QUEEN'S CASTLE

Level by Scourge05

Walkthrough by Phil Lambeth, with the help of Doggett TV's video walk

Savegames mentioned in the walkthrough can be downloaded here

Lara begins with a slide down toward an underground river (which has a wicked current, by the way, so don't fall into it if you want the first two secrets). Jump immediately with a curve to your right to land on a flat ledge. Jump to grab the higher slope and shimmy left until you can pull up onto a flat spot. Turn left and take a running jump with grab down toward the dark opening. Step inside for SECRET #1 and pick up the large medipack.

Go out to the ledge and stand jump onto the waterfall. Slide and grab, shimmy left all the way, pull up and take a rolling back flip with a sharp right curve so that you land on the facing slope sliding backward. Grab and shimmy left, but not quite as far as you can go. Pull up, take a regular back flip onto the slope behind you and jump off immediately to grab the ladder. Climb to the top, shift left and drop down into an upper room. Stand against the base of the slope, take one step back and one hop back, save your game and take a tricky running jump (no grab) over the slope and the trench beyond with the deadly water to land on the platform for SECRET #2. Pick up the SHOTGUN and shotgun ammo and hop back over the trench and slope.

Get back to the ladder and drop down into the water. Allow the current to carry you toward what appears to be a building (but is just a facade) on the shore and note the closed underwater door as you wade out. Shoot the snake hiding in the bush and turn left to run past the building, through a valley and into an opening in the rocks. Look for a niche near the corner and use the sloped rocks to jump back and forth, using the arrow key to bring you higher until you reach a level spot with a small medipack.

Slide back down and continue along the path past a keyhole until you reach a dark tunnel. Pick up the flares and safety drop to a lower area, rolling upon landing to minimize health loss. Jump the nearby rock ledges until you reach the upper level with a pushblock in the wall. Push the block to reveal an opening to an outdoor area you saw from the other side earlier. Don't go outside yet. Instead, hop back, turn around and back flip off the nearby slope to grab the ladder and pull up. Turn a bit to your right and take a running jump past the flaming torch to land in a hole in the corner. Walk out to face an underground lake.

Take a running jump past the rock ledge to land on a lower corner. Hop up to grab the block against the wall, pull up and take a running jump over the water onto a triangular ledge. Hop over the slope obstruction and stand jump to grab the ceiling. Monkey swing to the end of the ceiling tracks, drop onto a slope and jump off to land on a stable ledge. Face the lower slope on the opposite wall, turn so that you can back flip down to it, jump off and grab a ledge next to a ladder. Climb the ladder to an upper area where you hear the chimes of SECRET #3 and awaken a Shiva statue. Kill it and search the area for the MP5, grenades and a large medipack.

Climb back down the ladder, jump into the water and locate a floor hole. Swim down and follow the long passage past the now-open door you noted earlier to find yourself back at the beginning area. Pull out in front of the familiar "building" and this time follow the valley to its right to another lake. Jump into the water and swim into the opening ahead. Pull out and go past the opening on your right (it's your way back for later). Step out onto a ledge overlooking a deep pit with a deadly floor down below. Look left to find two grates, one nearby and the other a bit farther away. Both can be shot from where you're standing.

Hang from the edge and shimmy right until you can pull up into a crawl space. Crawl through and loop around right to a ledge where you can jump with grab into the opening where you shot the grate. Shoot the next grate if you haven't already done so and take a running jump with grab into that opening. Step forward and jump to the corner ledge on your right. Take a running jump onto the slope just past the pushblock you can see down below, back flip immediately upon landing and jump off the next slope to land on another corner ledge. Jump to the next ledge, climb down the ladder and save your game in front of the button for a short but tight and difficult timed run.

Your objective after pushing the button is a timed door presently out of sight to your right, and to get there you need to use the safe floor tiles without stepping on the deadly blue floor. Turn right, take a running jump to the corner of the first tile, quickly turn left sharply and take another running jump to the next tile, continue with another running jump in roughly the same direction but around the corner with a right curve onto the third tile, turn right and stand jump past the timed door as it starts to close (savegame.0).

Save your game again when you make it, for two reasons: (1) so you won't have to do that hellish timed run again and (2) because there are unmarked death tiles on the floor of the room ahead. I suppose that's the reason for the mirror in the far wall, although the tall column in front of you makes it rather useless. The first four tiles in front of the entrance are safe, and you can take my word for it that all the others are not. Take a running jump onto the sloped block to your left. Don't try to slide and grab, as you won't make it. Jump immediately off the slope onto the next slope, slide and jump off with a right curve onto the flat part of the block against the mirror. If I were you I'd save again here.

Hop to the next block and hop with grab into the opening in the wall. Thankfully there are no more unmarked death tiles to deal with. Go up the ramp into the next room and turn left into the short alley. Back flip onto the slope and jump off to grab the higher slope. Shimmy left as far as you can, pull up, back flip onto the facing slope, jump off with a left curve without sliding and make a difficult grab that will likely require several tries. Pull up, stand jump higher, turn to your left and take a running jump to grab the top of the column. Pull up for SECRET #4 and pick up the DESERT EAGLE with 30 rounds of desert eagle ammo. Drop down to the floor and exit through the opposite passage.

In the next room a Shiva statue comes to life. Behind its perch is a wall switch that raises a platform. Exit this room and turn left to find a closed door in an alcove. The door opens as you approach, so hop up into the alcove and jump to the raised platform. Push the face block to open up a passage. As you approach the BlackWolfTR to pick it up the gate ahead opens. Take a running jump out to your right and grab a familiar ladder. Climb to the top, go around right into the shallow water and crawl to a passage you passed by earlier. Jump into the deeper water at the end and swim back to the valley near where the level began.

Pull out, run to the building facade (you'll return later to the keyhole) and vault up into the first opening on your right. Follow the passage with the moss-covered walls to an opening and look down into an area that looks as if it may need to be flooded. There's nothing more to do here yet, so return and enter the middle opening in the facade. The water in here is deadly, so don't fall in. Jump left onto the short block, turn a bit right and take a running jump to land on the slope. Jump off with a curve to the right and grab to glide inside the alcove.

Jump through the triangular opening and slide down into the safe water. Pull out at the opened door and walk to a deep pit. Take a running jump and bounce off the ceiling to change your trajectory so you'll land on a small gold ledge. Run off left onto a similar ledge below you, hop to the slope against the wall and safety drop to the floor. Move the central pushblock one time toward the higher corner platform. The door there is closed, so use the pushblock to take a tricky curved running jump in the opposite direction to grab the highest edge of the low gold ledge (savegame.1). Pull up to find the second BlackWolfTR in the alcove.

Picking it up opens the nearby door, so use the pushblock to reach the platform and follow the passage to a ledge overlooking another large room. Turn around and use the ladder to climb down to the floor. Go toward the water, turn right in front of it and hop into the opening near the next corner. Run down the ramp as you hear the sound of platforms dropping. Need I tell you that the water here is deadly. Take a pixel-perfect running jump to the rock with the blade traps to your left, get past the blades and follow the rocks in a clockwise direction until you reach a ledge with SECRET #5. Pick up 2 x MP5 ammo and push the hard-to-see wall button to raise two nearby platforms.

Use the platforms to reach the entrance. When you run up the ramp the platforms drop once again. In the previous room return to the ladder, climb all the way to the top, shift left and drop onto the ledge. Turn around and take a running jump onto the ledge connecting the central structure and the wall. Save your game, take a running jump around the corner onto the left side of the larger sloped ledge, jump back and forth between that ledge and the facing white ledge until you land on a flat portion of the latter. Turn right, take a running jump to the left side of the first suspended blue pyramid, slide and jump off with a right curve to land on a flat ledge.

Turn around and jump onto the right side of the pyramid on your left, jump forward onto the next pyramid and jump off to the ledge ahead. Jump onto the far side of the next pyramid and jump off to land on the ledge against the far wall. Turn right and take a running jump onto the flat surface of the structure, turn to face the wall and take a running jump with grab to land in the opening. Follow to a room with multiple alcoves and a closed door. Beneath each alcove is a pushblock, six in all. Two of the pushblocks hide a wall switch, but to save you the tedium I'll just tell you where they are: the first block on the right as you face the closed door, and the last block on the left. Pull down both switches to open the door, revealing a button that opens a gate somewhere.

Exit this room, jump back to the flat spot on the central structure and hop up higher. The face of the second suspended pyramid ahead is climbable, so jump to grab it and pull up at the top. You can see the opened gate ahead, so take a pixel-perfect running jump to the far side of the slope to your left, make your way to the other end, jump onto the left side of the slope ahead and jump off to grab the opening. Pull up and follow to a room with multiple wall switches, a symbol over each one. There are three bays on each side of the room with three switches in each one, for a total of 18. Not to spoil the mystery for you, but these are the three switches you need to pull: (1) first bay on the left, switch on the right, (2) second bay on the right, switch on the right, and (3) last bay on the left, middle switch.

The gate at the end of the room opens, so enter and jump into the water shaft. Swim up, allow the current to carry you and wade out in front of the building facade. Remember the two keyholes you saw earlier at either end of the valley? Place the two BlackWolfTR keys in no particular order to lift a gate somewhere. Return to the building facade and enter the opening on the far left, where you pushed a block earlier. You can see the opened gate in the far wall, so hop down there and follow the passage to a room with slopes, suspended pyramids, four receptacles and a small pond. Drop to the floor and note the ladder that provides a way back up.

Splash your way across the pond. You can use the slopes on either side of the waterfall to jump back and forth, using the arrow key to bring you closer to the edge so you can jump off with a curve to land safely on the upper ledge. But it would be easier for you to use the slopes on the left side of the waterfall as you face it. When you reach the upper ledge, pull up higher into the alcove, turn right and jump to grab a corner ledge next to the waterfall. Pull up, hop to the corner ledge on the other side and take a running jump onto the slope against the wall. Jump off without sliding to land on a ledge in front of the opening. Enter a room with more suspended pyramids.

Hop to the translucent ledge and note two openings in the wall ahead. Jump left around the pyramid to the next part of the ledge and stand jump with grab so you won't bounce off the suspended pyramid and land on the smaller pyramid below. Take a running jump to grab the opening and pull up inside. Follow around to the other opening, stand left, save your game and take a pixel-perfect running jump to the near corner of the suspended pyramid. If you miss, the deadly floor down below will require you to reload and try again. When you get there (savegame.2), turn left and take a running jump with grab into the wall opening.

Pull up onto the slope, back flip and jump off the facing slope to grab a ladder. Pull up to face a room with many columns situated in a pool of deadly water. Hop onto the lower corner of the nearest column, which has a flat top. Stand right, jump forward onto the next column, slide and jump off with a right curve to land on the next slope, slide and jump onto a flat-top column near the wall. Turn a bit left and take a running jump to the lower column ahead. Side step to the highest corner and take a running jump without grab to the near corner of the high column. Pull down the wall switch to lower two platforms, find the ceiling bars and jump up to grab them.

Monkey swing across the room. When you reach the far wall, drop down onto a ledge, rolling as you land, and enter the opening by which you arrived. Get down and take a running jump back to the nearest floating pyramid. Turn back to your left, save your game and take another pixel-perfect running jump to the near corner of the wall opening with the opened gate. Climb the ladder at the end of the passage, pull up and push the button at the corner to open the door behind you. Stand at the edge, take one step back and hop back, take a running jump onto the far side of the pyramid in front of you, and without sliding jump off with a right curve onto the ledge. Turn left and go through the opening to the room with the waterfall.

Get down to the floor, run across the room and climb the ladder near the four receptacles. Follow the passage and continue through the opening in the building facade. Loop around left and enter the last opening on the right, the one with the moss-covered walls. Continue to the room that I suspected earlier needed to be flooded. I was wrong. Go around to the back of the central structure, find the flat spots and hop up twice, then jump into the hole at the top of the structure and restore your health with the nearby health crystal when you land.

There's a closed door at one end of the room and an opening at the other end. The water here isn't lethal, so wade to the opening, go there and save your game before pushing the timed wall button at the far end of the next room. The closed door you saw opens for just a few seconds, and the means for getting there is quite complicated. TombTitan has provided the following commentary and savegame:

To do this timed run you need to move as fast as possible. After pulling the lever you turn around by the fastest possible action sequence and run by sprinting the entire time to the door. You run/sprint from the lever curving around the right side of the pathway without falling off into the deeper water (the sprint will let you run rather than wade in the water). You need to jump several times during the timed run to get over the deep pond areas in the next room, and sprint/run to the left end of the ramp in front of the exit door and jump in before it closes. If you jump correctly you can get through the door even if it seems to be closing. This is absolutely not easy! In fact this timed run and the final one at the end of the game are the two hardest timed runs of ANY game (Tomb Raider or otherwise). No official Core Design or Crystal Dynamics games were as hard, nor similar commercial games like James Bond, Indiana Jones, Star Wars or Xena. Scourge05 went out of his way to make the most sadistic-to-players game he could make! (savegame.3)

Check to make sure the timed door remained open. Otherwise, you won't be able to finish the level. Run through the short passage to the next room. If you continue across to the pickup you can see in the central structure, you'll trigger an unseen flame-wielding assailant, so turn left and stay close to the wall as you make your way toward the back of the room. You need to use the short block near the corner to take a walking-running jump (walk key followed by the up arrow and jump keys) to the taller block and from there another walking-running jump to grab the bridge. When you pull up you can see your enemy (Mr. Natla?) to the right, who so far has not been alerted to your presence.

Take a few steps toward him to wake him up. Fire a few quick rounds from your desert eagle and hop back to finish him off while avoiding his flames and his death throes. When he's dead, look around to see an opening in each of the four walls. There's a P1 beyond each one, and you can presumably get them in any desired order. Drop down to the floor and take the ROCKET LAUNCHER from the central raised slab. Use the blocks to get back up to the bridge and go to the opening on your left (since it's the nearest) as you hear platforms dropping in the room ahead. From the edge, take a curved running jump sharply to your left and grab the dark red ceiling tile. As you might guess, the blue floor and surrounding ledges below are deadly. Monkey swing along the wall and don't attempt to use the next dark red ceiling tile or you'll drop to your death. When you're over the alcove, release and grab and pull up for the P1 (1 of 4).

When you pick it up the platforms you heard dropping will rise once again, so use them to get back across the room. Run to the center of the bridge in Mr. Natla's room and turn left toward the opening in the far wall. Pick up the small medipack at the entrance and enter a small cave. Jump into the water and time your way past the turning blades and horizontal blade into either opening. Continue past more turning blades until you reach the P1 (2 of 4) around the corner in an alcove. Return the same way you came, pull out and run out onto the bridge.

Turn left at the center and enter the next portal. In the small cave hop up onto the block in the back left corner, turn around, stand right and take a tricky running jump along the wall onto the block in the far corner. Hop into the alcove in the next wall and line up for a curved running jump to grab the block below the closed door. Pull up in the left corner so you won't be pushed off the block as the door opens. Go inside for the P1 (3 of 4) as the door closes behind you. Take a running jump down to the sloped block on your right, slide and drop to the floor. Use the blocks to get back up to the bridge as you did earlier, go to the center and turn right toward the final portal.

Pause for the small medipack and lighted flare (?!) as swinging pots are activated in the room beyond. The floor in here is deadly. Take a running jump onto the column on your right, turn right and time two standing jumps past the swinging pot and into the next room. The P1 is flame-protected, as are two of the raised tiles. Jump onto the flame-free raised tile to your left and continue clockwise around the room as the flames go out one at a time. Pick up the P1 (4 of 4) and exit the way you came.

Back in Mr. Natla's room, drop to the floor and exit via the timed doorway. Walk up to the highest corner of the sand bar and jump up to grab the ladder. Climb up past the opened platforms and back flip onto the central structure. Slide to the ground, pull up into the exit passage and return to the building facade. Loop around right and enter the last opening on the left where you used the pushblock. Jump down to the opened gate and follow the passage to the room with the receptacles. Drop or climb down to the floor, place all four P1s to open the doors between the receptacles and proceed through the triangular passage.

In the next room hop onto the sloped block and back flip into the upper passage. Follow to a room with a ramp. Back flip off the ramp and jump up to a ledge. Hop through the opening, walk left and look down to see a water hole. Drop down into the water, swim and pull out at the other end, and save your game in front of the wall switch if you want to take a stab at a concluding timed run. Other than that, there's nothing more to be done in this level.

Pull the switch, hit the look key to kill the cut scene, turn right and run into a room with a deadly floor. Take a running jump onto the slope, slide and take a pixel-perfect jump to grab the opening in the far wall. It will probably take a number of tries just to get this far, so save again as you're pulling up. Run forward, pull up left, slide and jump past a horizontal blade trap into a room full of snakes. Ignore them and go past them into another room with a deadly floor. Slide and jump the sloped blocks until you reach an opening in the wall, run past a blade trap and jump to a lower room, turn left and run past the first timed gate, hit the sprint key and dash past the second timed gate to end the level.