Level reviews

"This one provides us with a big and wonderful Christmas city. It's really beautiful visually. Every area is properly decorated and polished. Because of the size of this level, a map is included so if someone gets lost they can use it if they'd like to. A lot of exploration is involved and lots of objects to fetch. There is a nice story as well, and a lot of quests that citizens and Lara's friends give us. Despite being Christmas, the level has one section that is quite spooky. The only issue I found was a small shortcut in the library area in the room with the jumpswitch, although it's minor as I said. All in all, I thorougly enjoyed playing this one. I managed to get all the secrets and the sweet bonus. This is a really awesome work. Probably one of my favourite Xmas levels. Highly recommended." - BlackWolfTR

"Absolutely stunning level with plenty of exploration here around a beautiful, snow-kissed city. Although tasks don't need to be exactly completed in any given order, failure to collect items along the way may lead to a lot of dead ends. For example, I reached the "illegal" entrance to the nightclub but minus the item required to get in (in this case, the pickaxe), so had to return again later. There is a frequent use of ladders here and a lot of secrets to find (Christmas tree baubles in this case). I only managed to collect 9 and apparently this is not enough to decorate Sophia's tree. The ending was warm and there were a few laughs along the way in terms of dialogue. You'll recognise a few characters from earlier games. Just over 4 and a half hours gameplay over several evenings. Would highly recommend!" - High Priestess

"One notorious thing is intricate secret platforming sidequests - on one hand, they are absolutely great, on the other one you can feel Shabab has struggled to make use of all parts of the map unused in main gameplay. But does it disturb? Not really, so I didn't let it affect my rating. What is impossible to justify is the spot-the-difference coin pickup in the factory, and a long climb which ends with a switch you don't have a crowbar for, so you need to climb the second time. Other things in this level are usual Xmas quests but on steroids - I think I ran over 20 kilometers, and thank Santa for the PDA which helped me recall the objectives every five minutes. Overall ambitious and nice level, but have some mental reserves for it as it's taxing beyond the holiday standard, especially if you go for all secrets collected. Recommended." - DJ Full

"wow what a huge city level. There is a lot to see and do in this level with many characters to chat to and do fetch quests for. It is set at night with this gorgeous sky and atmosphere and the a lot gameplay is about exploring around finding items etc i mean yes we do get a few puzzles and traps here and there but the majority of the level unfortunately i spent doing a huge amount of climbing and jumping around, it is very heavy on that! As for the visuals and variety of areas etc well i take my hat off it is so superb! so much attention to detail! You'll recognise a few familiar faces from previous games along the way with some funny dialogue, cut-scenes, chat and music which made me smile." - John

"I loved this level! So much fun! The scenery was absolutely stunning and everything -from enemies to puzzles- was perfect!" - Vicky

"Perhaps the most beautiful Christmas palette ever! We have to collect the 14 secrets, so we have to look around everywhere. We'll also exchange gifts with a dragon. Then we'll visit a beautiful, huge cave and a disco. There's lots of dialogue in between, and at the end. There's nothing too difficult, and the gun is only for shooting props. A real festive track. very elaborate with nice texture and varied tasks. Don't miss this masterpiece created by 4 great track editors. Merry Christmas! Hungarian walkthrough, and savegames, pictures" - Obig

"Another thoroughly enjoyable offering from the Christmas Team and this is a lot more involving and head-scratching than some Christmas levels out there. I initially found the start a bit overwhelming with the various directions branching off everywhere in this seemingly gigantic village, but once I did manage to establish a reliable way of raiding, things flowed relatively smoothly. The construction is absolutely first-class throughout, the atmosphere lifelike and realistic, the object usage is often ingenious and the gameplay (while not containing many puzzles of the conventional kind) nonetheless has you thinking (in my case at any rate) and is thoroughly engrossing from start to finish. The ending is heartwarming too. Highly recommended and a huge thanks to everyone involved for this masterful raid." - Ryan

"This is an inordinately elaborate and complex level that somehow has been crammed into a single tr4 file. For the most part it provides engaging gameplay amidst some really eye- pleasing surroundings, but I do have some complaints. There's a story line here, but the builders have chosen to make it unfold by having the player sit and wait during long conversations at different checkpoints, usually between Lara and another character but frequently with Lara just mumbling to herself. Since all the relevant information appears in Lara's PDA anyway, these frequent game-delaying distractions were to me much like driving across town to run an errand and hitting every single red light. I wasn't able to resist allowing my sentiments to creep into my walkthrough commentary. Moreover, if Lara would stand idle for more than a second or two, the camera would start to spin around crazily. I found this more than a little annoying. These objections aside, I found this to a enthralling raid, particularly during the early village exploration and the disco sequence near the end (with the sound turned down). There are 14 secrets in all, and there's a large gap between #13 and #14. The player is supposedly rewarded with the ability to unlock a special award, but since that award didn't consist of a bonus level, and since there was no clear indication of how to unlock it, I didn't bother to inquire further when the game ended with a raucous dance number where Kurtis was seemingly afflicted with St. Vitus Dance. Highly recommended, but not on a par with AgentXP's Hunt for Esmeralda." - Phil

"Great and very long level. The technical kills and novelties on display here are amazing. Wasnt too sure in the first hour about the general atmosphere , there is some sad people in this big town , same for the gameplay as it took me long to find the starting point for the progression. It was still a lot of fun to jump around balconies to find secrets. Then with the factory the real fun and sense of progression began and from there this was a treat , the library , the disco , the underground tomb likewise were fun to raid , sometimes with very innovative touches. Very well done anayway." - eRIC

"A really good experience that had its downsides with too much space to explore only for secrets at the start and less focus on the regular gameplay path, but eventually grew on the the longer it took. Fantastic city atmosphere with a lots of nooks and crannies to search for hidden chests, many characters to interact with, first time I saw a really good usage of the new monkeyswing moves, good puzzles in the library and underground, a mysterious but finally hilarious tour in the factory - there's a lot to like and enjoy here. On the whole some more puzzles and platforming parts and less fixed cameras, as well as fixing minor softlocks (you can push a box supposed to get you on a higher floor off a ledge and drop down in a hole in the underground part) could've made it even better but as a team project it's quite well rounded and seamless. There are ever so slight wallpapering effects in some places and lighting could be a little better here or there but in general visuals are very cleanly applied and object design is amazing. Well done to all involved and I hope to see more of this in the next (this) year! Finished with all 14 secrets in 90 minutes." - manarch2

"This was probably the most entertaining TRLE I've played as of late. It was humorous, it was crafty, it was different and it managed to strike emotion out of me. I believe though this was a slightly silly game in general, the message that it sent was very powerful while looking at it from the outside. Initially, the game started off a bit overwhelming as it was a matter of being in a large city with little direction at first, but as you move along, you pick up goals along the way. I highly recommend all skill levels and all of you 'raiders' to try out this level! Excellent stuff, cheers!" - g12STL

"A top quality level from a top quality building team. Thoroughly enjoyable time running around a great Christmas village with lots of varied buildings. Some nice high-level platforming to find all the secret ornaments (14/14) and an engaging storyline that brought in a number of old acquaintances. Sometimes there was a harder jump as well as an easier path to the same target, but that's ok even if unintentional. I did find in the factory that the boxes on the conveyor belts could be manipulated on top of one another and was expecting to drop one of the suspended crates onto them to reveal an object...but no and so I'm not sure of the reason why both boxes (large & small) were made pushable and in fact weren't necessary for progression at all. However apart from that quibble the level was engrossing and the perfect 'raid' for a New Year's Day. Here's hoping we have alot more levels like this one in 2022!" - Adrian

"Actually, I was thinking that it would be walking around the streets and searching for some treasures, but it was more! I really like these festive levels, for me its about the atmosphere and I dont have to be much afraid of hard enemies... Puzzles are good, when I get used to the locations, then it was chill play. I like jumpings over buildings, I only got stuck in the tomb, the place with timed gate where I didnt see the lever in the dark corner...But thats the part of it :) .Thank you builders for this level. " - Lioness_86

"What an amazing stunning level. Truly beautiful. I love these types of levels. Hidden items that you have to find. Also humour being present throughout is fabulous. I was giggling alot while playing, especially at the end credits with the soundtrack. That was epic. So funny. I did get stuck and only to sheer luck I realised Lara could climb diagonal ladders as I was running out of options and tried it. Very cool feature. No real enemies but clear avoidable ones. And the Dragon was amazing. When the eyes appeared it had me wondering what it Was, with the sence of I dont like this.. then being suprized to find out it was a brilliant addition to the plot. I managed all secrets to unlock the outfits. You won't be disappointed wot this, it flows nicely and lots of places to explore with endless possibilities. Great level!" - Lady_Wise

"This was such a fun level, very festive but with some creepy (or downright scary, but your mileage may vary) moments too. Still, most of the time the only danger of death is fall damage, truly a peaceful Xmas level apart from the aforementioned moments. At the beginning I was quite stuck, collecting quests but not finding the way to fulfill any, instead I kept finding secrets – which was actually great, because the creators put some really nice rewards for collecting them all and some of the secrets were very well hidden. Still very fun to look for though. And then the puzzles, whether for secrets of the main quests, were enjoyable too – not too difficult and quite varied. As for the map, the city isn't that big, but it can be a little confusing. I was still struggling a bit to find my way when going back to the café at the end of the game. The buildings and objects will give you a general idea where you are though, being quite distinguishable and several having clearly visible, large signs. And they are definitely beautiful to look at, the attention to detail is apparent at every step and with people around – whether standing, sitting or dancing – the city feels very alive. Lara meets a few old friends too, the voice actors definitely must have had some fun with the dialogues. The background music is also very nice – oh and I recommend staying in the record shop for a while to listen to the radio ;) Overall, I really have nothing to complain about, it was an excellent festive adventure and I can only thank Team Christmas 2021 for their hard work!" - Potkanka

"I'm left wondering how a single level can hold so much unique content. I'll start with the excellent visuals. I enjoyed the great lighting in a well-constructed variety of areas. As is usual with these top-tier team levels, the custom objects are used effectively, and of course there's also the heartwarming dialogue and cutscenes featuring interesting characters (including quite a few familiar faces). Now, how does Lara spend her time here? She will go on a non-linear trek as she collects quests to complete while exploring the sprawling town she has found herself in. Well, it's only sort of non-linear – many of the quests require previous quests to be completed first, and they eventually guide her toward two iron pieces that give access to a tomb (of course!) under the city to find what she is looking for. Optionally there are also 14 secrets scattered around, which I enjoyed going after. This game flow inevitably leads to a fair amount of backtracking, but happily the authors have provided a map, which makes the ordeal less painful. Not only is it a map, but it is also a collection of the quests Lara finds, helping the player keep track of the many interactions Lara has in this busy town. Completing the quests can mainly be summed up as climbing buildings, pulling switches, and pushing a few blocks around; the simple gameplay I'm used to seeing in holiday levels. But a few moments buck against that trend – the library features a lever puzzle with a clue for the player to decipher, and the tomb also has a lever puzzle, which is color-based. I appreciated these tasks that challenge the brain a bit more. On top of that there are even some boulders to dodge and some timed runs. One of the most engaging holiday levels I've ever played. 2 hours 45 minutes." - JesseG