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Ulruk - The 381st Layer of Hell by Colin Benson

black horse 3 6 6 6
DJ Full 7 9 8 7
Lizard Queen 9 9 9 9
manarch2 5 7 7 7
Phil 9 8 9 9
Ryan 8 8 8 8
tuxraider 7 7 7 7
 
release date: 08-Dec-2022
# of downloads: 160

average rating: 7.46
review count: 7
 
review this level

file size: 148.00 MB
file type: TR4
class: nc
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
hh33@mts.net

Reviewer's comments
"Pros: Rewarding secrets (secret item can be exchanged for items) making haunting secrets worth while!. Blue flare! Anything better than the boring green! - Cons: Big and bad level design, everything is built on maze. Some secrets are impossible to figure on your own. Bullet sponge enemies, can't tell if they take damage or not. Too many keys with big level, it gets so confusing. Trial and error puzzles with cheap death. Frustrating robe jump, omg, making a broken gimmick in the game a required skill for pixel perfect jump is nightmare! - Overall: The level was confusing, too much back tracking, it was more of time wasting figuring a way out rather than exploring, ok but not recommended for new players, it gets frustrating. Hopefully, points taken for creator's next build :)" - black horse (27-Apr-2023)
"This continues the builder's list of long but rather uninspired games in solidly designed (a few wallpaper textures and odd lighting aside), but repetitive surroundings, few interesting tasks (like the torch action and the block puzzles) that are not really enough to fill 3:20 hours of gameplay, a good bunch of enemies that pose no problem if you find a few of the secret gems, and much, way too much running, climbing, rope swinging and crawling in between. It's certainly not the first, but most likely not the last time I'll say it: A compact game of an hour's length with more density and focus is the way superior choice to this stretched-out marathon..." - manarch2 (08-Mar-2023)
"This is something of a marathon, as Colin Benson's releases are wont to be. Even with Dutchy's flawless walkthrough guiding me along the way, it took more than seven hours for me to make it through all three of these mammoth levels. The emphasis is on puzzles as opposed to fighting enemies, although you'll encounter plenty of the latter. In one area in the third level you must solve two pushblock puzzles on separate occasions, the second of which is quite elaborate. A motif familiar to those who have played the builder's previous releases is acquiring secret sapphires which allow you to open gates in a treasure room located in each level to get the goodies laid out inside. Getting one such sapphire in the third level requires beating a timed run that the player has no reason to know even exists, so I've added language to the forum walk that provides the player a heads up before the timer is triggered and explains how to proceed from that point. Gameplay is quite polished and reflects the touch of an accomplished builder, although it can become rather repetitive in certain places. The flycheat is not disabled, so I indulged from time to time to avoid some of the more tiring backtracking exercises. Still, we have here a solid and entertaining game, one that I can recommend wholeheartedly." - Phil (20-Jan-2023)
"Long game that is mostly about hunting keys, with some interesting puzzles in between. Even though it feels a bit basic, it kept me interested. The number of keys you have to find is sometimes a bit exhausting, and I wish they had more descriptive names. Time runs come with a visible countdown, which is good. Enemies are often strong, maybe a bit annoying. Some of the rooms feel a bit too big and empty (especially in the starting area), but in general it looks good, even if nothing amazing. Occasionally it got me lost or I had to backtrack. The secret sapphires are a good idea. Collecting the coins doesn't seem to serve any purpose. The teleportation labyrinth is a good idea. Some puzzles were a bit cryptic (like asking for the name of a Pokemon). Everything about the game gets a little bit better after the starting area, which I found a bit weak. The length is probably just right before it gets too repetitious." - tuxraider (13-Jan-2023)
"WARNING: My reviews tend to be very descriptive of what I saw and experienced so if you don’t want to know then please do not read further. What I liked about the level: 1) Simply LOVE Lara’s outfit (thank you for the sleeves). 2) Textures, lighting especially the outdoor snowy environments are excellent and very pleasing to explore despite being in Hell. 3) I like the idea of starting out with absolutely nothing as there are no immediate dangers or enemies to worry about. 4) The level plays perfectly on my lesser CPU computer. 5) I really like that timed runs are built so that average players can obtain necessary items for progress but experts can go for the extra more difficult secrets. 6) Simply LOVE the idea of collecting gems as secrets and being able to choose which doors you want use them on. The gems can also be saved for future use as there are rooms with doors in each level. 7) Thank you for camera shots for most levers. 8) Enjoyed the teleportation despite getting somewhat confusing at times. 9) Had wondered if collecting coins with no purpose was a wise choice but the task became surprisingly addictive. 10) Very much enjoyed the collapsible platforms sequence. 11) Enjoyed the pushblock puzzle very much for having see-through blocks and triple level stacking. 12) The ice glass floor above the water in the final secret room is gorgeous. 13) Loved the sloped jump sequence to reach a higher level. Much better than simply climbing a ladder. 14) Pleasantly surprised and happy to find no massive mega boss fight at the end. What I didn’t like or could be improved: 1) Would prefer that players be prevented from entering the WEST door for the first timed run as the trigger for the run is through the EAST door to avoid needless backtracking. 2) Just a personal preference, but found a few too many empty shatterable pots a bit tiresome with time spent for little gain. 3) Would prefer restricting access to the Crimson Egg receptacles until both were found to avoid backtracking. 4) Would prefer a cutscene after picking up the Azmodeus Key showing the location of the lock to avoid the cold water death backtracking. 5) On the wishlist, perhaps a wider angle camera shot of the timed run door in Level 3 showing part of the route along the large double staircase. Although a very fun and elegant run, I would not have known where the door was except for having played it once before or checking the walkthrough. 6) The checkerboard puzzle also in Level 3 lacked in-game clues relying solely on player patience and observation. After treading over the tiles for a while, I finally noticed the lamps turning on and off but was unclear if the goal was to have them all lit or all extinguished. 7) Would prefer the dark cave in Level 3 be blocked from exiting until all items are obtained. 8) The collection of too many eggs becomes a bit repetitive near the end. 9) Would prefer a different texture on the top of raised blocks to distinguish them from others. 10) Would prefer the columns in the final room be high enough to regrab the monkey swing to reduce backtracking. Conclusion: This is the first level I’ve played from this builder and I enjoyed it a lot. Having played first as a betatester and second for this review, I found it to have good replay value. Gameplay has a nice mix of purposeful exploration, puzzle solving and active jump/platform/trap sequences. The game has a good balance of difficulty… not too easy, not too hard. It is one requiring patience and (much like Myst) pencil and paper in hand (or a very good memory) to remember what does what and what areas to go back to. Generally only good things to say except perhaps the level feeling a bit too long near the end. Suitable for average players comfortable with standard TR moves." - Lizard Queen (04-Jan-2023)
"An elaborate pickup hunt spanning across the 2D map for 50 kilometers, but somehow I was less tired than I normally would be. I wish this was less horizontal and had better atmosphere, as it is one of better levels by this author." - DJ Full (20-Dec-2022)
"Another lengthy levelset from this builder, and in many ways it's similar to his earlier efforts so it's difficult to elaborate on the finer points of this release without risk of repeating myself. The surroundings are very well put together as you'd expect (luckily so, as you are required to make numerous trips back and forward through the various courtyards and buildings throughout the course of the game), atmosphere is adequately chilly (although the ambient background tracks got on my nerves and more use could have been made of regular music files), there's plenty of assorted supplies to combat the numerous fearsome enemies (the secret sapphires are always a godsend in these games) and again rather a lot of backtracking across all three levels, interspersed with a few timed runs and block puzzles. Basically, if you enjoyed Colin's previous offerings, this will be no different." - Ryan (15-Dec-2022)