Levels listed...
TR5 - 33
TR4 - 3187
TR3 - 182
TR2 - 139
TR1 - 67
73808 reviews (20.4/level)
3595 (99.6%) walkthroughs
456 Hall of Fame levels
1259 levels rated >= 8
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release date: |
01-Jul-2024 |
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# of downloads: |
264 |
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average rating: |
8.78 |
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review count: |
23 |
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review this level |
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file size: |
759.00 MB |
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file type: |
TR4 |
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class: |
Egypt |
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| Reviewer's comments |
"Mixed feeling about this one. A long (5 hr) and sometimes challenging raid which had some
great platforming and puzzles. A number of the downsides for me were too many fixed
cameras, unnecessary to give solutions to puzzles given on the PDA and a lot of back
tracking (though the builder kindly disabled traps where present for the return trip).
Having to return to previous locations (now altered) to pick up an (ultimately useless)
artefact towards the end of a level without any hints was an interesting choice and without
the walkthrough I wouldn't have found many of them). Overall lots of exploring of some well
crafted environments that could have been a touch more player-friendly." - Adrian (07-Sep-2024) |
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| "Underrated. Yes it has dark, slow filler parts, but also a storyline you will remember among
the others you'll forget. I felt really travelling in this one, and, despite of millions of
miles covered, I didn't feel like anything is too far. Mostly recommended for a day where
you have more time, but it should be worth it." - DJ Full (01-Sep-2024) |
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| "Consisting of 5 levels in total this is also not a particulary short raid, but time will
pass quickly here and the environments along the way have some nice diversity. Good use of
the PDA to tell you the story along the way. Gameplay is not too challenging once you manage
to get your bearings in the usually very large main areas of the individual levels, but
there is a fairly good task variety, incuding boss fights, push puzzle in a mirror room,
timed runs, water scale and more. There is remarkable use of changing entire rooms a few
times and some neat wow moments supported by solid camera and audio usage. The overall
architecture and lighting and texture work is ok, but not quite at the level of some of the
other BtB builders this year, hence my slightly lower score in the last category, but you
really cannot fault this series for its strong entertainment factor, so go have a look it!
(165 min, 1/5 secrets)" - MichaelP (01-Sep-2024) |
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| "A very underrated level set. The gameplay is simple, yet sweet. Platforming and exploration
are perfectly balanced. Even though some areas are quite open, the level design is still
nice and linear, with very little chance of actually getting lost (unless we are talking
about getting lost in immersion ^^). The amount of medipacks and ammo you find in this level
is quite generous. The texturing is clean, and lighting is kept more natural, rather than
contrasting too much, which gives TR Anniversary vibes. The story is definitely one of the
best and most memorable aspects of this level.
Overall, this is one of the very few 2+ hour levels, which kept me engaged enough to finish
it in one sitting. Absolute masterclass." - Nickelony (01-Sep-2024) |
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| "Lara’s off to Egypt to do some trials this time. The author clearly put some thought into the story, so I feel kind of bad about glossing over it, but I don’t know, man… all those names. It’s 2024 and my attention span is completely shot. So to sum up: trials. The twist in this level is that the trials take place on distant planets, which is nice because I’m sick of Egypt by now (only 11 levels left after this one!). Of course, this is still BtB 2024, so if you were expecting BtB 2018, you’ll be disappointed. There are some nice touches, like giant mummies and skeletons, an upside-down pyramid and a spaceship, but for the most part, this is just spicy Egypt. I appreciate the effort, at least. In general, it’s a pretty drab level. You get a lot of browns and grays, and even the more colorful areas look a bit dull because of the overall dark lighting. The main hub of the level is a huge cave with temple shaped like the head of a lion in the middle, and reaching it should be the level’s big ‘wow’ moment. Instead, my overwhelming feeling was just that it was very gray. I guess maybe the author was going for more of a naturalistic look, but it doesn’t make for the most interesting level to look at. The gameplay, at least, is fairly varied, if unspectacular. There are some traps and platforming and a decent amount of enemies (although not nearly enough to explain why I found around a dozen large medipacks). Nothing too out of the ordinary, but it’s all competently built. The level took me around two hours to finish, and while I think that was too long, it’s a very linear level and I was rarely stuck, so that was nice. The author in general seems to want to make sure that you don’t struggle too much, and I appreciated the use of cameras to guide the player. I’m not sure that having Lara basically give away the solutions to two of the level’s only puzzles was necessary, though – even if I did get a good laugh at the way she did it. “Maybe I should USE the KEY in the LOCK to OPEN the DOOR?” Brilliant, Lara. Thank you. That’s not the actual puzzle, by the way, but it’s honestly not that far off. The story is mostly told through notes in Lara’s PDA (which she really should have charged before the adventure – yikes!). It’s a decent attempt, but I wasn’t interested enough to keep all the names and events straight. The PDA is also magic apparently, and will show you how many keys are in each area – a useless function in my opinion. More useful is the fact that it also tells you how many secrets are in each part of the level. This is important because the level has an alternate ending if you find all of them. Not a terrible idea, but the secrets are so easy to miss that this just added a lot of extra stress for me (I did get the alternate ending, but I feel like I really had to work for it). I guess I’d recommend this level for people who like hunting for secrets, want something a bit different (but not *too* different) and those who have the attention span necessary to get invested in the level’s story. Anyway, back to TikTok." - Magnus (31-Aug-2024) |
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| "I felt the main issue here was that the secrets intruded upon the main game too much - to
the point that I felt sure I was soft-locked out of it near the end. I consulted
the walkthrough and reloaded old saves to collect items I "needed" but they were in fact
leading to secrets. There was no soft-lock issue after all. Since I missed some early
secrets I was never going to get the proper ending and instead had to make do with a rather
abrupt ending. Apart from that I really enjoyed this game and thought it was a top level
for a while. Main hub area was a bit grungy, though." - Dick (30-Aug-2024) |
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| "(9) Gameplay & Puzzles: This is a medium adventure that took me 3 hours. The
builder did a fantastic job with gameplay variety; plenty of classic exploration, a few
puzzles, traps, platforming, etc. I felt engaged from start to finish. I do think that the
gameplay in the giant hub area is significantly weaker than the Anubis or Horus areas.
There's so much "dead space" here, and some camera/lighting issues negatively affected the
gameplay flow (more on that later). (9) Enemies, Objects & Secrets: Enemy
engagements and object decor are all done well. Well done for disabling traps on the
return trip. I really enjoyed a trap room with the circular blades -- I did hope to see
more areas like this, where the player is really engaged with the traps, as opposed to
seeing random one-off traps like that singular dart trap, which isn't going to excite
anyone. (8) Atmosphere, Sound & Cameras: The builder did a great job with a
surreal, immersive atmosphere. Convincing use of "ruined" geometry. Sounds and music cues
are generally good, although I disagree with the use of a chill, puzzling music theme for
the timed run. Camera hints and flybys to build immersion are all done well... but... stop
it with the fixed cameras. There are so many fixed cameras and it really grinded my gears
after a while. Fixed cameras are very bad during combat, or when the player is looking
around trying to figure out the next progression steps (e.g. the giant hub area). (7)
Lighting & Textures: The texturing is very good; some wallpapering here and there, but
no major issues. Unfortunately I think that the lighting needed much more care. Many rooms
have very flat lighting, and need shadows in corners. The lighting negatively affects
gameplay in the giant hub area. My eyes just felt strained after 3 hours, with much of
that time looking at rooms lacking in shading. That said, the builder still created some
beautiful environments, such as the outdoor Horus area. 9/9/8/7" - nerdfury (25-Aug-2024) |
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| "What I liked about the level: 1) The atmosphere feels hot and dry like a sandy desert. 2) The use of fixed cameras is very well done and designed to help the player instead of hinder them. 3) Loved the sunbeams and dust falling from the ceiling in a small room… very nice. 4) The transition animation from water to ladder is very smooth and elegant, as is the climbing out one too. 5) I loved climbing around the upper column and accidentally falling onto a large medipack… that was nice of the builder to do that even if not intentional. 6) A clever attention to detail placing the “date branch” medipacks near similarly coloured shrubs. 7) Liked how the underwater lever drained the tunnel just in time for air to breathe. 8) Nice camera shot after pickup to show where it goes. 9) I liked how the trap doors stopped after achieving the task instead of making the player navigate back through them. 10) Loved the green shrubbery texture in the maze. 11) Loved the sloped block jump sequence (more please!). 12) I liked the life bars on the enemies. 13) I hate boss fights so when the Horus got stuck, I absolutely loved it. 14) Just a wishlist but one day I would just love to see our Lara drive out in one of those big diesel trucks and crash out of the compound in an epic ending befitting our badass heroine.
What I didn’t like or thought could be improved: 1) After a while, the area seemed a bit too foggy. However, a change in atmosphere does happen in the 2nd level. It actually felt refreshing to go for a swim. 2) Got stuck in an alcove and had to reload to a previous savegame. 3) I think timed runs should ideally show a timer so the player knows it’s timed and how long they have. 4) Underwater lever tunnel run very tight without an air pocket to replenish air. 5) Not fond of wraiths as enemies. Finding places to extinguish them feels like such a burden. 6) Having invisible blocks at low railings decreases the immersive experience. 7) Bit of a letdown after enormous effort to obtain two puzzle pieces only to find a chain in a dark room. Perhaps scaling down the effort may have felt more balanced. Sometimes less is more.
Conclusion: A very well made level. The design is well planned out allowing the player to proceed with minimal assistance. Camera shots, flybys and the PDA give the player sufficient clues on how to proceed and the environments are well constructed and beautiful. If you enjoy levels not needing a walkthrough, then you’ll enjoy this level. Suitable for average players." - Lizard Queen (25-Aug-2024) |
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| "Congratulations on releasing an entry in BtB24! Thank you for all your hard work. I enjoyed the level and the story a lot. I only disliked (immensely) having to rely on walkthroughs and a lot of hassle for the proper ending. The length of the game was also exaggerated for its purpose (should be roughly 1h gameplay but turned into over 4h in my case)." - MigMarado (21-Aug-2024) |
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| "And so my BtB journey comes to an end with
something with a distinctly modern/alien
theme. The mix of Egyptian and metal
textures seems a little jarring at first,
but actually works better than you'd think
and the effect is pleasing. The gameplay is
mainly (there is rather a lot too)
exploration-based, which is occasionally
confusing but not too frustrating and
there's some decent puzzles mixed in too,
plus some hair-raising boss fights and a
nice little ending scene to round things
off. This has been a truly outstanding
contest throughout, definitely up there with
the best of the best and I'd like to thank
Jesus, Michael and the package team for
bringing us many hours of fun. Time to
submit this final review..." - Ryan (19-Aug-2024) |
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| "I'm a notoriously easy grader, but I feel that this release may be a bit underrated. It's
always a struggle for me to evaluate the "difficulty" category, because I'm never sure if
this means difficulty of performing the required tasks or difficulty in figuring them out in
the first place. In writing a walk I depended almost wholly upon LoreRaider's video, because
even though getting where I needed to be once I knew where to go was not overly burdensome,
the sheer immensity of the surroundings made it almost impossible for me to decide where to
go next. On top of that, the overuse of fixed cameras throughout the five levels was most
annoying, and I sometimes wish that this option was not available to builders. It can be
useful to give a panoramic perspective of impressive environs on occasion, but to use it as
a tool simply to disrupt the player's ability to move about easily is to me reprehensible.
That rant aside, I had a good time here for the several hours of net gaming time it took me
to get all the way through. Although it gets pretty dark for extended periods, I had plenty
of flares to light my way, and if you keep your eyes open there are bounteous pickups of
weapons, ammo and health kits to keep even the most careless of players from running out of
supplies. A jolly good raid." - Phil (18-Aug-2024) |
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| "There’s a pleasing variety of areas in this game – gloomy cave-like interiors, very
atmospheric desert areas complete with sandstorms, grand, colourful interiors, bits that
look distinctly ‘techno Egyptian’ and some lovely flower filled outdoor scenes – surely
something for everyone. The gameplay is nicely varied also, but you will have to do a lot
of exploring, which, as usual, I found occasionally bewildering." - Jay (16-Aug-2024) |
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"In some aspects similar to it’s competitor „Ashes Beyond Time“, this level set develops a unique concept around it’s overarching plot, supported by a strong „dark fantasy/sci-fi“ atmosphere, and has an affinity for large, scenic rooms, theatrically staged boss fights with health bars and a bad ending (which you’ll probably get, as finding all secrets can be difficult). Here’s another builder for whom Egypt alone was a bit too boring and who teleports us into a multilevel alienoid-egyptian fantasy world without warning – and shows once more that a successful story-gameplay synthesis always surpasses pure aesthetics.
This level is actually huge! Starting from an „ordinary“ egyptian temple ruin, we enter a giant underground cave in which a temple with an interesting techno-egyptian architecture (look closely at what it’s supposed to resemble – uhh, so edgy!...) if hidden. From here on things seamlessly get more sci-fi while staying in the realm of egyptian mythology story wise. The cave/hub-area may actually be the weakest level, as it’s rather dull-looking, mazy and can promt you to some uncalled-for backtracking, if you don’t know where to go. While the map and the order of the gameplay tasks can still feel confusing – escpecially, if you go after the secrets –, the gameplay and the general aesthetics take up a notch once you enter the portals. - Whrorhm! The teleportation sounds like straight from one of the new Dune movies…
While I found the puzzles far too easy and push(block)y (also: horus puzzle wouldn’t have needed a hint imo), the gameplay that follows is very versatile and feels pleasantly classic. Disabling the traps on the way back is such a quality move every builder should consider! Additional lore with each secret is a perfect formula! - As is, of couse, the connection of ancient Egypt and aliens, which forms a natural mutualism in videogames that is on par with that between cute girls/people and cat ears in manga... The visuals may not hold up at times and the geo be too blocky, but the builder clearly prioritizes the general atmopshere here over details - like in the garden that was thrown together rather light-heartedly (the classic grass-textured 1-step block as a flower bed…). But the impression of a change of scenery worked really well for me. One scenic room even has the probably most impactful use of the pyramid-ufo object in this competition. Together with an actually consistent story and a great music selection, this level is a small „Gesamtkunstwerk“ that must not hide from any competition.
***
Duration: long medium (~3 h) | Difficulty: medium | Rating: 8 / 9 / 9 / 8" - evinaru_2 (16-Aug-2024) |
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| "I'm not going to lie: the first few minutes here were oddly difficult for me. Once I finally spotted the singular flat tile in the rocky wall faces things started unravelling slowly and from thereon things flowed much better. I mean, the second level does take place in a massive underground cavern which leads me to believe there might have been an internal competition to see which author could build the single biggest area. It took me a while to find my way through it blindly, but overall it was much simpler than its equivalent areas in other BtB-Egypt releases. You do get the whole package here, there are some neat platforming sequences, timed runs, trap gauntlets, fetch quests, you name it. I love the lighting color schemes using a somewhat more grounded style, although that word might be a bit farfetched as you do get a whole lot of techno/alien stuff in here as well. Good and solid fun, a bit too long perhaps but overall still a pleasant experience. 2h10min, 3 secrets. 07/24" - Treeble (11-Aug-2024) |
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"This entry is set across several levels and is quite varied in theme, with a heavy sci-fi egyptian focus and a couple of parts that move away from the theme altogether. It all comes together well though, and it creates quite an original take on the egyptian style, I especially like how it slips the sci-fi elements into more ancient areas in ways that imply much more is beyond what you explore. The texturing is great despite how varied it is and part of what makes the theme shifts work well. The lighting is mostly good, but does occasionally look a bit flat, especially in some of the more open rooms. I unfortunately also had the DGVoodoo issue I mentioned in my Ashes beyond Time review at one point, although again it was only for one level so wasn't too bad.
For a BTB entry this is a massive release and probably beats some of the biggest BTB behemoths of the past in terms of length, it's not really comparable though, given they had to be made as single levels due to the past rules, whereas this is designed as a level pack that covers a variety of themes and styles, with none of the individual levels being too long. The gameplay isn't too tough, with a focus on exploration and puzzles, but there's a few nasty traps and jumps. There's also quite a bit of story, and, while the format of the PDA has issues (namely that you have to scroll through everything every time you get new messages) it adds a meaningful amount here, including a lot of stuff that's hidden behind the secrets. On that note there's an extended ending for finding the secrets and the act of collecting them adds a lot of extra challenges and twists, a way to backtrack for missed ones would be nice though as you currently have to find them before leaving a level (outside the hub) to not lose them forever. Fixed cameras felt slightly overused, to the point of disrupting gameplay at a few points. I also felt the hint messages were a little too overt; maybe you were only supposed to look at them when stuck, but there's nothing distinguising puzzle hints from story messages. An excellent release that keeps interest for it's whole duration despite it's size by BTB standards." - Mman (10-Aug-2024) |
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| "A really good raid to be had here, I had fun with this one. Well crafted and beautiful to
look at it, some good solid gameplay and was engaging throughout, with some pretty cool boss
fights. The room that transforms multiple times was a particular highlight for me. All in
all I'd definitely recommend this entry!" - Feats (08-Aug-2024) |
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| "An interesting level if you compare the different parts with each other. You could almost
say that from the second part onwards everything takes place in the Egypt undergroung,
except for the few times when Lara comes back to the surface and then dives back
underground.
I didn't find that bad at all. So you can also accept the many passages and teleporters that
send Lara to other underground areas or to the surface after her work is done.
In my opinion, the second part was a bit unbalanced and oversized. You could reach many
areas where there was nothing to do. I found that a bit confusing. What bothered me,
especially in this second part, was the fixed camera, which considerably restricted the flow
of the game.
Otherwise, there are hardly any points of criticism. Very well thought out and varied
actions, good background music, enemies not too difficult and cleverly placed secrets." - nad (26-Jul-2024) |
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| "One of the few times that the story managed to attract my interest. A good story and well
implemented through out the whole game. At first we start overground but from the second
level we go underground and don't surface much. The second level is a huge, rather underlit
hub area where we come back to perform different tasks several times. To me, it felt chaotic
and confusing, since at first there isn't much you can do and and when you visit it later
you probably have forgotten the place you have to go. Thankfully, all other areas are more
contained and different from each other. The gameplay is good overall and with a good
variety. One of the things I liked was that the builder cared to deactive the traps on our
way back, a quite rare approach. What I disliked is the too many fixed cameras, of which
very few were helpful. The lighting also was flat very frequently. All in all, I had a good
time playing this level-set. Took me 5 hours with all secrets and the ending I got was very
rewarding. Medium difficulty which mostly lies in exploration. Recommended." - billie2001 (26-Jul-2024) |
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| "An enjoyable BtB game consisting of 5 levels. It's really enjoyable and not very difficult.
The tasks are not the most innovative but very pleasant. I liked the story which develops
along with our progression in the game. The design is solid but could be better at times.
The lighting was in some areas quite flat. The textures are mostly well-placed, although in
some places a tad wallpapered. But the overall atmosphere is fine and the architecture of
the rooms is done very well. All in all, a very solid experience which this level provides
us. Definitely recommended." - BlackWolfTR (25-Jul-2024) |
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| "Maybe too much of the good and rather long for a BtB level but as a complete adventure this works rather fine. An intricate storyline to follow here and there's a complete side adventure when you find all the secrets and easter eggs that enhance the story even more, and the atmosphere manages to convey the otherworldly mood in the non-hub level very well. There is a good dose of everything here and it never gets boring because of the variety of locations and not uttermost unique but quirky gameplay ideas. Maybe a few more puzzles could've rounded things up a bit more. The large-scale setting comes along with a few flaws in texturing (sometimes a bit wallpapered) and lighting (a bit flat especially in the hub) but is otherwise quite well done, sounds and cameras are great and the usage of enemies, special effects and the like is adding a lot to the experience. Spent 1:45 hours in here and found all 5 secrets and the alternative ending." - manarch2 (24-Jul-2024) |
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"Neutral
- There are two endings, one of which will require finding all five secrets with careful observation. A nice reward for the effort, but it did slightly irk me that the door leading to the true ending opens off-screen, at the same time as a door right next to the player; a camera cue would have been great here.
Liked
- There are some nice puzzles to solve, pushing objects around and finding the solution for the water scales. Note that the PDA can be a bit heavy-handed with its hints, so give each puzzle a try on your own before reading what it has to say.
- Although areas are a little more blocky than in other entries of this competition, there are some strong architectural moments, such as the lava ankh, and the lion's mouth opening when entering the endgame.
- A large amount of world building goes into the PDA and the levels tie into the lore quite nicely.
Time: 2 hours 59 minutes | Difficulty: Medium | Rating: 8.5/10 - Very Good" - JesseG (16-Jul-2024) |
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| "Very entertaining game! Especially the second level, which is a hub level, requires a lot of exploration. The design and lighting is less accurate compared to other BtB24 games but the gameplay is really compelling, one of those games you can't quit until it's over. My only critics is about the room for the good ending. Normally those rooms are not hidden because they are useless if you miss some secret, so why not leave the door open?" - Teone (07-Jul-2024) |
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| "I very much liked this level, which features traditional Egyptian myths and architecture
mixed with some sci-fi stuff. Gameplay is fairly linear although you will be often visiting
the same areas several times. Along the way, you complete all kinds of tasks including
typical platforming mixed with traps, battles, and puzzles involving switches, pushable
objects, and scales. None of this is particularly difficult but offers probably a good
amount of challenge for most players. Environments are well-constructed although I think
that flat lighting detracts from the atmosphere and immersion. Overall, it is a very good
level, which kept me entertained for nearly 3 hours." - Samu (07-Jul-2024) |
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