Level reviews

"I wouldn't play it in the beginning of the pack, as it doesn't use assets to a level inviting enough. It's rather a decenty feeling interlude between one story and another, as rather than exploration it offers a series of varied tasks in a concise map. The advantage is nothing is really broken here and you can play it without worrying much." - DJ Full

"All those builders out there who want to make their levels insanely complex and complicated and believe that would be entertaining to play should definitely play THIS level to learn how it should be done! I loved the wonderfully fluent gameplay here - never in doubt about what to do next and still very diverse and fun. It is all very well organized and guided and yet there is often a little twist that you need to figure out and that makes it feel rewarding as you move along. Highlights for me were the creative idea around the target shooting exercise, the first encounter for me in BtB Egypt with a jump pad and the Seth boss fight at the end that you win a little differently than usually. The setting and atmosphere overall is maybe not as accomplished as with some of the other levels out there and the very few enemies are a bit oddly placed in tight spaces, but I did not mind this really, as I had too much fun going through this adventure. (90 min, 4/5 Secrets)" - MichaelP

"First of all, I like how adlibbed this story feels. There’s a secret passage underneath a sphinx that leads to a settlement and there have been mysterious sightings and Lara wants to investigate and Lara doesn’t want to recover any items and Lara wants to know if Seth is involved and Lara’s goal is to fight Seth and Lara wants to destroy Seth. Like a kid telling a story – that kind of energy. Anyway, it’s off to a sphinx to fight Seth. Pretty standard stuff, really. The level and I got off on the wrong foot almost immediately when the opening flyby showed off the opening area… and then basically did another full lap of the area just to wait out the music. The whole thing lasted for around seventy seconds. Call me crazy, but I would have just picked a shorter piece of music at that point? Or made the opening area larger. Which, to be honest, wouldn’t have been such a bad idea. It felt kind of anticlimactic to basically start right in front of the sphinx. You do get a bit of gameplay before entering the secret passage, but it basically just consists of pulling a couple of levers. I spent ages looking for the braziers to light (my fault, apparently I’m blind) and a hidden switch in a random corner (the author’s fault, I hate that stuff). Wham, bam, and then it’s off to the settlement. I was expecting more of a village vibe, but it feels more like a temple, with a central area and a bunch of doors that lead to various challenges. The challenges themselves are pretty straightforward, and you get some traps, a couple of puzzles and the occasional enemy. The puzzles are pretty simple, although I did get stumped on the one with the tightrope and fire for a bit (it’s not even a difficult puzzle – maybe I really am blind). For the most part, the level is very linear, but eventually you get to choose the order in which you tackle some challenges for canopic jars. You do this by entering the correct codes in a room with a bunch of switches. You find the codes written on a stone slate right next to the switches. I don’t really get this kind of design. It’s like an anti-puzzle. Why even require codes at that point? And while I’m at it, it bugged me that there are three combinations which unlock doors that lead to canopic jars – but there’s also a fourth canopic jar that you can find earlier. Why does one canopic jar not follow the same pattern as the other jars? Things like this make my brain itch. The author does the same thing again later, when you have to pull four switches to open a door, and three of them are easily accessible underwater switches, while you have to go on an epic quest to find the fourth one. None of this is a big deal, but it’s the kind of r/mildlyinfuriating thing that I couldn’t stop thinking about while playing the level. Why do you get so many large medipacks when there are so few enemies (and what a waste of a respawning grenade launcher!)? Why bother spawning a wraith when the statue to kill it is like ten steps away? Why go to all that trouble to design a puzzle where you have to pull switches to move a boulder to light fires when the solution is so simple that you don’t have time to appreciate it? It’s all a bit (mildly) baffling. The level looks fine, but most rooms are pretty small and unimpressive – even the central area underneath the sphinx feels small since there’s a big pyramid in the middle, which obstructs your view and forces you to run around it to get to places. None of the areas really feel connected to each other in a natural way, and once you’re done with a challenge you usually have to run down a long hallway to get back to the central area. It’s functional, but a lot more could have been done to make this feel like a real place. Everything’s competently textured and lit, but if you’re looking for pizzazz, you’ve come to the wrong place. The final boss fight was kind of neat, as you have to shoot a bunch of targets around the area while avoiding Seth’s attacks and then Seth freezes and then Seth explodes and then Lara has finally defeated Seth and then presumably the world is saved maybe and then Lara goes home for tea and biscuits and then the level is over after 45 minutes the end." - Magnus

"In this level set Lara seeks a hidden settlement underneath the Sphinx – but allegedly not to tap some artifacts, but to contain a reanimated Seth. Interesting plot, but let’s see about that, dear builder;)… As we start off from a slide, we are given control over one tile just to have it stripped on the next by a cutscene trigger. In order not to troll players, the two cutscenes could – ideally – have been combined; also, the music seems too dramatic/“action” and doesn’t fit the scene. The very short first level leads through a fire-and-water-themed temple with seemingly random patches of green and red lighting on the walls that is of a manageable size and not at all plastered with objects, but still lags a little bit. Inside the Sphinx, we don’t really experience a change of scenery insofar as it’s a similar looking temple area with an open-air courtyard.
Gameplay is easy and solid up until the finale - unless a skelly follows you into the challenge area or you soft-lock on a disadvantageously placed spring board. Don’t know how the revolver got there (maybe it could have been picked up in the passage before for more immersion), but despite the challenging timing (the objects don’t have shadows!), this puzzle is very cool, a highlight! Boulder puzzle was cool as well, but I didn’t really get the logic of the fire puzzle solution. Secrets are sometimes so easy, they really didn’t have to be secrets. As for the aesthetics: Geo is too square and symmetric overall, which can make it a little tedious to find which door exactly has opened in the courtyard, lighting pretty flat and sometimes arbitrary (some fires a gleam, others don’t) and at least one music trigger seemed broken. But the real problem of this level is the ending – or how the intended ending was scripted: Being of an experimental nature, I shot all the targets from below before triggering the boss, which definitely shouldn’t be possible (this way you could also cheese the boss fight). Imagine my perplexity! After I met Seth, the ending cutscene seemed at least plausible, but still felt too abrupt and not very climactic.
Conclusion: A nice, quick and peaceful raid with very few enemies, some enjoyable puzzles, that has some obvious formal flaws and a strangely abrupt ending. – Of course, this review reflected my playing experience after 14 BtB entries and I hope the builder finds my comments more helpful than harsh. As this one shows once more, there is not a single bad level in the competition; just play them all!
Duration: short medium (> 1:30 h) | Difficulty: medium | Rating: 7 / 6 / 6 / 6" - evinaru_2

"What I liked about the level: 1) It’s a small thing but I liked how the camera shot was stationary on an opening door as opposed to following the door as it goes down. 2) I liked how raising blocks created a barrier from the piranha fish. 3) Was nice having the grenade gun early on to explode the pesky skeleton. 4) Enjoyed the 3rd room with the trigger tiles to shut off the flames and the partial ladder is a nice clue for how to reach the horizontal swing pole. This 3rd room was the best built in the level. Good clues and a camera shot to show the way out. Nicely done. What I didn’t like or thought could be improved: 1) Lagging with computer 3.10ghz 8gb. 2) The water animation could be a bit smoother, less choppy 3) Would prefer more camera shots for levers to show what they do. 4) Would prefer a timer showing that the trap door in the shooting gallery was timed. 5) Would also prefer some sort of warning BEFORE sliding down the slope to the shooting gallery that it is a no return situation. I saved several times after sliding down (luckily in different slots) but some players may not do this and lose progress if there is no warning beforehand. 6) The intention of the shooting gallery is good, but the actual setup could use improvement. Would prefer some clue that there is a specific order to shoot the shooting gallery targets. It is also not clear that the targets have to be above the tile and that a flame must appear for the puzzle to work. It is also difficult to see the tile below. Thank you to Treeble for his video showing how to complete the task otherwise I would not have been able to complete it. 7) I got stuck bouncing on the springboard platform and had to reload. The springboard only works as intended if you face out and sideflip onto it. Placing something so that the player does not face the wrong way could solve the issue. 8) The player can bypass a large and probably best portion of the level. Conclusion: Due to the difficult shooting gallery, not suitable for beginners." - Lizard Queen

"After a short section outside with a Sphinx this takes place in a temple structure. This level is visually a step below what I've played in this BTB; it still looks good and isn't ugly or anything, but it's more flatly lit and sparse, with texture use that's fine but doesn't convey an especially solid sense of place. This is also the first entry where I noticed some objects that don't match the surrounding light level very well (and not in an intentionally surreal way). It does seem to improve later on and I feel there was a bit of a learning process here.
This is another set that's two levels, but the first is a very short intro so I'll treat it as one. The feeling of the author learning applies to the gameplay too, as it starts a little rough, and the intro feels like it's just including tasks sending you running off everywhere to pad the runtime (although the area is still pretty small), but it gets much better in the main section, which is a somewhat non-linear hub of challenge rooms along the lines of St Francis' Folly or Palace Midas. It's mostly not too difficult, but there's a good range of challenges and some creative ideas like a boulder controlled by switches. The most creative and difficult challenge is actually near the start with a shootable puzzle where you have to destroy targets at the right time to survive; it's kind of trial and error and could probably be introduced to the player in a simpler way before going all out, but it is an interesting idea when you understand what to do. The layout is decent, and backtracking is relatively minimal with the hub being linked back to at various points. There are some odd gameplay oversights though, as I got the Pickaxe while skipping an intended section (albeit not much) with a simple jump, and you can also trigger the exit quite early if you know what to do (as it's based on shootable objects). This is also the shortest of this BTB so far, although it does at least have a climax. The weakest of what I've played this BTB but that shows this year's overall quality, as while this starts a bit rough, once it gets going it's still a fun and decent level that doesn't overstay it's welcome." - Mman

"Congratulations on this BtB entry! Thank you for your level. The Secret of the Sphinx is lacking in the story department (both in concept and execution), and even the use of enemies, particularly in the climax, is not amazing. Otherwise, it is beautifully put together, short and intense, with some fun puzzles (one of them requires attention and thought... but also numerous trial and error attempts). The first large area is light on gameplay, yet the inside makes up for it. A fun and to the point level that will allow Lara to carry on to her next romp with some energy left. Recommended!" - MigMarado

"This is a compact, enjoyable level, and I found its relative brevity to be no detriment whatsoever. The tasks are engaging and sometimes challenging, and everything is well lighted to go along with eye-pleasing surroundings. I was somewhat intimidated by the comments in the stuck thread regarding that target shooting exercise, but once you're aware that your time actually begins when you land on the raised trap door and not when you pull down the wall switch, the task is made considerably easier. Treeble has contributed a just-the-facts- ma'am walk which points out a surely unintended game-ending short cut that I trust no one will take advantage of. It's nice to have these comparatively short raids intermixed with the marathon exercises we've encountered during this BtB competition, and my scores here reflect my overall impression of the gaming experience. Well done, and recommended." - Phil

"A shorter entry than most from this years competition but a very good raid to be had here! The game consists of an intro area, and a hub area with rooms branching off. Each room had a variety of different stuff to do and was quite enjoyable to play. Level looked great throughout, I especially liked the start area! Only minor nitpicks I have maybe the start area could have been fleshed out a bit more and the boss at the end ended a bit abruptly. Might have been a better fight if the targets were there to make it vulnerable instead of the use they had. But would definitely recommend this level to players of all skill levels :)" - Feats

"This is a handsome level although perhaps not quite as stunning as some of the other entries. It’s mainly puzzle based, but there is a fun target shoot that could prove tricky to master, or at any rate it took me a while. Otherwise, it’s all very achieveable and good fun." - Jay

"The initial cutscene of this level had me worrying for nothing, it seems like it's such a big and expansive level but turns out it's quite linear and progression is easily measured as it's essentially a number of challenge rooms. Most of them require a second look, and they're usually clever and unique, often using objects in ways we don't see often. I'm not particularly keen on having pushblocks have their movements restricted as it was here, surely uneven floors here and there instead wouldn't harm the experience, but that's only a minor observation. The target range was hard because of perspective, but lots of quickloading and quicksaving will work as well. Speaking of, saving is disabled entirely during the boss encounter at the end. You can actually finish this level as soon as you get to the catwalks around the main area as all the targets below the pyramid at the top can be shot from below (and it seemed like those swingpoles were in place just for that!), but nevermind that. Recommended! 80 minutes, 5 secrets. 07/24" - Treeble

"As we get dropped off from a chopper, some dramatic music and a flyby camera are used to set the scene and show the initial large open outside areas we need to explore. Starting off with some simple switch finding and torch lighting we find a water skin task to do before we leave this large place quite abruptly. In the next area we can open up what will be the main outside hub area for the rest of the level which contains many side rooms to open up. These rooms or areas mainly contain pushable item and switch combination puzzles, fire, boulder and swinging bollard traps and some climbing and platforming tasks for rewards of keys or items before the finale boss battle on the rooftop. The highlights for me was the timed target shooting room, avoiding the traps and Manoeuvring on the swing poles and springboard. The negatives for me was that some of tasks were a tad obscure or hard to realise without a walkthrough oh and of course the tightropes! One is fine, three of them is not! lol. Enemies were a bit scarce with only a couple of skeletons and large hammer guards or warriors unfortunately but overall despite these minor disappointments there’s a pretty solid level here with some enjoyable moments." - John

"This level starts in an area that I find quite simple and unspectacular. However, this changes when you reach the next area. Here you find yourself in a hub room from which you have to complete various tasks in different directions. The tasks are not quite difficult, except perhaps the target shooting, which I really enjoyed. Otherwise, this is a very solidly designed level with interesting tasks and actions" - nad

"Rather a well-rounded level in all respects. The tasks are mainly relatively simple, but there are some nice twists on somewhat familiar puzzles, like the neat little sliding boulder sequence (and the shooting gallery, although the difficulty spoiled it slightly). Likewise, the surroundings aren't too elaborate or as impressive as some others in this contest, but they do their job and are still relatively pleasing to the eye. A good all-rounder lasting just over an hour." - Ryan

"A very nicely flowing level that involves many side quests around the central hub room, mainly easy platforming and puzzles but also some more challenging bits like the target shooting (for me the highlight of the level) and also the final boss fight. The looks are rather clean, textures and objects are decently used, but the lighting is a bit uniform and the room design is a bit boxy. The five secrets are fairly easy to find, yet all in all this was a well-rounded and very solid 40 minute game." - manarch2

"Disliked

• While I appreciate the challenge of the moving shootable targets, this could be a pain point for the player. It seems unlikely that someone would know on the first try that the targets have to be shot in specific places. And even then, from Lara's position it is difficult to tell just when the targets are in those spots. So this sequence encourages quite a bit of save scumming and is the main reason for my difficulty rating.
• The water scales puzzle also seemed to need trial and error, although I may have just missed a hint for it somewhere.

Neutral

• Visually this entry doesn't stand out as much as others in the competition. The architecture is on the simpler side, and lighting is hit and miss, feeling a bit flat in some areas, but it's nothing bad.

Liked

• I did note some of the puzzles above, but there were others that I enjoyed, such as the puzzle with the symbols on the floor, and the switches that moved the boulder in different directions.
• There is a decent amount of combat with some "boss battles" sprinkled around, as well as a wraith to guide home.

Time: 1 hour 14 minutes | Difficulty: Very Hard | Rating: 7/10 - Good" - JesseG

"It is a good level where the gameplay is focused mostly on puzzle solving accompanied by few easy platforming tasks. Puzzles for the most part are quite easy as well, but they often involve unique ideas and they were fun to solve. I particularly liked the target shooting puzzle, which was one of the highlights of the level and took some time to figure out. Visually the level looks fine although the environment is architecturally somewhat uninspired containing flat lighting. In summary, this is a fun, relatively easy, and short level to play (it took me 1 h 4 min to complete the level)." - Samu

"A very solid and quite short level. The gameplay is not difficult and quite basic at times but still good. It's hard to get lost here as the layout of the level is very clear. I feel like some areas have more potential and could include some more gameplay (for example the beginning). The main part of the level is set in a square room with multiple paths which can be done in any order. These paths lead to different tasks and puzzles. The puzzles are clever. I especially liked the part with the moving targets and Desert Eagle. I wish some more traps and parkour had been implemented though. Also I feel like the boss battle is pretty underwhelming. I think it should be more elaborate. The visuals are good but not the best. The textures are well-placed but the lighting is kind of pale. Maybe some contrast or more colors would make it better. The architecture and layout of the level is, as I said earlier, simple and very clear but certainly not bad. All in all, this is a decent and very enjoyable game. Recommended." - BlackWolfTR

"This one looks quite different than the rest. In a good way. After a starting area, we arrive at a big hub room with many doors to open and different tasks to perform in each room. A good variety of tasks, most of them entertaining. I didn't like the tightropes (3 of them) which were set to an unnecessary amount of difficulty. Not hard really, just annoying. The target shooting though was above the average difficulty of the whole level. Took me quite a while to figure out what I was supposed to do and how to do it, but doable anyway. All in all I had a great time here." - billie2001