Level reviews

"Venetian Night 8/9/9/8 All too frequently, trips to Venice turn into a bit of a shooter. This game, although it has some of the usual enemies, also has a few interesting puzzles to solve so if you're looking for something a bit more cerebral this could be just the thing. Indeed, you may find the walkthrough helpful (if not essential) at times; I certainly did! Good fun and a very creditable debut." - Jay

"Hard to rate, since timed runs, logical riddles, pushblock puzzles and switch combinations, even if correctl, are things I just wouldn't include. Meanwhile, the soundtrack made it better while the insufficient lighting made it worse. Eventually, the boat ride ended as soon as it began, leading to a sudden unresolved ending. I think a release of both Part 1 and Part 2 together in one project might be a good idea. Also, I guess Kubsy should just aim higher: not for the good, but for the amazing - which we can surely get from him." - DJ Full

"This a Venice level, although, as the name suggests, it's set at night which is a rarer take on the theme. The visuals are generally strong, even if there's nothing especially amazing. The main setting is a mansion type building, with some large multi-leveled rooms on a large scale, but the side-trips to the sewers and one or two other places are decent looking too. Texturing and lighting is convincing throughout, although a couple of the sewer rooms felt slightly too dark. The music also mixed together in some strange ways at times. Gameplay tasks are mostly good, with some large scale room puzzles in the larger areas, but there's a slightly weird pacing quirk, as you'll likely find the sewers before the mansion, which results in you eventually hitting a dead-end where you need the crowbar. There is a large shortcut provided, but felt like the crowbar could have been needed earlier to make it clearer where you were supposed to be looking first, which is behind probably the most obscure puzzle in the level (although there are some clues). Once that's worked out, the main challenge and large puzzle you spend most of the level solving is opening the way to the crowbar, which feels a little silly despite the fact it's technically just a type of key. As a part 1 the level ends on a cliffhanger, but it does at least provide some sort of climatic moment. A good level with little wrong with it, although it doesn't truly stand out either." - Mman

"An enjoyable ride with a TR2 Venice twist. As I finish the level, the feeling is one of enjoyment, my time wasn't lost, there's a soul to this adventure. Still, I think I found a couple of design mistakes that I wish had been avoided (or were things supposed to unfold this way?)... The first was that I got to the valve, plus the place to use it, very, very soon, and everything afterwards, basically the rather complicated quest for the crowbar, felt somewhat like backtracking. The quest for the crowbar, and the torch... Quite ingenious, but who actually makes it without a walkthrough? Are we really supposed to figure it all out, and perform a timed run while needing to drop the torch in the right spots, so as not to waste time? I enjoyed it, yes, but only because I knew what I had to do. Other than that, the game relies heavily on some clever/cryptic-ish puzzles, coupled with exploration and a few baddies along the way. The secrets are rewarding. I had some issues trying to get out of the boat, before I found out I had to press the delete key to do so. The new climbing move (which I first saw on a Tibetan level) is well used. I have no problems regarding the darkness because it's night time, and there are more than enough flares - even though I like it more colour-inspired. What can I say, it's a very honourable debut, and I did have fun. My advice is just to follow the walkthrough in the more complicated parts." - Jorge22

"Gameplay & Puzzles: I give the builder 7 because unfortunately and as suggested on the snakes puzzle I'd prefer some marks maybe on their mouth if it's possible to better understand where they were pointing and turned! The other puzzles where fine and easy to understand, even the timed one, was ok, you had enough time to complete it! Enemies, Objects & Secrets: They fit the Tomb Raider 2 style and it's ok even to use Rise of the Tomb Raider Ost and the Golden Rose from Tromb Raider 5 since we are talking about a Create a Classic. And all of this elements give me old but gold vibes, well done! Atmosphere, Sound & Cameras: They are really good for me since we have an amazing Venetian Night scenario! We always explore Venice during the day, seeing it in night it gives you a totally different good vibes! Lightning & Textures: I really appreciate the lightning since they are ok for a Venice Night level, the texturese respected the typical Tomb Raider 2. Duration: I've done on my YT channel, the full walkthrough video which is all complete with all key items,secrets and weapons collected, and it's short, because if you know what to do the level it's around 40 minutes while if it's the first time playing it's about 1 hour +. About Difficulty I play TR saga since I was a childe so for me it is a easy one. Keep up the work Kubsy, I'm looking forward playing the Part 2 :)" - Saki Croft

"This is an amazing first level from Kubsy, there are some builders that try for years and don't reach this quality, so the fact they're this good out the gate is really impressive. There's not much I can find to complain about, the gameplay was well done and the secrets were fun and unique. The Lighting & Atmosphere were particularly great, the builder really knows how to get a good atmosphere. I'm excited to see how the builder improves and what they do next, I could see Kubsy making very great things in the future." - Lorax

"Great debut by Kubsy! It's a very well made level and I think his further levels are gonna be even better. :D
Gameplay is mainly focused on puzzles and these are executed well. Hints to them are usually clear enough, I personally didn't struggle with solving them. However, I saw that some people complained about obscure hint to the Dragon statue puzzle. I understand that hint properly but it can be unclear for some players, so this might need some polishment. There are some platforming sequences that are done well, they're easy even for less skilled players. :)
The amount of enemies is balanced and the author provided plenty of ammunition and medipacks. Secrets are decently hidden with a good reward and "oconic" easter egg ;) There's very good usage of assets, however I sometimes feel that some rooms are too empty and it'd be nice to have a bit more decoration but after all it's still done properly.
Atmosphere of the level is truly awesome, it's very well done. I don't have any complains about the sounds, didn't find anything wrong. There's plenty of good camera hints, so I think players shouldn't get lost that easily.
Texturing and lighting is very, very polished. I can clearly see that Kubsy wanted to make more realisitc lighting and I think it works very well with the environment that he created. Awesome debut and I am looking forward to the part 2. :D Recommended!" - Mahetus

"First of all, this is a very decent debut. The gameplay has many good ideas and puzzles that would be really great if they were executed in a better way. Hints and execution are definitely not player friendly, like four statues in four corners that should look each other "horizontally". Geometry has never been my strong point at school, but everything looked horizontal to me. A wonderful timed run, also containing a puzzle, that took me ages to figure out because it also involved two buttons we didn't know they were timed and on different timers. After I finally figured it out, it felt very rewarding. A confusing underwater lever puzzle that took me numerous times to go for some air. Unlike other players, I took the route to the crowbar first because I saw the way to proceed, so no backtracking for me. Enemies were fine and I also liked the secrets. The atmosphere and the music choices are also good. The worst part for me was the flat lighting almost everywhere, even in rooms that there were light sources. What I want to point out is that despite the flaws, this builder shows a lot of potential and his second level proves he is on the right track." - billie2001

"An ambitious debut level where the effort can be seen through the complexity of some puzzles. The gameplay is organized in a sequence of distinctive puzzles to solve in their rooms, one after the other, and there is no "general" puzzle trough the level, except retrieving a crowbar for an area accessible at the beginning.
The level has moments of smooth gameplay and moments where it's easy to get stuck or demotivated, but the game is beatable anyway and it's decent. On the good side it doesn't bring bugs, softlocks, skips; it prevents too long backtrackings and doesn't require pixel perfect acrobatics. Tasks are quite basic although assembled in complex puzzles.
However, the large puzzles presented need more polishing around and a design that makes things intuitive (rather than tapefixing with hints that basically tell the player what to do). This level offers an iconic huge "puzzle timed run" that combines a puzzle with platforming, but where the most of effort for the player is not to actually beat it, but to understand what's the goal and all the steps required (including raising blocks with a different timing than the main run). This way the player "discovers" these things by failing an attempt after the other (plus getting misleaded by the faulty buttons). But there are other smaller examples anyway around the level, and everything falls behind a flat lighting with no contrast in most of the areas (or insufficient light), that doesn't help playing in general.
Aesthetically, as I said the main problem is the grey/flat light, that doesn't set a specific atmosphere and annoyes the eyes. I've lit a lot of flares to overcome this even when the light was sufficient for my monitor. Texturing is correct instead, although sometimes too repeated, while geometry could have been better because we get some big boxy areas occasionally.
Odd choices are a fountain in a classic library and outdoor balconies inside as well. But all in all the Venice atmosphere is there and fires help the library to look better and cozier." - dinne

"With Venetian Night Adventure, Kubsy presents us a well-made debut level good approaches, some beginner mistkaes but also a lot of potential. The level starts at the Venetian pier at night but also takes the player to the sewers and a big library (my favorite area).
The gameplay has good approaches when it comes to the puzzles, but also potential to completely confuse the player. What I really liked was shooting down the boxes to cross the water and the puzzle where you have to turn the snake figures. A bit confusing was the rolling ball puzzle, where you had to try different switches to create a path for the ball. Confusing, because the overview was not quite given and also a bit annoying, because the whole thing took place underwater, meaning you had to get air again and again.
Unfortunately, the puzzle with the 4-minute timer also is rather confusing without help. A good idea on paper but the implementation wasn't the best. Why? You start the Puzzle with a 4-minute Timer which is displayed on screen, during this timerun there are two more timed buttons, which have no timer or any indication that they are timed (inconsistency).
There are also no camera cues what these buttons actually do and once you used them, you have to press them twice so they get activated again. All this adds to the confusion, which could have been avoided by making a few changes. Visually, the level is looking good, especially for a debut level it has some very pretty rooms. A few rooms however feel a little flat due to lack of lighting and some rooms are a bit larger than they need to be but overall the author manages to create a lively atmosphere.
The music is appropriate for the most part, only in one area are there two pieces of music that play on top of each other, which I found somewhat disturbing.
For some variation there is a short boat segment at the end before the level ends with a cliffhanger. I'm eagerly awaiting part 2 and can only recommend this level! I'm sure we'll see and hear a lot more from Kubsy. =)" - Mr XY

"This level finds Lara in Venice, with Bartoli's pesky goons not having been completely stamped out yet. There are elements from both TR2 and TRC to check out as Lara explores houses, sewers, canals, and a library. I'll get my one critique out of the way, which is that traveling to where a crowbar must be used before Lara has it will lead to quite a bit of backtracking, and that involves repeating a timed run. At least some text gives you a heads up that you need to turn back. There are other timed runs as well, one involving jumps across floating boxes, and another involves lighting candelabras with a torch – not necessarily in one go, so not too much pressure there. I always enjoy a good falling boulder puzzle, and I also liked the statues puzzle. After her search for the crowbar is finished, she will use it to unlock the famous Venice boat, and drive towards the end which felt a bit abrupt, but it is made clear that this is just part 1 of the adventure. 1 hour 5 minutes." - JesseG

"This was an engaging raid that had a little of everything. Right out of the box you have a two-layered pushpiece puzzle to solve, for which I was glad to have José's walkthrough handy. The revolver and laser sight are needed on only one occasion, but I was happy to have the revolver for its additional firepower. Since the medipacks were few and far between, I was fortunate to finish the level with a dangerously flickering health bar and no medipacks. The extended timed run about halfway through was a humdinger, and fortunately the player wasn't required to do it all in one go. Even so, I neglected to pull down the timed switch again before going up to push that second button, resulting in a nasty fall that led to my death. I spent close to two hours here, so there's certainly plenty to do, but I found the level to be much too dark, especially in the latter stages. Plenty of flares are provided, but at the risk of sounding like a stuck record I'll repeat that I'd much rather be able to see what's going on around me instead of having to resort time and again to artificial and temporary lighting." - Phil

"Kubsy's first level is a delight to look at, with great puzzles, and shows how he's going to be an awesome builder for the ages!

I loved the setting; the atmosphere and ambiance were through the roof. Everything was clearly placed very purposefully to the best effect. Visually, the only minor issue is with lighting. There are some new approaches to puzzles and to timed-runs that I enjoyed a lot.

The issues with the level are related to communication. If the level is great but the player doesn't ever know what is going on (what happens after you pull a switch?), or what they can interact with, and often the player can't see much of the environment due to darkness, it becomes boring quickly. I have to admit: I couldn't end the level without the walkthrough (which I hate using). Heck, I could barely begin the level without a walkie... (Kuba, please read the PS below :D)

Both above and below I say a lot of things that are meant for the author and are criticisms, which are minor in the grand scope of things. Kubsy showed he's going to be great. He looked at great levels from great authors and learned, putting out an incredible debut! Congratulations and thank you for you undoubtedly amazing effort! Just remember: the masters are great because they make beautiful levels with amazing jumps and intricate puzzles. Yes. However, they are great because they do it so that the players can always understand what comes next, if they pay attention to the very direct clues. That makes it so that it is a challenge, but also a pleasure to solve on your own.

I recommend this level and this author's future output, fully. I also recommend the walkthrough for this level (thank you, José!). The level took me 1h10min and it had some minor challenging aspects, even if it was mostly easy. Beginners should be patient and use the ReadMe file and the walkthrough.

PS:
Let me be clear (spoilers ahead on this paragraph and the next - no need to read forward, it is for the author): 1)I had no idea you could push a table in the first building. I saw the markings on the floor and assumed you had to push the vase. When I couldn't push it, I moved on, since the markings were related to the vase, and the vase alone. 2)I had opened the final trapdoor (where you need to put the valve) at the beginning, and I didn't even notice it opened, so I couldn't find where to insert the valve... This happens more times throughout the level, yet not many make you "stuck". 3)The underwater puzzle was also too hard, since the camera didn't show everything I needed to know to solve it faster, and I kept drowning or being poisoned. My point is: always let the player know clearly what happens when you pull a switch, and if an object that needs to be pushed is out of the ordinary, be clear to show it through the floor markings directly. Darkness is also a hindrance, especially because it adds to these problems, making the gameplay frustrating.

Another (minor) issue (spoilers): going through that amazing library portion with the noble goal of getting a... crowbar...? The story is limited in scope, and the pursuit of this object drives most of this first level. Shouldn't it be an interesting object? Shouldn't the crowbar be a casual find, like the uzis or the laser sight? It is anti-climactic to go through all that amazing puzzles and beautiful scenery for a measly little crowbar. I know it doesn't seem like it now, Kubsy, but I am really happy with this level. I loved it! Congratulations again!" - MigMarado

"For a first , Kubsy had made a good job. The game isn't very predictable and isn't your typical Venice level filled usually with many channels and i appreciate that, also to see some good ideas that work well like shooting the chains to make the hanging crates fall down. The puzzle with underwater levers was completely obscure though. You can not fault the texturing, the setting is well made with areas more pretty than others, and efforts have been made to create realistic lighting sometimes. Good level" - eRIC

"Not bad this debut with a decent design and a gameplay not hard. Despite the small defects I found like the harp trespassing the solid ceiling, the crates floating over the water surface, etc. I got no problems to finish, except the backtracking from the sewers where I needed a crowbar. Some areas have flat lighting but the texturization is usually good. I missed some more cameras/flybys and musics here and there, and the puzzle in the room with several UW levers is a bit obscure, but anyway I hope this builder continue with more creations in the future." - Jose

"A nice debut from this builder. The gameplay is quite puzzle based and most of those are quite nice to work out, there are also some new moves with monkeyswings (not uttermost needed IMO) but in general platforming is not as prominent in this game. The builder could ensure that you find the relevant crowbar before you enter the sewers which was a little nasty (there could be an additional text hint before entering), but otherwise progression is fluent and enjoyable, except of the mentioned sewer part where things are less inspired, even worse as this part is closer to the end. Otherwise, things are rather decently designed, enemy and object usage is quite good and the visuals are okay too. I was not a large fan of the lighting in some areas as it was basically flat with a few light sources in between, and texture transitions aren't always very smooth. In that regard I actually liked the sewers more as they were more coherent and some more atmospheric than the rest (which is far from bad either). Anyway this level is quite nice and I really hope to see more from this builder soon. Found all four nicely hidden (but overall not very hard to find) secrets in 40 minutes." - manarch2

"This is truly excellent work for a first effort. It pretty much ticks all of the boxes of what I expect from a custom level, namely that it looks good, is sufficiently enjoyable to play, is player- friendly and in this case leaves you hankering for more. The gameplay throughout is absorbing, challenging and draws you in from the outset and you generally get took by the hand very nicely, thanks to the text hints and subtle glances from Lara along the way, while camera cues are also helpful (although the statue puzzle was a little too obscure for its own good). Loved the extended timed run too. The lighting is a bit on the gloomy side, but that is also less of a handicap in the case of this level, as the brighter spots and uses of various lamps and the heady supply of flares offset that. Background audio is pleasant, fitting and not too intrusive (other builders, take note), while flybys are executed well. Nicely done, I think." - Ryan

"This fantastic venice level has a mixture of both easy and simple and also very original inspiring and challenging tasks puzzles and timed runs and i just loved it. Its set at night with great atmosphere textures and really good accompanying music to get you right in the mood for some fun exploring around buildings, waterways and outside areas. i must admit i did have to use a walkthrough a few times especially for that long timed run in the library area but it was all worth it and it didnt take away any enjoyment whatsoever. This level has plenty of traps and platforming as well so for sheer variety in locations and gameplay this really was right up my street and throughly had a great time, bring on part 2!" - John

"Levels in Venice are commonly found in TRLEs, and several authors have already tried to build a Venice at night. Therefore, building something that isn't a repetition of previous levels is already a challenge, which I think Kubsy managed to handle very well on his debut level. I remember when Kubsy was building his ORC and that I had the opportunity to play a half-level beta, a beta that I saw quality and I was waiting for the first release by this author. Unfortunately the ORC didn't come out in time, but in the current CAC we received Kubsy's first level. In general, the gameplay is a lot of fun at the same time that can be a bit challenging for certain players (cough!, cough!), as it makes the player think how to solve the puzzles. These puzzles are the strength of this level. Some of them very well structured, like the first puzzle opening the door with the "Library key", the puzzle of the boxes to understand how to create a "walkway" for Lara , and the intriguing timed-run in one of the actions to open the crowbar door. Specifically about the Daily Puzzle, I was confused to identify which was the "front" of the statue when I was on the second floor of the room changing the direction. With this, I believe that another type of statue would be more suitable for better identification from afar, and Kubsy could use more text to improve the hint in my opinion. The underwater puzzle took me a while to understand, and, in my specific case, the clues didn't help much at first, as I spent more of my time deducting the levers in trial and error. In this sense, the "player" factor influences, and that's why I won't consider it a negative aspect (since I'm not the best playing TR4, like... cough!, cough!.). The final part of the sewers fell short compared to the excellent gameplay at the beginning of the level. Not that it's "bad", but the gameplay is more simplified. It was possibly the last part of gameplay that the author built was close to the CAC deadline and ended up being more basic than the previous part (I don't know, I'm just guessing). But that point doesn't affect my point of view that gameplay and puzzles are the best elements of this level, it's just one more detail that restricts the possibility of me giving an authentic "10" in gameplay. Objects are well placed, with an excellent balance of enemies, ammo, medicpacks and flares. Combat isn't the main aspect of the level, but when it happened, the balance was perceived. However, some object details could be further polished. For example, books "floating" on water have no textures on their underside and are transparent (ah, and i already asked Kubsy why have a fountain inside the library, but this is an irrelevant detail, just curious). As it's a Venice level, I waited more use of the boat, but I think Kubsy will explore it well in part 2. They are small polishing details of the level, but nothing bad to its quality. A point that I leave as a suggestion refers to cameras. Using more cameras when using switches would be positive as it sometimes took me time to understand what had happened. I noticed that few of the switches have a camera and it's a recommendation for part 2. I know it's not necessary to always have it. But I believe that more cameras is better to keep a good progression in a TRLE. In lighting, Kubsy did a good job detailing this Night Venice, although some small rooms could have been better worked, but no biggie, as it's a competition for classic levels and it had a deadline to be met (so i understand). As for the textures, I was worried about some of them, mainly transition textures, which could have been positioned differently and worked with blends/mixtures through the GIMP for example. This and the other aspects mentioned are small details that the author can improve in future levels. As a final summary, a great debut by an author who already had levels under construction but was late in releasing his first level. When I tested the ORC that ended up not being released (so far), I knew the qualities that Kubsy would have to build a good gameplay variation, and this CAC doesn't disappoint. The amount of levels in the Venice category makes difficult to build something new, and he managed to finish something new with a focus on good puzzles and varied gameplay. Great work from a promising author! Recommended level and let's wait the part 2 (with more BOAT!!! :D ). I finished in 1 hour and 20 minutes, with 1 secret found. My rating is 9/9/8/8." - Leoc1995

"The first work of an ambitious level builder that is very successful from my point of view. As the name of the game suggests, you have to explore Venice at night, so all areas are kept somewhat dark, which, except for two rooms, is well done. The whole game can be reduced to one main task, which is to find the crowbar. This is what you will spend most of your time with. I really liked the time task with the torch. There is also an action in this game that I haven't seen before in a custom level. I really liked how Kubsy managed to make Lara shimmy from a climbing wall to the ceiling. I'm looking forward to the second part and can only recommend the game." - nad

"That's a very good debut level from Kubsy. I think the best part of it was the gameplay. I really liked the idea of puzzles which needed some thinking before making them. I also liked the "big time trial" in one of rooms which was very creative and pretty complicated (with complicated I mean there was a lot to do in it). Maybe a sewers part were a bit worse in terms of gameplay as it was pretty basic there. About the looks of level; it was mostly pretty good altough there were some things I would point out. For first I suggest to author to work on geometry in some places because I felt some places were too boxy. For example the main area buildings were pretty flat. Textures were mostly good. I only found some walls a bit wallpapered, so some more diverse textures could have been put on them. Lighting was also mostly good, pretty colourful and atmospheric. But again I found small room where lighting was totally unexistent and some places could have more balanced lighting in terms of brightness. The thing which increases the atmosphere very well is the ambient music. I really loved the music inside buildings and outside too. Overally, I think it's very good level as for debut, with interesting puzzle ideas, some cozy looking rooms and pretty nice atmosphere. I can definitely recommend it and I'm waiting for part 2! Good job Kubsy!" - BlackWolfTR

"You can never be sure what you'll get when playing a debut release, so the good news is that Kubsy's debut is a polished gem showcasing this builder's promising building skills. The rainy, atmospherically lit night-time Venetian streets set the tone from the get-go with a strong atmosphere that carries throughout the level as it transitions to an inviting library hub that splits off to puzzle sections with intact and ruined aesthetics, and wraps up the action with a visit a warehouse linked to some sewers and surrounding canals, all accompanied by fitting ambience tracks and music cues where appropriate. For most of the level the goal is to acquire a crowbar that allows completing the sewer section, which in turn leads to the level's exit. On this journey there's a very fair balance of platforming challenges, timed runs, shootouts with Bartoli thugs, and intuitive puzzle solving. I thought the challenges were well paced throughout the level. The timed sequence involving getting two candelabras on opposite sides of one of the library rooms was an enjoyable challenge, along with the trapdoors boulder puzzle that has an interesting consequence for failure. The secrets are a nice challenge, one which contains a fun Polish cultural reference to boot. As far as what could be better, I think a tighter map design that prevents the player from reaching the sewer section before they have the crowbar would improve the level's pacing and prevent some backtracking. The architecture in the library section did feel boxy in the rooms where most time is spent, but it does get more interesting in the later sections. The object placement of the flooded section could have used some improvement as well. Perhaps there were technical challenges in the way of making the furniture of that room float more realistically, as currently all the objects sit on top of the water's surface. If these objects could have been submerged more in the water then that would have made the section appear more convincing. Still, I thought these were minor flaws in what is otherwise a well-crafted experience that I enjoyed playing through. I'm eagerly looking forward to Part 2 when it's ready!" - Relic Hunter

"to start i wanted say it's the first level of kubsy and i remember to see some stuff of them on discord. Gameplay & Puzzles: for start i really liked the gameplay,which was cool,less backtracking but you back to some places but nothing stressful and was cool indeed,like library puzzle i got some issues and fight whith that i meant my bad sense of direction,but is was very easy when i got them,more than i through. but i found some flaws on this project it's the less camera hints,ik level is ez and don't have a complex world but still them is necessary to avoid so many stucking(principally talking about bad players) another flaw i found it's the on torch puzzle(why?) i got confused on bengnning because there a trapdoor with close so fast(intentionally opens and after some seconds them close/open...) made me and other players think or suppose it's a timed stuff,and i got some stucing for a while untill i pay attention on trapdoor itself,with a flyby should be better to undestand how it was working. i also don't liked the tokyo TRL sound on a venice at night because it mostly like work for a party and not for a timed stuff,it should be some action music or similar,besides the flaws the gameplay is really cool and a got a lot of fun. Enemies, Objects & Secrets: about them,enemies are very well placed and i don't got any problems with them,objects are very well placed,levelon overall are very well decorated....i don't take any secrets(i barely got them when im playing,since i focus on gameplay and o don't take secrets(since i don't care about them) but i think i got a secret door on sewers i suppose,they're very hidden so far i noticed on my blind gameplay. Lighting & Textures: the texturing of overall level are good enough but i found several flaws like,on bengnning when you're jump trough some balconys, the rotations of the transiotions between the wall and the stone are a bit wrong and needed a bit more of attention,inside the house of the library i noticed a lot of mirroed textures it's suppose to be on outside buildings and not inside ones,some weird celling achictecture should be improved as well and on the sunked part(where is the underwater_swith puzzle) as well a lot of mirrored textures should be improved on next releases,i also don't liked the mix of venice textures with the offishore/diving area ones,i think it is a bit out of places,what kubsy should do it's add sewers textures instead of offishore/diving area on my opinion. lighting is really good, but still need adjust with th night stuff and shadown or bright rooms but it seems be improved on future,that's the minor of problems at moment. for conclusion i really enjoyed a lot the level,i got many fun beside the flaws it's a good custom and i can recommend for everyone for sure,1h,20min no secrets....good job so far kubsy...highly recommended....''" - PedroCroft_

"(9) Gameplay & Puzzles: This is a medium-difficulty adventure that took me about 1.5 hours. The platforming is straight-forward, however some of the problem-solving tasks are on the challenging side, requiring thorough planning and preparation from the player. For the most part I loved the various puzzles of this level. The builder does an excellent job of mixing up a variety of tasks, and gameplay progression is engaging and never dull. My favorite 2 aspects of this level are the lengthy library timed run, and the 4 underwater levers puzzle, both of which feel rewarding and satisfying once you figure out a solution. Although some puzzles are on the challenging side, the builder supports player-friendliness throughout the adventure. For example, although the aforementioned 4 levers puzzle is underwater, there is an above ground area where the player can study the route of the traveling rolling ball and plan their actions appropriately, without being bothered by a diminishing breath meter. The only thing I didn't like about the gameplay was the obtuse 4 dragons puzzle. I found the "horizontal" and "not across each other" clues to be vague and confusing in the context of the room. (9) Enemies, Objects & Secrets: The enemy engagements are exciting and the object decor is excellent. The builder has a keen eye for enhancing immersion by the use of objects; there are many subtle little details which I really appreciated such as the cobwebs in the abandoned library, the smoke coming out of the chimney, etc. Also, the use of objects during problem-solving tasks (e.g. shooting the hanging crates, lighting the torch in the library timed run) are creative and a lot of fun. The traps could be more exciting; just a couple of flame traps and debris here (also steam if you go for a secret). I know this is part 1 of a series, however the ending still felt anti-climatic, as the last task that the player performs is some climbing. I think the endgame would have benefited from a tense boss fight in the final room of the level, or a tense trap, etc. (8) Atmosphere, Sound & Cameras: The atmosphere and environmental immersion is very solid, although you only see a small area outdoors. I would have liked to have seen more outdoor/rooftop architecture. Cameras and flybys are generally very good, although I think there were a few cameras that could have been improved. For example, in the library attic, you use a lever to activate a timed trapdoor, but the camera showing you this is not very helpful as you have to wait several seconds before you see the trapdoor start opening. The player may "break out" of this camera before they see the trapdoor start to open. In terms of music/sounds, I feel mixed about this aspect. The eerie background ambient loops and the TRL manor music are perfect fits. However, there are still some issues with music/sounds. When you enter a sunken area (with a boulder), both the TRL manor music and another eerie background ambient loop start to play at the *same* time, which I didn't like. There is a long library timed run, with associated music, however there are other smaller timed runs in the game with no tense sound cue and I think a brief tense sound cue would have benefited here. I also think the TRL Japan party music is not a good fit for the long library timed run, as you can hear people chatting and laughing in the music. Finally with this category, when you finally open the boathouse gates, there's a camera, but this event does not feel "epic" as there is no associated music/sound cue. I think a "success" tune would have been beneficial here, as it's a big accomplishment for the player. (10) Lighting & Textures: This category is very polished and impressive for a debut. It's certainly a dark level, however the darkness here didn't grind my gears because a) the builder uses lots of "warm spots", such as street lights and interior lights, for color balance, and also b) the builder is generous with flares. I spotted no misshapen textures and the builder's general use of color is just beautiful. There are a few areas in which the lighting seems flat (for example the abandoned library with 2 harps) however it's such a small detail and I still think this category deserves top marks. Overall, I was very impressed by the builder's attention to detail and his emphasis on player-friendly gameplay, with a variety of fresh problem-solving tasks. I am truly excited for part 2. 9/9/8/10. **I beta-tested this level. This did not inflate my rating**" - nerdfury

"Gameplay and Puzzles: 8 the level had a few but memorable puzzles which were engaging and intriguing. The level felt mysterious and solving puzzle was always rewarding. Enemy Object and Secrets: 7 While the use of objects and statics was excellent, the small pool of enemies and the secret placement felt a bit lacking. I still enjoyed looking around for secrets, and the TR2 enemies are my favourite. Especially the masked goons~ Atmosphere sound cameras: 9 The theme and atmosphere was excellent, using text strings to showcase lara's thoughts and with great designs for interior venice luxurious apartments and libraries. The TR2 and TRC sounds mixed with TR legends ambience tracks and the new animations perfectly fused and made the experience refreshing while being classic. Lighting and Textures: 9 The classic textures and lighting were carefully picked and rooms never felt flat. Good use of geometry and the mixture of texture sets created a nice smooth experience. From TR1 and TRC sewers, to TR2 venice library. Difficulty and duration: The level was lengthy, around 1.30 to 2 hours, but it wasn't unnecessarily long. The difficulty was pretty easy, perfect for new players and friendly to everyone, offering more of a mental challenge with puzzle than fighting. I really loved it and would reconmend to any TR2 venice enthusiast!~" - ViridionSama