Level reviews

"I had faint deja-vu feelings as I played through this level, but honestly I couldn't tell what's been changed. Reading my review for the original release (which I played earlier this year) didn't trigger any further memories but I guess it's been more of a facelift other than anything. Not a bad effort, to be honest, plus it's short. all of us could use more short levels. 15 minutes, 1 secret. 09/23" - Treeble

"This TRLE had the potential to be set up to be fun but it was just lackluster. The map was brilliant, honestly. The backwards-and-forwardness wasn't a pain as some games are. I just wish there was more enemies to challenge and more of a set-up for a puzzle. And there was no ambient music. Other than that, it's a great beginner level for someone to get comfortable on and to get basic understanding of the controls." - g12STL

"Well, I don't want to tell you - I told you so', but I told you so. If anything, the initial area looks worse now than it did in the original, what with that oddly shaped rock tower in the distance and the bizarre substitution of a door from Coastal in the reservoir wall. The builder used TRNG this time around, but only for inessentials. Those who complained about the lax security in the original have even more reason to do so now. What I wouldn't have predicted is that the level is now almost completely silent, except for one moody piece that plays as you enter the new area. Some samples are missing too. The new addition, which doubles the net gaming time (now maybe 20 minutes), is an honest-to-God puzzle, but it's obvious and tedious and introduces glitches (delay in the valve switch animation; you can't get out of the water at the ledge above the crawlspace). I am particularly annoyed that although this water-based puzzle plays out in a technical environment, the builder adheres strictly to TR physics, denying the principle of communicating vessels. I'm not sure the enhancement was worth the wait. The shotgun is still very yellow." - Mulf

"Very basic but enjoyable and the secret is clever. The outside location looks like something which could look like something more but it already looks like something. Not much else to write because with all the pickups supplied this map feels rather like a prologue to a much greater escape. You can try it." - DJ Full

"This is only slightly extended over this builder's previous level, with the addition of a neat flooding and draining sequence via the use of various valves, plus an extra guard. Hopefully this builder makes something larger next time as there's clearly potential here." - Ryan

"To be honest I can't remember much of the original version of Area 51, but so far this is not a bad little romp. There is some back and fro but all doable, especially if you take the"wrong" way but by doing that you know where you have to go. The water puzzle was set up pretty nice. Not many enemies, some snakes, warthogs and one soldier and if he shoots grenades. Better stay far away as they can and will kill you. Textures could use some attention, but apart from that it is as I already said, a nice little romp." - Gerty

"Not even 20 minutes are necessary to complete the level with Nevada and Chunnel textures. Rather solidly built but with poor lighting. Easy and rather pleasant exploration to open a few doors , and in the end a puzzle with valves/UW levers/water flipmaps. What impresses the most is the almost total absence of audios played. Only 2 enemies , for the warthog I did not killed and the static snakes do not really count." - eRIC

"I don't know if it was a problem from my PC, but there was no background music and also another missed sounds like the UW levers. Short level very easy to play with a TR3 touch, very few enemies and only a puzzle near the end with the dry/flooded pit. For nostalgic." - Jose

"I enjoyed this. It has a feel of TR3 with textures and lighting, the outside areas are nice, and gameplay is pleasant. Admittedly, this was my first play of this level so everything was novel. (I decided to skip the initial release, and wait for this update, even if it took a while.) The only real problem was split-second camera shots when Lara throws a switch; the level would be much stronger with functioning cameras. The end puzzle with raising and lowering water levels works fine. The end is reached after about 25 minutes, but it may be that this is intended as the first level of a series. I'd like to see such a series, with later levels harder and more developed. At the end I felt this was an introduction, and that it worked as such." - dmdibl

"A level too short to judge him positively and It's a pity because you can breathe the atmosphere of the old tr3. It is pretty easy, in about 10-15 minutes of playing I saved only three times, but the whole game you can play without saving. When I play these levels so short and simple I always feel that to build them are children under the age of 10. To know for sure I should reward them with a higher score. Only a glimmer of puzzle consists in filling and emptying a tank with valves and levers. The textures are applied well, except for some triangular and the position of the only secret level is well thought out." - Taras

"I really must be getting old, as I have absolutely no recollection of the original release from 4 years ago, so cannot compare to that. But this brief 15 minute interlude was not all that bad, with a bit of up and down and to and fro in a base/desert environment. I actually liked how some of the rooms were connected with look through and look back moments and the final area was quite cleverly thought out. Even this small map holds so much potential for more engaging gameplay than what is offered here, so we can only hope that the author comes up with time and patience to complete a more elaborate and coherent adventure." - MichaelP

"This is a level having much in common with the previous level I played (Searching the Artefact), so it's only fair that my scores for the two be roughly the same. The music and looks of this level looked so much like TR3 that I had to check and make sure that it's indeed a TR4 level. There's a neat touch near the very beginning, where a wart hog takes on a snake and loses. The rest is fairly pedestrian, although there's a certain amount of complexity in the tasks required to raise and lower the water level in the deep pit. When all was said and done I'd spent about 25 minutes here, so it's a bit too short for my taste. On the other hand, there's plenty of light, and I'm always glad for an opportunity to revisit the TR3 environment. Another level for the new and younger raiders." - Phil

"The Nevada levels in TR3 were always among my favourites, so it's nice to see some of the settings recreated as in this level. Still, it's very short and uninteresting, consisting basically of finding a few obvious things and using some obvious valve wheels to flood/un-flood/flood again a pool. Enemies are a vulture and a snake nicely captured from the original, plus an Egyptian TR4 baddie. There's not much more I can say. Sorry, but I believe Nevada deserved better..." - Jorge22

"This is basically a tweaked and extended version of the builder's previous Area 51 level, although not by much. Twice the length it might be, but that still makes it an extremely short level. Frustratingly so actually, since what there is of it is rather enjoyable, especially the flooding and draining section at the end. I'm probably giving it a slightly generous marking purely on the nostalgia factor for those dear old Nevada textures. PS. Surely those warthogs are a long way from home!" - Jay

"The first thing to notice about this level is the complete lack of music in the background. I can't understand this as the builder has provided a silent audio file! With this, and the lighting or lack of, there is very little atmosphere. The level was well built and fairly well textured, and reminds you of the TR3 Navada level, I like the effort they have made in providing the original objects like cacti and a snake. The gameplay is quite basic with levers and one or two enemies such as a snake, crow and guard, but there's a nice puzzle consisting of a pool of water, valves, doors etc where you raise or lower the water to get access to different areas. Game time was 25 minutes. Secret was too easy as you have to go in that area to get a crowbar." - sonnyd83

"Instead of releasing something new, the builder decided to update his first level, I can't see the reasons for this as the first half of the level, apart from an added secret and few pickups, is basically the same. There are a few touches that give this part a ever so slightly more modern feel, but it's still not worth to see again. The second part is different though, with a water level puzzle that had a few nice ideas, especially when you face an underwater lever you can't use yet and first have to find a way to drain the room, it's not really gripping though and at the end rather tedious, but it doesn't last very long thankfully and thus remains the only interesting addition to an otherwise superflous, because already existent, level. 10 minutes." - manarch2

"I wrote in my review for the first version of this level: "when you only need 6 minutes to complete a level there's simply not enough time to become fully engrossed...with a few more puzzles and challenges something quite entertaining could have developed." In this revised version the builder has indeed allowed more time (about 10 minutes,to be precise),and I was undeniably becoming more engrossed by an interesting flooding/draining puzzle...and then it ended again.Did it really take the builder 3 1/2 years to come up with these additional ten minutes? Is this,then,the final product? If you fancy no more than 20 minutes of reasonable entertainment in an average environment,then you'll probably find this quite acceptable; but it doesn't garner more than one extra point from me in any category over the original version." - Orbit Dream