THE MYSTIC ARTEFACT – BEGINNING

Levels by Mahetus

Walkthrough by Treeble

LEVEL 1: THE HIDDEN TOMB

After the brief cinematic slide, climb the rock to your right for a small medipack and flares, then drop back to the waterfall and proceed to slide to a small underground pond. Get the shotgun shells on a corner to your right, but don't bother climbing out of the water just yet as we don't have a necessary key. Instead, swim through the dark tunnel and get out of the water in front of a locked tomb.

Explore the corners of this room for some uzi clips and shotgun shells, then go up the small flight of stairs towards the locked doors. From either corner, jump over the flat spot just past the slopes and then up on a pillar with a ram statue. From this pillar you can then grab a ledge above, where you'll find SECRET #1: the GOLDEN COINS and more flares. Return to the shore and climb the tall rock on the right side (when facing the temple doors) by using the small slope next to it.

Hop into the hole in the wall and kill a bunch of spiders, then retrieve the small medipack and walk towards the opposite end. You can either slide backwards to grab the ledge and backflip from the bottom with a midair roll to grab the opposite platform, or you can risk a more direct approach. Either way, hop to the next platform jutting out of the wall and drop to the rocks below. Negotiate the next jumps across the lava, being careful not to overshoot, until you come up to a wall. You can hop to a small platform to the right for some automatic pistols ammo.

Grab the crevice on the wall and shimmy all the way to the left to pull up. From this corner, you need to do a long running jump towards the mound just past the bubbling lava. As you land, you'll hear a trapdoor raising behind you (for later). For now, hop over the slope and be prepared as two incoming boulders are keen on making your life miserable. Stand on the right lane, as the left boulder comes slightly earlier, and jump between them when the window of opportunity presents itself.

Onto the other end of this rocky mound is a caved-in passage which you can't access yet. For now, jump into the temple-like building to the right and claim the GATE KEY at the end. The gates around you shift and you are now forced to deal with a series of spike walls. If you're quick enough, you can take home the large medipack lying in front of you.

After the second wave of spike walls you emerge inside a spider lair. Get the uzi clips from the left and keep your weapons drawn at all times as several spiders, both small and large, are lurking about. Between the second and third cobwebbed pathways, find a slightly deeper pit housing the AUTOMATIC PISTOLS, then proceed to jump over the spikes. Throw the switch by the gate to open it. Inside, kill another spider, get the supplies and slide into the pond from the beginning of the level.

Get out of the water on the opposite ledge and use the key to unlock the gates and wade into the next cavern. Follow the water stream all the way to the bottom where you'll spot a burning key. Before anything else, hop onto the floating block nearby and light a flare to spot a hole in the ceiling. The pillar right in front of you is climbable, so attach yourself to it and climb to the top, shimmying to the right (Lara will dangle herself) to pull into a small alcove housing SECRET #2, the GOLD BARS. Drop back to the lower level.

At the end of the water stream is a switch which shuts the gate at the top and also blocks the water stream, draining the area. Push it and climb down to move some blocks around. You need to position one near the climbable pillar in the center, but you can move the others out of the way for some shotgun shells if you're inclined. Once you have a block in front of the ladder, climb back up and open the gate to flood the area again.

Now, dive and locate the underwater lever beneath the floating block to put off the flames surrounding the key above. This is timed, so you have to be quick. Get out of the water and drain the area again, then go down and use the pushblock as a stepping stone to climb the cracked ladder to the top where the TOMB KEY awaits. Get out of there before the flames come back to life, then use the switch to flood the area one last time to open the exit gate above.

Wade back to the initial pond and swim through the dark tunnel. Use your newfound key to unlock the tomb ahead. Inside, get the flares from the left corner and notice a lighter grey tile. On the opposite side is a pushblock, pull it on top of the grey tile and pull up into a opening on the left side wall. Climb through the hole in the ceiling and you'll find two switches by the grates, throw both. Repeat the process on the other side of this chamber, but the pushblock is closer to the grey tile so you need to move it in a "J" pattern, pulling it back until you have room to slide it once to the side before pushing it on the tile. With all four switches down, a gate opens elsewhere.

Return outside the tomb and up that tall rock, through the dark tunnel and slide-jump to the jutting ledges. Instead of dropping to the lower level, jump towards the wall on the left side and grab the crevice on the wall, shimmying all the way to the left. Grab the automatic pistols ammo and jump into the open gate. Press the button on the wall to move the coffin in the tomb, revealing a secret passage beneath it. You can return the way you came as a trapdoor has raised at the bottom of the slope.

Back at the tomb, get ready for some company, as four sasquatches will come swinging hard at you. When you're in the clear, go down the pathway below the coffin and save your game. The light grey tile will put off the flames atop the pillars for just enough time for you to do a series of running jumps across. On the opposite side, your reward: THE TIMELESS SANDS. Drop into the water below and swim underneath the entrance ledge. There's an underwater lever on the pillar, pull it, then get out of the water by climbing the nearby ledges.

Head back up the tunnel to the coffin. The underwater lever you've just pulled opened a trapdoor near the rightmost corner of the main tomb chamber. Drop inside and hop over the wall-mounted blades, defeat another sasquatch and run around the wall to spot SECRET #3, the GOLDEN SKULL (plus bonus shotgun shells and a large medipack, if you've gotten the previous secrets). Once you pick it up, the ceiling spike traps will be activated, so quickly get out there.

As you get back to the tomb, run up either of the stairways on the back to the upper floor. Run towards what seems like a dead end and the path will reveal itself to you. Place the sands into the statue hands (it might require you to turn Lara slightly on the spot) and a mysterious camera clue will show you the exit. Remember that caved-in tunnel we saw much earlier on? That's where you want to go next. To do that, get back outside the tomb, up the tall rock and into the dark tunnel, jump past the rocks at lava level and shimmy to the left. The raised trapdoor makes your long jump to the rocky mound easier, then just run straight towards the finish line.

LEVEL 2: PATH TO THE MYSTIC CRYSTAL

As the level begins, run deeper into the cave and kill the spiders when you reach a T-junction. Ignore the path to the left for now, we'll be back here (much) later, instead get your feet wet and take the chance to kill a barracuda while water is still at waist level.

To navigate this area, I suggest to always stick close to the left wall. Swim through the crevice, get some harpoons on the next bit of the underwater cave and ignore the two barracudas as you swim through another crevice. As soon as you're out of this second crevice you stumble upon a wall, and if you're sticking to the left wall you should easily spot an underwater lever (light a flare, if necessary). Past this wall, get the HARPOON LAUNCHER and surface for an air pocket immediately above it, then go back underwater and finish lapping around the cave by sticking to the left wall. Two ammo pickups later and you get to the open trapdoors.

Head further into the cave, dealing with all sorts of spiders and take notice of a locked gate. Pick up the flares and slide down the slope, immediately rushing forward and into the opening on the right side to dodge a boulder crashing right behind you. Follow the claustrophobic tunnel and, after you climb to an upper level, get a large medipack hidden behind the taller bit of rock, then proceed to get out of this passage.

At the arched altar, kill the two barracudas. Before going underwater, hop to the enclosed spaces behind the ram statues. On the left side, get some uzi clips. On the right side, get the automatic pistols ammo and light a flare to single out the pushblock embedded into the wall. Push it as far as it will go, climb the ladder and jump towards the top of the arched altar to claim SECRET #4, the GOLD SKULL.

Drop into water now and get the shotgun shells, then surface for air and swim through one of the holes in the corners near the entrance. In the middle of the tunnel connecting both is an underwater lever that opens an underwater gate for a brief amount of time. Quickly loop around to find the open pathway and hurry to pull another three underwater levers before you can finally surface for air. With air restored to your lungs, dive to the bottom for a large medipack, then climb back out through the trapdoor above.

Activate the wall switch, hard to spot on the reddish wall ahead of you, and kill the two sasquatches behind the double doors. At the end of this new chamber, throw the lever to put off the two flaming pillars behind you as well as raise a trapdoor, immediately backflip with a midair roll and keep the momentum as you jump to the next block and to the trapdoor, climbing to the hole above before it resets.

Now would be a good time to save your game, as any bump could be lethal. You can barely see the platforms, but each of the thin poles hanging off the ceiling are attached to a grate panel you can stand on, so from the entrance point, jump to the one on the right hand wall and climb through the hole in the middle using the center platform. Deal with the wall mounted blades to get to a switch in the back, which opens the gate below. Drop to the center platform and carefully jump into the open gate and throw the switch in there.

Get back to the room with the flaming pillars and notice the side gates are now open. Head inside and push the five buttons protected by a row of rolling blades, carefully timing each operation. You can jump between them from the top of the slopes to get across to the other side, and you just might get lucky if you run up to a wall and stand still at the seams, not being directly touched by the blades as they bounce back. With all five buttons activated, claim the HALL KEY from the next chamber and you'll see a trapdoor opening elsewhere—at the arched altar room, to be precise, so retrace your steps back there.

The trapdoor is in the enclosed space behind ram statues right opposite the cave entrance. Climb the ladder through the trapdoor and backflip to a switch that will drop a block into the middle of the altar. Our work here is done. Time to make our way all the way back to the beginning of the level, so go through the open gate in the back side of the cave entrance and mind the spikes as you make your way to the spider cave, through that gate we saw earlier on. Head left and, underwater, again keep the wall to your left at all times as you swim through crevices and what not and you will wind up at the T-junction at the beginning.

Run to the opposite side now, kill the giant spider and retrieve the large medipack and ammo from the skeleton in the pit. From the entrance, do a hairpin turn to the right to find a slope in the corner, backflip onto it and bounce to grab a ledge just above. Follow the ledge to the other end and do a running jump to grab the crack on the far wall, and shimmy all the way to the right until you can finally pull up.

Do a running jump towards the rock sticking out in the middle of the room and, from there, to the rock near the visible uzi clips. Another crack on the wall, so shimmy all the way left and jump at an angle to grab the ledge right above the one you came from. And what do you know; yet another crack to shimmy across. Jump across the sticking out rocks into the cave tunnel above and kill the spiders. There are some uzi clips by the skeleton, and the lever opens a trapdoor directly above the T-junction at the start, but since we already have the key in our possession, you can go on and open the gate on the opposite side.

Have a quick run run around the room to familiarize yourself with it, then take a dip on the pool to the left for some ammo. On the pool to the right side is an underwater lever, it raises a trapdoor and a gate on the opposite side of the room for a short amount of time, so quickly get out of water and make your way into little alcove to get the SILVER KEY, which also attracts two sasquatches to the main hall.

Use the key on the door near the entrance to gain entry to another area of this temple, which is guarded by another sasquatch. Use the outermost spot of either of the slopes to bounce up to the upper floor, by steering Lara in midair to the outer side so she doesn't bump into the wall ahead, but don't throw the switch just yet. Notice a lower edge on the floor above, line up to it and jump upwards to grab it. Get the shotgun shells and use either of the pillars with the ram statues to leap towards the GOLDEN COINS, aka SECRET #5, just above the entrance, then jump back to the middle level of this area.

Throw the switch and enter through any of the gates. A pit halfway through the tunnel houses some goodies, as opposed to an expected death trap (and yet, some ill fated adventurer didn't make it), and you wind up in a room with a flaming pillar surrounded by water trenches. Get the flares and proceed through the passage underwater below the statue.

Time your strides past the swinging spiked bags, careful not to slide into the surrounding spike pits, and press the button on the opposite side to open a gate in the previous chamber. Get back there and pull the block in the back once, so you can jump over it to push it past the open gate and onto the grey tile. This opens another gate nearby, so take the uzi clips and get back outside, and now maneuver the block all the way around so that it rests on top of the burning tile.

This causes something to turn the water into a deadly charred substance, but also opens the last remaining gate. At the top, you need to carefully jump on the light grey tiles. The dark brown tiles are safe too, but if you ever touch (even if slightly, by jumping too close to the seams for instance) the tan tiles, the gate resets so you need to start again. There are five tiles, and you might want to use one-step running jumps to help you proceed. Once the gate is open, still avoid the tan lines to prevent the gate from shutting on your face. The button inside drops a pushblock in the entrance to this area.

Push said block onto its respective tile to open the opposite gate in the main hall. This might be a good time to save your game. You need to get to the "eyes" in the back, so carefully time your jump past the walkways with the rolling blades. Don't be tempted to grab the UZIS on your way; instead, get to the ledge between the eyes, turn around and line up for a running jump. Just as the blade starts to roll down towards the center of the walkway, do a running jump and you'll land right on top of the weapons, quickly claim them and roll to grab the ledge and drop to the area below safely.

There are two sasquatches running madly below. Kill them and gather the goodies from the opposing side annexes, then head through the passage below the entrance. A trapdoor drops as you approach, so climb the ladder back up and again clear the walkway with the rolling blades, this time around jumping into either of the holes in the back wall. Dispatch the sasquatch and hop onto the bridge.

On the other end, do a running jump (without grab) towards the flares, run into the alcove to your right and grab the edge to shimmy all the way to the left over the spike pit. Pull up and do a running jump slightly to the left to land on another rocky platform. Move around to the next jutting out rock and jump towards the swinging spike bag. Jump to the slope behind with a midair roll, that way you can grab its end, climb up and jump with a midair roll to the far rock.

Now, before heading left into the obvious tunnel on the wall, keep working your way down to your right all the way to the bottom of this area. No enemies lurk in the darkness, so run around freely until you locate the GOLD BARS, which denote SECRET #6, and then work your way back the same way as you got down (Lara can climb the brownish rock along the way) and do a running jump towards that cave tunnel with the spiderwebs in the back.

A handful of spiders come your way. Get the small medipack and automatic pistols ammo just around the bend and proceed to the end of the tunnel, blocked by two pushblocks. Push the one on the right side twice to reveal a third block to your left, then push this one once to clear you path. The switch is right opposite the closed gate. Kill another pair of sasquatches before retrieving the GOLD KEY from the ornate tile in the back.

The trapdoor nearby opens, so drop down to a tight underwater passage. When the water gets deeper, swim all the way to the bottom, past two barracudas, for a small medipack and an underwater lever. The lever also activates a ceiling spike trap, so quickly swim back and to the other end of the underwater passage to climb back out in the room with the walkways protected by the rolling blades. Again, approach the pathway below the entrance to climb through the trapdoor, but this time return to the main hall.

Now, step into the elevated floor in the center of the hall. The ornate tile in the middle is a bouncing pad, so turn away from the entrance (facing the walkway with the pillars) and run straight into the pad to find yourself soaring into thin air. Just as you hit the apex, you might notice the mighty crystal atop the center pillar; let's go fetch it.

Run around the walkway to use the latest key by the locked gate in the back, kill the sasquatch and activate the two buttons surrounding the entrance. This opens the gates on the opposite side, so collect the goodies and head through to the next area. Gun down the four sasquatches and move the ornate pushblock around the structure to the respective tile on the other side.

Climb the ladder to the floor above, now with a wide tunnel revealed, and save your game. As you might have noticed, a row of boulders has been waiting for the one. Once they're triggered, roll and run back towards the edge, rolling with grab so the boulders fly right over your head. At the end, drop through the hole right on top of the MYSTIC CRYSTAL and this prologue comes to an end.