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The Trench by Will Gell

Akcy 6 4 7 4
alan 7 6 7 8
Andi Croft 7 7 8 7
Casual Raider 8 6 8 7
CC 7 3 8 7
ColeMoles 4 3 3 4
Cuqui 8 8 8 8
David 7 5 8 6
Dimpfelmoser 8 8 8 7
Ejecta 7 6 7 6
eTux 9 7 8 7
Gerty 6 6 7 5
Jay 6 7 7 7
Jose 5 5 7 5
Kristina 8 8 8 8
Mehrbod 9 8 9 7
MichaelP 6 6 7 7
Miguel 8 7 8 7
Momster 8 7 7 7
Mulf 5 4 6 5
Neso 7 7 8 7
Orbit Dream 5 6 8 6
Phil 8 8 8 7
RaiderGirl 7 7 8 7
Ryan 7 6 7 6
Sakusha 7 6 7 5
Sash 7 6 6 7
Scottie 8 7 7 7
The Aussie Adventurer 6 5 5 4
The Last Frustration 9 6 7 9
TheStig 6 6 6 6
Torry 9 7 8 7
Treeble 7 6 6 6
TrueRaider 8 7 8 7
 
release date: 16-Dec-2000
# of downloads: 266

average rating: 6.74
review count: 34
 
review this level

file size: 16.08 MB
file type: TR4
class: Egypt
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
william@wgell.net

Reviewer's comments
"Well, this turned out to be much less epic than I expected from my previous encounters with this builder’s work. It’s a Tut1 level with a duration of about 20 minutes, quite solid but unexceptional, except it’s exceptionally dark in the underground parts where you’ll be spending most of your time, flare in hand. There’s your realism in levelbuilding.
You start out in the eponymous trench (although it’s really a gully rather than part of a military construction), with a closed door on one side (which turns out to be the exit) and two holes in the ground on the other. The structure of the gameplay is that you go down into one of these, re-emerge elsewhere, then go down again through the other hole and eventually return to the trench once more to exit through the door that’s now open. This alternating inside / outside thing gives the level a fragmented feel and further diminishes any epic scope, even if the outside interlude, for all its brevity, offers some welcome respite from the pervasive darkness underground. The texturing is competent, although there are some nasty cracks, especially above the underground water room, and the trench sports a bunch of stretched and squashed textures. It is also a bit too long too avoid disintegrating in the distance, which really did not need to be the case, and some of the corridors you have to run through are unnecessarily long as well.
Not entirely unexpectedly coming from this builder, the level features three timed runs, although I found them all to be quite manageable. Only the first gave me a bit of trouble; it’s very short but also very tight, and you’ll have to use a sprint roll. I expected the one through an underwater gate to cause me rather more problems than it did, instead I somehow made it on my first attempt. Maybe I lucked through. Other than that, you’ll encounter no traps as such, though the level does provide a few deep shafts for you to fall to your death in. Lots of pickups are strewn about the place. Except for the flares you collect at the beginning, they’re all useless, especially when it comes to ammo for weapons which (with the exception of the shotgun) you never find and which would be unnecessary even if you did, as there are only some scorpions, two ninjas, and one mummy to deal with or to avoid. This cannot be defended on the grounds that this is the first level in a series, since these levels are not interlinked. In the end, though, the level is reasonably entertaining and contains no aggravations (flares, I should mention, are supplied in sufficient quantity) other than being a bit lightweight as a stand-alone both in duration and in substance." - Mulf (17-Sep-2024)
"A nice short easy level. As this is the builders first release with the level editor i can say that they have done a pretty good job, you wont need a walkthrough for this and its quite straightforward. Boy did this person like timed runs too! Definitely something to keep you occupied for 20 minutes :)" - ColeMoles (19-Feb-2022)
"I must admit that as the first experience of the builder, this was a superb TR4 level set within a well-lit Egyptian environment. Gameplay and Puzzles were outstanding, and the gameplay was so straightforward that there was no need to look at the walkthrough even once, and you can find the secrets by yourself! Enemies and objects were cunningly placed, and they had brought the atmosphere to life. Sounds and cameras were nice, and thank god, the builder hadn't forgotten to put cameras for levers and switches!!! However, there is one thing to complain about. The builder had put lots of dark ambiences, and I used about 40 flares to complete the adventure. I suppose the builder could use more lighting, such as point lights and spot lights, instead of only using sun light and ambient light. Well done! Recommended level. Thank you!" - Mehrbod (06-Aug-2018)
"This starts out in a well lit outside area, and you would hope that would hold true for the rest of this level. Sadly not. Upon acquiring a couple of pickups, the level takes a gloomier turn into extremely dark underground tunnels filled with scorpions. The gameplay is a simple affair, with a couple of short timed runs operated by trigger tiles, plus running through a few dark areas and finding a few items, and I did hate having to light a flare every few seconds to make out my surroundings. The texturing wasn't too bad from what I could make out, though very plain in the beginning area. I do think the lighting could have improved more. For a pre Level Editor release, it's not bad though." - Ryan (13-Nov-2017)
"This is a short raid at under 20 minutes but it manages to be somewhat entertaining in that time. There are some lovely timed runs but they all feature the same mechanic, which got quite tiring after a while - the gameplay is fairly easy apart from that. The atmosphere is great, with a lot of fitting sound triggers and ambiance. It's dark in some places but you're given more than enough flares to deal with it. I particularly liked the room with a few pickups where you could let loose a mummy if you weren't careful. I would recommend this level although there is nothing particularly special about it." - Ejecta (20-Aug-2017)
"An egyptian level with dark caves and exploration to do. Our goal is to find a star and enter the next set of corridors to pull a lever and go to the exit, but that won't be too easy. It will keep you entertained for a while. Recommended." - alan (01-Jun-2017)
"I thought this was pretty hot stuff back when I first discovered this site. Will Gell was one of the only builders in those days who provided walkthroughs for his levels, so that's what attracted me to them. I'm sure I used his walkthrough to play this debut effort, and it was before I had developed this intense dislike for dark levels, so I'm sure I would have given it a sterling review had I been reviewing levels then. On this replay I found it to be remarkably playable (but much too dark, of course, in the interior sections). There are three decent timed runs along with a good assortment of enemies and plenty of flares and ammo (even for weapons that are not found in the level). A bit short at 35 minutes, but still a worthwhile raid after all these years." - Phil (27-May-2016)
"This 30 minute level starts out in a sun filled, sandy Egyptian setting - sounds lovely, right? Then you get to pick up a generous amount of flares and enter a dark passage, which rather sets the tone for the rest of the game. The gameplay is fairly simple, involving a bit of jumping, climbing and the odd timed run. Enemies are mainly scorpions, with a couple of ninjas and mummies about. Oodles of medipacks and weaponry is provided, but you won't need it. What you certainly will need is the flares. Mercifully, there's a generous supply of those too." - Jay (19-Feb-2014)
"Nothing special in this small level, easy to play after you've explored the big outside area and found the entrance to the very dark underground area. Some timed runs, very few enemies, easy secrets; the best for me were the cameras and the musics. From the very beginning you can see the the texturization is not good; with a lot of stretched textures except in the corridors or small rooms. Not a good level but playable anyway." - Jose (04-Feb-2014)
"As for someone's first level it's really good. Some textures are repeating themselves but mostly that's the problem on outside area. Music is nice change as entering different rooms triggers some known from classic TR music - gives more to atmosphere. Gameplay is rather easy and short but very pleasant." - Casual Raider (15-Jul-2013)
"A little bit more than four years ago I have begun with playing the levels and one of my first level was The Trench by Will Gell. I found the level even then really good. And in it nothing has changed till this day. Well, the level is maybe partly a little bit dark, but it lie around enough Flares, hence, this is no problem. This level is suitable very well for beginners, because there are only few opponents, no heavy duties and no heavy jumps. However, it is not so nice which one comes outdoors in the canyon so often to the level edge. This does not look so nice when one sees a black horizon. However, all together this is a good level." - Scottie (15-Feb-2010)
"Not a bad effort here. Nice use of lighting. The texturing gets a little streached and repetitive in places, but it's clearly the product some someone who has spent time learning the editor before releasing their first level. Completed in 34 minutes." - TheStig (14-Dec-2009)
"This level required some thinking to do in order to go from point A to point B in some ways (the ultimate goal is to open a door), especially at the beginning in the outdoor area. Many passages were dark, but there were enough flares to use in order to get through the level. The timed runs were doable, but I needed several attempts in order to get through the underwater timed run. There were a few ornate well-decorated rooms that were nice, but most of the textures were a bit bland for my liking. Overall the level was nice, and the gameplay was fascinating with the backtracking, the need to wander around in the dark and the timed runs." - Sakusha (20-Aug-2009)
"A short and easy level from the early days, with a few simple timed runs. The layout is good but we can't really see the rooms because the level is just overly dark. The trench itself looked okay though. This is the first of a 7 level series, but since we can play them only separately, the lots of clips and arrows we find here just didn't make sense. An in between level." - Akcy (17-Dec-2007)
"This is a solid and fun (old) Egyptian level. Gameplay here mainly revolves around timed doors and exploration on the outside area, which I thought was really nice although this leads to the end of the world situation right on the beginning. There are plenty of items to pickup throughout, mainly arrows and grenades that you never get to use, and even one little scorpion turning into some shotgun shells. Overall, this is a nice level, suitable for a quick raid between huge series. The only complain is regarding the darkness, I know tombs and undergrounds are meant to be dark, but it's just not fun having to cross the whole thing with a flare in the hand. 30 minutes, 2 secrets. 03/06" - Treeble (13-Mar-2006)
"The Trench is a smallish level where lara is inside a trench and must find the artifacts she came for before she leaves. The trench as it's name is very small. Lara will spend most of her time undergroud than in the trench. The biggest problem with this level is the fact it's way to dark. Fair enough that we have many flares at our disposale but no one wants to be lighting flares constantly. Any good work the author has done inside is wasted because there is no light to show it off. The enemies consist of a couple of ninja's and a lot of scorpions. Secrets are very hard to find because of the light issue. The gameplay consists of mainly times runs which are made harder by the lack of light. This level would have been much better if the light issue was better. Since not, it's not worth the time. If I had to give this level a grade, I would give it a C-, a low pass mark." - The Aussie Adventurer (16-Nov-2005)
"Yes it's a trench a huge one and just like any other excavation site there are a few entrances in there somewhere. Very convincing atmosphere throughout. Inside the buried temples is good too with sand heaps and I liked that long stairway up to the two statues. Some places are very dark as you'd expect underground and a few scorpions. A nice little easy timed run to start you off the first of many to come throughout the series. You finally get the main doors open and enter the tomb . . . and the next level. You come back here at the end of the series so I suppose you could just take a quick look at how the place looks because it's going to change. Very easy first level that shows great promise." - CC (19-Aug-2003)
"Haven’t played all Will’s levels so I decided to start and now I know why I left them for so long TIMED RUNS. Not my forte so I better be nibbled fingered this weekend. This level had a couple and with a few reloads I could manage them. Might be luck might even be me getting better at them. Other thing in this level was the darkness. Although there are enough flares to be found I hated it. 25-05-2003" - Gerty (26-May-2003)
"I love this author! His levels are well textured not difficult but not too easy (!!) lot of adventure and action with a good atmosphere and the whole in Egypt my favourite country for Tomb Raider's levels! The Trench is maybe one of first levels with the level editor but it is forever a good level and I had lot of pleasure to test it! Download it and play! It is superb! 01.05.03.Nesoki" - Neso (01-May-2003)
"At 20 minutes it looks like this could be the introduction to a series of levels by the author which makes me anxious to see the rest. It starts in the trenches outside a pyramid and has you searching for the key that will open the entrance. The timed doors here are simple enough but I have a bad feeling they will get much harder later on. Otherwise a typical tutorial style level with a few mummies and scorpions." - RaiderGirl (21-Jan-2003)
"I have played all of Will's levels and just played this again. I wish I had picked another one as this was quite dark but fortunately with enough flares given. It's just a typical level with very dark corridors and timed runs. It took me some time to finish it although most of it I remembered from the last time. Pity he stopped building." - Kristina (23-Dec-2002)
"The eponymous (dark) Trench which opens the level is really quite well made and full of little hidden (dark) nooks and crannies. The level then develops into a (dark) quest through (dark) corridors and (extremely dark) chambers (including a couple of neat dark timed runs and a dark rope swing) thence re-emerging briefly into the Trench before plunging darkly into another series of corridors (crafted with a generally dark theme). Pulling a lever results in a door in the Trench opening and the level ending during a fantastically dark slide. This is another level from the (dark) mists of LE-time and a very accomplished one it is too. I usually object to plentiful pick-ups but in this case I needed every flare I could get!" - Orbit Dream (26-Nov-2002)
"Good level. Fun to play. Easy except in some timed doors. Beautiful rooms very well designed. Too dark but nice in any case." - Cuqui (18-Nov-2002)
"Being one of the first if not the first fan created level I ever played I was really impressed by the use of the 4 timed doors which has now become Will's trademark as well as the progression which has you alternating between playing inside and outside. The only thing I didn't like about this 30 minutes level was the extremely dark lighting of the interior areas but this was obviously Will's intention to give it an eerie feeling and besides there are plenty of flares to light the way. For his debut level though this is a really nice piece of work." - Sash (21-Jun-2002)
"As a first Level already a solid piece of work. Nice touch to start outside then find your way in and later back out but sometimes very long corridors to run through which is getting a little boring. Will already starts to establish his specialty which seems to be the use of timed doors." - Michael (21-Jun-2002)
"All around fun Egyptian level. Good use was made of timed doors and I must admit to getting stuck in one spot that badly that I resorted to emailing the author for a hint. Dirty rotten scoundrel that he is LOL. Game play was continuous and logical which surprise surprise isn't always the case with these home grown levels." - Torry (21-Jun-2002)
"A good level set in some sort of tomb inside and out. The atmosphere is great the enemy placement is good and some fun timed doors which Will Gell is now famous for! Some rooms are a bit too dark especially without enough flares and a few unrealistic bits but this is not much of a problem." - TrueRaider (21-Jun-2002)
"Lots of dark underground passages here in a level that is very ... dark. You really need the flares at every step as it's too dark to see anything for most of the time. The puzzles are fairly simple and the rooms are nicely designed and the whole level has the feel of exploring something long-deserted something enhanced by the lack of handy flaming torches at every turn. Nothing too tricky to get your mind around but a nice level." - David (21-Jun-2002)
"This level is beginning to age but is an excellent level. It could probably do with more fly-by's and camera angles but is otherwise perfect! There are several timed doors each one incredibly more devious than the professional ones. The level has excellent lighting excellent scenery and excellent gameplay - definitely worth a download!" - The Last Frustration (TLF) (21-Jun-2002)
"Will Gell's The Trench is one of the early Levels (Dec 2000) - for that one must be realistic and not compare to today's standard (Mar 2002). But in fact the level is build with skill. Light and shadows are well placed - only a very few texture errors. Error with the horizon in that time was normal. After a half an hour of playing you get a lot of goodies - maybe too much for one level - but like later it became a series of levels its okay. The sound underlines the atmosphere. Will Gell put some challenge with cameras and door with timers and even surprises with the unexpected. Being Dec 2000 really above average - today really interesting for newcomers and newbies in building for learning. Let's see the second part of the series." - Miguel (21-Jun-2002)
"This is a very dark Tutorial-Level. But I was finding a lot of flares. The textures were not so fine and the enemies were only scorpions and 2 ninjas. I found a lot of ammunition but no gun. I was playing 34 minutes in this easy level. But I had fun. I hope in the next levels from this series it is not so dark but the beginning from level two is dark too." - Andi Croft (21-Jun-2002)
"A nice small level which as Dimpfelmoser said is just a warm up for the adventures yet to come I haven't finished all the levels yet but so far it's been great. This short and sometimes a bit too dark level is fun to play but not separately from the game so I'd suggest to download the whole thing now." - eTux (21-Jun-2002)
"It's pointless to rate Wills Levels separately as they tell an ongoing story and should be played in a row. The Trench is certainly not Will Gell's best but it would be really bad timing if it was and from there the only option is downhill. It is pretty much your above standard desert tomb scenario with all the ingredients a proper adventure needs. Nothing extraordinary but as I hinted above this is more of a warm up for the tasks to come. I strongly advise you to play all seven levels in a row; you wont regret it." - Dimpfelmoser (21-Jun-2002)
"The first in a series by Will Gell which I have elected to play randomly. As always the now-famous timed runs. I had a bit of trouble with one or two in this level especially the gate in the water. Decent enough tomb atmosphere but I found some of the hallways a bit boring. A good first and I know from experience that they only get better." - Momster (21-Jun-2002)