Level reviews

"Probably reading reviews before time does in fact modify the way I see a level, but in this case I entered the game with the lowest of expectations and exited from there feeling kinda "meh" but still not really feeling like this level is all that bad ... hey don't run away! Listen to me and I'll tell you about it!
The level took me 12 minutes to clear, in a quite unfamiliar place utilizing Tomb Raider textures, the gameplay indeed consisted solely into running around and using level, true, but was kinda okay? Considering there was not a lot of backtracking (like usually other bad level have -w-) and that the level was fairly short, at least I did not had to spend too much time doing it hehe, and the combat quite refreshed the boredom. So it is not too bad, it is not too good, it's average I'd say? I mean a 5 is fair because the author could have been worse on how the level plays, by putting tedious backtracking or unfair traps.
The enemies and objects, true, are TR4 and nothing else, but do you often see levels of this time having custom objects? Yeah 2002 gave birth to The Last Saga 4 and earlier games were more customized than this one, true, but still it does not affect the experience too much for me, it is average, quite meh, so a 5 is good in my opinion.
Now Atmosphere, sounds and Cameras ... Oh no, you are seriously gonna pan me for that but, put volume to 0 and you get yourself an honestly quite okay atmosphere, I mean you are not in for a piece of art, but it is decent and the attempted tracking camera was pretty neat, plus a quite useless yet good flyby.
Texturing was uniquely good, I would have NEVER expected something soooo good out of a 5 marked level, but there is a downside to this too, the very, very plain lighting that does not change over almost any area. TOTALLY destroying the 8 I was WILLING to give, because there are areas in this games that look gorgeous, quite sincerely, with gorgeous of course I am referring to levels of the same mark.
In conclusion, c'mon this custom isn't all that bad if you put the music to 0! I actually did enjoy this little adventure and was honestly surprised by the look of it :3, so I would even recommend this, if you have a good 15 minutes you do not know how to use ^w^. Wolfy Regards." - Wolf7

"Damian bring us a TR1 Peru-Inspired level that fails on many aspects. I will try to talk about all of them. First of all, once you start the game up you will surely notice a very big annoyance: the background soundtrack is a danger tune. That means that every 3 seconds, you get this annoying sound to play, and it totally ruins the atmosphere(other than the fact it brings you to disable the music from the game altogether as a result). Geometry is passable, texturing is also passable, but lighting is pure flat, it seems like the author didn't even place a single light bulb. The gameplay is pretty much generic, and it gets a bit confusing with some switches near the end. The worst thing of the level in my opinion is the fact that in the middle of the level, you will find a Guardian Key that will be used in the beginning area. The thing is that you can place this item in two slots: Each of the two open a door. If you choose the wrong slot, it will open the door to continue the level. However if you choose the right one, you will get a secret and a new Guardian Key to use in the wrong slot so you can proceed in the level with the secret. This whole puzzle is already bad on itself, but the worst thing is the fact that there is no hint at all on which door is the right one: the best thing to do is to save and reload before using the key, but still it makes no sense at all. Minor problem: The level ends abruptly. Overall, this level seems more like a test-level rather than a level to play. It can get pretty annoying at times, especially for the danger tune in the background and the lack of hints. Recommended? No. Difficulty? Easy-Medium. Duration? Approx. 20-30 minutes." - TombExplorer

"I have no idea what the builder was hoping to achieve by using the sound file that I always think of as - look out, scorpions' every few seconds, but it did absolutely nothing to endear me to the level. If you do feel inclined to play, I should delete it before commencing. Apart from that, this is a short, neatly made Vilcabamba level that does at least have the merit of being entirely unlike the original. Gameplay mainly involves throwing floor levers and shooting dogs so it's not all that exciting, but if you like those particular surroundings at least this version doesn't overstay its welcome." - Jay

"Thankfully not another remake but an original level using textures from TR1 and resembling Vilcabamba only vaguely, though it comes with issues of its own. It starts out mildly interesting, then injects two ideas that strike me as rather original, and devolves into a bland lever-pushing sequence thereafter. Of the two original ideas, one works, and the other doesn't. The first is the setup of what is presumably the secret (I didn't notice it registered while playing, as I had turned the audio off for the reason described by each of the other reviewers); the second is the odd way levers were used to trigger a door, which leaves the player puzzled and with no sense of satisfaction, as it turns out to be merely a trial-and-error procedure. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure that either of these ideas were planned in the way that they manifested in the game, as it looks rather like a typical beginner's level (although it is this builder's third) with its choice of the unmodified settomb wad (Egypt in Peru again), simple architecture, passable texturing and overly bright lighting that leaves no room for shadows; not to mention the background audio, which I must assume to be the result of an error on the builder's part in order to retain a semblance of faith in humanity." - Mulf

"BLAAAAAH! Now you are wondering what is the matter wi...BLAAAAH!..... Okay, I just tried to present you what you get as soon as the level starts. I usually don't start a review with sound category, but this time I have to. In short, the ambience loop is taken by a jump-scare sound that just goes on and on until the end, which basically ruins whole experience. Even as a heavy metal fan (which means I can get some enjoyment from one tone constantly repeating itself), I have to say this is just ridiculous. When (or if) you manage to get used to that, you can start walking through this familiar-looking environment. Let's face it, the original TR had many texture flaws (which was natural for such an ambitious debut), so that might hide some of the flaws of this level, because your eyes have already learned to ignore them when going through Vilcabamba. It looks okay, rooms have some variety with unusual floor&ceiling architecture in some places, but overall it's nothing memorable. The builder tried to create some puzzles, but instead we got 15 minutes of uninspiring and occasionally trial&error gameplay. You won't get stuck in this level, but you will wonder a few times why certain things work in a way they work. Even a secret is weirdly placed, as you have 50/50 chance to get it. There are some bats and many dogs to fight, but you can bring them down with a few rounds. There are a few nice camera shots and there are no audio tunes at all, except for already mentioned thing that I'll probably dream about tonight. After some 15 minutes, the level is over. It goes smoothly and player-friendly, but you'll still be very glad when it's over so you can go away from BLAAAAH! Recommended if you have 15 minutes to spare, but don't forget to turn off the music." - Tolle87

"That warning sound grated on my nerves so much that I eventually deleted the offending file and could play undistracted. I must have missed out on other sounds as there were no others in my game. That aside, this was a shorter trip to Vilcabamba than I thought, in and out in 15 minutes. Bats and dogs are rife and Lara's goal is the Amulet of Horus. The most unique part was a weird lever puzzle and it was business as usual otherwise." - Ryan

"When downloading the level I though about another remake and more boredom, but I was wrong. This short level is builded totally from scratch, all rooms are new but the gameplay is poor; except some combitations of levers in certain areas, all the "fun" is pull levers and kill jackals. Few exploration but few backtracking too, the rooms are very empty of objects but at least there's a decent texturization. I had to replace the first audio track for another background music. At the end I found and Egyptian artifact in an Inca location! Playable but not very enjoyable." - Jose

"I don't understand what others find in the original level that like so much but I for one don't like it neither its remakes. This is as empty as all of the rest of the replicas and with many dogs and levers. Not all of them open the right door so choose which ones to push although there is no problem if you push the wrong one. Some swimming two guardian keys and that's all. The Amulet is your prize and the level ends in a slide how original. I found it boring." - Kristina

"This only vaguely resembles the original level from Tomb Raider 1 and unfortunately it is a poor cousin. The gameplay is rather simplistic with no puzzles and no enemies of note only bats and dogs. Throughout the latter stages you could hear some beast roaring but it never shows up pity. There was a problem with a sound loop but that disappears once you find the one and only secret." - Torry

"Sick of dark levels? Well here we have one of those rare breeds of level a totally bright one. I have to say I felt quite comfortable in this level because apart from not having to squint once there are also some fun dog attacks and it is visually very appealing with obviously the use of TR1 textures. The downsides however are the short duration 15 minutes and the lack of play except for 2 lever puzzles that aren't difficult but may have you thinking for a second. If there ever happens to be a sequel to this then I would expect it to be called 'City of Vilcabamba: The Hunt for a Rabies Shot'!" - Sash

"The author has really captured the look and feel of the original Vilcabamba level in this 18 minute level and even has the same enemies - dogs and bats. There really aren't any puzzles though and soon after you find the Amulet of Horus the level ends. I was a little confused about the levers because they don't seem to open anything at first but apparently you have to push each one twice to get the doors open. You'll find one Guardian Key and have two doors to choose from that require it. If you choose the correct door then you also gain access to the levels only secret. Aside from the already mentioned trombone noises this is a well designed level with good textures and lighting - I just hope to see something more challenging from this author." - RaiderGirl

"This is a good level. It's really a pity the author didn't bother to fix the script and change the background sound number because through the whole thing (which wasn't that big) a damned 'trap' sound was playing. Very boring so I decided to change the music volume to 0 so I can't say if there were another soundtracks or something like that. Also there were no cameras except for one angle while swimming. Well I think I am complaining too much. I liked it - the use of the TR1 Vilcabamba textures was really good even if the lights were simple. Ahh TR1 good times those... 20 minutes 1 secret." - Treeble

"Vilcabamba (oh sweet memories) and a bright level as well what more can a girl ask after playing some headache levels lately. As you start the trombone blows the well known warning that there is danger and of course there is as enemies are dogs and bats. But that bloody thing wouldn't stop and got really on my nerves. Had a hard time because I placed the first guardian key at the wrong door. How could I know? If you do that you can't get the other key so that means you'll probably will still be running around. Found loads of uzi ammo and no weapon to be honest I didn't look that hard. Was really pissed off as a lever wouldn't let me in in a small gate at the pool site so I pushed one then the other. Swam back pushing again and whatever I did it worked so I could get in. The rest was a lever galore and finding the Ankh brings you to the end trigger. 12-09-2002" - Gerty

"This level was quite interesting it had nice textures nice lighting and some great camera views the texturing was inspired by the TR1 level and the author made quite a nice environment to explore in. Your main aim of the level was to find a couple of keys and solve a lever puzzle later on but on the way you do some swimming monkey climbing and have a few ledges to climb and jump to. There wasn't really a lot of gameplay in the level there was too many levers and not enough puzzles and traps and it was too short as well. The enemies you come across are a few bats and dogs and don't pose much of a threat. The level was enjoyable to play though because of the exploration and to experience the good structure of rooms and very well placed textures and lighting. There is gameplay there don't get me wrong but there needed to be more of it it was over too quick for me and I was left a bit disappointed wanting more." - John

"It's always nice to revisit the Vilcabamba setting and the same goes for this very short trip (20 minutes for me). Not a lot to do here though killing some pesky dogs and bats finding guardian keys and the Horus Amulet although admittedly two of the lever puzzles got me stuck for a little moment. I actually never got or used the second guardian key - did I miss a secret there. Guess I will have to go back another time for it." - Michael

"You only have to ask Dimpf. Well first off I was pleased to find myself back in the Andes again and immediately on my guard as that Trombone sting (the one which denotes an imminent attack) was sounding. Fortunately it was just a false alarm and a rather comical one too as the Trombone kept repeating its two notes irregardless of the on-screen action. I found the texturisation quite pleasing but the dog attacks became very predictable after a while. There were occasional bats to shoot at but it was really only the Trombonist whom I fervantly wished was a killable enemy; far from being comical the sound was beginning to grate on my nerves. About 2/3rds of the way through several lever puzzles took over (all to the accompaniment of the damn musical sting) and the level then ended (with one gate still unopened for me) mercifully after only 20 minutes or so as I was quickly developing a headache from that BLOODY NOISE!! This was a decently built level but why on earth couldn't the designer have removed the offending audio file?" - Orbit Dream

"Vilcabamba 2 is not a remake. It is a short and nice raid of 22 minutes in a very well textured underground city where Lara will find the amulet after some exploration and using 2 guardian keys (one of them is only a secret). The textures are of course from TR1 Inca/Peru the enemies are only dogs and bats. Nothing really difficult here but one of the two puzzles with combinations of levers has puzzled me for a while. The lighting is maybe a little too bright and the level is too short but nevertheless it is a pleasant level to play with a good camera work." - eRIC

"18 minutes of jolly lever pushing and dog shooting with a lot of swims in between. Sounds boring? Well it is in a way yet the setting is quite beautifully done and brings back fond memories of the early raiding days. I found lots of UZI ammo but not the weapons themselves; not that I needed them. Most animals could be killed from a safe distance. They provided the only thrill here I'm afraid as there is a distinctive lack of traps puzzles jumps etc etc. Also I think there was something wrong with the sound cause I got this trombone squirt playing like a broken record. Gerty Ian please take over." - Dimpfelmoser

"This level wasn't bad for the all of ten minutes that it lasted. It uses the texture set from the City of Vilcabamba level (a plus in my book) but the lighting in several of the caves seems a little too bright for the underground setting. Also the addition of music would have been an improvement. As in the original City of Vilcabamba Lara is beset by packs of wild dogs and bats. Unfortunately that's all that she has to deal with in terms of enemies. The biggest drawback to this level is that it uses the Settomb wad set exclusively. If this level had been made back in the early days of TRLE that would be excusable. But with the availability of TRI objects (especially wolves) it would have made better sense to build a custom wad for a Peruvian/Incan Ruin level. There is only one secret and it's too easy to find. The author makes clever use of trigger triggerers and it's easy to feel like you're stuck if you don't know what he's doing." - Loren