Level reviews

"Another japanese level i was afraid to try for along time . After playing many hardcore levels as this i can say it has its good moments and its dull also . i liked the exploration in the first level and the third lvl also was almost quite balanced. i liked i was intrigued to find what to do next sometimes . i disliked the hidden- invinsible-no texture passage in first area , ofc the no showing when pressing buttons . even in the 3rd level , there is a lever behind a white 'blanket-wall' which you must lower or deactivate it , guess what , you press the button which supposingly lowers or vanish it but no it is still there when you see it but if you get close you are able to pass through . 2 items also are for no usage , wtf . the lava area also is huge , you observe many surroundings , but its too weird and rocky to know where to go and half of the area you dont have to explore it at the end . it is just there to fool you , for example in the bottom with the water tile and around , you never have to go there. and the worst are the walls and passages that open randomly somewhere with some levers . worth the experience? i guess" - Petaludas

"I consider myself an expert player in TR, but this is one of the few levels I didn't managed to complete. I like hard levels, i love them, but this level was just so annoying that I sent it to the recycle bin at the half. I don't know if this level was intended to be hard or the author was just learning the editor. Here we have unmarked stairs and triggers and a lot of darkness with almost 0 flares. When I saw the first unmarked door I knew this wouldn't be a good level and I was right. Texturing is just very bad even if geometry is kinda good in some points. Lightning is flat or very dark. And also there is a flyby camera without the one-shot so if you pass through that zone again you'll enable it. The only thing i enjoyed was the atmosphere. Maybe if you like hard levels you might enjoy it but even if you like them, there are better levels out there... not recommended to anyone." - Neltharion

"If you consider yourself an expert or maybe even a self-proclaimed expert in Tomb Raiding, then this is definitely the game for you. Pretty much every jump and manoeuvre you can think of (and then some) is included here. You will nearly always have to look for the hard way by employing a move that you wouldn't normally think of (I've played over 2000 levels and even I found myself having to use quite a few unorthodox moves and jump twists to progress). Unfortunately I found the entire thing quite frustrating. Most of the jumps take too many tries to be fun anymore and some of the puzzle solutions are devilishly obscure, so use of the walkthrough is almost mandatory. I also missed one of the buttons in the second level and had to perform more backtracking than I would like, and this level was far too dark in places. Actually the textures throughout are rather hastily placed, although I liked the look of the third level with the metal texturing. Praise to the builder for managing to make all these jumps barely possible without needing to cheat, but it really wasn't my kind of thing." - Ryan

"Another notorious level from its time. In all honesty, I cannot imagine how anyone - except the author - would have finished this level without the walkthrough. Not only because of the tricky exploits of the safety drop grap, but most of the climbable walls are unmarked, there's an insane amount of backtracking and generally speaking the areas appear so random they all end up looking alike (and as an added bonus, level 2 is unnecessarily dark). If you are one of the few, you have my absolute respect. If you are one of those who needed aid of the walkthrough and still saw it to the end - you have my respect as well. Give it a try if you are inclined to, but be warned that frustration is likely inevitable. 85 minutes, 2 secrets. 04/17" - Treeble

"Having heard much of the level, this level was on my to-play list a long time, and eTux's review finally brought me to playing this level. A first warning: Not suitable for beginners under any circumstances!
Keyakisaka Lake (8,5-4-7-5) This level starts calm, with a solid flyby showing you an appealing but a bit crudely textured area. But soon after you notice there is no way down except for the move - dropping down from a corner to the block below - every beginner player will directly be pulled away from this level, unless he has a big amount of luck. What follows is a hugely entertaining platforming adventure that even gets more fun when going for the two well hidden secrets. When you finally got down to the lake you will get enerved by a lot of - in my opinion - unfairly placed enemies comíng from right behind you, but on the other hand I found this fitting to the overly difficulty of the level and just another challenge. The lake, may it look as good from above, appears to be more crude than the actual area around it, with missing textures and irrealistic architecture. After twenty minutes and another expert banana jump I finished this level. I couldn't decide between 8 and 9 in gameplay, as a 9 would be too high regarding no puzzles and only one real gameplay element (hard platforming), but an 8 doesn't represent the fun I had in this level. I also found it hard to rate the EOS category as, apart from the soldiers and the secrets, there was simply nothing to rate.
Old Stronghold (4-4-8-6) As much fun as I had in the first level, the less I had in the second. Running and jumping around a very dark cave (without any (!) flares in the first areas) I never had an idea what to do so I completely concentrated on the walkthrough. Finding the ten (or actually eleven) buttons was quite the ordeal for me, and this despite of some refreshing ideas in this level, such as dropping from the edge of a slope and the double timed run. The atmosphere was somehow more nice in this level, as texturing didn't have as many (but there certainly were) lacks and the lava lake area actually looked very authentic, but the darkness also spoils the fourth category - there was a bunch of jumps in plain darkness, which is a big no in my opinion. Some custom or TR 2 textures were a nice change but somehow not fitting to the cave setting.
A Mercenary (7-5-7-7) Set in a TR 2's Diving Area setting, this level had a few custom objects like the card and the cassette recorder, and the fact that picking up the card to avoid getting killed by the gun later was a fine idea. In my opinion, gameplay was OK, nothing unbearable here, but at the end of the level I only wanted it to finish, as everything got a little repetitive - pushing a lever to go up another earlier part of the level to find another lever and so on. Only few challenges such as the jump combinations to get to a jumplever, onto a high block and a killer timed run up some stairs. I am sure the builder knew about the corner bug, as he placed a slope near every pillar you first had to climb on in the whole game, making it impossible to cheat. I found that was a good idea. The enemies were still the same but not that unfairly hidden anymore, and we have more harder weapons when going for the four secrets. Texturing was OK but the architecture didn't stunn me a bit as in the second level, but I found the room with the glasses and the four soldiers interesting. There were two unmarked ladders but since you knew you had to go up there they were easy to spot.
Gift Box was the short finale of the level, with for my taste too many soldiers to shoot, I just escaped from the first sextet and only shot the second. The only things different from the first level are the big pool session you swim in, not very realistic to jump into the water from the side, and the differently textured hidden passage to the end. I honestly found the ladder way too long, but the end was fairly nicely done with the chopper and the bye bye sign.
All in all there are two levels very recommendable for expert players in this pack, well, plus the little finale; but the second level was nearly unplayable due to the darkness. Play if you want some challenge and think you're damn lucky (for the first level)." - manarch2

"A long time ago this level was infamous for being the "hardest level" of its time. The fact that the last review (not counting mine) came in roughly 8 years prior should tell you that not much has changed over time, but I dare say it's not all due to difficulty. While I'm at it - I would like to distinguish different kinds of difficult - there's the 'creative use of geometry that makes players twist and tie their fingers in a knot while trying to perform the intended moves difficult', colloquially known (at least in international English-speaking circles) as 'Japanese difficulty' and then there's 'just plain obscure difficult' where the level is set up in a way where the cause and effect between switches and what they trigger is scattered throughout the entire level haphazardly, and the author either has enough faith in the player to make it through without too many cumbersome camera hints or merely deems them unnecessary. While the 4 level set that is Meganebashi has its fair share of the former, most of its actual difficulty is comprised of the latter. Add to that visually it's not a particularly stimulating experience, I have to say I'm not actually that surprised about its unpopularity.
Keyakisaka Lake (23 minutes, 1 secret) - the most Japanese level of the set - it already starts with a move you most likely have never used in another level before, and doesn't disappoint if you expect more like it to come your way. To be fair - if you've been around the block (custom level wise, you dirty minded people!) the main gameplay should not actually be that much of a challenge, provided you can get Lara down on the ground alive, survive the ninja onslaught and then perform a banana jump into the final alcove. The small sidequests for the Uzi clips, the Uzi and the level's secret probably hold the most unorthodox gameplay besides the aforementioned moves. It's not a particularly good-looking level, but I think I actually enjoyed it the most, because, despite all the tricky moves, this is probably the most straightforward it gets in the entire adventure (apart from the last level, but since they're the same level, my point stands).
Old Stronghold (45 minutes, 1 secret) - the hunt for the dozen buttons is the most involved this game gets, but due to the non-linear approach, the vast settings (of which thankfully you explore only a fraction), the overall darkness in combination with not that many flare pickups and a bit stingy use of cameras (how was I to tell, for example, that one button opened up the ceiling in the jump- sequence room next to the Bal05... Canopic Jar?) this turned out to be by far my least favourite section of the lot. I was grateful for Michael's walkthrough as without it I probably would've spent much more time here than necessary. Part of the problem for me at least was that the fly-by (which can be re-triggered again and again randomly) and the way the settings are constructed mislead you to think you'll have to tackle all of that, and the actual path that makes sense (as outlined by the walkthrough) in contrast is not as clearly set out - so you can spend a lot of time on a wild goose chase, stumbling upon dead ends, missing out on crucial buttons that are a little too well concealed and that is just not a whole lot of fun if you have to take it on by yourself. The individual tasks, such as the jump-sequences or double-timed-run are actually entertaining by their own right, but being put together in as confusing a way as possible made it hard to appreciate them.
A Mercenary (30 minutes, 1 secret) - I had some problems with the old download package (have supplied an update as I type) where climbing and monkey swing animations would not work for this and the following level, worst yet - the game would crash when jumping from the previous level to this one. If this happens to you - you may have the same older package and I recommend updating it before continuing. It still is possible to finish the game with it (I level-skipped from the end of the previous level and did the best I could in the absence of those animations, like using the the extremely slow shimmy-mode climbing instead of the norm), but is a bit cumbersome to do so with the limitations it imposes. It is probably the best level in terms of looks, and more of a middle ground between the first two levels gameplay-wise. It still has an element of non-linearity to it, and certainly could've benefited from more direction in terms of camera guidance, but with enough persistence you could do this without outside help (apart from a little nudge as to what should be done to get the jump to the crawlspace right).
Gift Box (10 minutes, 0 secrets) - if you found the secret in the first level, this will be as straightforward as it comes. You return to the first level through a series of rooms that nicely connect all the previous levels together, showing exactly how they are connected - which had a nice touch of finality to it, as did the battle with the SAS guards. If anything I was a bit perplexed as to what Lara actually accomplished in the level set, as there were no obvious goals set out from what I could tell.
Bottomline - I enjoyed the challenging parts and found them to be rewarding enough in their own right despite the level set's more obvious shortcomings. I dare say the challenging moves will frustrate you much less than the lack of focus and direction in gameplay, not much helped that the texturing and architecture is overall pretty sloppy and more gameplay-serving than looks-enhancing. I'm not even that convinced that now in 2011 it has that same aura of 'must-play' for expert players as it might have had at the time of its release. If challenge is what you're looking for you can probably get the same thrill in more exciting gaming experiences these days and this has more of a 'historical curiosity with a couple of obscure and difficult moves in it' feeling than a 'difficult level, that will put expert players to the limit of their skills.'" - eTux

"Okay I thought I'd bite the bullet and actually try and complete one of these sadistic levels from the orient and truth be told I found this one not as sob inducing as I'd expected though the route through each of the four levels is not at all straightforward and I had to run to the walkthru just to point me in the right direction on quite a few occasions. What these levels could have done with would have been helpful camera shots and maybe a little less of an obscure element like the time you need to stand on a tile that is under a raised metal cage that you need to wait around to lower but there is no indication that this should be what must be done. Keyakisaka Lake: 13 minute level where you must get down from a high cliff top using an untraditional move once on the ground open a door and a gate then make a few more tricky jumps to get to the next level. I found 2 secrets and about a dozen ninjas. This was also the level that made me put the whole game away for months and months because it requires quite a few hard jumps. Old Stronghold: After a little gate opening you find yourself in a dark and large lava cavern with a lot of jumping intricate progression that is never really obvious button pushing and one secret. The only enemies here are a couple of ninja attacks at the start and end of this 45 minute level and a few crocs. There is one flyby of the lava pool that was retriggered every time I stepped in a certain area and this got a bit annoying but what was more annoying was the way the author expected us to find a whole in a ceiling that wasn't once there earlier in the game and the trigger tile I spoke about at the top of this review that is combined with a raising metal cage. A Mercenary: Once you've left the lava cavern you drop into a base like environment with the usual SAS element. I thought this would actually be a lot easier to navigate through than the second level but then the author decided to throw in a target to shoot that is practically impossible to find unaided as it is barely perceptible when you are actually in the right position and this is a place you just don't find yourself standing in through the course of the level. There is though a nice timed run up a spiral staircase that is quite tight and a nice jump sequence to get to a jumpswitch that's if you even realise there is a jumpswitch there but once again you will probably need to go to the walkthru many times just to find out if you are going in the right direction and this let the flow of the level down a lot. Gift Box: Here we are back in the first level now overrun with SAS so get your behind back up the cliff and to the awaiting chopper. Thankfully the most straightforward of the lot but at 10 minutes it is over almost before it has begun. If you don't mind checking a walkthru for help quite a bit even just to give you peace of mind that you are going in the right direction then you'll find a fair bit of challenge here but if you like a level that allows you more of a fighting chance to get through on you own this isn't the one for you. I prefer the latter so I rated down in some areas." - Sash

"I spent an hour trying to get off that very first ledge and then Kristina told me I had to do an illegal drop below. Actually the opening flyby gives you a kind of hint about this. I think Michael discovered ways to do this level without cheating fair play to him but as I was playing it at the same time and as he was way ahead of me all the time I saw no alternative but to do corner bugs and drop down bugs. After playing this you'll have mastered every awkward movement out there. Just like Eye of Eve you can see where you want to go it's getting there that's the problem. I like the look way up at the start but as I went down it became quite awful. The author spent a long time cracking up floors and walls to create razor sharp peaks and crevices but the architecture is very boxy and the textures are very bad. This first level is called Keyakisaka Lake and the first few seconds have Shimoiida 1998 on screen. I had a look in old trusty Atlas but never found such a place. The second level Old Stronghold starts out with a reach-in hole puzzle and moves on into an enormous cave with a huge badly broken bridge over lava. The name of the game here is finding those square wall buttons. There's a really complex route through rocks underneath you to get to a door and across to the first part of the bridge. You make your way right up to the ceiling part of this cave. This was impressive but very frustrating. Up here is a room with a timed run over grate columns that will drop if you're too slow. Just remember that that last tile over the canopic jar door is the trigger for the door as long as you stand on the tile the door will stay open so you can take your time to try a couple of jumps down. The one that worked for me was to place Lara facing the door on the outside corner of the tile. Tweak her to the right slightly so she just drops off the tile and immediately sidejumps left into the door. Beside this room is a ridiculously difficult pillar jumping room. Later we move into more of an oriental setup we even have posters of Bartoli on the wall! And a ridiculous timed run over water and through gaps ahead. The trick is to keep the action button pressed or you'll bang your head. Into the third level A Mercenary and this looks more modern like a base. A dead soldier has Hajime Kusaka's code card. In this 'base' is a huge structure you run and grab onto and do the most ridiculous backflip jump to a crawlspace. And another room with suction pool below and ledges you have to flip back and forth down and see if by any chance you can land on the ledge with the switch. God they were difficult. You find the Voice Recorder (Bill of Indictment). Is this what all this is about I'd like to think that all this hardship actually had a purpose. Into the last level Gift Box and this is the second time you run along solid floor and a split second later you're swimming with no way back. An earthquake starts as if things weren't bad enough another awkward jump through greenery and a climbing session up very tall walls to come out at the top where the helicopter is waiting and the final flyby. This is not a level for fun it's an exercise in skill and patience you definitely need a good memory. So I can't really say gameplay is terrific and puzzles were ... well not really puzzles. I think I'll give Michael a 10 though for writing the walkthrough." - CC

"Looking back on this level I can say it wasn't quite what I expected. After hearing that it was the hardest level 'ever' I had my doubts that I would even be able to finish it. It does start out extremely difficult with that first jump and then quite a few more difficult jumps and timed doors in the first and second levels but then it seems to just turn into another ordinary level especially when you get to the third level and it becomes a base level where all you do basically is search for switches and doors. Then a short journey back to the first level where you climb back up to your waiting helicopter and the farewell message and it's all over. I wouldn't say it was the hardest set of levels available especially after just finishing Eye of Eve and Mantua's Squares but the jumps alone may keep a lot of people from playing this series." - RaiderGirl

"If Oshtuki ever makes a second level I will have to think very hard if I want to play it. Don't get me wrong it is not the jumping at such although some jumps (when I finally mastered them I probably couldn't do a second time around) are great to do it is more not knowing if you are on the right track (with all those difficult jumps). I am ever so thankful to those who went before me and also Michael for providing a walkthrough. As I got lost many times in a major way. It took me more then 3 whole days to complete this game and if it weren't for all the hints and later the walkthrough I probably would still be playing. I was afraid that I would never play it if I would chuck the game half way through. Do I feel great to finally accomplish this level not really more annoyed I would say. So I know now what I definitively don't like this level is it. 02-03-2003" - Gerty

"Keyakisaka Lake (0:20 hours): This explains why the level has so few reviews. The first jump is near impossible so people just don't bother I guess. Well you are missing out on quite a challenge. This part is set around a small lake in coastal type environs and your task is to get down open two doors get back up on the other side and exit - killing a few ninjas in between. Sounds easy but there is a handful of tricky jumps thrown in to warm you up. Old Stronghold (1:15 hours): A very intricate environment indeed. Set underground with a huge lava lake as the centre you will have to explore literally every nook and cranny try jumps to land on ledges you don't even see from where you jump and the fact that it is rather dark does not help much either. 10 buttons are there to find and press to open doors and there is quite a bit of back and forth involved as well. Also a short but not easy timed sequence that you need to master twice. Red ninjas and two crocodiles are your enemies and in the end it is all about a canopic jar. Easily frustrating when you don't know what to do next but largely satisfying when you manage to solve it. And as opposed to some people's view there is no use of the cornerbug required at all. Found one secret here. A Mercenary (0:45 hours): This one is just a tad bit easier in terms of difficulty level although it does have a very tricky jump combination that you also need to do twice a tight timed run and I am not sure I would have ever spotted that blue brass ball on my own. A few guards around and again quite a bit of backtracking involved but again rooms are connected in a very interesting way. Gameplay is all about finding the right levers and jump switches to open the right doors. Gift Box (0:15 hours): The short finale as you emerge back into the surroundings of the first part and quickly make your way up to the awaiting helicopter. Bottomline this is quite an intriguing series as Lara's moves are put to a brilliant test here and if you have a bit of patience it can all be done. A must-play for those raiders who think they have seen it all." - Michael

"It's the most difficult level ever. Nothing unless the same author decides to build another can match this one in bugs deliberate of course or difficulty. Only experienced players or very stubborn and patient ones can play it. I don't consider myself as an experienced player nor a beginner but I completed this in months because every time I was giving up after I went a step further that's how frustrating it is. I have to thank the people that helped me because without their contribution I wouldn't have made it. If you think that one hard jump is over so the next step will be easier think again the author keeps you on the edge all the time. I have to admit though that it is a good exercise and then you will look at the rest of the levels out there in a different perspective. Unfortunately the textures in many places are not well placed one tile in the huge lava room wasn't burning and in other parts of the level there were tiles on the walls that were placed opposite to the rest. To go through it and finish you must use bugs often enough the corner bug and remember that triangular sloped surfaces with crawlspaces can be accessed no matter how ridiculous it looks like. Pushing buttons raising or lowering cages and a canopic jar as a puzzle are the actions you have to perform and proceed. At one of the levels there are quite a lot of SAS guards. This level took advantage of the limits Lara had in jumping and some other moves so the author made it a game. Now it is your decision to try it out even if you are just curious but don't take the warning lightly it's nearly impossible. The closing scene is a flyby with a view of a helicopter good luck." - Kristina

"Meganebashi is a very hard level. That is an understatement. Oshtuki its author is either a very calculating designer or is ignorant of room making. It amazes me how he has been able to create those jagged floors tight crawlspaces ledge positions to stump even those who thought they've seen everything in TR. If everything is carefully measured then he has a very good command of his geometry and Lara's abilities. Either that or he knows nothing about rooms and Lara's limitations that he's done everything haphazardly. Or so it seems. Sometimes you'll get the impression that his devastated floors and openings were mistakes and accidents of design. Consider these: his pillars and openings are too tall and high (not for the short *lol*); his floors are full of slopes (flat floors on this game is a luxury); his tight crawlspaces trap Lara at a slightly wrong angle of entry and so do mis-steps on his slopes; his 'feign' grab moves are prevalent; and in a couple of places the next opening is directly parallel to where you are coming from! You normally wouldn't ponder doing a certain move in other levels but here seemingly undoable impossible and illegal moves are not an exception to the rule. It's the rule of thumb (pun intended)! What may be a motivational challenge - its very difficult moves - for some may be the same drawback of this level(s); I was tempted to give it up too. But persist if you want and you'll discover more of what Lara can do in god-forsaken rooms such as the ones here in Me-gonna-bash-you. Oshtuki will definitely go bashing and kicking asses here." - Drew Pizza

"It's a very weird level and I get confused playing it. We have a lot of levels here (I think a total of 5) and they're all in different places. Lara must solve some puzzles that didn't make much sense for me. And the architecture and lighting is very simple and weird. I didn't like much of this level (or pack of levels) because I can't have fun while playing puzzles that I don't understand much what to do. I think that's the big problem of this level!" - Leandro

"Here it is - the ultimate level to get anyone who thinks that they're best at Tomb Raider start crying. If anyone ever says 'I'm sooo good at Tomb Raider - much better than everyone else' let them try this level. If the person can finish this level in less than one hour (actual gameplay-time - first time only) then maybe just maybe he/she is the best Tomb Raider-player in the world. I doubt that anyone can finish this level in less than an hour. It took me one and a half hour to finish (finding three secrets) but that's just the gameplay-time I must have spent five times that time in this level (I didn't get any help). Actually it's four levels which may be the reason why it felt so much harder than Eye of Eve (also a very hard level). While Eye of Eve was one hard level Meganebashi is made out of four hard levels. Four levels and all of them are much harder than your average level. Well the last level isn't that hard but it's still much harder than a lot of other levels I've played. Immediately when you start this level you'll get stuck (well kind of). You have to find a way down since you start high up. How you get down? Well that's for you to find out but even if you know what to do it will take a lot of tries to manage. There are also a lot of enemies both in the first level and in the last level. In the second level you will have to find a lot of well-hidden buttons and search for passages in the dark. That's incredibly annoying and very unnecessary. Especially since you never get a camera-view that shows what the button you just pressed did. Wait there is at least one point where there is a camera. That one isn't very helpful though. This causes you to have to run back and forth trying to find a newly opened door. There is also a flyby that can be re-triggered in this level. The third level was the level where I was stuck the longest time just because you had to make a very hard jump that I didn't think of doing. Well I managed to get through after having been stuck for countless hours. And the fourth level is as I said above the easiest. The texturing is quite bad through all of the levels with stretched textures and such and the lighting isn't impressive. I know that there are some people that will love (or at least like) these four levels despite the frustration they cause but I hated them and thought about paying the author a little 'visit' many times when I was stuck (the 'visit'-part was a joke). I hate confusing levels and I play this game because I think that it's fun not because I want to get frustrated. This is a confusing frustrating level that I only recommend to those who have a friend that thinks that he/she is the best Tomb Raider-player in the whole wide world. Everyone else should stay clear of this unless you like getting frustrated or have way too much spare time." - Magnus

"That would be the heaviest level that I have ever played. It is the largest challenge for Lara. The author has not granted us once a little recess after Lara mastered a leap. Again and again Lara had to master another difficult passage. What clouded me also a little but the patience never lost. The excitement did transfer the difficulty degree of the four levels well and you fell really like being in them.. big compliments. Unfortunately the textures were not very well processed in my opinion. Also partially very dark. I think the author concentrated more on the difficulty degree. Perhaps next time he will spend more effort on light and textures :). The four levels are very much changing empires. Much with riddles. Lara finds a vase a laser and two chip cards for which I had however no use. Perhaps they are for the next level. I did not find much Uzi-ammo. However the Uzi. The riddles were logical above all at the lava lake. One needs really highest concentration as you have to think a lot in all four levels. The lasersight could be used nicely in the last level when Lara was often surrounded by SAS. The opponents were well placed but always the same (except the two crocodiles). Also the earthquake in the last level was exerting because everything quaked:) the sound was very good. One knew threats exactly when danger was at hand. At the end Lara must reach a helicopter. And I could finally untie the knots out of my fingers :) and Lara the got a gold medal for the acrobatic jumping :) Altogether a good level. One must have played it simply once (however there is the danger of frustration :)) For a pro a must! Much patience and endurance to bring along. I recommend it simply once to each. Would like to play a next level of the author." - Navi