and there, but nothing too serious. Mostly base assets present, but there's a handful of custom textures here and there to spice things up and keep the level interesting. Enemy placement is nice and it reminds one of the original TR2 difficulty. Unfortunately the gameplay kinda falls flat because of the insane amount of backtracking required to reach areas to explore. You will be tasked with going back and forth at least twice to progress and three times if you want the final secret, which requires that you waste about ten minutes backtracking to the other side of the level just to pick it up. The game is also slightly unstable and it crashed quite a bit for me while picking up keys or pushing blocks. All things considered, an above average adventure that will keep a casual player entertained." - LuxQSD

"This is a rather large TR2 level with lots of areas to explore and surprise, lots of back tracking and the galling thing about this is that mostly you have no clue what opened where after pushing a button so it's a lot of "suck it and see" unfortunately. My game crashed regularly in the movable box puzzle so I am unclear IF there was anything behind that one box,and if it was required or would help in my quest. The one maze was terrible and all that for a single switch. Could the author pad this out any more? Textures were reasonable with the normal paper thin walls in places and going for the last secret is hardly worth the effort so why bother? Sorry but I did not enjoy this one at all." - Torry

"This was my first TR2 custom level ever played back in 2010, so it's not a coincidence that I've chosen this as my first review. The first time, I instantly fell in love with it (probably because it made me found out about the unofficial level editor). Personal feelings aside, this is a simple but very well designed city level that sets the right environment, a mixture of Venice and Nightmare in Vegas. Enemies and weapons are well balanced, and there are plenty of traps and pushable puzzles to keep you entertained. On the negative side, there are no camera hints as to what door was opened, excesive backtracking (especially for the last secret), and the thing that bugs me the most was that once you find the uzis there is almost no more enemies to kill (after collecting a generous amount of uzi clips). Lighting and textures are OK mostly. Recommended for TR2 fans." - Feder

"I didn't really enjoy my time here, despite the fact that I usually like Venice levels and the appearance here was rather different, sort of like a patchwork city. The annoying backtracking got incredibly wearying after a while (especially through all those teeth doors), the labyrinthine areas dragged on too much and there were a few too many long corridors. That secret really pushed it as well (the gold dragon). I liked the block puzzles and the timed run (shame there was no camera hint), but all in all, not really my cup of tea." - Ryan

"I don't really know how to say this, but this level just didn't click for me. First thing that caught my attention was the design, it's a pretty big city and with so many places to go it soon becomes obvious there'll be backtracking at some point, and of course there was. I'm not going to say "lots of it" because I ran into dead ends so many times in a row I quickly lost interest and was very distracted while playing, so maybe it's all on me. There was also a weird maze-like area which was a bit cheaty as the one thing you're looking for is behind a wafer thin wall - the very thing you're not looking out for. Also, I can't describe how much I've learned to despise opera counterweight traps. You get plenty of them here, without warning, so for your own sake save often, especially as there are lots of "safe" sections between all that running. Maybe it just wasn't my day, sorry. 120 minutes. 05/17" - Treeble

"Level has a bit of TR2-feeling what is plus for me. I needed walkthrought to find timed door (where is the camera to show it?). I liked enemies, very TR2 styled. There are sometimes very long runways back and forth. Maybe fewer droppable sacks would be beter for level. My runtime was 1h 28min." - vienna

"This level, which seems to be a continuation of the builder's last level was even better, although I liked the first one. It's interesting decorated and is not a short level as well." - Nuri

"The whole level was, in the end, disappointing. The backtracking is completely nonsense, no specific order to follow. The keys are scattered in the most random way through the level, which causes you to go back in fourth in search of the right key to open the right key hole. The enemies did turn the level more enjoyable, and the secrets as well. Although i just find the silver dragon, and from what i've read in the walkthrough, the last dragon is more of the tedious backtracking. There's also a timed door which you need to guess, that it opens and that it's timed. I had to check the walkthrough (which could have been better written, too confusing and little details to help you understand what you need to do) If the level wasn't already boring enough, there is no background sound (at least for me, might be bug) and the atmosphere is poor. The level design has good basics but it's to blank. The objects can be annoying as well, as they are too close to each other, resulting in Lara bugging a lot, but it's well decorated. However, it does catches a bit of the TR2 feeling, but fails to make me enjoy it enough to give it a better score." - Zhyttya

"Hmm I'm of two minds with this level. I played it two times without the walkthrough but ended up in one of the mazes and I just couldn't get out or even continue for that matter as I lacked a key pick-up. So this time using the walkthrough I did see where I went wrong. Still not sure (even if I managed that maze on my own), that I could get the key though. But hey who is counting. Nasty enemies and dogs in this level and they come in droves, I always hate that. There are quite a few traps, luckily not to hard to master. Found two secrets all on my own but decided not to go for the third one." - Gerty

"While definitely a better attempt than the builder's last Venice level, the overall tedium to it all still resonated throughout my playthrough, with constant back and forth progression required in order to figure out what you're even supposed to do for that matter, in-between all the local enemy slaughter, key-hunting and button pushing. The texturing on the other hand(despite not being as repetitively placed as last time thankfully), just feels a bit too crude with its use of textures from other sources alongside the more traditional TR2 Venice ones here. And the level design unfortunately has got far too many easy opportunities to see the end of the world, with plenty of noticeably blocky rooms to run around in and issues with object collision/placement that can run the risk of getting Lara stuck irritatingly for brief periods at times(which I personally feel could have done very much without.) In conclusion, despite some decent lighting usage and some well-fitting objects, enemies and traps, this is another one of those levels that I didn't really have much fun with. Would I still recommend this to others though? Hmm, perhaps. But unless you're willing to put up with a lot of potential tedium during play, this is one release that is rather tricky to recommend from my point of view at least." - Ceamonks890

"I don't know why but I abandoned this game at the time it was released, so as I want to finish all TR 2 levels soon I gave this one a second try. In contrast to most of the other, newer releases of Franco, I found this offering to actually a bit overrated as even if this level was quite charming in its appearance I found the architecture to be rather simplistic and faulty with too blocky areas and a lot of wafer thin walls (although the one in the maze was indeed a good hint where to get on). This level soon turns out to be quite a non-linear level with a hunt for a lot of keys and some of them can be easily missed and thus the walkthrough is pretty necessary to finish this level. Sometimes camera clues were missing completely or weren't really helpful and you are treated to search the pretty large map to eventually find the right door. But I still think that exploring this Venice and slowly unfolding more and more areas was pretty fun and a couple of more or less tricky traps like blades, doors or swinging bags were added for good measure and the enemy placement was excellent - luckily a lot of weapons are provided, but the Uzis could only be found after the last enemy is already killed (unless you're doing things in a different order). Missed the last of the three secrets but I refused to go back all the way through the level to get it. The level end was pretty abrupt after still 50 minutes of net gametime as it ends just before entering another trap passage - that left me with a feeling this level is rather unfinished, but at least it's nice to see how the quality of Franco's levels have increased since this level." - manarch2

"Another solid outing here from FrancoBula. A Venice level based on the TR2 engine it's always nice to play something with a bit more of a retro feel amongst the super-high res offerings we have elsewhere. The one thing that I would say from the outset however is that I do not feel that this level as good as Franco's previous level visually. The texturing feels cruder, and a little more rushed, and the wafer thin walls are a beginners mistake which is disappointing. Visual flaws aside however and what you've got is a nice little key-hunt combined with some nasty traps, timed runs and some fairly extensive backtracking (which I don't mind!). It feels very open from the outset, so if wide maps aren't your thing you might find this one tricky. Personally I enjoyed it allot :). All in all I got 1 hour 20 minutes worth of gameplay from 'Going to New Venice'. It represents a step forward for Franco in terms of game-structure, but I hope that he focuses more on texturing & lighting going forwards, and does away with those wafer thin walls! Recommended. Stiggy." - TheStig

"I spent well over an hour making my way through this labyrinthine TR2 level, and when it was all over I asked myself if I'd had a good time. Upon reflection, the answer was a resounding no. Too much backtracking, too many crude textures, too many tedious tasks. There was a nice timed run halfway through the adventure to spark things up a bit, but when all was said and done I probably stuck with it longer than I should have out of a sheer sense of duty. I'm not quite at the point where I say that I'm going to stick with TR4 levels in the future (not with great releases such as Wolf 3 out there), but I'm close. Sorry, but I can't recommend this one." - Phil

"An hour long adventure through different areas of a huge city level, using the TR2 engine. Essentially the gameplay is the search for tons of keys, which are oddly named (or unlabeled as with K3). If you run into a keyhole without the right key, there's a good chance you will have to return the way you came, sometimes all the way back to the beginning of the level, in order to find a new route. Besides that, and the almost overwhelming layout of the place (including a maze section), the level is pretty entertaining. There are plenty of traps to conquer, timed runs to dash through, and enemies to shoot down before you reach the goal. The secrets were fun to get to as well (though I didn't get to the gold one). The looks could use some work however, as you can look over the edge of the thin borders, if you climb high enough in the city, and the are some untextured items like the blade traps. Some more camera cues would have helped too (there was only one that I recall), because it was hard to tell what door you just opened - even with the timed switches. Those small tables and chairs scattered everywhere have aggravating collision, so try to steer clear of them. I realize I have many gripes listed here, but I would still recommend this TR2 level for raiders, as long as you have patience. If the author cuts down on the keys a little, as well as the mazes, the next level could be a great one." - SSJ6Wolf

"Not a bad hour long level indeed, even though I would rather have the old Venice over this new one in terms of looks anytime. What we get here looks more like an industrial ugly city and even the occasional pool and garden does not allow for this to be a charming and inviting place. But we are here to do business, which is all about killing dogs and bad guys, finding keys and surviving many blade traps. There are a few push puzzles thrown in for good measure and a timed run (which could have used a camera hint) and the downside for me was mainly that it is quite pedestrian and has you run from one corner of the level to the distant other corner a few times. And it has a few maze like areas which could easily have been omitted. Still, a decent offering and worthwile raid." - MichaelP

"Aproppriate title; the level doesn't look like the typical venice levels. Architecture is simple, and lights and textures are correct but not very pleasing to the eye. Near the beginning there's a timed button, but there's not a camera so you can waste your time looking for a door you'll never find 'cause you need to open a previous door first with a switch which is very far from you in a nasty labyrinth and return a long way. Also it's easy you find closed doors with no keys to open them; the door with the blade is very far, and I've got the key a long time after. Even so the level is not so bad, playable, but nothing special to comment about it." - Jose

"Come back with a lot of fun for a level tr2, but the fun is not necessarily always here in this level. Many thin walls, it lacking a camera during the time run (which door was open when you press the button?). The good sides are the secrets of the level (small dragon), the search of the keys to finish the level, the enemies well placed in the game. Beware to the head when Lara is taking the keys. Congratulations to the author who is a lot improved." - Minox

"Although considerably more ambitious than the author's previous Venetian level,this adventure resolutely refused to click with me.It was the combination of key collecting in large labyrinthine areas,combined with a general lack of camera clues (that "timed switch that didn't register as such" brought the game dribbling to a complete halt),patchwork texturing (nothing resembled anything particularly venetian,except for a few waterised areas which might broadly be defined as 'canal-like')and a somewhat back-and-forth progression which caused me to be less than enthusiastic.Some sneaky uses of sand-bags and deadly blades,one or two surprise enemy attacks and a couple of decent block-pushing puzzles lifted things to a degree;but the baffling ending (was it supposed to be a deliberate joke..?)was the icing on the Tedium Cake." - Orbit Dream

"I don't even like TR3 levels and was prepared to hate this TR2 flashback but I was pleasantly surprised. No, more than that, I was sucked into the genre after only a few minutes play and had a whale of a nostalgic time! Apart from trying to climb into crawl spaces (remember, you can't in TR2, I didn't!) and lighting flares every time I wanted to sprint, it was a blast from the past as TR2 was the first Lara game I played (and what got me hooked). Lots of baddies, dogs, spiked balls, spring blades, timed runs, underwater maze, yummy! Don't forget - you have to choose which key to use in which keyhole in this version, it's not automatic. I forgot and it caused me a problem 'till I got the ancient brain in gear. An added bonus is that the secrets are those coloured dragons. All in all, great stuff." - Diz

"Going to New Venice says already almost everything, because this Venice looks more modern than original Venice. I find this rather a pity, because if I already play a TR2 level, nevertheless, I would also like to have the original feeling of that time. Now this should not be called which looks bad the level, but there is no right atmosphere. A small negative point is the camera. It is positioned something too deeply. Outdoors one can climb several times too far upwards, because if one is so far on top, one clearly sees the level limitations and texture mistakes. But all together it has given a lot of pleasure. Apart from a few inadequacy the level looked good. I could recognise no stretched textures, the sound very felt well and the opponents were no much too big problem, because one could find enough weapons, ammunition and Medipacks. However, the time run was scarce a little bit, above all also because one could not dash. And it would have been better if the level builder had pointed with a Flyby where one could find the door. Result: Apart from the fact which was absent a little bit the feeling of the Original-Venice, this was a good level." - Scottie

"It look pretty much like good old TR2 Venice actually, just with a few touches of 'Nightmare in Vegas' and 'It's a Madhouse' thrown in for good measure - a not entirely unsuccessful mix, surprisingly. I do find it a bit of a shock raiding the old fashioned way, without crawling or sprinting etc., but it was certainly interesting having to accomplish a timed run without the sprint button. My running and jumping skills had to be quickly rediscovered for the occasion, but it did make rather a nice change. There's a fair bit of swimming of course - this is Venice after all - and a maze at one point, but luckily not a dark one. The usual thugs, henchmen and dogs seem to be hiding round every corner and there are some good slashing blade/swinging spike bag traps to avoid. I got stuck at one point because I had no idea what a timed button near the start of the level had opened, but otherwise it's reasonably straightforward, although it does involve an element of backtracking. If you're a TR2 fan, this is definitely one to catch and even if you're not especially fond of the genre I think you might be pleasantly surprised at how entertaining this is." - Jay

"A good fun TR2 level which takes about one hour, forty-five minutes, with two secrets found (one small door never opened, and I suspect that had something to do with the third secret). I have mixed feelings compared to the author's previous level. There is definite improvement in the logic. Everything works and comes together in the end, with a well-plotted map for Lara to explore--though exploration can be exhausting. Plenty of enemies spice things up, usually ambushing Lara. There are good uses of push blocks, spike bags, and blades. A lot of sandbags fall on Lara's head. At first this is annoying: Lara sees a key, hops over and picks it up, and a sandbag falls on her head. With work and time Lara finally places that key--yes, yes, the door opens at last!--then a sandbag falls on her head. Sometimes you don't know whether to laugh or cry. My main complaint is one timed switch near the start, where for the life of Lara I couldn't figure out what it did. Maybe this was mostly because the section with the timed door was not yet accessible. But the author uses sweeping camera shots in other places, and a camera clue really would help here. The timed run itself at first seems impossible, as Lara doesn't have a sprint ability yet, but with Lara cutting all corners, and doing a lot of leaping (Lara travels faster in air), the timed run can be done. When Lara climbs up to roofs, we see that higher roofs are missing, for end-of-world views. I remember the author's previous Venice level as being cruder, with some odd rooms, but it was still a lot of fun. Now, while there is improvement in plotting out game play, there are negatives such as areas that are blockish and tedious. This was particularly true of a mazelike area on the floor above six or eight slicing doors (play drags, and all for one push button), and of a mazelike area where I think Lara gets the K3 key. My impression is that this is a promising release, but the author hasn't quite integrated the best features together. I'm certainly interested to see what the author produces in the future." - dmdibl

"This is not Venice like we used to know. Cloudy, heavy sky covers the city that stood still, making an impression of late autumn adventure. By mixing TR1 and TR2 feelings, Franco Bula takes us into the district we have never seen before, and this part of Venice lives two lifes simultaneously. In one minute, running through a courtyard decorated with shop windows full of details, we encounter Bartoli's minions, but in another we find ourselves in dark, ruined catacombs full of classic traps. In one moment we swim through gloomy underwater passages, in another we find some rest among comfy brick walls or in the city restaurant. We can find all these things in complex areas made of simple elements. I really appreciate this talent when an author can create something from nothing and I'm glad I've felt it in this level. Now, for what I found disturbing: there is one annoying backtrack which a player can't avoid. Ouch! Also, some textures are placed wrong and some are not placed at all. But these are the only two mistakes I noticed. The rest of the game is designed very well. NOTE for all of those who didn't notice it's TR2 project - don't care about its simplicity. It's not graphic quality what makes a good game. SUMMARY: If you fancy reminding yourself of the old TR classics, or if you can't decide which one of them was better - TR1 or TR2 - experience feelings of both of them, mixed and included in this little adventure. At least one and half an hour of fun, sometimes thriling, sometimes relaxing. It seems there will be a sequel of this marvel. I hope so, because there is not so many good TR2 customs in here. And I'm happy there is an author who wants to change it for better." - DJ Full