Levels listed...
TR5 - 31
TR4 - 3141
TR3 - 177
TR2 - 133
TR1 - 61
72325 reviews (20.4/level)
3532 (99.7%) walkthroughs
445 Hall of Fame levels
1222 levels rated >= 8
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release date: |
04-Jun-2018 |
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# of downloads: |
265 |
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average rating: |
9.34 |
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review count: |
25 |
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review this level |
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file size: |
86.50 MB |
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file type: |
TR4 |
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class: |
Alien/Space |
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| Reviewer's comments |
"Short but interesting and fun level. I found the initial impression a bit luke warm and gaudy (is Lara on the moon, with atmosphere and space flowers?), but that impression disappeared as I've played more. It looks good, the atmosphere is top-notch, it's interesting to explore, gameplay is varied. You revisit places a lot, I had to backtrack or got stuck a lot, but that didn't make me dislike it. Careful with the bike, it sometimes does bad things. I didn't find it too hard, other than some things being tricky to find, and some timeruns. It's a horror story, and the ending is a bit cynic. (If I understood that right. Another review called the ending satisfying.) This level is definitely recommended." - tuxraider (20-May-2023) |
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| "(8) Gameplay & Puzzles: This is a medium difficulty adventure that took me about 1
hr 30 min. I will divide the gameplay into 2 sections: 1) inside the research facility and
2) exploring with the rover vehicle. I enjoyed section 1) a lot more. I felt like there
was a good amount of varied tasks to do, all within a concentrated area. Yes, section 2)
is more beautiful, but there's so much "dead space" in my opinion, where you're just
wandering around, not doing much. The problem solving in the gravity room in section 2) is
great, however aside from that, the gameplay in section 2) didn't really excite me. The
final torch task is just not up to the standard I have come to expect from this
talented builder. You basically collect the torch in area A, light it in area B, and then
return to area A. There's no problem solving and/or platforming to get the torch to where
it needs to be, which is a let down, considering the variety of interesting torch puzzling
required in the builder's Aqua Sanctuary, released 3 years prior. Also, the overall
gameplay difficulty curve is a bit strange, as I think section 1) is more difficult in
terms of dexterity-based tasks. It would have been good if tricky laser traps had also
been present in section B), or some other form of tricky dexterity task. (9) Enemies,
Objects & Secrets: There's a great use of object decor to bring the world to life, as
well as enemies to tell a story. The research facility is fleshed-out with objects that
make sense and so it is interesting to explore. I would have liked to have seen more
"adrenaline" usage out of the rover, however. For example, driving it over a chasm, etc.
(10) Atmosphere, Sound & Cameras: The eerie atmosphere and world-building is the
strongest aspect of the game in my opinion. The builder does a wonderful job of
storytelling, with immersive flybys/cutsenes. The geometry of the alien landscape piques
the player's interest, and the little clues left in the facility areas makes the player
curious about solving the mystery. Static camera hints and music/sound cues are all
excellent. (10) Lighting & Textures: These are done wonderfully, with no misshapen
textures spotted. The builder does provide adequate flares for the darker areas in section
1). The use of lighting effects was excellent in a corridor in which the lights go out.
Overall, I had fun and I don't think the gameplay is bad in any way, however I do
think there is something missing in the gameplay. There are some other levels made by this
builder that I am obsessed with, regularly replaying, however I just don't think the
gameplay here has the same spark. 8/9/10/10." - nerdfury (16-May-2023) |
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| "As you can expect from Mr XY, this level contains masterfully crafted and colorful environment
accompanied by lots of impressive gameplay. I liked very much the riddles in the beginning, which
will provide you codes for keypads scattered around the base. However, the real fun began once I
got my hands to the rover and started exploring the wide outdoor area. The way you need to park
the rover on pressure pads to open doors in the nearby buildings was really cool. I enjoyed also
the action that takes place inside the buildings, especially the escape from the rooms that became
filled with poisonous gas. All in all, it’s highly entertaining level, which I can recommend to
everybody who haven’t played it yet." - Samu (24-Aug-2021) |
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| "Kevin is one of very few builders who can flawlessly divide
a story into prologue, progression and resolution, and he
does it in a "nothing too little, nothing too much" way
which simply has to work for many - so it's another
universe where a universal level takes the crown. Probably
"Frayed Ends" are more innovative but I think they should
be TRNG-fied so the lagging is gone. This one here feels
just pro, I think you could run it without lagging even on
archaic notebooks, and I doubt you can find it in your
heart to be disappointed by it." - DJ Full (24-Jun-2019) |
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| "It’s been longtime I didn’t play anything and i’m amazed to see that
TRLE is still used. This level is probably the best I never
experienced. The player is immersed in another world, with a simple
but fascinating quest: find what happened to a missing crew. The
game puts the emphasis on exploration and brings the player in a
captivating sci-fi atmosphere. You have to visit the base where the
crew was living before having access to the planet’s wide outdoors.
Music and atmospheric sounds are especially well chosen,
enhancing that mysterious feel. A great care of details has been
taken by the level builder. I especially liked that stunning
extraterrestrial flora, as well as the various rooms in the base and
the wink to Tomb Raider in the bookshelves… The items to collect
broads the storytelling, enhancing the player's immersion. There is
the exact amount of ennemies the story requires. The first
encounter is especially scary, even if it’s dommageable that the
enemies don’t make any sound.
One other highlight of this game is definitely about the gameplay:
not any frustrating task like boring millimeter accuracies jumps, nor
unfindable switch to locate. Everything is placed in a coherent way,
ensuring a pleasant and fluent exploration. The author purposed
new puzzles and inventive tasks like the gravity room that will let
you play with water or a toxic plant area. Congratulation to the
author for this amazing level! It simply makes me want to build again
with TRLE." - Kagoo (09-Jan-2019) |
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| "I liked this TRLE alot, but I kinda knew I would. MrXY
always delivers every build. From the 1st space station to
the door codes and Armory finding the Space buggy keys and
exploring the huge outside area for alien totems. Theres
also 3 skill tests to get the bridge nodes and a final boss
area that reveals a shocking discovery to why the crew has
been missing, 1 of my top fav of the Space TRLE's. Thanks
MrXY :)" - Killer Gameplayz (06-Nov-2018) |
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| "Lara investigates the disappearance of 8 crew members from a facility on an alien planet. The gameplay is a nice balance of physics-bending puzzles, timed runs, combat and exploration. I particularly liked the anti-gravity cube that you can toggle on and off to shift water to the ceiling. Although most of the enemies are just one type, they are integrated well with the level and add to the immersion. The decor is excellent and diverse, from the lush green biology labs to the wild, unkempt courtyard of the facility. The secrets give the player extra tasks to do, I only found one of them but the other one gives you a nice scavenger hunt if you so choose. The architecture is good, my favorite part being the blue pyramids scattered across the barren lands. Audio is used very effectively to set a horrific mood, and increase the player's anticipation. The cutscenes are what really sell the level. They are crafted expertly to convey key story points to the player. The textures are applied flawlessly and do not feel wallpapered. Lighting is used very effectively in key moments, such as the one basement area that goes dark on you just before an enemy strikes. There is a lot of attention to detail here. Overall an excellently built level. 57 minutes." - JesseG (26-Oct-2018) |
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| "Very accomplished level that provides all you need for a good raid. Story line is well thought out, game play fits the brief, textures and atmosphere are simply amazing. Some of the tasks require a little thought to get through. Really cannot fault this one. My one lost moment was not realizing you had to use the anti gravity cube twice. The only time I needed to refer to the walk through. Other than that the level progressed logically and entertained for a good 45 minutes." - Torry (24-Sep-2018) |
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| "I must say, this one got off to a slow start for me. Too
dark and too mundane. But then we got outdoors for a little
elbow room, and although the darkness factor continued to be
a downer, the gameplay really picked up with the addition of
the Dune Roller. Now that I've played all the 2018 BtB
levels, I can't pick a clear favorite, but the second half
of Hope of Meridian is right up there with the best of them.
A little more player-friendly ambient lighting and I would
have been tempted to give it top marks despite the
sputtering beginning. The special effects were especially
convincing here, and Dutchy's thinking-outside-the-box tip
for conquering that timed run for the final Bridge Control
Node was quite helpful as well. My playing time was about an
hour and 15 minutes. The levels for this year's competition
were relatively few in number but put together exceptionally
well. Bravo, Mr XY and everyone else." - Phil (23-Sep-2018) |
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| "In this year’s second Back to Basics level, Lara travels to a planet named after (I’ll admit that this one’s a bit of a stretch) a city in Horizon: Zero Dawn, trying to find out what has happened to the missing crew on a research station. I’m always impressed when levels manage to tell a story within the constraints of BtB - this level shows Lara’s inner thoughts through text added for pickups, which works really well. What also works well is the gameplay, which is fun and varied throughout. Little things - like briefly changing the gravity to get past some spikes, or using a teleporter to get through a timed run in time - go a long way towards making things feel fresh - plus they suit the sci-fi theme really well. There are a lot of doors and winding hallways in the first half of the level, so things can get a bit confusing. It’s not a bad-looking research station, but everything does blend together a bit. Things pick up in the second half of the level, as Lara exits to the planet’s surface and has to track down three keys to get across a bridge. It looks alien enough, I guess (I like the bubbly plants), but most of the actual gameplay still takes place inside different parts of the research station, as Lara solves three separate puzzles to get the keys. After around forty minutes, the level ends. And while it’s not a surprising ending, it is at least a satisfying one." - Magnus (05-Jul-2018) |
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"The highlight of this level is the use of a rover to travel long distances on the planet’s surface and as a weight to activate pressure pads. (I also love that the rover is named in honour of Mugs – thank you for that little tribute, BtB package team!) There are also several other enjoyable tasks, such as a sequence in which you have to keep changing the gravity in a set of corridors; a timed run that involves a clever use of teleportation; another timed task in an area that’s filling up with poison gas; and multiple keypad puzzles, that put together also enable you to get one of the secrets.
Getting the first secret is fun, but collecting the rather randomly scattered alien totems for the second secret is somewhat less so (I resorted to the walkthrough for the locations of two of them). There aren’t a lot of enemies: just a handful of alien creatures (whose significance becomes clear later on) and a boss fight. The rather complex story is told quite ingeniously, using readable objects and object descriptions. The end is rather disturbing – indeed, the most disturbing I have ever encountered in a custom level, with maybe the exception of Josep Borrut’s ‘A Witch shall be born’ – but nonetheless, it’s fascinating.
The interior of the base is not particularly attractive, with mostly grey textures and few decorative objects. It’s understandable that a base on an alien planet would prioritize function over looks, but still – a little more visual appeal would have been nice. The exterior of the alien planet, though, is lovely and atmospheric, with eerie blue fog, bright blue plants, mysterious glowing pyramids and floating rocks.
Overall: An interesting and enjoyable level with a nice setting, a variety of gameplay, and an intriguing story. Highly recommended." - Mytly (04-Jul-2018) |
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| "Only the second BtB level I am playing with year and clearly a contender for the win. You get a nice storyline and work you way through it step by step with some exploration and searching, a few tricks and traps to manage and some cool fun driving around with the rover. Some of the seemingly easy laser trap passages are actually not as simple and I liked the thinking puzzle with the code pads and the cool additions like the poison room and the healing station. There is excellent use of transporters and a dramatic build up to the boss fight and the resolution of the storyline. I ended up having to do the boss fight twice because one of those mutants decided to land on the crucial artifact and not disappear - hence I could not pick it up, but that is really a minor gripe in an otherwise really cool adventure." - MichaelP (02-Jul-2018) |
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| "Only two levels into the Back to Basics 2018 contest entries at time of writing and undoubtedly, this one ranks as my favorite thus far.
Taking place at a research facility on the aliens' home turf this time round, we find ourselves scouring the seemingly abandoned but nevertheless hostile planet, for any sign of the research team. And needless to say, they met with quite the grim fate I'll tell ya all that much.
Gameplay offers a lot of variety in challenges you can do(from playing around with gravity to access levers, an easter egg-styled secret hunt for alien totems & escaping a hazardous series of rooms filled with toxic gas, to the little things such as relying on various teleporters or a fancy space rover to get around the expansive landscape).
The atmosphere(while not quite as nerve-wracking as Edge of Forever was for me personally), is still very excellent at conveying an immersive sense of isolation, with effective use of lighting, camerashots, textures & general assets(which combine to create a world that may make you feel alone, but is at the same time, incredibly beautiful to explore while it lasts).
So in conclusion, highly recommended!" - Ceamonks890 (30-Jun-2018) |
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| "At least for me, a perfect level, where we have beauty,
gameplay, good taste in ornamentation, puzzle and action
perfectly balanced. It is a lovely display of creativity,
with an intriguing and unusual storyline, where we can find
some tough challenges (oh, those lasers and fires with
spikes) and some puzzling and easier ones. The level has all
the things raiders do love: plenty of exploration, a healthy
appeal to intelligence, a vehicle that does not explode in
wet places, well placed enemies (real enemies? well…),
smartly hidden secrets, not very tough and impossible timed
runs… and no one single moment of boredom. Highly
recommended, and congratulations!" - Josey (28-Jun-2018) |
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| "Although this is just my second BtB-Space incursion, it's already a contender for my favorite. The level offers you a compelling storyline and as you embark on this quest for eight missing people you actually get to discover their fates. Generally speaking it's a very simple and straightforward level, but it is set on a massive exploration space which you get to cover with the Mugs Rover. I particularly loved the gravity cube puzzle, and also felt the atmosphere for the outer world was spot on. In fact, I am not sure if this was a source of inspiration to the author or not, but I got great Mass Effect vibes out of this level, it was almost as though as I was driving the Mako to far outposts for one fetch quest or another -- in this case, three power nodes. Only stumbled upon one of the alien totems but I wasn't actively looking out for them. 55 minutes. 06/18" - Treeble (27-Jun-2018) |
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| "No doubt this could be one of the best levels of the
competition. Gameplay goes from exploring a desolated space
colony looking for codes to driving the rover and solving
some very clever puzzles, and all along the way there are
plenty of surprises that keep you on your toes. The author
also developed a plot, a mistery that you have to solve as
you go further into the level, culminating with a great
finale. I missed one secret, but I was able to get the
other with a very useful weapon. Ammo and medipacks are
duly provided. Lighting and textures were also very good.
Congratulations to the author! Definetely recommended." - Feder (24-Jun-2018) |
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| "This space BTB is so well designed and the puzzles were
Really cool. Involving a bit of maths to open the armoury.
The main goal of the level is to collect 3 bridge nodes and
defeat a boss to find the crew.
This was my favourite of the BTB space levels." - JoeTheCrazyGamer (24-Jun-2018) |
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| "I must say I really had fun with this. The gameplay is most absorbing and well devised, making excellent use of the rover vehicle and transporters to zap Lara to different areas with a good variety of tasks to achieve. One or two slightly challenging tasks will put this beyond the reach of inexperienced players, but otherwise it should be achievable for most. The builder certainly has made excellent use of the wonderful objects and textures provided, and succeeds in creating some stunning alien environments." - Jay (22-Jun-2018) |
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| "I may be only two levels through, but without wishing to appear presumptive, I think this could be one of my top three in the contest. Unlike On the Edge of Forever, this isn't just set in one main location and instead introduces more wide open areas to explore. The architecture, texturing and lighting are pretty much flawless and every now and then, I stopped just to take in my surroundings. The gameplay is consistently entertaining and manages to keep the interest throughout the 55 minutes that it lasted. There's a few exploration aspects, enjoyable timed runs, a couple of traps, a torch puzzle and the method of using the Rover to activate pressure pads is a really neat idea. If you manage to find all of the Alien Totems, you are provided with an extra secret. They're not too difficult to find. If I have any gripes, it may be that one timed run past fire traps had to be executed rather finely. But apart from that, I loved it from start to finish." - Ryan (21-Jun-2018) |
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| "As I used a random number generator for the levels, it is pure coincidence that this level came last, but it's for sure my favourite overall (for those interested, #2 is Renaissance and #3 is Starlantis). It's a really great work overall in any regard. There are several pretty novel puzzles in here and quirky attempts on timed runs, a somewhat different perspective on keypads, the rover is fun to use (though it's the only time we see it in the competition, for some reason) and even the slightly labyrinthine first section is superbly done with another interesting timed run among other things. The storyline is also very nicely incorporated into the game. On the other side, it all feels somehow... a bit empty. The individual tasks are nice, but it feels like they are scattered across the map and the task density could be somewhat higher in my opinion. I was pretty sad when the level ended after just about 30 minutes. Technically, I can't really fault this level much, except the minor thing that DOZY is still enabled (but I think this is not the only BtB level this year that doesn't have it disabled). The enemy usage is extremely non-varied, but it makes sense in the context of the game and actually the timing of the attacks made me jump once or twice. The two secrets are greatly hidden, the second being a very nice exploratory extra task that at least made the large desert area which lacks any other tasks at least a bit of meaningful (except of being beautiful, of course). Yes, the looks of this level are indeed very clean and very professional; while the inside areas are a bit more simple, the other areas are quite stunning. The textures and lighting section is almost faultless and the camera work deserves special praise, especially the one at the "boss fight" is just extraordinary but also several others. Anyway, despite some disappointment about the sudden (but nevertheless cinematic and dramatic) ending, I think this is a worthy top contender and also for me concluding level of this contest." - manarch2 (20-Jun-2018) |
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| "This is mostly set in a base type setting, although it
introduces more exotic elements later. The base is well
executed, with good use of objects and design to feel
convincing, and plenty of parts where you can look into
other areas. The architecture of individual areas is
relatively simple, but it's convincing, and gets stronger
in the second part. The gradual introduction of more
alien elements is done well too. Gameplay starts off with
relatively straightforward environmental navigation, but
starts introducing puzzles soon enough, and the tasks
gradually escalate as you go through, although it's not
especially difficult. The thing that really brings it all
together is the story aspect; the level makes every use
it can of item interaction and other elements (even the
enemy usage) to tell a story that develops throughout,
feeds into a few puzzles and wraps up in the end. The
secrets are also nicely done. A good level made great by
going the extra mile with usually less focused-on
elements." - Mman (19-Jun-2018) |
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| "A considerable amount of this level is very mazy and
eventually makes you want to see it through. Still, I
thought the design was beautifully crafted, so was the
general atmosphere and even the mazy part was very cleverly
created. Unfortunately, I only found four of the five small
blue statues, so I was left wondering what could have
awaited me after discovering what had happened to the crew
(abducted and then transformed into aliens, I guess),
blowing them into smithereens and leaving. I liked all the
teleportings and the way one could use the Rover to open
quite a few doors (first, one has to find out that's what
one's supposed to do). A really nice entry." - Jorge22 (13-Jun-2018) |
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| "Summary: With the atmosphere and suspense of a sci-fi
horror thriller, this was a fun level that had the feeling
of a classic Star Trek episode. Alternating between the
outdoor, vividly blue planet and the dark, haunted
hallways of the base, Lara has to build up clues to a
mystery throughout the level, with a satisfying and
cinematic conclusion. While I encountered some frustration
due to certain game features being invisible if played at
a screen resolution height below 720 pixels or so, I very
much enjoyed this level, especially the vehicle sequence
and the final boss. Details (spoilers): What a story! The
various letters from which Lara must piece together the
mysterious disappearance (or . . . what appears to be a
disappearance!) of the station's crew was riveting, and a
twist I didn't actually see coming. Cameras and music,
like those in the very first hallway between buildings
when Lara gets trapped for a moment, seriously up the
suspense of the level. Puzzles were fantastic,
particularly the floating water room and the fire hall
timed run, and another timed run that really required a
sprint-dive in order to succeed. Solving each puzzle was
tricky but logical, making it satisfying to complete. I
found both secrets, and for each there was a nice reward
and a sense of something added to the game, my favorite
kind of secret in the style of The Lost Artifact. I was
particularly glad I bothered to do the secrets, since the
Magnum made the final boss battle a bit easier. The
vehicle made the level particularly fun, roving around the
planet surface searching for items. So far, a stand-out
favorite among this year's BtB levels, with all the
elements I look for in any Tomb Raider level." - Cbl (10-Jun-2018) |
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| "A good map with touches of surivival horror. The anti-
gravity puzzle is very original and the ending is
surprising and very cinematic. The first section is maybe a
bit confusing and I like it better when we drive the Rover
(impressive item)." - requiemsoul (06-Jun-2018) |
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| "Excellent. The first area is a bit complex, labyrinth with all those keypads so I had to backtrack a lot to see what number to use in each one. The second big outside area seems hard, but not too hard when you dispose of a rover to explore and soon you'll realize that once you get a node and go back outside you don't need to re-explore the building areas again. Not an excessive backtracking. Even the five idols to get the second secret were not too difficult to find. Very good architecture and texturization, some innovative ideas like the water corridors in the ceilings or the pad tiles to use with the vehicle, the timed runs were not too hard and the whole game kept interesting and entertaining all the time; I've enjoyed it a lot. Sure one of the candidates to the podium. Congrats!" - Jose (05-Jun-2018) |
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