Level reviews

"This level is very cleverly built and very challenging as well. I wouldn’t recommend it for beginners, but it is a lot of fun for experienced players. The level features many challenging jumps, complex puzzles, and non-linear level design which puts navigation skills and memory of the players to test. I particularly liked the poisonous rain area, the timed runs puzzle utilizing teleporters, and the pushblock puzzle that is brilliantly designed although it made my brain almost melt. My only complaint regarding the gameplay is the excessive backtracking in certain areas, for example in the large room where you must perform the same set of jumps multiple times to get back to the top. Visually, the level looks good although somewhat uninspired, consisting of architecturally simple rooms with greyish colors and lack of decoration. Overall, the level is great but be prepared for many tough challenges." - Samu

"A very mixed bag of feelings here but, as usually is the case with such releases, the biggest of them is definitely the sense of 'relief' upon finally hitting the finish trigger and being able to move on to the next raid. This is a bit of a non-descript Nordic level, somewhat abstract in its architecture which is often made of massive environments, with a lot of vertical spaces, which already makes it a bit hard to navigate on its own (even with G&D's thorough walkthrough, if you go to the wrong corner of a ledge by mistake you might find yourself wandering away through a side path without realizing) but there's insult added to injury with a lot of backtracking and unnecessary padding which definitely add up to make this an overly complex level but not necessarily a fulfilling or engaging experience — your mileage may vary, of course. There are some neat touches though such as the toxic rain and the triple tiered pushblock puzzle sequence, and the author was considerate enough to make you immune to the never ending spam of locusts and fireball from the dragon which is there solely as a plot device, so there's definitely an ingenuity factor in play here, regardless of my overall experience with the level. 1h50min, 6 secrets. 06/26" - Treeble

"Excellent level from start to finish . Clever , engaging , fair , not boring ! im glad i made it without walk . i may be chaotic but trully it isnt . gameplay again is the best aspect here . Block puzzle was hard and clever once you know the purpose . I really loved all the navigation and the backtrack wasnt so excessive as they say . Everything fit perfectly in the end . This builder reminds me a lot to Ernie , love them both .3/6 secrets , the other 2 i knew where they where and how but i was lazy , last one was hard to notice . Need more levels from Raidertom" - Petaludas

"Continuation of The Old Spire level. First off, if you consider playing this, you should play The Old Spire first. Like the previous one, it's a single level, long and complicated. It kept its, at times, frustrating quality of the gameplay. Maybe it got even harder. I had the feeling I got stuck all the time, more than in the previous level. Getting the torch up a block annoyed me in particular. The solution makes use of what looks like an engine bug, instead of anything a player would be expected to do. The thing I liked most was the push block puzzle, which is similar to the one in the first level. Visually, I think it got better. There are more areas that look and feel really different. There's even an outside area. But still no spire anywhere. (The spire theme disappeared completely.) In summary, I liked the first level more, but it's a decent sequel. I would recommend anyone to play the first level first. If you liked it, you can try this continuation." - tuxraider

"I think I preferred this one over the first one even though they are both very similar - both are a little different in terms of TR thinking but this time I knew what to expect. Loved the use of soundtrack and the environments felt a little more unique than the first. I also liked that it started right where the first one left off, and was appreciative of the moment of invincibility when near the fire breathing dragon - I would have lost my mind though constant deaths if not for that feature - good call! A special kind of TR adventure imo and I very much enjoyed it." - izzynoodles

"After playing the Old Spire, I decided to continue the saga and play this one. What I liked about the level: 1) The descent to the bottom of the cavern was filled with interesting moves which required me checking the walkthrough endlessly but that's quite okay by me. 2) The timed run with the pull wheel was very doable if you simply roll after pulling the wheel, turn left, then standing jump and run with a slight right curve through the red curtain with a running jump over the blocks into the open door. The method described in the walkthrough was impossible for me. 3) I liked the added toxic rain making it such that you are forced to find shelter. Oddly enough I enjoyed this very much because that's exactly what one does in real life if caught in a downpour. The builder provided many shelter points and the sound of the rain just added to the realism despite it being toxic of course. 4) The builder somehow made Lara invincible in areas close to the dragon so that the locusts and fire blasts did not make her lose life. Absolutely brilliant! 5) The block puzzle was so well crafted and fun to complete. 6) The timed run thru the plantation was so cleverly designed. How did the builder do that? I've never seen that before. 7) I have to mention the most realistic concrete block pillars in the corridor just before entering the plantation. 8) Just loved how the dragon was not the enemy in the end and that is the perfect ending for me. What I didn't like: Nothing!! I loved everything about this level. Conclusion: This is about as perfect gameplay as it could get for me. Timed runs were reasonable, tons of jumps and climbing throughout, very few enemies, teleportation and an invincible Lara to boot. If you like this kind of gameplay, then you will love playing this level as much as I did. Maybe not suitable for beginners but more for average to intermediate players due to the fairly complex jumps required and the timed run thru the plantation." - Lizard Queen

"Not a type of level you can call "a type of level" - paranormal activity causes material mixing and dislocation, noticeable where textures deliberately don't match or when a ladder doesn't point to the opening so you do a pushable for an alternate climb. The demons responsible for this mess need a scaffolding material which is exactly what Lara uses to defeat them - brilliant idea, just like the mirror hints, plants faded to different and not meaningless colors, or a squishy block gate you may only see in this game. The pushable, unlike the readme says, is best to attempt before and after the break, because the first time you'll surely mess something up - solving it has destroyed half of my neurons. What may be more troublesome is a load of backtracking but the intention is usually clear so you mostly know where to go and even if you take one of remaining shortcuts, it's not damaging so just don't care and you may enjoy more than if you do. And while texturing was imported from various BtB worlds, the lighting somehow wasn't, so instead of Venetian/Steampunk warmth or Nordic cold we get a global grey tint, also not matching the colorful objects - sometimes rather than stuck in a puzzle, I just didn't want to go further into the eye-unfriendly landscape. Possibly the intention was to make it sad, but in such case solutions like in OverRaider's Dying World work much better to me. What sustains immersion instead is a load of fitting enemies, secrets with separate tasks and little bits of storyline unfolding as we progress. In the end, we get a properly satisfying conclusion of the mission being complete. SUMMARY: Not a game for everyone but if you like to think, don't think and take it." - DJ Full

"What a complex level! Sometimes it's hard to realize what to do next after doing certain things. I suffered headaches with this level, but nothing serious, it's just that sometimes I got so desperate that I had to check the walkthrough. I wouldn't have done it without it. So... I must say I didn't like it so much, but I am not going to rate it low because there IS gameplay, lots of gameplay. Maybe others can enjoy it, but not me :$" - alan

"Superb map with clever tasks. Not really hard but very rewarding. The backtracking is not annoying. The most difficult section is the first one. Highly recommended!." - requiemsoul

"Another excellent and inexplicably underreviewed level from this builder. Full of great ideas concerning gameplay and with a quite nice layout that occasionally gets a bit beyond the edge of tedium with some parts that have to be done two or three times, but mostly I liked that the given path is not totally clear, with a nice complexity given to the whole thing. Tasks like the acid rain area and the timed run in the plantation room are challenging and unique. The enemies are also used very well here as are the objects and the secrets which are especially sneaky to find. The builder knows how to create a believable fantasy atmosphere and with great architecture, well thought music choices and excellent cameras he did a very good job here. Perhaps the too bright grey texturing and lighting that dominate the visuals are a bit of too much, there are also a few wallpaper effects on larger walls, but everything is quite strongly put together nevertheless and the 80 minutes I spent in here were very well spent in any regard. Highly recommended, especially for a change in creativity and difficulty to some recent levels." - manarch2

"When the level was released and I saw vimmers' comments in the forums I thought about wait for a walkthrough (excellent walkthrough, thanks D&G). Even always following that instructions, I spent more than 3 hours of net game (without the secrets). The level is not so big, but the enormous backtracking and the continuous reloading 'cause the very difficult tasks ruined the gameplay; example: in the toxic outside area I wasted around an hour 'cause the continuous reload and reload when Lara died, even when I knew what to do and where to go; in the big room where I got the heart, I had to climb the same ladder a lot of times; once you get the last crystal, you're forced to revisit the deep pit and take all the long way back to the room where the dragon is following a path you've alredy followed several times, etc. The only area I really enjoyed was the room with the moveable crates puzzle; the remaining tasks are pull hundreds of levers, get artifacts and keys and do tricky jumps. The other features are quite good; enemies are well balanced and I found a lot of pickups, there is a great atmosphere too with all the appropriate musics in many places and the mirrors triggering flybys were a good idea too. The level is a bit dark in some places, but at least I found enough flares (I think Gerty's suggestion, lol!). Now I understand how, after a month from the release, there are only four reviews in this forum." - Jose

"The author states in his readme file that it is a long level. Indeed it is, for me it clocked in just shy of three hours. It is also ,at times, a difficult and ingeniously complex level, which may go some way to explaining the low review count nearly a month after its release. Luckily it isn't "Madness is Not A Shame" difficult, so maybe more players could come forward and give it a try. There are some highly enjoyable agility tests to perform, some with the torch and a well thought out pushblock puzzle about halfway through. It was nice to see the BtB Venice and Northern Legends assets present in this level again. Also, I would like to praise the author for finally utilizing a way to protect Lara against the dragon and accompanying locusts. Bottom line, I loved playing this and recommend it to everyone, although be prepared to invest some time in this level." - Ryan

"Lara sets off on a perilous quest to free a dragon trapped in a large, labyrinthine environment infested with demons. The most shining part is the atmosphere, there is some well-done and creative crafting (swimming through a functioning "mouth" is only one such moment) with excellent use of audio and cutscenes to immerse the player, alongside the variety of decorative objects and demonic enemies, and secrets that are enjoyable to hunt down. Gameplay consists of many timed runs, running from acidic rain, and some creative puzzles, including one rather challenging and enjoyable pushblock puzzle. The main issue is that you will probably spend a large amount of time backtracking, and to my surprise that included having to perform several of the timed sequences two or three times over. Granted, it will vary depending on which tasks you may have forgotten to do earlier, but it was tiresome all the same, and the level would really have benefited from a more centralized layout that would enable players to get from one area to another with ease. The textures are well used overall, but the biggest flaw there is wallpapering, which becomes more apparent when you are in some of the larger chambers (the best example that comes to mind is the chamber leading to the purple crystal). The lighting is shaded nicely, but could have used a bit more color. In conclusion, a long-winded but immersive and enjoyable level. 2 hours 29 minutes." - JesseG

"Here's a level that's definitely not for the faint of heart. Without Dutchy's advance walkthrough I would have gotten absolutely nowhere with it. For the three and a half hours it took me to complete it, I was obliged to go back and forth through a number of different areas, notably an immensely tall opening room, an outdoor segment with a deadly golden lake, another immense room with many platforming exercises, and an outdoor harbor area that leads to a final room guarded by a dragon. Quite a bit of backtracking is required, especially involving the quest for a final secret that's about as complicated as anything I've ever seen in a custom level. There's a convoluted block puzzle about halfway through that will have you tearing out your hair if you try to figure it out on your own. Finally, there's a unique timed run where you have to navigate your way through a number of time zone changes (that's the only way I can describe it). If a level is to be rated on the basis of innovative gameplay, a variety of tasks that are challenging but fair, and an exhilarating pace sustained throughout, then this one deserves top marks." - Phil

"I finally finished this enormous level, a lot of backtracking, many challenge and reflection (Pushables, colored shrubs to open the door ...) .It must be patient to find the 3 crystals of energy that will free the dragon. I found 5 secrets, all well concealed. Excellent but preferably for experienced players or those who have patience." - Drakan