Level reviews

"From the opening fixed camera you notice the wrong SFX, and as you fall deep into the water below you realize many others are missing. This takes a notable hit on the atmosphere alone. The level itself is incredibly short and revolves around four quick side rooms, each of which houses a trident, to ultimately claim the prized scroll. Not sure if there was any hint for the pushable skeleton statues but Phil's got that covered in the walkthrough. 10 minutes. 10/25" - Treeble

"As far as it goes, this small level is all right, but there isn't a lot of gameplay to speak of here. The surroundings are fairly attractive, if a little too bright, but the tasks required to get the four Tridents for the statues in the main room are extremely simple, and once you figure out that the skeletons can be moved, this level can be finished in just over ten minutes. The music is quite fitting, but a bit monotonous. A pleasant enough level, but not a particularly involving one. I think more could have been done here." - Ryan

"A short 15 minute level here from Larafan25. Nicely built and textured but with a few irritating flaws (I'm rarely a fan of fixed cameras). Puzzles & traps fairly straight forward, and I did like the concept of the moveable guards. Unfortunately it all ends just as you're getting into the flow of things. Stiggy" - TheStig

"Getting to these levels late, I decided to start with this one because I was looking for a short adventure and indeed - this is short at 15 minutes max. It actually feels like a very rushed build, as the construction ideas as such is nice, but the four areas where you pick up a trident each then only hold a quick and simple task with a few mildly challening traps to work your way around. So it is all over rather too soon and could maybe one day be expanded into a more extensive level." - MichaelP

"Of course you can't expect too much with a level that is made on a small map. Getting four Tridents is your goal here. What I found pretty nasty were the fixed cameras and on top of that an invisible block in the library in front of the door that hid the Trident. Not clear was that one could push the statues, but all in all this was a real short adventure." - Gerty

"Very short level, the shortest in the competition, so I can't rate gameplay any higher, what's in there is not bad however, too bad that the only challenging part, the swim through the spiked tunnel can be easily shortcuted by activating the spikes in the usual fashion, with side or backflip. I liked the statue puzzle. Texturing is fine, lighting could have been more atmospheric, all in all the visual is okay though. Sounds are a mixed bag, the music greatly helped the atmosphere, I liked Lara's footstep sounds too, on the other hand there were missing sounds that worsened it. When jumped on the block Lara stood in the air while the block elevated under her, displaying a shortcoming of the engine thus prominently wasn't a good solution. A horrible fixed camera in the library. Not a winner level, but worth that 10-15 minutes while it lasts." - Akcy

"Almost every sample is either misplaced or missing. Due to similarities between textures, the central tower feels and looks like a cuboid tube, with 4 ramps placed like in an exact copy of Khamoon obelisk room. Get 4 tridents surrounded by mini-traps to unlock a scroll. Backtrack if You missed a pushable. The end. Fortunately, traps and flame emitters keep amusing in the meantime, but there's nothing in them that would exceed average decency, so I didn't get immersed. Too short even as for a 20^3." - DJ Full

"While this level is a considerable improvement from this builder's first level (I haven't played his second one), it still falls short of being truly memorable. The setting is quite attractive: a tall tower with multiple side-rooms is a classic TR setting, and the Prince of Persia textures look good. Unfortunately, the ultra-bright lighting in the main tower room does spoil the looks somewhat. The rest of the rooms are well-lit, though. The old low-res coastal wad objects look rather incongruous next to the several customized high-res objects. The background music is pleasant in itself, but gets boring after a while - some variety would be nice. Also, why on earth is the main track - a 6 minute .wav file - 59 MB in size?!
Gameplay is mostly simple and predictable; the only unexpected bit - pushing the skeleton statues - is also the most frustrating, as there is no real clue that they can be pushed from only one side, and have to be pushed only one square. The other annoying bit is a fixed camera placed behind a closed gate, so that most of the screen is obscured by the gate. Apart from these two issues - and a lack of camera clues in general - the level is mostly pleasant raiding. There are some nice tasks like the fire tile jumps and the spike-filled underwater passage.
Overall: A decent enough level, though rather too short and simple." - Mytly

"A short level that can be completed in 10-15 minutes. We must recover 4 tridents, each of which after having passed the easy traps. Too poor to be considered fully. It seems more a test level that a true level." - Taras

"You need to go through four challenge rooms(none of which are that difficult, if you know what you're doing), to collect trident pieces which are required to open a trapdoor to a cave, where Lara can retrieve a scroll for whatever reason. There is only one real puzzle throughout the level, the answer to which isn't very clear at first, but is easy to do upon figuring it out. There are no secrets to speak of(at least I didn't find any), object and texture placement is decent enough, although I found Lara wearing a wetsuit or the inclusion of a Croft Manor-style library(with a book bat included) to feel out of place in an Egyptian/Persian tomb. Overall, the level just gives off an unfinished vibe and feels like it was rushed out to meet the 20x20x20 competition deadline before it was fully completed, which is evidenced by experimental ideas, strangely used lighting, missing sounds and an invisible large medipack to name but a few criticisms. My advice to the builder, is to simply take his time polishing and fixing the game up before actually releasing it. Maybe then, he could release a level that could be truly something special to download and play. I do have to praise his choice of music though, as it fits the atmosphere that he's attempting to give off through the level perfectly. Recommended as a first level to play for newcomers to the TRLE community, but expert raiders won't find much to enjoy here." - Ceamonks890

"This is a very short and quite easy level centred around a huge bright room with white stone walls. The level looks somewhat barren and there is not that much to do, but the background audio is quite good. You have to collect four tridents, while avoiding some traps. There is also a rather original puzzle, where it is somewhat difficult to position Lara properly. One fixed camera is quite annoying, as a door is blocking most of the view. This occurs in a library room, which also seems somewhat out of place. Some sounds appear to be missing. The lighting is sometimes quite strange. Also, the water surfaces look quite weird. Overall, this is a fairly nicely built level, but it is rather underdeveloped." - Bogey

"Well, you can play this level in, say, 10 minutes or so, even if counting pushing all the skeleton soldiers (by the way, nothing makes it obvious that you have to push the just one square or that they're not supposed to be pushed to the side). Hence, I'll take it as an experiment. Lara has to collect four tridents rather easily, place them and dive to a room where she'll collect some papyrus. This entry is refreshing after having played a very dark and complex level and that's probably (unwilingly, I suppose) its major strength. Let' wait for something a bit more serious maybe..." - Jorge22

"This one has received fair to middlin' reviews to date, but I liked it. It's brief, to be sure, clocking in at just over fifteen minutes for me. I knew from the stuck thread to push the skeleton statutes, so that saved me quite a bit of time. It's also a fairly easy level, which is right up my alley. Most of all, the surroundings are gorgeous and everything is well lighted, and with a combination like that I find it difficult to award low scores. The fixed cameras weren't an issue for me. There's one at the beginning, but if there was anything to find in that cave I didn't bother to look for it. The fixed camera in the library is, I'll agree, a little sneaky, but you don't need the binoculars to discern the book switch. What bothers me most is that one sound file accounted for two thirds of a relatively gargantuan download. Surely something of more reasonable length could have been substituted for that file. Let the beginners cut their teeth on this one and discover for themselves the enchantment of the Tomb Raider experience." - Phil

"On the simple side for its architecture, and taking only twenty minutes, but I appreciated the respite from a much darker level. Here the lighting is fairly bright, and all of the play is logical with Lara gathering up four tridents. I had no problem with the book switch, as the book can be seen through the door grill. Quite pleasant, but underdeveloped, and could be extended." - dmdibl

"4 tridents have to be found, a few statues have to be pushed. That's all. Gameplay takes about ten minutes, nothing special has to be performed. I don't like these fixed cameras, they rarely improve gameplay. Lightning and textures show, that the author has talent for improvement." - Christian

"No much to say about this short level. You must find four tridents with no much work and no difficult tasks. No more. There is an annoying camera in the library and some statues to move. No enemies, no cameras, no worked lights or textures... The best, the background music. Playable anyway." - Jose

"I was just settling into this level when it ended after less than 20 minutes. As far as it goes, it's quite enjoyable and the good choice of background music did go a long way to disguise the fact that the odd sound file was missing. There are no enemies, just a few easy tasks to perform to acquire four tridents and pick up a scroll. That's about it really." - Jay

"The best thing about this short adventure is the Ancient Babylonian-style music,which goes a long way in creating the appropriate atmosphere.Although I can't complain about texturisation,the lighting was glaringly bright and positively flooded this ancient temple with bright incandescence.Coupled with that,a sequence of very straightforward (once you work out that the skeletons are all pushable) tasks;an annoying fixed camera,and very short duration;and you have an undeniably pleasant but rather underwhelming adventure,which could have been so much more." - Orbit Dream

"The author has made a good effort to come up with something original , it is not every level that presents Persian textures, when these textures ripped by Illyaine and available at trsearch are available now for years . The background audio loop is atmospheric and fits in the theme , on the contrary of the missing sounds , a lighting that is unpleasantly too bright in the central area , and objects that do not really fit in the scenery like the ladders or the Coastal doors. The gameplay is fine with nothing difficult with 4 simple areas to raid, once the different worn tiles on the ground are spotted for the movable objects. A short and overall pleasant level that will not require more than 15 minutes of your time." - eRIC

"A rather short adventure (it only took me 15 minutes to get through it) but a fun one nonetheless. I felt like the level took me back to the classic TR raids where traps and puzzles always came before battling enemies, so I'm happy that the builder took this less aggressive route in terms of gameplay. The textures are beautiful and fitting, but I felt the lighting could have used some work. More shadows here and there would have made the palace more ominous and mysterious. The music was probably my favorite part. After dozens upon dozens of underground raids accompanied by only typical boring background sounds, I'm glad to hear an actual song used on repeat that work. I would have loved to offer this level a higher rating, but the bugs you can encounter can get pretty annoying. Nothing that stops gameplay, though. All in all, an entertaining raid that is rather simplistic but knows not to outstay its welcome or drag on unnecessarily." - Janny

"A somewhat uninspired effort built around a central squaric tower and four tridents to find along the way to find a scroll at the end. Surely the gameplay has its moments such as the jump sequence over a floating platform with spikes or the spike water passage, but the gameplay is rather basic with not much to do. The builder also worked with a couple of cheap tricks like a fixed camera behind a door (without binoculars you wouldn't be able find the book switch) and a couple of skeletons only being pushable from one side which left me clueless for a while. The architecture is very squaric and uncomplicated, the only camera sequence was good though not much saying but the sound wasn't well placed and all in all sparsely used. I found the texturing to be OK, lighting was rather bland but some effects were quite interesting. Found no secrets and there were no enemies in ten minutes of gameplay." - manarch2

"There's a nice new texture scheme in this level, and it helps make it feel fresh, I think the lighting could have done with a bit more variety though; it's decent enough but it feels slightly monotone and I think a bit more colour could have brought the theme out more.
This entry is very short and it also feels a bit empty at times; various areas felt like they could have a bit more gameplay content in them. What's there is fun enough though, although relatively simple. One challenge that relied on an annoying camera angle felt a bit unnecessary but the rest were fun. A good enough level for it's size but it feels like it needed a bit more inspiration gameplay-wise (especially as the last contest showed how much could be done within this much space despite the limitations)." - Mman