Level reviews

"This game isn't quite a masterpiece. On the contrary, it is a beginner's work and yet the opening cutscene is quite entertaining with some baddies trying to create a situation between a rock and a hard place for Lara. The rest of the game is far less spectacular. You get to explore a number of rooms to collect items that will open doors. The architecture has some narrow pathways created by dividing floor tiles into triangles which I found interesting. There's also a few shooter elements but nothing out of the ordinary. It takes half an hour to complete the game. Might be worth playing before trying some later works by this author." - Sponge

"Introduced by a fun cinematic action sequence that holds up quite well, this debut level presents an episode from TR4 that Core left on the cutting room floor: von Croy's henchmen are catching up with Lara, and they send a boulder after her as she goes down a slope into uncharted underground territory.
Actually, this being essentially a Tut1 level (with a slightly augmented wad), the territory is charted quite well. However, the builder adds a few inventive touches which make it stand out from the rest: in addition to the intro, there's an (ecologically somewhat dubious) underground swamp, its surface covered in pond scum (some textures are missing at its entrance, but the builder is considerate enough to allow you to run, rather than wade, through it); a small scorpion carries a crucial pickup; and on two occasions the builder created elevated walkways with slanted walls. Not a lot is made of either in terms of gameplay, but they do make the traversal of the rooms in question much more interesting than it would have been without them. Of course, the slanted walls come at the cost of grossly stretched and distorted textures, but aesthetic niceties clearly take a backseat with this builder, as is evidenced by the wallpaper approach to texturing in pretty much every room. He also often uses only fragments of texture sets (only one or two textures instead of the full set of two or four) with blithe disregard as to what is depicted on them, and he pitches too few flares in an unfair battle against too many shadowbulbs. More generally, the place never comes together as a whole and remains a conglomerate of disparate rooms, which is a problem by no means limited to Tut1 debut levels.
Gameplay is not without its flaws either. Most are of the kind that would have been ironed out during beta-testing: the solution to a pushable puzzle is random (one of the brighter tiles opens a door, but why that one, specifically?); at one point, the builder expects you to leave a certain room and come back from the other side; but why would you do that, with an obvious crawlspace left unexplored? As a consequence, he inadvertently entices you to drop down into a pushable object's collision; and a few unmarked spike tiles add nothing to the gameplay but so many occasions to become annoyed.
However, in a bold move the builder not only allows the ninjas (who in similar levels usually seem out of place and are employed merely as health drains) to take centre stage, but also places them well more often than not, meaning there's usually an opportunity for you to take cover and thus to avoid simply taking the full brunt of any given attack. (An example of less well-considered placement would be the room in which a couple of ninjas demonstrate that they, unlike Lara, are fireproof.) There's also a step-on-the-right-tiles puzzle, the solution of which is so obvious that it eluded me for longer than I care to remember, but upon its completion the builder summons a mummy who threatens to push you onto instant-death tiles on your way back. It's unlikely to happen, but I thought it was a good attempt at spicing up the procedure. In sum, gameplay is somewhat shaky in this one, but the level's imaginative touches are sufficient to warrant giving it a go." - Mulf

"This 30-minute Egyptian tidbit lives up to the trapfest style characteristic of the builder during his brief career. There was at least one totally unfair trap, where you blithely walk onto an unmarked spike tile in a hallway where no danger could be expected. And there's an annoying backtracking at the end to place a cartouche. Other than that, you get a straightforward and fairly entertaining raid in familiar surroundings, perfect for a rainy day. Yoav, whom we haven't seen around here for too long, has provided a pedestrian walkthrough. If there were any secrets, neither of us found any." - Phil

"This is all about killing ninjas and scorpions and picking up cartouches and hands of Orion/ Sirius - and did a scorpion actually leave one of those hands? It certainly looked that way, but it's unusual behaviour in a scorpion. They're not normally that helpful. There's not much more to it, apart from a bit of leaping about and a push block puzzle. Looks-wise, it's a bit arid, being mainly rocky/sandy textures that could have done with a spot of relief, but it's quite well constructed. The opening cut scene made me feel I was in for something rather special, but sadly it was not to be." - Jay

"A fairly standard Egyptian level. Unlike other reviewers I didn't find the action that easy the ninjas can deal a lot of damage and this is a problem because there are no medipacks lying around. It is not really hard or anything but you have to use your medipacks carefully or else you will play hide and seek with the ninjas towards the end as I have done. Shotgun is also a blessing here. Besides that the gameplay is average, some cartouches to find, an easy box pulling puzzle and a tile puzzle. It seems like you are in a cave (an ugly one) most of the time rather than a tomb or pyramid. Overall I had fun but I can't give higher scores." - Nomad

"This is a fairly standard tutorial inspired Egyptian level with the usual suspects (ninjas, scorpions, Cartouches and Hands artifacts). It's not bad overall and the cinematic beginning to this level was superbly done, but the actual level is very straightforward, through rather darkish and repetitive surroundings in search of those artefacts." - Ryan

"To be a first level it's not a bad level, but I found some avoidable things like the very elongated textures or the unmarked traps and ladders. I missed a lot some flares to light the dark areas, and also the level could include more objects to decorate the rooms. The gameplay is, like the architecture, simple; with easy puzzles and tasks, white ninjas and scorpions to shoot, some mummies to avoid and no much backtracking. There are very few cameras and sounds, but lights are well worked. Good debut, but many things to get better." - Jose

"Rather well of just as level, the decor is constructed well and rather nice to go through, the enemies are generally well put. A reproach, the peaks which go out of the soil in some rooms should be able to get bearings. In another way, the gameplay is not of the most complicating, what does not prevent from having a good time." - Daffy

"Playing this Egyptian tutorial only now, I think it is a bit underrated. Anyway I have liked the well made flyby at the beginning, the smart use of the baddies, the architecture of the first cave , and the big fight in the cave with the jeep. Good fun !" - eRIC

"An easy level with monotonous textures and the theme is what else Egyptian. There are hands to collect two cartouches and ninjas mummies scorpions to deal with. The moving block puzzle wasn't anything spectacular either. Be sure to kill the scorpions because one of them at some point will leave a hand. If you like levels like this load it up." - Kristina

"As a tutorial adventure this is not only of interest because of the cinematic start. In a succession of cut scenes you see a lot of ninjas getting ready for action and though it will take some time before you encounter the first of them you know that they are lurking somewhere ready to ambush. A great idea really cause it provides so much suspense right from the start. There is a good tile puzzle a bit of jumping an exciting battle and a rather tedious pushing block task. Pity that there are some textures missing and you are bound to drop into the movable block once. There are two areas that are really unusual for a tutorial level and I think they are rather special. A sandy cavern that looks pretty real as it is not boxy at all and the area where you run through ankle deep water covered with floating greenery. The nice flow of this rather linear and easy quest made the 35 minutes utterly enjoyable. One of the best tutorial levels I've played I reckon." - Dimpfelmoser

"A pretty standard level where you need to locate a few bar cartouche pieces some hands and kill a whole heap of ninjas and this will keep you busy for around 40 minutes. Nothing too taxing here folks but again this was far too dark in places and hardly any flare pickups." - Torry

"The introduction to this level is great just for that you should download it. For he rest it is an easy one to do. Apart from the pushing of the block - where oh where to put that thing. I pushed it to the other side were the cartouche should be placed on a light coloured tile and the door was opened. Finding some hands and 2 cartouches will let you in into all the gates and doors that are closed. Scorpions and ninjas quite a lot and some wandering mummies are the enemies here. You'll find the shotgun at a certain point and enough ammo. Not bad at all for a first. 09-10-2002" - Gerty

"Renato's first level and the early indications are most promising. The level begins with a Bond-like 'pre-credits' sequence consisting of excellently conceived flyby montages. Exhilarating stuff! The rest of the level is only slightly disappointing after such an introduction but it still plays well and is full of 'Wanser-isms'. The embankments in several of the rooms; the way in which you could look through a crack in a cave wall into an adjoining cave; how this was exploited a little later to enable you to see (from the 2nd cave) a Guard running past the crack indicating that trouble was on its way; the floor puzzle which was simple to work out but who's logic was impeccable (unlike many Custom Level puzzle solutions); the mossy boggy floor of a small passageway (a simple but inventive effect); the clever placing of a key pick-up on a similarly-patterned floor. Even the block pulling/pushing puzzle (although somewhat obscure) wasn't too bad. I missed not having an outdoor area as this Designer always does them so well but I feel that this is an excellent (albeit modest) first try with many indications of good things to come. If Renato can make his next level roughly twice the length of his existing three levels (and maintain his high standards of invention) then we may see something very special indeed!" - Orbit Dream

"This fairly simple standard Tut level took me about 1 hour. After the initial opening sequence it was a bit of a letdown although it was adventurous enough. A myriad of catwalks await before you gain entrance to the tomb. Once inside you're greeted by some hidden spike traps (I hate when that happens) and you find yourself in a room where you need two hands to gain entrance to yet another area. These are fairly simple to find. Mummies and scorpions you must watch out for in addition to some armed ninjas sometimes more than one. There is a jumping pillar puzzle over a burning floor and a couple of moving block sequences to get a bunch of gates opened to order to find your way out of the tomb. You will need to find 2 halves of a cartouche 1 whole cartouche and another hand to make your escape." - Momster

"This level started out with one of the most amazing openings I've ever seen in a custom level. Lara is being shot at by a ninja so she starts sliding down a slope to get away and the ninja releases a boulder so that it will roll after Lara then spikes start coming out of the floor behind her! The rest of the level isn't as exciting but it was still an enjoyable half hour of raiding. I actually almost gave up halfway through. There's a pushable block between two rooms and no marked tiles so I wasn't sure where to push the block to or even which room it belonged in. After pushing it everywhere I finally looked up and noticed the door was open. Still not sure what did it though. Otherwise it was pretty straightforward with a few exciting moments now and then." - RaiderGirl

"Aha another fine Egyptian level debut. Nothing really special but I enjoyed the way the author did the catwalks and what is absolutely superb for the author's first level ever was the starting sequence. Some Egyptian ninjas arriving on a jeep and throwing a spike ball on Lara's path. Lara has to search for puzzle pieces to open doors and proceed. Nothing really different from the standard Egyptian levels but it's still a nice 30 minutes adventure." - Treeble

"If only the rest of this level lived up to its wonderfully dramatic series of camera shots that set up the beginning of this level but it doesn't. As you can probably guess this level is set in a tomb sadly it is quite a bland looking tomb environment and although it does have its nice moments they are few and far between it is also a very easy level with no real challenge as you go around collecting a bunch of key pick ups while fighting ninjas. I did like the inclusion of the movable block puzzle and would have liked to have seen more done on those lines but as this seems to be the author's first level I can only assume that any upcoming levels will show improvement." - Sash

"What a start - a really well done action sequence for you to watch as an introduction to this level - unfortunately it then becomes a rather standard and very linear Tut1 WAD level which took me about 40 minutes to complete. Only once you are sent back to get a cartouche. The other key pick ups are sort of along the way and despite a few good ideas the rooms are just too big and the texturing too repetitive and the lighting often a little dark. There are about 15 ninjas and 15 scorpions to kill and I thought that movable block puzzle was a little tedious." - Michael

"This level has the best opening I've seen since Rescue I with a very nicely done series of camera shots giving an almost FMV feel and a thrilling slide with a spike ball on Lara's heels. That's where any comparison ends though as the rest of the 40 minutes level is a fairly workaday journey through a carelessly textured tomb. Aside from one cute puzzle there is really nothing else of note here. But it is a first level and if the opening is any indication the author has the potential to do much better." - Tombaholic

"A typical tut1 level with baddies and little scorpions. There is a rather interesting and surprisingly well made camera sequence at the beginning. The texturing is a bit weak in some places but the lighting was okay and made a good atmosphere. I didn't like those teeth spike traps especially in the first third of the level but most of the gameplay was okay." - Sheevah