Level reviews

"Temple of the lost baboon offers some nice looking temple areas with great lighting and varied textures to navigate and explore through especially the water areas, They looked great! Activities involve collecting a couple of gems (trial and error in one case) finding levers with some swimming, a small platforming task and a few traps to avoid such as fire, boulders and toxic water to jump across. Enemies you’ll have to contend with tribesmen, fire wraith ghosts, sea hag, small Dinos and a couple of non threatening monkeys to keep you company. I liked the layout of the level and how it looked but overall wished there was more to do, it lacked much puzzles and some more challenges would of definitely been appreciated, I would say this small adventure was a case of a little too much style over substance for me personally but would be perfect for beginners who want to dip their toes in the water first." - John

"Not going to lie: the missing sound effects were quite a bummer. I've been guilty of similar in the past, but in this case where visually it does seem like the author put a whole lot of care into texturing and lighting in a cohesive way (the flare bug kicks in towards the end) then you have silent enemies and breaking floors. Otherwise it's a short and simple, but effective, raid. Nothing to write home about but good enough to distract you from the ever-depressing real life for a few moments. 20 minutes, 1 secret. 08/24" - Treeble

"Fast-paced, cozy and filled with life. Good immersion and interaction. Skips the weapon I needed but also doesn't have much combat. I don't know what location this is but the resource mix felt coherent enough. With the current difficulty it can be played even by inexperienced raiders." - DJ Full

"This is one of the many levels that try their damnedest to give off that Anniversary Peru vibe, but between a texture set that also includes distinctly Greek and Egyptian ornaments, the marine fauna that inhabits the water pools, and a motley crew of enemies (South Pacific cannibals, a Library tinman, floating sea-hags, dinosaurs), you'd be hard pressed to pin down any specific location for this level to take place in. It's not surprising, then, that the baboon got lost in this no man's land - and since you never get to meet it, it also stays that way. Gameplay is fairly varied, but the level is quite short and also very easy. I found both secrets without going out of my way looking for any. Most enemies are pitifully inefficient, often having obvious difficulties with pathfinding. One scene, clearly inspired by the penultimate level of TR2, has Lara drop into a cage surrounded by cannibals, but when she opens its gate, nobody cares to attack her. The level also features the least threatening fire wraiths I've encountered yet (triggered at the top of a waterfall). Puzzles don't figure prominently, but there is a magic mirror which is supposed to help you pick the one Gem ( - Hand of Orion') that's not booby-trapped. I didn't notice this at first because I was distracted by the fact that it isn't even a mirror (Lara isn't reflected in it, the plants are there but not mirrored, and the Gem's mirror image doesn't disappear when you pick it up). Instead I solved this puzzle by making an educated guess: it'll probably be the one farthest from the entrance. In the latter part of the level, you come across what looks like remnants of an aborted Torch puzzle.
Most effort has been expended on the looks, and so the texturing is generally fine, though it leans heavily towards the ornamental (it's one of those levels where canals and cisterns sport finely sculpted ornamentation), and obviously the builder should have stuck with one location rather than pick and choose his textures from all over the reboot version of TR1. Some distorted textures stand out, usually in spots where walls meet irregularly-shaped floors; a rare enough occurrence, since the architecture is not particularly ambitious and rather blocky. It's also too neatly symmetrical. In one instance the builder avoids this by having one of two symmetrically arranged corridors collapsed, but on other occasions this approach introduces redundancies and renders the architecture less interesting than it might otherwise be. One of the early water rooms is dodgy, as sometimes Lara refuses to surface and seems to get stuck while the camera moves into the room above. There's an oddly pointless flyby, and the flare bug is present as well.
The main issue when it comes to design, however, is sound. The Title music is very very loud, so you may want to turn it down, but then the in-game ambience and audio cues are barely audible. And when turning the volume up again in order to remedy the situation, you obviously get the blaring music whenever you go back to the Title screen, which makes it feel rather like an ad break and you should be on your way to the loo. De-amplifying the Title track would not have been a feat of wizardry. Even more distractingly, the SFX are messed up very thoroughly: once more Lara sounds like a chipmunk, her footsteps like someone's tapping impatiently with a pencil, and when she brushes past one of the TR3 monkeys (here presumably standing in for baboons), she may give out a sharp yell as if some thug was giving her a thrashing with a baseball bat. Most sounds not associated with Lara are simply missing (enemies, doors, rollingballs, waterfalls are silent; there's no flooding sound for the water flipmap; the little green dinosaurs retch like mummies). The circumstance that the builder paid much attention to texturing while neglecting sound completely gives the impression that the level wasn't created to be played so much as to be looked at, in screenshots or edited videos." - Mulf

"This looks lovely right from the outset, with its beautiful textures and rather eerie and colourful use of lighting, and the atmosphere also works surprisingly well. The gameplay is straightforward with little pause for thought, but not without its moments and I thought that the (admittedly mild) trap sequences and small mirror puzzle were quite nifty. What I wasn't really fond of was that the enemies tended to attack in a bit of an uninspiring manner - meaning that they were either annoying/frustrating to battle, or laughably easy to take down. Still, it's quite a pleasing little jaunt overall and definitely worth a look." - Ryan

"It's always great to see strong evolution in the style & sophistication in levels built by various authors. Compared to their first release this is a quantum leap in terms of structure & visuals. Lovely large expansive chambers, lovingly textured & beautifully lit. Nasties are fairly sparsely spaced with a few spike wielding locals creeping out of the shadows to deal with visitors. There did seem to be a few minor sound glitches which is a shame, but thankfully it didn't detract too heavily from the experience. I'm embarrassed to say it took me 40 minutes to complete this (as opposed to the 20 odd minutes reported by most other reviewers, but I do like to get into every corner of the map!). It definitely left me wanting more. Recommended! Stiggy :)" - TheStig

"A relatively short debut level at just above 20 minutes, but it has a 'modern' look and feel to it, which makes it an enjoyable raid. The author has taken care of decent texturing and played a bit with lighting, so the atmosphere works rather well. Gameplay is on the linear and simpler side, but some fire jumps where you need to be careful not to burn spice it up ever so slightly. A promising start, so looking forward to seeing more from this builder." - MichaelP

"Baboon enthusiasts, rejoice. There are baboons everywhere in this temple. There are also useless purple flares that don't seem to light the area around Lara very well. There are also sea monsters that are flying through the air(?) and raptors that like to keep running into the wall because there is no space for them to maneuver. That covers objects. The gameplay was decent, but ending abruptly at 26 minutes. Most of the traps were easy to avoid. The atmosphere and textures are both well done - the only complaint I would have there is that overall the level could be a bit brighter (or give the player some more effective flares). If you feel like a brief romp with your baboon friends then give it a go." - SSJ6Wolf

"One would almost think that this was designed as part of that 20-minute-tales concept, as it fits rather precisely into the time frame of Ian and Cory's levels. It's equally as pleasurable, using a hub sewer to explore four separate areas where you seek two red gems in order to proceed further. The new tools and graphics make it easy on the eyes, too. Although the gameplay is fairly pedestrian, it's a fun experience, and that's what raiding is all about. Mytly has provided a concise walkthrough that documents the two secrets. Recommended." - Phil

"This is a good advance if you have played the first level from this author. Thextures have a better appearance, and there are a copule of puzzles to solve; enemies are well balanced but sometimes they got stucked against walls or fences. There's a problem with the camera in the water room with grated ceiling, but no so important. Most of the game is easy to play but there are some areas too dark. Also it's not very real the placement of some objects and another rooms are too empty, but of course, you're on the right way." - Jose

"Nice, enjoyable level with an excellent graphic and places to explore.. I was fashinated by some rooms like a lava room and architecture; despite this, we can't say the same thing for other aspects: there are too wonderful areas, but most of them are empty, lots of element could be filled (some switches or some particular enemy or some secret) so the player could be more interractive. What a pity! Anyway some dynamic parts don't miss: for example jumping on columns with flames rather than crossing circolar blades underwater.. sufficient enemies (a flying siren), some warriors, 2 raptors and a mechanical man, but lack of objects and the 2 weapons (uzi and shotgun) are nearly useless because you get them too late. There aren't many enigms: the most significant consists of choosing among 4 gems the right one and to do it the player has to observe through the mirror. Globally: I repeat.. excellent graphic, lights, textures, but incomplete filling objects or more entertaining parts.. a simple short level for relax." - Steven Svorticher

"This is a nice and simple level: there are a couple of interesting tasks like the jumps over fire pillars and a puzzle involving figuring out which of the four identical artefacts is safe to pick up. There are also several not-so-challenging traps, including more fire-based ones, rolling balls and underwater circular blade traps. The enemies are a mixed bag: some of them are rather frustrating, for example, the tinman that you have to fight in a tiny room with a hole in the middle. Others are ridiculously easy to kill, as they do not harm Lara at all or get stuck in the walls. The variety of enemies seems really strange: there are tribesmen, a flying sea hag, wraiths, small dinos, raptors, and a tinman. There are also some dead mercenaries lying around - no idea what their story is. I did like the friendly monkeys - a nice homage to the title of the level.
The looks are quite pretty, with colourful lighting, though there are a few pitch black corridors, where even flares are useless because the flare bug has kicked in at that point. The architecture is good, but there are so many empty and unused rooms that it feels as if the builder built just the architecture first, and then tacked on bits of gameplay in a few of the rooms. Some of the music doesn't play on occasion. One of the flybys is rather weird, as it merely shows Lara's feet and the close up of a few ledges.
Overall: A good effort and from the looks of things, a big step up from the builder's debut level. But it still left me feeling like there were a lot of lost opportunities." - Mytly

"Overall this little adventure is pretty nice. Textures are applied pretty well and apart from the tinman the enemies that were chosen do fit the story. At my end it was a bit too dark and the flares (blue and yuck), well what can I say, the only way to see something of the surroundings was throwing them down on the floor. That is a big NO,NO in my book. The mirror puzzle eluded me but I was lucky to get the right gem the first time around. Some of the sounds were not working, like the crumbling of the breakable tiles. Funny enough I was searching high and low for a Torch, never found it but I hit the finishing trigger and that was enough." - Gerty

"Wow - quite a difference from the builders debut level. This atmospheric level has relatively simple and easy game play and it is very straightforward, which makes for a rather relaxing half hour. There are some good timed fire pillar jumping sequences, underwater blade traps, boulder traps and a variety of enemies. Some of those didn't have good AI behavior on my game and got stuck in walls where there they became easy targets. As far as looks, the level shines with excellent choice and application of textures and wonderfully applied and often quite colorful lighting. Some sounds didn't seem to work correctly or were the wrong ones, but overall I found the level to have nice accoustic and atmosphere and also some interesting camera work. I really enjoyed this level and can only recommend it. Hope to see more from this builder soon." - Blue43

"In the beginning I loved the atmosphere and the music. It was very calm. I didn't really understand the mirror puzzle, so I just tried all the pedestals. Some of the enemies didn't attacked and were just running in circles or in the wall. And the baby raptors had mummy sounds? Now for the good things - the texturing was simply amazing, the lighting as well. Even if the puzzles were too easy, I enjoyed them and it was really fun running around and exploring the lovely temple. It took me 20 minutes and I recommend it for a calm night or morning." - misho98

"A big improvment over this aurthors previous TR2 level but it's let down byt several things. Other reviewers have noted the messed up sounds and enemies who are reluctant to attack Lara. Add to these, things such as flames coming through the sides of sconces, a mirror puzzle with no clue as to which is the safe pickup to take, Lara drowing when below a grating but clearly having her head above water, a jump over fire blocks which requires pixel perfect positioning and precision and it shows the aurthor still has a very long way to go before he produces a decent level. It also shows that the level was not fully beta tested or if it was the testers did not do a very good job." - Bedazzled

"About 25 minutes of straight-forward gameplay well within the skill levels of most players. It's simply a matter of searching through the rooms until you find the two gems. There are few enemies, no timed runs, nothing much in the way of puzzles and little agility. It is, however, well made and, for the most part, well lit. I thought I had been lucky that my two raptors were running into walls until I read other reviews - this should have been spotted by the beta testers but seemed to be the only fault, all other reviewed 'faults' didn't occur whilst I was playing. The level was a good setting, it just needed more of everything to be a good level." - Diz

"This was an especially beautiful 20 minute level. The gameplay was mostly linear except for a quest for two gems at the start (which in themself were linear as well though) and there weren't any stuck moments. A nice mirror puzzle right at the start made me hope this will be a good level, but soon the game's looks and its well-lighted atmosphere could not hide the pretty simplistic gameplay without any harder tasks or puzzles. There were some other mistakes like some levers having no sound, some natives that don't approach Lara even when she is near and the raptors constantly running into the wall. At some point the flare bug kicked in for me, but luckily there weren't many dark spots except for two short passages that seem to actually not have any purpose (maybe a torch could have been hidden here?). However, there also were some good things in this level, such as Lara dropping into a cage which nicely reminds on TR 2's "Floating Islands", the monkeys roaming around and the dead bodies. But on the other side, these bodies and quite a lot of ammo to find in this level made me think there will be something special at the end, and this feeling kept there until the quite uninspired finish. I found the one registering secret and also the Uzis that seem to be the other one and all in all I think this was a nice step upwards from this builder, but he has to improve quite a lot in terms of gameplay creativity." - manarch2

"A very short, but not bad level. From the very start of this level you will love the way the author used the lighting. I think the lighting and the objexts are the best things about this level. The decoration is so beautiful, especially underwater. The puzzles are very easy and the challenges too. Except two or three jumps over flames, you won't be in danger. Texturing was nice and clear, but I got a bit confused because some parts were reminding Peru, while other Egypt and Atlantis. That's the reason I am not choosing ten for lighting and textures. What I didn't understand is why the author used some not so good sounds, like when Lara is taking a breath when she gets out of water, or her footsteps. Also, some enemies were buggy for me or they didn't have sound. The dinosaurs were not attacking Lara and sometimes the human enemies were not able to move. Although, this is a very nice level and enjoyable. I would recomend it." - Sarikman

"This is a handsome level and I particularly liked the effective use of lighting. Gameplay-wise, it is easy to accomplish and would suit all players. Good use of music, but one or two of the sound files seemed a touch odd, especially the noise the compys made as they died. At round about the 30 minute mark, it makes for an extremely pleasant raid you can almost certainly make time for even if you have a very hectic schedule. After all, we all get raiding withdrawal symptoms from time to time, don't we? Enjoy." - Jay

"From an artistic perspective,this is a rather lovely little adventure.The architecture,although never particularly ambitious,is well created;and there are some rather stunning decorative touches,mostly involving water.Gameplay is interesting enough to start with (the first half of the 30 minute adventure being a search for two diamonds)although it reverts to a sequential linear progression in the latter half;the challenges are straightforward and the puzzles essentially absent,although it's enjoyable for all that.What I found somewhat off-putting was the lighting,which wasn't so much dark as incipiently murky;and which took something away from the atmosphere. Enemies are quite copious,although many have a reluctance to actually attack and can be shot quite easily from a comfortable distance.Nonetheless,for a debut,it's a rather fine stab.The flow is smooth;it's immaculately textured;and there's an underlying confidence which augers well for this builders future levels." - Orbit Dream

"This looks quite good at the beginning, and in the first five minutes I began to hope that this might be like another Fighting Horus, but this ultimately falls short of that standard. There is a mirror puzzle and as Lara shifts her position one of the four gems looks different, and it is the only safe gem. There is a more involved trek to find a second gem. The first half of this 30 minute adventure is intriguing, but after Lara uses the red gems this level began to feel claustrophobic and overly dark. In fact, the contrast between flame and dark made me feel queasy, something I am susceptible to with poor level lighting--I had to take a break from the computer screen. There are so many flames there is a flare bug. Much of the end is Lara on a single pathway to escape, so she never gets to light a pile of wood with a torch (never found a torch). She found Uzis to shoot a tinman, but that wasn't necessary, and the Uzis weren't used again. Raptors have their heads in a wall. And what does it mean, Lost Baboon? Should Lara give him a map, compass, and encouraging pat on the back? Or does it mean that someone is looking for him? Spiritually lost? These are the sort of questions one asks when feeling dizzy because of poor level lighting. Most people don't have this problem, so they will find this atmospheric and fun all the way through." - dmdibl

"A not very difficult level of about 20 Minutes playing time. This is a nicely designed temple level. The lighting is fine and the texturing OK. Enemies consist of aggressive tribesmen, a few baby dinos, a couple of raptors and a sea-hag. Funnily enough these enemies didn't attack Lara so that she was able to dispose of them easily. The game play is fairly straightforward with no chance of getting lost. Few players will need to consult the forum on this. On the whole an enjoyably easy level with no surprises. Recommended for all." - Mister-B

"A really enjoyable level (and from what I see a debut one as well, so thumbs up for that!) that can be described as a classic, unpretentious and fun raid. The textures are colorful and fitting and the lighting is spot-on as far as I'm concerned (overly dark temples can get frustrating) so no complaints in that department. The camera stuck for me in a few places, but it was easy to overlook as it wasn't overly annoying. Basically a fun run around in a beautifully textured level that reminded me of some good ol' fashioned TR3 treks. Looking forward to more project from this builder!" - Janny

"Wow what a great level! I loved every second of it! FloTheMachine is definitely a talented builder. This temple had amazing texturing and lighting and I thought it was brilliant for a second level. Enemies were not too hard but there were quite a few of them. There were also baboons around the level which I found pretty cute. Gameplay was pretty easy and I was never stuck but I found it really enjoyable. I was supposed to test this level but I couldn't because I was at Bangladesh and I had no access to the internet. I finished this great level in about 23-4 minutes and found it to be a great and fun level. I definitely can't wait for more levels from this brilliant builder. Recommended." - afzalmiah

"Gameplay&Puzzles: a level with too easy puzzle, nice gameplay except the polerope in water, Lara didn't want to catch it easily. Enemies, Object&Secrets: Ennemies where fun, sometime they run in front of a wall(raptor), sometine they don't attack(little dino with mummy sounds), but sometime they hurt Lara(guys and horseman) and the best sometime we can untrigger them (hammerhead?).That's I think why they were funny. Object where quite good placed. Secret(s) where not really hide. Atmospere, Sound & Cameras, Atmosphere was good, I got the impression to play to a old TR.(I think that's good), Music from tomb raider were good, except the Dino's sound, sounds were great. Cameras were not so bad, but flyby can be improved, they look a bit "draft". Light & Textures were good. sometime strange, but good." - Lara_Fox_Croft