Level reviews

"The shortest entry so far, with possibly the biggest (quite literally) surprise in the whole set. I'm not particularly sold on the new torch holding animation but I'd rather have it used in a short release such as this one. Placing the stick on the wall to reach a higher ledge wasn't quite as I pictured but I still appreciate the effect, not sure I could say the same for the massive slowdown in the area with the rotating blades - I believe it's intentional as it only happened as I was hopping across the top of the blocks and I presume it's a way of replicating the same effect seen in modern games. Here, it felt clunky, but perhaps that's just me. The ending was also rather abrupt and I still have no idea whatever was going on in this level. 5 minutes. 11/22" - Treeble

"What was that ending? Entering into a giant snake's mouth were you can find the dead body of a man that has to be incinerated. That was kinda creepy. The level itself is short but fun, with some nice animations for Lara as well as sounds. The few traps are easy to get past, and I didn't find any enemies on the way. Overall this is a good little level with an interesting story which I don't think I'll ever get to know. Maybe if the level had been named something else than 'One Room Contest', I would have gotten a clue of what all was about." - alan

"I actually found this little level quite fun. So much to do in a short five minute raid and the giant snake, well it was not expected. I did need to refer to the walk through right at the end as seriously, I have to enter the mouth of that snake?" - Torry

"This level looks and feels brilliant. Crisp texturing and lighting and creepy audio really help make it atmospheric. It's just a shame that there isn't that much to do and this ended far too soon. Negotiate a blade trapped room under slow motion constraints, perform a long jump to obtain an item, witness a neat snake attack, burn a dead soldier and then...it ends." - Ryan

"This level looks like it's set in the far east, with very nice looking bamboo trees spotted around, and a large bonzai looking tree. There's also some sheep here and there. The lighting is very good and works well with textures to create an authentic atmosphere. The TR underworld style texturing is incredibly detailed and looks 3D until you get up close, there's plenty of variety and does look as though it's been worn down over time to give a natural appearance, and I like the mist that pervades some rooms - I think it's an object rather than effect, the large circle with a star in it I particularly like, and waterfalls. I'm unable to save as it crashes so had to be particularly careful. You must collect a collect a key disk but must find a pole first which allows Lara to jump across, between you and pole is a spinning floor trap, and spikes which look crooked but in a good way, once you've got the disk, back to the start but something shocking slivers past and kills the sheep - really scary stuff. Place the item, open the door, then dor a few jumps near some flames and lava, this room has a nice diagnonal wall in it and ripple effects caused by the smoke, then you light a torch and enter the snakes mouth and light the snake, then the game ends. The gameplay overall is very unique - I've never seen it done like this before, textuinglighting is flawless, sound is mostly standard, and objects are perfect for the location, the only issues as I said were the saving, and the slow performance in the blade room, and if you take the torch into the snake room, you can't take it out again - so 2 game stoppers sadly. 10 minutes approx net gameplay." - sonnyd83

"Beautiful level with fantastic atmosphere and good gameplay, but it was too short and when I tried to save the game crashed. The snake scare was very good and even if it's short you can easily set yourself on fire. Very good ideas and amazing animations, took me...3 minutes. Recommended for fast raiders." - misho98

"This was a little frustrating for me because I see this level 2 ways. Atmospherically PH has got it spot on here. The texturing, the lighting and the structure are all great. Music adds the right level of suspense (taken from the Underworld Soundtrack). The gameplay (despite being short at around 5 minutes) is also all good (I like the slow-motion blade-trap run). And OMG that snake scared the CRAP out of meeee! On the other hand it's yet another unpolished product. This time isn't not bugs in the presentation/texturing/gameplay but the packaging that lets this down. Firstly there's no wide-screen support on the tomb4 exe and secondly you cant save (or at-least I couldn't anyway on 2 separate systems). Despite this I'd still say this has high potential to be extended outside the scope of the original one room challenge constraints. Stiggy." - TheStig

"This is the level that feels most sabotaged by the small size of the levels in the contest (although it feels a little more could be done with it regardless), and feels like it should be part of a much longer level; there's a few small platforming challenges at the start, a cool "scare the hell out of you" moment, and then a final torch puzzle (that's easy to get stuck on if you don't backtrack immediately) and it's over. The setting is great looking, and there's some unique objects used. With a little more fleshing out this would be one of the best in the contest." - Mman

"What is it Philip, no binoculars again, don't do that, especially when you have a fixed camera and no idea what to do in that room. The receptacle you have to use is ever so small that it was sheer luck from my part. Best part was that snake; that was a real jumper LOL" - Gerty

"This one is tough to grade. It lasts only five minutes or so, but the adrenalin is pumping nonstop, boosted by the looping action music. The ambiance is as effective as anything I've seen lately, hence the top score in that category. On the other hand, when you try to save, the game crashes. So I played in god mode. Tit for tat. If the builder elects to use this as a springboard for a level of traditional length, he may well have a winner on his hands. I liked it a lot, but it left me wanting more." - Phil

"In a moment I would never expect, it has frozen me for several seconds. Maybe my heart started to beat faster, but I didn't think about checking it - because my mind was also frozen for a while. When I think about it now, even in full daylight, I want to show it to my father, my mother, my girlfriend and my dog and scare them all to death. PH, now You're obliged to go teach Lima how to make horrors - I ensure You no place in 'Dark City' is in 1/4 as scary as Your snake application. And those dead sheep are a priceless sight to me. You are a crazy builder - in the end, I needed to make a human barbecue and I don't understand it, but I love it. (Of course, if I was You, the goal would have probably been to place this final dead guy's head in its right place, for him to spin it horizontally... or vertically... and sing a cruel song about snakes. There is an appropriate one I know, and it goes: BADGER, BADGER, BADGER, BADGER, BADGER, BADGER, BADGER, BADGER, BADGER, BADGER, BADGER, BADGER, MUSHROOM, MUSHROOM, SNAAKE, SNAAAKE, SNAAAAKE... Thank God You're not me - that's why Your adventure remains Tomb Raider.) Of course, apart from the snake, we can encounter more things - a plough and spike agility test, a clever usage of a polerope and some nice visuals - huuuuge grass, cobwebs, a skeleton... and a laptop with running Strpix on it. Who made this object? SUMMARY: Beautiful, atmospheric and relaxing... that's why the snake is so scary that I love it. HISSS..." - DJ Full

"I liked the creative touches employed here, however, not that I begrudge the appreciation of players the level has received, I have to agree with Michael that there isn't actually that much going on in here for it to be fully justified. The looks are nice and mysterious, the atmosphere somewhat spooky, the snake moment caught me off guard so I even jumped back a little, and the use of the pole to get a needed item is fairly clever. I enjoyed the slow-motion spike blade jump as well, but I can see how it could be mistaken for the game lagging instead by some players, so something more could've been done to set it apart as such. From the point of view of setting up tension and drama - it did not make much sense for the snake to storm by on first encounter and then just wait passively by the end of the level for Lara to get any task intended to kill it over with. Again, not to say I did not enjoy getting some payback for the fright it gave me, but it just didn't seem so well thought through. Overall though - the game is nice-looking, relatively brief and simple to play, so worth a go, though not necessarily the masterpiece I expected having read the reviews." - eTux

"I am amazed how my fellow reviewers let PH get away with such high gameplay and puzzle scores. Sorry to say, but there simply is no relevant gameplay or puzzles here that warrants a higher score from me and the little that is there is even badly designed (if you drop with an unlit torch into the snake room, you need to reload a save; the Jerrycan is not even needed...). It does indeed look great though and the snake effect is rather cool, as is the short slow motion jump sequence and the use of the pole and jump across it. At the end of the day though, this does not keep up with any of the other entries in the competition and an experienced builder like PH probably put it together quickly over a weekend..." - MichaelP

"This is a pretty and atmospheric level, with several unusual ideas and new moves (as we have come to expect from PH). But unfortunately it's far too short (even considering the constraints of this contest) and ends strangely and abruptly. The snake theme is an interesting one, and the encounter with the giant snake is definitely an 'eek' moment. Getting inside the snake to burn its victim is a little weird, though, and doesn't make much sense (and it can be done without getting the jerrycan). On the other hand, using a pole to jump further is a cool idea. I am not sure why Lara jumps in slow motion in the room with the rotating trap.
The environment is nicely done, with good textures, and several unusual objects, like a circular opening in a wall, and the inside of the giant snake! The music is good.
Overall: An interesting germ of an idea, but it really needs to be developed further, because as it is now, it serves only as a very tiny demo." - Mytly

"A very short level that seemed to hang on a few special effects. Take those out and there was little gameplay left. Good lighting throughout, nice use of textures, well made areas but why the fixed camera angle? It seemed pointless and just irritated. I'm sure this could be developed into a very good level, the builder is obviously talented and has a quirky imagination (quirky is good). A strange ending that left me wondering"Is that it?" I wanted more." - Diz

"This One Room Challenge entry is what I would consider a typical PH level, full of custom moves, epic music and very cinematic appearance. Game is easy if you have played levels by the builder before. The giant snake that blew by like a freight train was pretty cool and quite a surprise. It was a fun level with very good-looking and flawless textures, lighting and atmosphere. Unfortunately also very short and ending could have been a little more rewarding. (5 min, 0 secrets)" - Blue43

"The gameplay is rather simple and straightforward, but the atmosphere makes this level worth playing. There is also an extremely memorable moment that I don't want to spoil, but it really startled me (which I consider a good thing because it was very amusing after the fact that the level scared me so much when I wasn't expecting it)." - Ward Dragon

"This level was really short but nice. It slightly reminds me of GMac levels and south american levels. The giant snake scared me! It made me jump actually. I liked the idea that you have to use a pole to reach a key. In the end there seems to be a snake head and you can go inside it and find a dead man. I brought my torch there and lit the back of it's mouth and the level ended. That wasn't a very good ending but the atmosphere was amazing! Try it out now." - afzalmiah

"Visually,this level hits you between the eyes and never lets up.Lighting and texturing display a true gift on the part of the builder,and his use of objects is highly entertaining (the giant snake is a real 'wow' moment).As far as gameplay is concerned,it's all highly sequential and disappointingly brief .Perform a slow motion sequence of jumps;an enjoyably gimmicky tightrope jump,set fire to some poor unfortunate soul,and it's all over. 9 minutes of splendidly atmospherical,but somewhat under-developed,fun." - Orbit Dream

"Even this short sequence shows the creativity of this talented builder. I liked the idea with the pole that has to be placed to reach a key. The sheep-killing snake is an inventive idea. A fixed camera - normally I'm no friend of - doesn't disturb that much here. A short and easy torch-puzzle ends up this small sequence with good ideas. Sound, perfectly built surrounding and well created lightning mix up to an outstanding atmosphere. It could be a part of a great level." - Christian

"This seems more like a good demo than a contest entry; if one looks at the map, the layout is wasteful of the allotted one-room space. What this does have is a new walkable pole from which Lara can make a super leap. Then there is an enormous snake that goes racing in front of Lara, mowing down sheep in its path. After that Lara opens a door, lights a torch, and has to figure out what to do with a jerry can in a level that is short even by contest standards. So mostly this seems to be about the new pole and the snake effects. As a demo this makes us want more. I'm not sure why the binoculars were removed, or why Lara has to put up with a fixed camera in one area. Fun and quite short." - dmdibl

"Yet another level in this little contest that I was just settling into when it ended. Short, but oh so sweet, with some imaginative twists in gameplay. In particular, the huge snake that whooshed past like an express train made me jump and it was wonderful to see it later on, having apparently swallowed a victim. There are a few nice jumps to achieve and a torch to use and I really, really wanted it to carry on." - Jay

"Note: I will not be reviewing this level with leniency due to the fact it only contained 1 or 2 rooms, as it deserves to be treated the same as any other level. This was a strange level to play, as looked great and played well, but only seemed half-done. Let me explain, the gameplay was fun, with challenges such as the avoiding spikes and a rotating blade while in slow motion, and passing the fires, but as clever as it was, it was too simple. I found a pole in one room, so I pick it up and place it in the next, where I get a gem and place it in the next room etc. Then after a few minutes of this, the level ended, and I was not really sure of the point of the giant snake. But now onto the positives. This level looked stunning, with an annoying camera angle, which showed off the lovely design and texturing of the 'large room'. The atmosphere was great, and no texture felt out of place in the whole level. Really, the gameplay wasn't bad, it was just too simple, but I would say that you should play this level to experience the clever gameplay elements that the builder has used, and to be amazed by some of the texturing. Recommended." - Cory

"Very short this one with very few tasks to do, but sneaky ideas, like the use for the pole or the snake animation. I liked a lot the background music and the misterious ambience. The fixed camera in the cave room is not very comfortable for the players, but not nasty 'cause there's no much to do in that room. We can notice the gret imagination from this builder even in a level so short. Cool!" - Jose

"I really enjoyed this unusual level with all its fine ideas in it. From the reminder of TR 4's Burial Chamber's rotating trap over a snake that kills few sheep and a pole jump to finally a nice way of burning a corpse. The atmopshere was quite good but this level was really too short. I had to replay once so I only needed about three (!) minutes for the hole level, and I disliked the fixed camera in one area. The fire area was nice, but - with saving system - too easy. A nice level, but way too short." - manarch2

"What a great start this level, I say first because as I'd like Scottie that this adventure continues. The decor is very well done and very original gameplay. When the big snake across the room I almost fell off my chair :), scary music goes very well with. PH congratulations, we made ​​a sequel, please!" - Daffy

"Does mean "One Room Challenge" really that the level builder must limit himself on one room? And if so, can there generally something originate reasonable from it? Anyhow I have my doubts, because I always have "Lara in the box" in my mind. Well, we will see what the level builders have made with this regulation.
The only problem is that this level takes only about 8 minutes. I would love to play a bit longer, because this level was a lot of fun. He looked good, had great puzzles, and good lighting. I especially like the jump from the pole and the slow motion in the room with the rotating blades. It would be great if PH could extend this level so that it becomes a really big project." - Scottie