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Inside the Lost City of Gold by sleeper

Cuqui 8 7 7 7
Dimpfelmoser 7 6 6 6
Dougsan 7 7 8 8
Engelchen Lara 8 8 8 7
Gerty 5 7 7 7
Jay 7 7 7 7
Kristina 7 7 7 7
MichaelP 7 7 8 7
Phil 7 8 8 8
RaiderGirl 6 7 7 7
Ryan 6 7 7 6
Sash 7 7 8 8
Treeble 6 6 6 6
 
release date: 11-Dec-2002
# of downloads: 83

average rating: 7.00
review count: 13
 
review this level

file size: 48.10 MB
file type: TR4
class: nc
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
bruce_zaremba@telus.net

Reviewer's comments
"My attention was drawn to this oldie as a "featured level" one day (so yes, that's definitely a beneficial aspect of this site), and since its rating was relatively high I wondered why I hadn't already played and reviewed it. By the time I started the second of three levels I remembered that it was because of that invisible underwater maze, which is the point at which I binned the endeavor during my first try some years ago. Even playing in god mode, where you don't have to be concerned about drowning while floundering, this section is a royal pain in the butt. But this time I stuck with it and first managed to stumble my way into the secret area. Getting to the exit area on a second pass, however, was much more difficult for me, as the pathway leading to it was quite convoluted. But after at least 45 minutes of frustration I finally got there, saved my game for the benefit of any future players and resumed forging my way ahead. The adventure is quite complex, requiring some back and forth between levels after acquiring certain items, but I question some of the builder's gameplay decisions. For example, you don't have any flares during the early going when you really need them, and near the end of the third level you come across five flare pickups in quick succession at a time when they're absolutely of no value. And don't get me started about that disappearing rope at the beginning of the third level. I thought I was the victim of an undocumented bug when I dawdled to pick up the nearby ammo and then turned to the rope to find that it was no longer there. Thanks to Harry Laudie's walkthrough, I was able to reload an earlier save and use the rope before it disappeared. I wondered if this was intentional on the builder's part, but when I returned to the same area at the end and found the rope there once again, I decided it probably wasn't. And then there was the nonexistent opening to the final secret, where you had to save and reload for it to appear, capped by the lack of a proper finish trigger. All of the mentioned glitches could have been avoided by the beta testing that is (mostly) routine these days. Anyway, for those who haven't yet tried this raid, it's certainly worthwhile and engrossing if (1) you refer often to the walkthrough and (2) you remember that a savegame after the invisible maze is now available." - Phil (22-Nov-2020)
"I suppose this picks up from where the author's previous series left off, but I'd be lying if I said I remember anything from the previous levels. All I seem to recall are unmarked climbable surfaces and walk-through walls, but fortunately neither are present in these three levels (well, there's one obvious exception towards the end). However, unmarked death tiles exist and an untextured underwater maze, which felt like a "cool" moment at first and quickly turned into "I hate my life" as I had to reload about a dozen times to get back out of it. It's actually just one room and there are some supposed landmarks to guide you, but ultimately I think it was anything but fair. All three levels revolve around running around massive areas as you gather pieces and throw levers to proceed, so while it's not particularly exciting, I personally thought the third level, Journey into Hell, was quite atmospheric. It's also when the author tried something different with a series of pushblock puzzles. Make sure you keep the walkthrough at hand (and I don't think we ever appreciated Harry Laudie's tireless effort properly back in the day) as there are a few issues which can get you permanently stuck, such as a disappearing rope or killing an enemy before it triggers another object. 105 minutes, 7 secrets. 07/20" - Treeble (03-Aug-2020)
"I had a definite love/hate relationship with this one. I was tempted to bin the whole thing in the second section, due to the immensely frustrating invisible underwater maze, but that aside there is much to enjoy in this multi-parter. I was left, though, with the feeling that it could have been so much more satisfying if it had been more player-friendly." - Jay (17-Mar-2020)
"What an intense game. But I'm afraid to say that my feelings after finishing are more of frustration and relief rather than accomplishment. The gold textures (obviously meant to emulate a city of gold) are put to fairly good effect but more often than not they are drearily placed and along with the bland, empty rooms, they don't do the atmosphere or visuals any favours. I did like the audio and background ambience in the Ice Wind Dale level though. The gameplay, unfortunately doesn't fare much better. Mostly, I felt like the builder overdone some of the tasks like the untextured underwater maze which should have been a challenge but which only engendered frustration, long-winded jump sequences, tedious and obscure pushable puzzles (unless I missed the builder's hint) and too much backtracking for my liking. The enemy attacks and the occasional well placed trap sequences lifted proceedings somewhat, but otherwise this was two hours or so of frustration, for me at least." - Ryan (17-Apr-2018)
"I got so frustrated before the end of this that I often found myself wishing that the author had quit the series after the first eleven levels. If you've played the rest of the series you'll know to expect walk through walls spike and fire traps floor switches to activate a wide variation of enemies a number of objects to search for and puzzles that are so confusing that you may just want to call it quits before it's over. Part of my frustration was that I had to reload and start from an earlier save game several times like when I tried to get a large health pack near the beginning and closed off my return route from somewhere else." - RaiderGirl (18-Jan-2003)
"I so would have loved to have given this set of 3 levels a much higher score because there were some great flipmaps diverse locations and some thought put into the puzzles but my main problem with this was that some of the puzzles were not fun at all but rather just pure frustration. There is for starters the underwater maze that is not textured leaving you floundering looking for the route you must take this route means finding two exits out of it if you end in the room with just pick ups first. I can not tell you how many times I drowned or had to reload because of lack of air. Then you come to an area that has another two routes and if you take one that eventually gives you access to a guardian key then the other route is blocked so you have to go back to an earlier save if you have one. Then there is the problem of the rope that disappears later on which could be a bug or some timed thing and finally a three tiered chessboard that needs a solution for each level but nobody in their right mind would work all of these out without some help as there isn't even a hint at solutions well thankfully in the readme there is the answer to the chessboard. All up I spent just over 2 hours in-game playing with 6 secrets found 2 in the first 3 in the second and 1 in the last but I spent many more hours trying in vain to get through without having to resort to either the forum or the readme for help and that to me spoils the flow of a game." - Sash (15-Jan-2003)
"The Lost City (7/8/7/6 20+20 min. 1 secret): You start out in a huge and rather empty room all in those gold textures which are the main theme throughout the level and you see you will need two tridents a cartouche and a hand. The first 20 minutes here are spent getting those tridents and apart from a few unmarked spikes and burning tiles it is rather smooth progression. I liked the effect of the giant scorpion with the small ones surrounding it the explosion effect that leads to the first trident and meeting Seth is always a thrill although if you keep moving he does not really get in the way much. Found one secret (Uzi) and only a demigod some scorpions and mummies as enemies. Coming back later from the other two levels with the hand and the cartouche you get a few more minutes of straightforward gameplay to the end meeting Seth again and with one confusing area as you can raise a block and get up to some ledges without finding anything there. Ice Wind Dale (7/7/8/7 40 min. 2 secrets): The purpose of this level is to supply you with the needed cartouche and you will need a guardian key a canopic jar and a vraeus along the way. I liked the Arctic setting and the use of the rotating blades as well as one avalanche flip effect but gameplay is mainly about finding buttons you can easily get stuck if you do things in the wrong order and the maze without textures is a pain and really does not make any sense. Enemies are ahmets sharks bats a wraith and two demigods. I found the Uzi and grenade gun as secrets. The earthquake at the end was nicely done though. The Journey into Hell (8/7/8/7 40 min. 1 secret): Probably the best of the three levels here with a Hell setting indeed (red foggy lava....) and an impressive huge room with 'pillars'. Like others I encountered the bug with the rope you jump to and then it disappears but re-loading helps. You need to collect three guardian keys two cartouche pieces and eventually the hand you need back in part 1 and gameplay is quite entertaining here with boxes and vases to shoot a three level chess puzzle (which thankfully the author provides hints for in the download file) slicer dicers hammers and a neat effect with the ahmet you need to lure through a path to lower a block. The fire wraiths are not a great threat and also the bats dogs and harpies are easily dealt with. Bottomline some good ideas and good interaction between the levels. But rooms are often rather bare and empty so the overall atmosphere is not that gripping. Still two nice hours of raiding and worth a try." - Michael (01-Jan-2003)
"I very much enjoyed playing Inside the Lost City of Gold. I took off two points from Gameplay & Puzzles for the number of glitches (slants where Lara got stuck and could do nothing but jump back and forth) and the maze which looked like an area Bruce forgot to fill in. I liked the maze VERY much. It was a real challenge. The forum suggested a solution which did not work for me at all. I did work out a solution on my own -- a really frustrating 30 minutes and that is what puzzles are all about for me! I would have given the game additional points if the maze was just black or something but I was convinced it was a programming glitch until I wrote to Bruce and he assured me it was meant to be as it was. I never got any winged beasty to die and give me goodies that I can recall. I did find -- or at least was given credit for finding -- six secrets. Since I play without the sound I can't be sure when I find secrets unless they are gold skulls etc. I enjoyed the game very much and would have rated it higher if there wasn't so much darkness -- before Lara found the flares -- and there weren't so many slant glitches." - Dougsan (29-Dec-2002)
"What a frustrating levels yes there are 3 and in my opinion some parts are not real thought through. The invisible platforms the crossbow ammo might have been a dead give away but the other tiles were very hard to spot. Then there is in the Ice level the black void. I don't mind a bit of swimming even in a maze and drowning a lot until I find the way but this was ridiculous. Then there is also the matter of the demigod you have to slay and he drops a Vraeus well he does drop it but in a pillar as he seems to be glued on that pillar. It took me some medpacks to lure him out. Thanks to the TRSGeditor for getting me more. Then there is the third level. The yellow chess piece didn't do anything standing on the red tile (as shown in the read me file) I had to place it on a black tile. On the other hand there were some nice and some not so nice traps in this level. I still hate it when you just burn Lara to a crisp just by walking over a normal looking floor. And what's with all the weapons after finding the shotgun 3 times I stopped counting. Looking for a Hand Cartouche Guardian Keys and levers. Do I sound a bit peeved? That is because I am. Found 6 secrets. 14-12-2002" - Gerty (22-Dec-2002)
"In my opinion the first 11 levels of The Lost City of Gold were better. However these 3 new levels are entertaining. There are walkthrough walls making it more difficult to find the way and two rooms hard to reach in the underwater maze. You must pull lots of buttons and switch levers and there's a room with invisible platforms. Some great areas but few rooms look empty. Puzzles and timed runs are fun but quite easy. The 'hell' is very impressive. I found 3 secrets and I finished the game when Lara slides to a place where's the jeep." - Cuqui (20-Dec-2002)
"If the textures were somewhat more cleanly finished and not so stretched. Particularly at the beginning of level 2 Lara must dive and comes into a kind of maze and I thought it was missing textures but it was so actually just designed in a way which did not please me much and it was very difficult to find the way. Above all the rooms seemed huge sometimes too empty. One could genuinely have made more out of those. The atmosphere was nevertheless good and all the ouzzles were sometimes not so easy and you had to find plenty of puzzle pieces. Speed is required a lot of diving switches and levers to pull. I found 4 secrets thereby. Opponents were plenty particularly you meet with Seth twice. Otherwise there are nearly all opponents you could imagine. The third level was probably the best above all the giant cave - one really had to watch out where to go first. All in all it is a good level. I could have rated higher however my Lara has always something to complain about ; -) Would recommend it. But like said for some it may be too hard." - Engelchen Lara (19-Dec-2002)
"We have seen the author's work from his previous series of gold city. Although we don't know if the new levels are a part of a sequel I think it's only natural to assume it. I have to say that the previous levels had more action these are poor in that department and also poorly textured. It seems like the textures were only applied because it is necessary and not to create a convincing and enjoyable environment. I had the feeling that I was in a brown room all the time only in the lava room the scenery changed a little but nothing spectacular. The player needs two tridents a hand a vraeus a canopic jar and two cartouche pieces to complete the levels. If you ask me it could have been one level but for some reason and pointless in my opinion every time you collect a piece you go back to place it in the first level one of the cartouche pieces is used in the third though. It has a strange game play all together boxes you have to shoot and vases that make platforms appear without any hints of what you need to do a chess puzzle in three levels I wasn't very fond of and blue lights that help you go back and forth between the levels. Near the end there was a mutant that if you kill it you can't progress I assume it's a bug I can't believe that someone would deliberately do something like that. I also got stuck at the second level when I didn't get the jar first so I had to redo everything because the access to that room is blocked if you choose to go the other way. Before that I hit red when I couldn't find my way to the second room through those invisible walls underwater. Too many buttons to push and cages and all the rooms look quite empty. Demigods and the guy with the lighting will give you some trouble but the sharks get stuck near the walls so from a safe spot Lara can easily kill them. I never went through that door that's up from one of the Poseidon statues a secret there maybe as I could finish. I am not too excited about these levels." - Kristina (16-Dec-2002)
"I wasn't such a big fan of the first 11 levels of the Lost City series and to tell the truth I think this threesome is actually a bit of a setback. You start out in a rather boxy and monotonously textured tomb that reminded me in some way of Jamie White's style of level design. Your objective is to collect two tridents a hand and a cartouche to be admitted to the final battle with Seth. The hand and the cartouche are to be found in level two and three but once you have them you come back to the first part. Let me just point out the things I found most annoying: I'm not a big fan of invisible platforms there is one non-textured underwater maze over the end of the world which looks pretty daft and is not much fun there are a few occasion where you can get stuck for good and at one point you have to rush past a mutant in order to lower a block. If you kill the mutant you are stuck forever. Now how on earth are you supposed to figure this out for yourself? I also found the moving object puzzle rather tedious there is a rope that disappears in midswing (bug?) and I left the level with quite a few levers untouched and doors unopened. At times the gameplay is highly entertaining and the big hell cavern looks fairly impressive but all in all the setting didn't make that much sense to me. Add to that a few bugs (crucial items not appearing and a shark floating in mid air) the occasional unannounced pop up spikes burning snow and you might understand why I was somewhat relieved when I finally hit the finishing trigger after two and a half hours. The timed runs where fun though." - Dimpfelmoser (15-Dec-2002)