Level reviews

"I burnt through some solid hours almost in one sitting with this, and despite some fair criticisms which I'll come to, I had a lot of fun here. There are 6 levels set across Italy, Barkhang / Tibet and Shipwreck/Rig locations. The Venice levels were generally very good, although there were some unnecessarily large areas with repeated textures looking just a little stadium-like in places, and a questionable skybox in the 2nd level, comprising a sunset vertical jarring with a dark red horizontal. Speaking of visuals, this was a little bit of a weakness at times. A few textures were stretched or 2-dimensional, but some were missing entirely. The Andes Village notably was beset with some immersion-shattering blank spaces and black segments. This first Tibetan level was also blighted with glitching monks and some confusing toggles which granted temporary access to gangs of foes to be mown down in exchange for necessary items. However, the door-opening animation never seemed to play, and on one occasion I was forced to repeat the exercise as the bad guy carrying the widget hadn't made it through. Thankfully, Tibet is where most of the problems are concentrated. Other minor complaints include boxes that could only be pushed or pulled, when both mechanics should have been available and the odd breakable window which wouldn't smash until you'd danced around it with your pistols long enough to break a sweat. Level design throughout the whole was generally good. The ship was easily my favourite of the levels – climbing up through the wreck in the latter stages was cohesive and satisfying. Pacing is good, but the distribution of pick-ups could be improved. Waiting for the final two levels to acquire the Uzis and M-16 resulted in over-reliance on the Automatics and Shotgun alone for too long, and having to resort to the pistols on occasion against Tibetan Mercenaries is painful. I had such a glut of ammunition for the Uzis by the time I was old enough for them, that handling the waves of Rig guards cannon-fodder in the final level was akin to shelling peas, parting them from their numerous key cards (most of them red rather than green, mind). The set features mostly open-plan style levels, and aside from the ongoing routine of switch-pulling and key-fetching, gameplay is relatively light on puzzles. Human resistance is forthcoming, but for a TR2 entry that's hardly controversial. All in all, notwithstanding the few gremlins I've introduced you to, there's an extremely decent game here. Beyond the intense combat sequences, it isn't too difficult either for the seasoned handler of Lara. There's about enough challenge to engage but it also flows well. I can assuredly tell you that you won't be disappointed if you give this one a play. Recommended." - Danjo86

"This is by far my 2nd favorite trle, I repect the effort was put to it, very well made and so fun to play, the storyline really made sense to me, the puzzles were so fun to play, not too hard as well, secrets weren't hidden at least enough to easly miss them if you didn't explore enough, some level didn't have secrets at all, I believe 2 levels, I missed only one secret, venice was my favorite level, reminds so much of the OG venice, there were so much pick ups, really love that, you don't have to worry about ammunition, the uzis were a little bit late in this level, I wish it was like in the second level, or the third, specially after picking so much uzi ammo but not using them. The only that bothers me so much was the objects, they were everywhere and I get stuck in them every now and then, in the level before the last the barrels trap were blocking the passage way going back to put the red cards, it was just annoying. However I give this level a solid 9/10, missed only 1 secret" - p1kaa

"Here we have a seven level TR2 mini game that has three of the original TR2 locations. Venice, the Andes and the Sunken ship. Game play is relatively easy in that keys, access cards, doors and switches are not that difficult to find BUT what is inordinately difficult are the fight sequences as you are generally attacked en mass by multiple opponents. Heavy duty weaponry is lacking so the player sucks down health packs like candy bars and at around about level three the inevitable occurs and you have no health left and three to five enemies to best with just your pistols. So as a level builder please ensure EITHER sufficient health packs are available OR high end weaponry can be found early on in the level. Textures faded in and out as is mostly normal for these TR2 unofficial levels and there are also some paper thin walls in evidence. Now except for the fact of Lara's opponents outweighing her ability to retaliate I thought the level set was quite good and whiled away a good day (on and off) but in good conscious I cannot score this higher due to the reasons already explained." - Torry

"This is an entertaining "short" adventure, including many levels, each one with another class. It has the same kind of gameplay in each level, but it's still fun (definitely better than the authors previous release!) And I think this is the first TR2-custom level I discovered, that has not only TR2 soundtrack. I was surprised hearing that eerie, pulsating track in the second to last (I think) level." - Nuri

"The author's previous TR2 release (Theft of the Dagger of Xian) made me very somewhat anxious about embarking on another multiple level set, despite the general consensus among fellow reviewers that this is a huge step up. The initial level already shows promise, with a full-blown Venice city with buildings, great design in what usually are otherwise common and simple custom levels. As I got to the third level, however, I realized that maybe the author would have benefitted from individual releases, as it's filled with untextured spots and a flawed but novel idea of opening the city gates every now and then for a bunch of baddies to storm in. These baddies hold keys to proceed, so be warned that in the brief period the doors are open, one of your monk allies can slip outside instead and kill them there, rendering said items impossible to retrieve and thus you're forever stuck. Later, the rig levels are fairly linear despite the branching quests for several keycards, and ultimately you have a boss fight with the Talion guardian. All in all, definitely a much more interesting outing but not perfect. Still a shooter at heart, but a lot more fun and balanced, and the sandboxy approach wasn't all bad in my opinion. The levels are also on the short side, so even if you get seven of them, it's still a lot more manageable than a number of releases out there. 140 minutes, 10 secrets. 07/17" - Treeble

"Better have a lot of time on your hands when starting this up as it took me several days to finish it. I must have played it before and forgot to review it as I do remember one certain snow area where some textures were missing. Although I still like TR2 levels this is another one I got random crashes. For me this was more of a shooter but that was OK as there is enough hardware and ammo to be found to take care of all the nasty guys that roam around." - Gerty

"In our dialect, 'lepy' means "better" and so he is, making the best of his works so far. I may have enjoyed it more than I should but what does it even mean. Scenery is simple with texturing errors but it hits the point - the Tibet mountain feels comfy as a monk's shrine should, the shipwreck is rusty, spooky and isolated, then the platform is accordingly hi-tech and each setting has its specific pinnacles like the boat, the bike and the rotor blade. Gameplaywise the author has returned to his original vision of TR2 shooter but this time the combat is balanced, the puzzle overlay designed very well and both of them - progressive. About 2/3 of secrets was my game, but often there was one per level I had to go back for, to find out it was either mean, or buggy, or nonsense, or missed because of rendering error. I guess I had bad luck, because these were all findable except I won't agree with the yellow card as I hate secrets not allowing a second chance. SUMMARY: I hope this is not the last from this builder since he's ready for something absolutely great. Recommended." - DJ Full

"A fairly decent TR2 game, consisting of six full length levels and a short boss fight, which could have been even better with some more adjustments. I found the gameplay to be fairly enjoyable, although nothing exciting or mind blowing. You have some block puzzles and keys to find in amongst all of the combat you'll no doubt experience. There are also a few missing textures around, particularly in the Barkhang Monastery segment. I found it a mixed bag overall and felt it didn't quite fulfill its potential, but if you are in a nostalgic frame of mind, you could do worse." - Ryan

"Nice gameplay, there are vehicles, traps and few puzzles. The enemies and bosses were cool to fight. Some secrets were easy to find, while I couldn't find some others. Some rooms are large and almost empty, the music tracks repeated each time you stepped in their triggers. The TR2 textures are not perfect, but some parts were black, like you deformed a block and it caused not to texturize that part. Anyways, good levelset. Total: 8.7/10" - alan

"Gameplay & Puzzles: With only handful of better tasks and some exploration the gameplay is not very entertaining and there are almost no puzzles. There are parts that are mediocre but most are boring. Enemies, Objects & Secrets: The enemies are sometimes nicely placed and secrets are hidden well, the objects are nice too. Atmosphere, Sound & Cameras: The rooms are boxy, empty and often not very nice to look at, there are a lot of building mistakes. Sound is okay and cameras not bad but there's very little special. Lighting & Textures: Textures are sometimes missing and not very nicely placed but generally okay, the lighting is flat. Total: 4,75/10, too quickly built with a few nice fights." - Rambo

"Well if you compare this level to the builder's previous TR 2 game, you'll certainly 'notice a large step upwards, but that doesn't mean this levelset is really a strong one. Especially the first levels suffer from a lot of crudely designed, unlit areas, a lot of missing textures and lame gameplay that is all about finding levers and items, with only a few timed runs and very simplistic pushblock puzzles in between. Things improve slightly in the fifth and sixth levels, with some more clever progression, more involved puzzles and some nice fights (there's still a huge overdose of ammo - I had more than 2000 uzi bullets left at the end). The object design is sometimes interesting, but there are parts where you can barely move around due to an overdose of object decor (the barrels in the penultimate level being the worst example). The use of audio tracks is decent and cameras are quite plentiful here, so there are few moments of confusion, and overall with all the decent fights I found it to be quite a passable and towards the end rather involved game, although I still think that those 10 and even 9 marks are fairly exaggerated. Found 15 very nicely hidden and often hard to find secrets in 1:40 hours of net playtime." - manarch2

"The old TR2 nostalgia still manages to work its magic, even in this particular incarnation, which isn't the best interpretation you'll come across. It has its moments, but it's a bit shabbily made in parts, with a lot of missing textures, particularly in the 'Andes' section (with added Tibetan monks!). For me, the section that works best is the sunken ship. It's a mixed bag really, but if you're a TR2 fan and like a shooter, this is definitely worth giving a go. There's a boss ending with Big Bird too." - Jay

"Sure, it's a TR2 level set, but it's also a pretty entertaining one. You get six full levels, some more complex than others (one took me a full hour to play, the others about half that), and a final boss level that takes all of three minutes to locate and dispose of the Chicken Monster. If builders are going to persist in putting out levels on obsolete platforms, I suppose I'll continue playing them, at least as long as they provide a decent raid as this one does. Dutchy has provided a walkthrough that documents more secrets than I found. Logically you'd expect to find three in each full level (jade, stone and gold), but in one of the levels neither Dutchy nor I found a single secret. Maybe some of the secret hunters among us can fill us in as to any missing secrets. Not one to recommend, but certainly worth the download." - Phil

"g&p= the gameplay is TR2 like, searching for keys, killing a lot of enemies. E,O&S= objects&enmies from TR2, used in a TR2 style, secrets were pretty cool to find. A,S&C= We feel the TR2 atmosphere, it could be considered as a mini TR2. Musics were not in oneshot, think about it next time or it will replay everytime you step on the trigger. L&T: Not perfect, but not bad at all, the lighting is quite flat sometimes, but this is TR2 so its ok." - Lara_Fox_Croft

"For those in the mood for a rather rough-around-the-edges TR2 adventure,this is actually pretty entertaining.It's basically a Shooter,but it must be said that the placement of the enemies was very entertaining and really kept me on my toes.As you progress through the 7 levels you'll acquire such an arsenal of heavy weaponry that none of the opponents poses any sort of threat,but the sheer variety and number (they often attack from unexpected directions) will keep you alert.Puzzles are very straightforward,and (aside from one or two pushable block sequences that may make you ponder awhile) are of the 'locate key card,place in lock;go after another key card' variety.The locations range from Venice in the first two levels (a rather bland interpretation);Tibet for the next two (a good stab,but the outdoor locations fail to properly convince);a shipwreck (pretty decent);and a Base (enjoyable,if you don't pause too often to look around).The textures are reasonably applied in the latter part of the adventure,but are missing in several sections in the first few levels,which ruins the atmosphere. The storyline never really gels;but the variety of locations combined with the fun and action packed progression ensure that this will be 3+ hours of decent enough entertainment." - Orbit Dream

"It's a pain that this adventure was not betatested (at least I think it wasn't (?)) 'cause you can find a lot of defects like many missing textures, paper walls, triggered musics without "one shot", etc. Even so I enjoyed this creation with an old TR2 taste. Few and very easy puzzles, I only got stucked once 'cause a missing lever; the same old TR2 enemies and objects, the same old and low resolution textures, the same old (but cool) CD tracks... Secrets are easy to find, but sometimes are cleverly hidden so I coudn't find all dragons (missed two or three). The atmosphere was the best of the game, with well placed musics and cameras helping you a lot in all levels; in this sense I missed some flybies here and there. There are a lot of enemies to shoot, but also a lot of pickups so I never got problems, 'cause when I got out of ammo, I found the uzis in the wreck level and from here, all enemies were a piece of cake. The M16 appeared too late near the end and it was unuseful for me 'cause it's not appropriate to fight with the final boss. All in all, this is a good adventure for TR2 lovers, and if the author continues building, I offer myself to test his levels in the future. Good work!" - Jose

"This levelset is pretty much a "mini TR2" adventure, featuring at least one level in every location. My favorite part by far was the combat, which gets more and more exciting as the adventure progresses. The TR2 engine has a way of making combat feel intense and satisfying and the author took full advantage of that. The secrets, or the ones I found at least, were pretty clever too. The weakest part is easily the textures. Not only are they wallpapered in almost every room, they are sorely missing in large portions especially in the outdoor areas - that alongside some malformed geometry ruins the atmosphere. The lighting is very flat in the beginning, but gets a bit better in the later levels. One of the most distracting things is that every level has those black "stretch marks" fluttering in and out of view. Gameplay was good, with some nice pushblock puzzles and a good assortment of traps, leading up to the finale, aptly named "The Fight", which abruptly but epicly ends with a bang. If you are in the mood for some great combat moments and think you can get past the visual glitches, then this adventure is for you. I could feel the author improving as the levels went on, and wish him continued success as he builds more." - SSJ6Wolf