THE CELTIC CAVES

Level by Nicholas Bryfogle

Walkthrough by José

[Note] No compass in this level so I’ll try to show the hints to proceed the best I can. [End note]

First Area

Advance and slide into the pit with the disks emitters, climb the opening to your right and in the room with the spiked wall pull the switch and quickly go outside back to the pit. The door is now open so continue to a large cave. Near the entrance climb the rocks in the right side and take a running jump to grab the face of the block (yes, it’s climbable) above the entrance to get a small medipack. Take note of the climbable texture for future indications in this walkthrough.

First Secret

Detour for a secret: go to the big cave just opposite the entrance and take a running jump to the left rocks and descend using the flatter surfaces until you find a sloped opening in a gray wall. Nothing to do here, so go to the opposite side (from the edge you can find a deep pit and spot broken columns and spikes at the bottom), climb the small block to your right, turn left and take a long running jump of faith to land onto a small gray ledge attached to the wall at the other side of the pit; from here turn left and take another running jump to the block at the top of the tall column. Now take a diagonal jump to the big surface in front of you (climbable) shimmy left to the very end and jump back to land onto a small ledge; from here take a long running jump to the next building (no grab) and go right to the corner before be caught by the moving spiked wall to get the SECRET #1 (It doesn’t appear in the inventory, but only in the statistics. An ancient Vase?)

Going Back Upside

To get back up go to the opening just opposite the vase and run off the edge to your left to land onto the tile with the large medipack, jump to grab the climbable wall (facing the deep pit with the large area below with broken columns and spikes) and go to the top. From here drop down from the left side, slide and climb the rocky ledges until you can take a running jump to the big opening where you came from when you decided to look for this secret (another unmarked climbable wall here when you take a running jump to that opening).

Second Secret

Once in the junction leading to the corridor with the disks emitters, turn right and advance a bit, shoot an eagle and if you’re interested in the next secret go through the opening to your left, at the end of the passage shoot another eagle and pick up the SECRET #2: a large medipack and another Vase. Go back down and turn left at the junction.

Going Down

In the next room shoot an eagle and continue following the only possible path until you reach an opening with a deep pit behind. Make your way to climb down the rocky ledges to the very bottom picking up shotgun shells and fighting with an eagle on your way down (no difficult). Once at the bottom of the pit shoot another eagle and explore this area to find shotgun shells and a small medipack; you’ll need to kill a couple of leopards too.

To the Big Cave

Run up the snowy steps to find another deep pit, go left to pick up more shotgun shells; nothing more to do in this area (spikes at the very bottom of the pit and a closed door at the opposite side) so take a running jump to the top of the pillar in the center, turn right and take another running jump to the building in the right side, pull two switches and quickly go back outside. Now that door is open. Go there to another big cave area.

In the Big Cave Area

Take a running jump to the ledge just in front of the entrance, walk a bit and take a standing jump to the next ledge, another jump straight ahead and turn left to climb a ladder; pick up the shotgun shells and the large medipack, roll and go to the top of the ladder, take a standing jump to grab the edge of the block in front of you, shimmy left, pull up, slide and jump in the last moment with a left curve to land in a safe small cave. Pick up 3 X shotgun shells, roll and approach to the abyss.

The Gold Key

Turn left and jump to the top of the block, take a running jump to the platform with the spikes and pick up the large medipack and the shotgun shells. Another deep pit in front of you, so turn around and take a running jump directly ahead to land onto a slope in the opposite wall; slide/grab the edge, shimmy right, go down the ladder, drop/grab the edge below and pull up into the niche. From this niche, take a running jump to the opening in the opposite side to get the Gold Key.

Room with the Frozen Surface

Take some steps forth and when you reach the deep pit turn a bit right and take a running jump with a right curve to land onto the top of the block in the right side, ignore the ladder to your right and take a running jump to grab the crack in the opposite snowy wall, shimmy all the way right until you can pull up and continue to a sort of “pool room” (frozen surface) where you’ll find a big spider. Pick up the large medipack and the flares and locate the climbable surface in the center of the wall, climb to the top (trough a phantom grate) and kill a leopard. Go to the opening where it came from and kill two more leopards. Continue to a room with a closed door.

Room with Fires

Nothing to do here at this moment, so go back to the previous room, safely drop into the dark pit and continue to a room with many fires. The rocky block in the center of the room is movable, so move it to the corner where the high switch is and pull it to turn off two fires, pull the switches above these fires to open a door somewhere. If you want a large medipack you can jump into one of the water holes near a wall. Go back to the dark bottom of the pit. Light a flare and look for the climbable texture (do you remember?) in a corner to your right to go up. Back in the room with the columns and the closed door, now it’s open.

Broken Bridge Room

Use the key to open the next door and continue following the only possible path until you reach a room with a wooden bridge. There’s no need to shoot the poor leopards, cross the bridge and continue clockwise until you find a broken wooden bridge, drop down and locate the movable block behind the lonely snowy pillar, pull it once to clear the way, shoot the leopard and pick up shotgun shells in the dark room. Go outside and look for a climbable surface to drop down into the middle of the pit, turn left and take a running jump to the niche with the switch, pull it to open a door somewhere. Go back up the way you came, jump to the other broken part of the bridge and continue until you reach a pit with giant spiders.

Last Secret

For the last secret: shoot the spiders from above if you can (drop/grab the edge to trigger them) and drop into the pit losing some health, go to the corridor with the columns to find another pit, take a running jump to cross to the other side (from the right side) and locate the climbable surface near the corner, go up and turn left to spot the secret vase; finally take a long running jump (no grab) from the right side to save this last pit and get the SECRET #3. The exit door automatically opens as you approach, so take a standing jump onto the slope to your right, slide and jump in last moment to land onto the rocky ledge at the bottom of the ladder you used before when pulling the last switch. Go back to the spiders pit.

Four Switches

Take a running jump to cross to the other side, advance and shoot two leopards, go left and drop to the very bottom. Turn left and look for a switch in this same wall a bit further, pull it (1 of 4) and go to the other side of this room with several spiked pits to find a closed door which needs two keys to be opened. Facing the door turn right and look for a nearby stone structure with sloped sides in the corner, from the tile between the slopes take a standing jump to land onto a flatter tile after the vertex and climb to a room with a movable block.

[Note:] I think it’s not the “legal” way to reach that higher room because in one of the walls (next to where you dropped) there is an opening you can climb with a wooden fence and a movable block; you can push the block twice and climb it to reach a room with 4 switches, pulling all four switches (or perhaps only three? I don’t know the hint because the omega signs over them are all equal) the door opens and you can access to that room with the movable block. [End note]

The Iron Key

Anyway, once in the room with the movable block, move it to the patterned tile near the border to get a camera shot of a key; climb the block, turn around and jump to the ladder, climb to the top, take a backflip with twist and grab, pull up and jump from pillar to pillar to finally get the Iron Key. Make your way to go back down to the room with the movable block.

Remaining Switches

Go outside first and turn left, advance to the corner and take a diagonal running jump to the ledge with the switch, pull it (2 of 4) and go back to the previous ledge. Several fires are gone at the top of the pillars so now you can jump to the high opposite ledge of the room with the movable block to pull a third switch (3 of 4). Make your way back to the ledge with the second switch and pull it up, now you can go to the pillars near the closed door with two keyholes and jump to the recess above to pull a fourth switch (4 of 4) to turn off all the fires at the top of the pillars.

First Sapphire Key

Now that all the fires are off go from pillar to pillar to the ledge with the third switch (3 of 4), jump to to the pillar in the corner (left when you’re facing the switch) and to the corridor with the closed door at the end; drop/grab the edge and shimmy left until you can pull up, go to the end of this corridor to find a keyhole and use the key to open the door in the previous corridor; go back there (shimmy right) and enter to fight with a stone enemy, at the back of the room pick up the first Sapphire Key (shoot another stone enemy).

Moving Wheels

Go back out, roll, drop/grab the edge and shimmy right until you can pull up, turn left and climb the block, climb the next block in front of you, turn left and take a long running jump to the platform behind the wooden fence losing some health. Move the movable block so you can get access to the high ledges where the moving wheels are. Time the rolling wheel and quickly jump and left to pull the first switch; drop/grab the edge and shimmy right to the initial pillar. Now time again the wheel, climb the ledge and take a running jump to the next ledge with another moving wheel, drop/grab the edge and shimmy right, pull up when you can and pull the second switch. Drop/grab the edge of the ledge and wait for the moment you can pull up and take a running jump to the ledge with the third moving wheel, shimmy right and time the wheel to pull up and pick up the shotgun shells.

Second Sapphire Key

Shimmy all the way left to the other side and time the wheel once more to pull up and turn around, jump to the ledge next to the spikes and climb up the ladder, shimmy right, pull up and time the next rolling wheels to get the second Sapphire Key. Take a running jump to the opening in the wall, jump over the moving blades, pick up the Vase at the end (another secret?) and drop down to find yourself in the room with 4 switches; go out to the bottom where the keyholes are and use the keys to open the exit door; shoot the Guardian of the Talion and when he dies the level ends.

February – 2 – 2024