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The Top Secret Scroll by Osvaldo

DJ Full 7 8 8 6
eRIC 5 6 7 6
g12STL 5 4 6 6
Jay 6 6 7 7
Jose 5 6 7 6
manarch2 3 4 5 5
nerdfury 7 7 7 6
Orbit Dream 4 5 5 6
Phil 6 7 7 7
Ryan 5 5 6 6
Treeble 7 8 9 8
Wolf7 7 8 9 8
 
release date: 07-Mar-2021
# of downloads: 102

average rating: 6.27
review count: 12
 
review this level

file size: 37.20 MB
file type: TR4
class: Library
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
mecaoficial@protonmail.com

Reviewer's comments
"Visually the setting is very simple, just several corridors, but it was unusual to actually see the mechanism at work, and understand how the switches were disabled until the power was provided to them. Getting boiled alive was a neat detail as well." - DJ Full (01-Mar-2023)
"In the first third of the level you don't know why you pull switches or stand on particular patterned tiles and few doors open, and you go farther and farther to the other side of the map. Then a long fly by is triggered and you retrace your steps and rooms you passed by before open now and you know you are making progression. Anyhow the level is not very long. The setting is well designed and i like the textures with a texturing that is mostly very clean. The lighting on the other hand is too flat, and there is none in the junction corridors. The level remains easy on the eyes though and objects are placed well." - eRIC (03-Apr-2021)
"If not for Treeble's well-written walkthrough leading me by the hand, I probably wouldn't have stuck with this one all the way through, given all those underwater passages and the constant backtracking from start to finish. Osvaldo has given us some fun, well-rounded levels to play in the past, and although this one is more a "thinker" than a "shooter," one that has been crafted with some care, I can't say I really enjoyed myself for the hour I spent here. Two of the five tiles you need to find and step on for the second secret are so obscure that I wonder how Treeble was able to find and document them. The need for flares is nonexistent, so I have no complaints in that department, and you get a fairly entertaining if not terribly difficult timed run, but most of your activity consists of pulling levers and pushing buttons in order to plow through previously explored territory, not my idea of an entertaining raid." - Phil (27-Mar-2021)
"I loved the idea of the mechanics to open up all the doors/areas in this vast library. Otherwise, the game is rather heavily dependent on backtracking and disposing of a lot of tinmen (and one horseman). The library area consists more of the cogwheel/scroll aspects rather than anything else and, although reasonable well made, does tend to look a bit ‘samey’ after a while. It’s not bad, but I think Osvaldo has made better levels." - Jay (19-Mar-2021)
"While it doesn't really break the mold, I thought this was a fun take on the Library wad. Less on the library side and more so on the "mechanical" aspects, with several cogs and steamworks to make the whole place run — brilliantly done, might I add. Once that is done, it's a standard quest for fetch items on two different side rooms to get the key and ultimately claim the treasure. Pretty enjoyable and not harsh on the eyes either. 40 minutes. 03/21" - Treeble (14-Mar-2021)
"When all is said and done, this isn't actually a bad level, but it's just so very uninspiring to actually play through that you end up becoming ill-disposed towards it for much of its duration. This is mainly down to the seemingly interminable backtracking from point A to point B, all the while pressing switches and opening doors with very little to break the monotony in between, aside from a few horsemen attacks which also turned out to be rather repetitive after a while. I also thought that the environments tended to look rather dull and similar after dashing past them numerous times and I wasn't really as involved in this as I should have been. I did think that the sweeping, majestic flyby showing power being restored to this ancient library was incredibly neatly executed however. But the level as a whole failed to grab me." - Ryan (14-Mar-2021)
"There is one genuinely enjoyable sequence in this level,when power is generated and a smooth fly-by displays all the activated doors sliding open one by one. Otherwise,'uninspired' is the adjective that best describes absolutely everything you'll encounter in this 50 minute level. Backtracking gameplay, from switch to far-away door; unambitious and unmemorable rooms and corridors; repetitive tin men attacks; uninvolving challenges; dull decor. You simply run back-and-forth,hoping to encounter something interesting - but it never happens. I suppose it passes the time - but you can't help wondering if this builder,after so many contributions,has perhaps run out of steam." - Orbit Dream (12-Mar-2021)
"This game was straight-forward but a little confusing at the beginning. I believe that there should have been more enemies but different types of enemies instead of the brass knights. The difficulty wasn't too harsh, it is good for beginners to get on. While I don't have any real complaints, I just wish that the game was more engaging." - g12STL (10-Mar-2021)
"Even for this builder, this is an outstandingly lifeless and dull experience. He knows what he's doing which can be seen from time to time, and that's even more bitter because his potential is truly wasted in releases like this. Gameplay is tedious and almost solely based on pulling a lot of levers, running around (including backtracking), all that with no (!) puzzles, no real platforming and very few easy traps in between. The looks are not bad, but typically uninspired with monochrome and wallpapered corridors being present and only a few, slightly better larger rooms here and there, but all the rooms are just being built with not enough logical connection or sense of place. This is the builder's 27th effort and I don't believe he will ever come up with anything better in his 100th if he doesn't risk changing his repetitive style... Finished in 20 minutes with both secrets found." - manarch2 (10-Mar-2021)
"I was confused at the start, pressing all those buttons and running around with no sense, but once you find the "secret" passage the gameplay is more fluid. Even so, it seems that Osvaldo got out of fresh ideas, no puzzles to solve, only a lot of buttons to push, always the same knights to shoot, all rooms with the same textures, very few objects to ornate the rooms, not a good architecture... At least there is a great camera flyby sequence showing a lot of doors opening, but no more remarkable features. Another enjoyable level from this author, but not very entertaining." - Jose (10-Mar-2021)
"Quite a neat and short adventure Osvaldo has offered us, does not come as close as Chamber of Tinnos (that is the staple of best Osvaldo level so far) but still is a pleasant one.
The gameplay is the weakest part, but a very neat concept is being hidden here, every single switch does not work because there is no steam to provide electricity, this is a surprisingly neat concept that the game makes us learn early on. Surprisingly I did not find myself lost in this, quite at all! The gameplay tho is fairly simplistic and does not seem to be offering quite a lot, except a quite neat timed sequence, so I am gonna rate this 7, it is not too bad, but fairly simplistic.
Object usage was good and enemy placement was neat, it makes sense that only after having turned on the steam, most of the enemies turn on too, one of the secrets was fairly nice but the second one was a fetch quest of buttons on the floor that were painfully hard to find and one of them was even very hidden, this stops me from genuinely giving a nice here otherwise.
Osvaldo has become pretty good with cameras, Chamber of Tinnos has a wonderfully crafted last cutscene showing us where we have been, in this game there is a wonderful cutscene too! After we turn on the steam we see all the room we have been into, suddenly opening (in case you clicked the buttons) which was surprisingly a good way to make you feel like you achieved something! There were camera hints that did help me for most of the time, Osvaldo is learning how to become a better developer, aaah it is so nice to see camera hints!!
Lighting was scarcely colored and in fact I did not extremely enjoy it, on the other hand texturing was surprisingly decent in inside areas (usually the author makes extended usage of the same texture) not to mention the author has also fixed cracks, just like in Chamber of Tinnos, which is also a neat thing.
The more I play this author's levels, the more I like his simplistic yet wonderful style. I am confident he one day might give us a masterpiece.
Quite recommended for a pause, it entertained me for 40 minutes, so it is a short and sweet one! Wolfy Regards." - Wolf7 (09-Mar-2021)
"(7) Gameplay & Puzzles: This is an easy-to-medium difficulty shorter adventure (40 min for me), set within library ruins. Initially, I was confused, wondering why the doors weren't opening even though I pushed the buttons next to them. After a lengthy underwater sequence, I found the lost library's power switch to open all the doors, which was a really cool concept. The gameplay and exploration kept my interest for the remainder of the playthrough, although there were no puzzles and the few traps were really easy to avoid. While I had fun, all of the tasks are ones you've done plenty of times before in other TRLEs, and I do think gameplay-wise this level was a step backwards compared to the builder's other recent releases. (7) Enemies, Objects & Secrets: All of the enemies seem to fit the location this time; you won't find hordes of TR4 ninjas here. In fact the level is much less combat-oriented compared to other Osvaldo levels. The builder's object decor was well utilized in the actual library rooms, however the greyish ruins areas that made up most of the level seemed empty, and needed more objects. I think the traps department could have been much more interesting (I was sad that the builder didn't include his signature corkscrew traps!). (7) Atmosphere, Sound & Cameras: The architecture can be bland at times, and you never really feel like you're in a real lost library. It's like exploring one underground room after another, some of which happen to have some pipes, cogs and/or vents. There needs to be more to give areas memorability and unique identity. That said, a nice touch that I enjoyed was the steam emitting from all vents across the level. What was up with the random dark crawlspace that leads to absolutely nothing? Music cues and the ambient background loop were fitting, camera hints were used well, and I never felt lost regarding my objective. The flyby that played once you turned on the library's power really enhanced the immersion. (6) Lighting & Textures: I don't think I would mark this category as harshly if this was a newer builder's project. Considering, however, that this builder is very seasoned -- the amount of wallpapering I saw, as well as rooms with lack of any lighting, was jarring. I did, however, really enjoy how the builder would change the lighting of a room if an event was triggered (for example when the power goes on). Overall, I am hesitant to recommend this one; the gameplay is never frustrating, but never thrilling/memorable either. I still want to be supportive of the builder, though, so I would highly recommend 2 newer releases of his: Chambers of Tinnos and Temple of Lud. Both of these have more interesting and substantial gameplay in my opinion. 7/7/7/6." - nerdfury (09-Mar-2021)