Level reviews

"Random thoughts below. I beta-tested this level. This did not inflate my rating.
* Levels 5 and 7 are my favorites gameplay-wise; level 5 for its interesting exploration, level 7 for its torch puzzles. Sadly, beyond level 7, the levelset is really lacking in puzzles as a whole.
* There are some breathtakingly beautiful locations here, ones that will remain in my mind and perhaps my dreams. Levels 12 and 14 are my favorites visually.
* That said, there is an awful amount of jarring wallpapering which detracts from the overall professionalism of the game. There's no excuse for lazy wallpapering from a seasoned builder. In many cases it is clear that the builder just dragged the same tile over a large surface, without rotating or mirroring any tiles to lessen the wallpaper effect.
*Amazing trap selection and decorative objects.
* Some background ambiences are perfect (e.g. the background music in level 14), and some are not fitting (e.g. in the early levels there is an annoying loud thunder ambience while inside, birds chirping while in the sewers, etc.).
* There are many janky "end of the world" situations, invisible blocks, small railings that falsely look like they can be jumped over, etc. In other words, if they player tries to explore thoroughly and logically, they are often pushed back arbitrarily.
* Some camera issues; the 2 most jarring that I can think of at the top of my head are: 1) No camera clue about an obscure shootable object in the gladiator statue courtyard in level 9. 2) No camera/visual clue about the fake ceiling tile in the swimming pool of level 10.
* Level 9 is ridiculously bad. There are so many "dead space" areas, aka rooms with no gameplay. Just having a giant city with beautiful architecture, with the player constantly backtracking, does NOT make a good level. The builder introduced portals in level 5. Why did he not also use them in level 9, so that the running back and forth would be less painful? Another example of pointless wasted space is the large lake area of level 14.
* Near the end, I could not help feeling like the player was being trolled, even if it was unintentional by the builder. For example, some reward rooms that offer troll rewards (so you have to reload and try a different reward room). What is the point of this? Is this supposed to be amusing? At the beginning of level 14, there are 2 floor switches on either side of a blue cone. For both switches, you have to pull them twice to remove the blue cone. Not once, twice. This doesn't make sense at all. Near the end of level 14, there is a what-seems-like-a-typical rolling boulder corridor, however the builder adds 2 additional boulders beyond the first one. The first boulder can be anticipated -- the latter 2 are troll boulders. Is this really the best gameplay the seasoned builder has to offer?
* The first flare pickup is in level 3, however levels 1 and 2 have plenty of dark areas that can warrant a flare.
* Overall, I feel disappointed. Clearly the builder has a beautiful mind, capable of creating unique, memorable worlds... yet, there is so much bloat and repetitive tasks here. So many little issues that really should be not happening with an experienced builder. While "The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath" and "Deathwish" certainly frustrated me with the sadistic, pixel-perfect platforming required, I still prefer them over "Ex Oblivione", as for the most part I felt engaged. I felt interested. In EO, I often felt bored. 6/9/8/8" - nerdfury

"I scarcely know where to begin with this enormous levelset, one of such breathtaking magnitude. I was kept intrigued, gripped, exhilarated, frustrated and puzzled in equal measure throughout its 15 levels, so it's testament to its quality and addictiveness that I overall greatly enjoyed the experience. It's difficult to sum up a work of such huge dedication and length in a review like this, but I shall do my best nonetheless. It's obvious that a huge amount of forethought and planning has gone into this. I did experience a bit of noticeable lag in The Enchanted Woods and Gardens of Yin, but I managed to get throughout it. The levels are huge and positively invite exploration if you want to see every part and collect everything. There was possibly a bit too much running around though, as I did find the backtracking rather arduous at times. The other puzzles and timed sequences (the latter being rather tight in certain spots though), were extremely enjoyable to conquer and I thought that the secret/stone quest was very nicely executed. Settings are mainly well rendered apart from a few repetitive and crude sections, and the constant change of scenery was refreshing. Atmosphere and audio files are generally used very well too, while the enemy battles certainly keep proceedings spiced up (did think the end boss battle overreached itself slightly however). Overall, I definitely urge you to try this one, even if you have the walkthrough nearby." - Ryan

"It's hard to rate this full-sized game under the strict rating system of this site. Not perfect, many times because of the engine, but it got me hooked like very few other TRLEs and it's one of the even fewer that I intend to play again in order to relive the experience. So, one more point for the engaging gameplay and one more for the areas that may not look always perfect (wallpapering at the edges) but they always feel impressive and NEW. It surely deserves a place in the HoF and I can wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone, especially those who like exploring. Not for absolute beginners as it is slightly challenging." - billie2001

"Holy heck where do I begin and do I end anywhere but in the land of wonders. Here's an entire separate universe, in this field the game excels. But it's also quite big so you play slower than your brain would want to - again, some of us like it that way and they may enjoy it a lot. The flagship problem is figuring out what ledge is intended because inaccessible areas are accessible. And the other way around, areas which seem accessible are disallowed in uncomfy and/or arbitrary way. Even if the next update (v.13) fixes that and only that, it's gonna make the game much better. Then even the pre-intermediate raiders may try it, for now it's for the intermediate and above. Other things I'd fix is lower the volume of inventory sounds, boost some dialogue so it's understandable (we got subtitles but the audio should be fine as well), and report a whole gallore of engine issues to the TEN dev team - but the latest is not on the builder, and hopefully we'll once get both the game and the engine working as it should." - DJ Full

"Neltharion surprises us with a large level set in TEN, which is quite daring since it is an engine under development and creating such a huge level set would cause problems, and indeed it did. I was the tester and it took me 10 hours to complete, and it was an insane challenge. Some parts of the game are very difficult to explore and require a lot of attention and motor coordination, as well as some obscure puzzles that could use a hint. The gameplay remains good, although I needed several helps from the author because I couldn't do certain tasks since trview doesn't work (yet) for levels made in TEN. Despite this, I can say how much this author has improved in all possible areas and HOW beautiful this game is, especially the huge city clearly inspired by Dark Souls. I noticed this in the poisoned swamp section. The story is quite complicated, and you need to listen carefully to what the cat says because it's a bit metaphorical, and there are two endings you can get. Some things are left open or don't make much sense, but it's all fine. In short, it's an excellent level set that takes many hours to play and requires a lot of patience. I won't mention the bugs I encountered because the author fixed them and added new things from what I could see. Recommended only for experienced players, 20 secrets and 10 hours in total...''" - PedroCroft_

"I was waiting for this a long time . Doesnt dissapoints . Huge trip with many great environments and memorable places . I would rate it as medium difficulty though , its more like a trip with lot of exploration . Even the last levels were not so confusing or hard so every raider can finish this . Dont expect hard jumps here if you are used from previous releases , just enjoy the path . Tbh the lore wasnt my style or couldnt follow so the diary wasnt needed for me , doesnt give hints either . I would say that 10 engine although it looks muck livelier its a no from me , my controller shows some bug stack issues and the collision with objects and envirnment is just troublesome . Some words for each lvl now : 1st level easy so the players don't quit from the beginning 2nd level same pattern although when I saw the last puzzle , bad memories wake from another trle . but I knew now what was the purpose , especially with the many levers room . 3rd level same as the demo but a little more extended . some opposite sides you werent supposed to go were accessible and textureless . vikings level but less gameplay which made the level quite empty 4th same as demo but includes a boss . my question is how i could fire the medallion inside a cage , wasnt supposed to elevate the cage first somehow. . 5th Big village with good and basic gameplay . author gives enough cameras for the levers so u cant actually lose yourself . good time runs and navigation . one thing i noticed is that the waterskin doesnt work properly to vanish the fire , although you can procceed to your task without doing this . And also the objective to open the final door to finish is neat , not clear at all . i hate also the collision with the bike and the objects around . 6th level Guess this level was made so builder could show his skills or testing the engine . beautiful construction with care , nice places and colours but the gameplay was very simple except one jump . i rofled when the thug was killed by his own dog 7th level its mostly a torch level . gameplay here goes one step up . one thing i notice is that you cant float in the surface of the water holding the torch like tr4 , neither u can drop it properly while jumping . island is beautiful and vivid although textures are glitching or disappearing . also the demigods are bugged , no bullets could reach me . didn't found the solution in the rising pillars secret unfortunatelly 8th kayak levels are not my type at all . its a nice trip though , casual navigation . I wonder do the npcs in the end talk like in the previous levels or just stand there as in my game . also the 2 enemies hit me with blank , no damage taken . 9th level . Massivest level ever i played . Things are getting serious now in terms of exploration although i think i should be rewarded more for all the empty placed i visited . bike is only for covering the distance in this level .i have mixed feelings for this cause i been to areas outside map or non textured areas that i shouldnt . i wonder if i killed the cats will the monologue from the chief cat would be the same ? still the effort here is huge to build and connect all these vast areas . And seriously the mall and the roofs are not aesthetically match the rest . The mall also should have more gameplay for me . funny action was the 3 guardians deaths not with my weapons btw 10lvl Majestic sky city . simple gameplay . the lever for the pushing block tile , why it works only one time , one-go lever ? im very curious where exactly was my last secret , i bet in the 2 last rooms but couldn't open the door even if it lead nowhere 11th meganebashi starting vibes kinda . what the heck was this numerous creepy area , I guess the last secret , gl 12th I had from the beggining for some reason 2 divine rubys so i could end the level very fast and then I would miss all the fun , many traps and enemies here awaits , be prepared 13th most outstanding level ..it will be remembered inside me for long , such a beauty , so well crafted . again I had in my inventory 2 golden figurines , without reaching the last room . the last puzzle was well thought . 14th beautiful epilogue , i wonder if all these rock doors were exactly the Number of rocks i could find through the game . last battle was like i was playing in sekiro . really there were secrets here? i guessed i rushed it Total secrets 32/42" - Petaludas

"A very long game set in the dreamlands. Prepare yourself for hours of enjoyable exploration of this mysterious world. Yes, the main core of the game is exploration - huge amounts of it. There is a lot of walking which probably will throw off some players as it's sometimes makes the gameplay monotonous. The levels are very diverse in their scenery - frozen lands, deserts, forests, jungles, caves, ancient temples and even modern cities. Hence why the visuals should never bore you. Some of the levels are quite small and some others are gigantic where it is easy to get lost. Besides the core exploration there is also a lot of parkour, traps, some combat (which includes bossfights) and a couple of puzzles (I wish there were more of them though). You will also find some vehicles like a kayak, a motorboat or a motorbike which make the gameplay more diverse. The game also has a story which is developed via dialogues (or rather monologues) and a diary so you never forget what your quest is about. About the visuals - they vary from decent to fabulous. Some levels look wonderful like Tyrrhia or The Sky City and some others are just fine. I loved some of the huge and monumetal areas which were a pleasure to behold. Though, there is quite a lot of wallpapered walls which gave me mixed feelings because at one hand they don't look good but on the other one they create a particular vibe. I also didn't like some places which were too boxy - mostly caves or underwater areas. Another thing which gave me mixed feelings is the lack of decorative objects in some places - again on one hand it makes areas look empty but on the other hand this emptiness creates unique atmosphere. Speaking of which, it's really great throughout the whole levelset. You really feel that you are in some dreamlands where everything feels mysterious and often liminal. Neltharion is really good at creating such vibe. The choice of ambients and soundtracks is very good and adds immersion. All in all, this levelset is certainly very unique and is the longest levelset on the TEN engine to this date. If you like loads of exploration then it will provide you with hours of enjoyment. Definitely recommended." - BlackWolfTR