CULTIST'S SECRET - LEVEL 01 (Demo)

Level by Igor Gois

Walkthrough by Phil Lambeth

Demo Level: CLUES IN VENICE

You start on a balcony overlooking a Venetian canal and surrounded by a number of buildings. You could spend much unproductive time exploring the environs, but if you wish to cut to the chase, simply jump over the railing and swim left toward the E wall. Just before you get there, turn left into the N passage and pull the underwater lever to open the trap door in the E alcove behind you. Go there and pull up into a sitting room. Climb the N ladder and back flip into an upper room.

Go through the phantom curtain onto another balcony, turn left and take a running jump SE past the gap in the railing to land on the E balcony. Go through the opening, shoot a rat and find a wall switch on the back side of the column. Pull it down to open a trap door you can't reach from here. Return to the balcony, jump into the canal, and if you wish to divert for a helpful pickup, swim forward and pull up onto the S boardwalk. Turn right, locate a ladder near the jetty where a gondola is parked and climb up to the balcony for flares at the far end.

Get back down to the boardwalk, go to the E end and swim over to pull out in front of an alley. Go around to a ladder and climb up past the opened trap door. Back flip to a fenced-off area, shoot the rat and walk toward the canal until you trigger a fixed camera. Turn left, go to the S wall and jump up to grab the crack. Shimmy right around two corners, drop down onto the balcony and enter the room to shoot another rat. Pull up onto one of the crates for the SILVER KEY and a cut scene will show you where it's to be placed. But first you need to find the crowbar. Go out to the balcony, jump into the water and pull out E. Follow along the boardwalk around the corners and note large doors for which you need two artifacts of some kind. Continue past a side alley, climb or jump over the stacked crates and turn right into the next side alley.

Use the taller crate to pull up onto a large balcony. Locate and push the wall button to hear the sound of a platform rising behind you. Use the platform to take a running jump SW over the railing to the next balcony, go around and jump SE to the next balcony, run toward the E end and loop around right to find the CROWBAR. Jump into the water, pull out S, turn left and just around the corner is the receptacle for your Silver Key. Open the W door, go inside and locate the ladder in the dark NW corner. Climb up, back flip into an upper room and note the odd-shaped panel in the wall. It's actually a crowbar door, so open it and enter a room that's empty except for some stacked crates.

One of the crates is a pushblock, so pull it back to expose a wall button that opens the door on the other side of the room. Go out onto the balcony, turn right and take a running jump to grab the S ledge. Pull up, follow around and take a running jump to grab the N balcony. Pull up, turn right into the opening and jump across the gap. You can see a key on the other side of the window, but for now pull down the wall switch to close underwater doors somewhere and drain the canal. Safety drop from the W end to the boardwalk and drop down further into the dry canal bed.

Pull down the wall switch in the NE alcove to open a door, use the crate to jump to and grab the N ledge, climb the ladder and shift left to drop onto a still higher ledge. Grab the flares to your left and take a running jump with grab to land inside the E opening where the door opened. Lara will look to her right as she steps forward onto a column overlooking the next room. The two visible items are presently out of reach, so safety drop from the other end of the ledge to the lower ledge and from there to the floor.

There's a break in the column against the E wall that leads to a short passage. You can climb up there and get rid of two rats now if you wish, but there's a ladder at the end of the passage for which you need a key to open the trap door in the ceiling shaft. Return to the previous room and locate the pushblock near the S window. Push it S and E, then get up on it so you can activate the jump switch on the S side of the overhead bridge. The S gate opens, so go outside and prepare to do battle with a dog, a thug and a baddy who drops shotgun ammo. Avoid the central water hole, or it will drag you to a spinning fan and kill you.

Go through the opening near the SE corner and climb onto the row of blocks against the far wall. Jump N to grab the ladder, climb up to the ledge, go to the other end and take a running jump to grab the SW platform. Pull up for uzi ammo and safety drop to the floor. It has started to rain, so climb the E wall ladder, shift right and drop onto the balcony, go around the corner for flares and return. The area you can reach from the other end of the balcony is for later, so climb back down the ladder to the courtyard and go through the opening beyond the crates in the S wall.

Take the left path past the parked gondolas and come to a closed door in the E wall. Push the button to open it, enter and loop around left to a hallway. Pull down the wall switch at the right end to lift a gate for later and shoot the dog that immediately attacks. Exit to the boardwalk and turn left toward two red curtains. Go through either one into a huge room and shoot two thugs, one of whom is perched on an upper crate. Locate a pushblock near the SE corner beyond the stacked crates and move it onto the nearby dark tile (a trap door). Use the other crates to get to the top of the stack near the central column.

Take a long running jump NW down to the near corner of the crates stacked against the wall and push the button to open the trap door and drop the pushblock. Go there, drop down after it and go to the W floor hole and hop down for flares. Climb back out and pull the pushpiece in the E alcove once onto the pushblock. Climb out of the hole so you can drop down from the W edge to get behind the pushpiece. Push it three times W and the door to your right will open. Walk around the corner and jump over two trap door traps to come to a wall switch that opens nearby trap doors.

Go back, jump over the two spike pits and pull out of the floor hole into the main room. Run toward the W fall to find the newly opened trap doors with water down below. Don't jump in, but go back to the E crates and use them to make your way up to the top of the stack against the E wall and climb the pole there past the ceiling hole. Back flip into an attic with more crates and climb over the NW ones to find a crawl space. Crawl to another section of the attic, shoot two rats and stand at the edge of the floor hole. Locate the jump switch in the shaft and activate it to lower a rope.

You fall harmlessly into the water beneath the opened trap doors, so pull out into the E alcove, jump NW to grab the edge and pull up to the main room. Get to the top of the nearby stacked crates and save your game before taking a tricky running jump N to grab the lowered rope (it may help to hang from the crate, pull up and reverse roll before initiating the jump). Swing forward and jump off through the upper curtain to land on a balcony overlooking the canal.

Jump the ledges in a clockwise direction until you reach a plinth with a STONE RELIC (1 of 2). Go back the way you came to the main room with the crates, get back up to the topmost E crate with the pole and jump from there through the higher N red curtain and pick up the ELETRIC (sic) PIECE. Safety drop to the floor and go through the lower red curtain to the canal boardwalk. Go around right or left past the parked gondolas and get on the nearby crates. Turn to face the gondolas and take a curved running jump SW to grab the very bottom of the ladder over the arched opening.

Climb up to a passage and find a receptacle on the other side of the column. Place the Electric Piece to turn off that fan beneath you. Stand jump onto the top of the stacked crates, hop to the floor and jump into the central water hole that's now safe. Swim toward the dormant fan, turn right into the side passage and go down the ramp to an intersection. If you take the left path you'll wind up at a closed door, so turn right and swim N until you reach the first of two side passages. Turn left and left again to find an alcove with an air hole.

After taking a breath, swim across the passage into the N opening a bit to your left, loop around left into an alcove for another ELECTRIC PIECE and return to the previous passage.  Turn right and swim W until you reach an opening to your left that leads to a ceiling hole. Pull out and place the Electric Piece to shut down a second fan in this area. Jump back into the water and swim E, turn left past the grate and continue N past the dormant fan to an underwater lever that opens the door referred to earlier. Swim back S all the way to the wall, get air if needed, then go E to the wall and right and up the ramp to where the door opened. Swim into the fenced passage for the STONE RELIC (2 of 2), swim back down the ramp and into the opening on your right to return to the outside courtyard.

Go to the E wall and climb the ladder there. Shift left and drop onto the shorter portion of the balcony. Jump over the railing NW onto the red awning. Go to the other end, stand against the wall and take a running jump to grab the crack in the W column. Shimmy left around two corners and drop to a stone ledge next to an open window leading to the room with those two items you need. Go past the gate you lifted much earlier and jump onto the bridge with the jump switch. Place the Stone Relics in the wall receptacles on either end to lift another nearby gate.

Jump back to the outer window ledge, go to the other end and take a running jump SW over the railing onto the next balcony. Climb the W ladder, shift left and drop onto a platform. Turn around and take a running jump NE to a higher window ledge where the gate lifted. Walk inside, hop onto the platform and pull down the wall switch to lift a platform behind you. Go there via the window ledge and take a running jump to grab the jutting N ledge. Pull up and take the GOLDEN RELIC from the plinth. Jump over to the W ledge and pull up onto the block for the SILVER KEY you got a glimpse of much earlier from the other side.

Safety drop to the bridge below, run off onto the crate and go to the column break in the E wall where you may have shot a couple of rats earlier. If not, pull up into the opening and do so now. Go around left to find a receptacle for the Silver Key. The trap door blocking the ladder opens, so climb up to a rather empty room and push the button to open the N door for a short cut to the canal area you may need to use later. For now, go back around the ladder hole and up the ramp to a second story room. Push the button to open another N door and take the small medipack from the window opening. Go out onto the balcony for flares and return to the room.

Save your game in front of the W wall switch for a brief timed run. The timed door is on the other side of the canal, so when you pull the switch, don't wait for the cut scene to end but turn right and start sprinting out toward the balcony. Turn left and run off at the break in the railing to land on the boardwalk below. Continue to the end of the jetty where the gondola is parked and take a running jump over the water toward the timed doorway. You should be able to squeeze past just as the door is closing.

Climb the ladder in the W wall and back flip to an upper hallway. In the N wall is a closed door for which you need a key, so go through the S opening past a music room onto a balcony. Push the button to open doors somewhere and climb back down the ladder. Push the button two times to re-open the timed door, go out to the boardwalk and search frantically for those opened doors. Along the way you're likely to be accosted by two baddies who charged forth from those opened doors, which are located at the far NW corner of the canal area not far from where you began this level, in the alley on the other side of the crates.

Enter the E room and drop down the floor hole to your left past the piano. Pick up the BRONZE KEY on the raised slab and enter the E crawl space to find a wall switch that opens a trap door and releases a pushblock whose only purpose is to allow you to climb back through the floor hole. Exit to the boardwalk and follow it E to the opened N door. Go inside, climb the W ladder and back flip to the upper hallway. Use the Bronze Key to open the N door and enter a small room. Go through the red curtain onto a balcony and take a running jump S over the railing, curving left so you'll land on the awning sliding backwards. Grab the edge until you're over the first window.

Pull up and take a rolling back flip to grab the balcony behind you. Pull up, run to the other end and take a running jump to grab the next balcony. Pull up and go through the phantom curtain into a mirror room. If you go to the NE corner and look NW into the mirror, you can see a wall switch in the W wall next to the stereo. Go there and pull down the switch to open the floor trap door in front of the mirror. Safety drop into a water hole, note two closed underwater doors and pull out into a partially flooded room.

Grab the flares NE and locate the jump switch to the left of the W gate. Activate it to lift the gate and a quartet of blade traps. Side flip over each blade and when you enter the next room the gate shuts behind you. Vault up onto the central slab, and when you pick up the STONE RELIC you hear a trap door opening so you can jump into the water hole against the W wall. But first, go to the wooden tile at the NE corner and activate the E jump switch to open multiple gates. Jump into the water hole, swim down and follow the E passage to an underwater lever that opens one of the doors in the water hole you dropped down into.

Pull out into the hub room and run E past the first opened gate as the second one shuts behind you when you enter the next room. Vault up onto the central slab for a second STONE RELIC and note the closed trap door to your left. Stand in front of the E crawl and wait for two rats to come on through. Then crawl to the next room, back flip onto the corner slope and jump off to grab the column. Pull up and hop into the adjacent alcove with the wall switch that floods the room and causes the crate to float to the surface. Before leaving, swim past the crate to find a small opening at the NE corner where you'll find the SILVER KEY. Swim down the floor hole where the crate was and follow the passage to an underwater lever that opens a trap door in the shaft ahead.

Surface and pull out into a previous room. Get on the wooden platform to the left of the closed gate and pull up into a dark opening. Run to the other end and find the receptacle for your Silver Key. A door opens behind you, so follow the parallel passage to a button that opens another door behind you. Reverse roll, run to the ceiling opening and pull up into a crawl space that brings you on the other side back down to the hub room. Locate the jump switch to the left of the S gate. Activate it to lift the gate and go through the dark passage to a room with a grated floor and a central column.

There's a hole at the NE corner, so take a deep breath, jump in and swim down toward two floor holes. Go into the NE one (the one directly beneath the floor hole) and follow across the short connecting passage to the S ceiling hole. Swim straight up, dogleg around the column to your right as you near the top, locate and pull the N underwater lever. Swim back down into the floor hole, across to the N ceiling hole and swim straight up for air. Swim back down and this time go through the other (NW) floor hole. Swim S and straight up (ignoring the opening to your left)  past the ceiling hole. When you near the top, dogleg around to your right and pull a second underwater lever while facing N.

Swim back down through the floor hole. If you need air, as you probably do, swim across N and straight up past the ceiling hole to the ceiling and go to the right corner to surface at the floor hole. Swim back down through the NW floor hole and this time swim S and E and up a central shaft past the trap door that you opened by pulling the two underwater levers. When you reach the top, pull the ceiling switch, swim back down and at the bottom swim W and N before swimming straight up while angling to your right to surface at the NE floor hole. Pull out to find that the central column has lowered, allowing you to pick up the third and final STONE RELIC.

Exit N to the hub room, go across into the N passage and place the Stone Relics one at a time to lift the three gates. Enter the next room and take the second GOLDEN RELIC from the central plinth to flood the area. Swim down the floor hole you saw in the cut scene and follow S to an underwater lever that opens the door at the end of the passage. Surface and swim up the flooded shaft. Pull out into the mirror room you explored earlier 

Exit through the S curtain to a balcony, side flip over the railing into the canal, swim E past the jetty with the parked gondola and pull out N in front of the closed doors you noted at the beginning of the level. Place the Golden Relics to open the doors and enter a large room with three colored pushpieces. Look at the ceiling for clues to their proper placement: the red piece is where the green one should be, the blue piece is where the red one should be, and the green piece is where the blue one should be. Move them accordingly, and when you've completed this task the N doors will open.

Enter the next room, climb the SW ladder and back flip to an upper room with a glass floor. Go through the opening and take the SHOTGUN and the shotgun ammo from the plinths (yes, I know, this is only a demo). Return to the ladder and climb back down. Go to the opening in the central structure and step on the trap door, which will open and drop you onto a slope to end the level with a game crash.