| Reviewer's comments |
"A true jungle adventure with good atmosphere that plays in rather intricate areas. The
progression needs a bit of observation and thinking. Some challenging bits but its' easier
than what it seems. It was great to have some Shivas in the ending sections. Despite some
required backtracking, a level that is always interesting to go through." - eRIC (03-Jul-2023) |
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| "An entertaining jungle level in the style of
TR3's India, even the Shivas have made a return
(as in TR3, don't shoot when they have their
swords crossed for protection)! Thankfully,
you'll find the shotgun early, so defending
yourself shouldn't be a problem. I enjoyed
clambering around on the treetops in search of
three gems, as well as avoiding devious traps
and using the torch. I really enjoyed myself
here." - Ryan (06-Nov-2016) |
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| "This is a jungle level with a very good design. It's a no-lineal level. It's no more difficult; if you explore carefully all areas, you can finish the level without problems. The textures are well known: TR3 jungle levels. Architecture is good. There are few enemies but well placed. I've only find two weapons (shotgun and uzis), two secrets and many few ammo and items, but enough to finish the level. Don't waste medipacks! I've only find two or three along the entire level. Lights are correct, and few switches too (I like this). I haven't found no important bugs. The only thing I didn't like is that you can reach after much work to the room with the three statues without the three blue gems, and in this case you have to go back. Recommended." - Jose (20-Apr-2012) |
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| "I'm playing these older levels in order of their ranking, and it just so happened that I drew two jungle levels in a row. The previous one was "Little Escape from Cambodia," and Indus Valley is cut from the same cloth. It's a raid of about an hour, and the level of difficulty seemed a bit higher than in Cambodia. There's a segment in a room with pillars that required several limb-stretching jumps, but if you know the pull-up-and-roll trick you can make them without difficulty. The gameplay was marred by too much required backtracking (one sequence involving going back with a lit torch), noted by Jose almost as an apology in his walkthrough. Lighting was good, however, and I enjoyed myself here. It's now time to get out of the jungle, however." - Phil (12-Nov-2011) |
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| "In this jungle level with exploratory game play Lara gets to climb trees in good old TR3 fashion. I found the game play entertaining although there is quite a bit of backtracking and several areas have to be visited multiple times. I checked a couple of times with the walkthrough, which I found helpful, as this level is the opposite of straightforward. There was some precise jumping needed at times, so the level wasn't too easy but there weren't any areas that cause real problems. The level has no puzzles but a fair amount of traps - lots of boulders, rotating blades, spikes and burners. The atmosphere was very jungle like with they typical sounds and there were a couple of helpful camera hints and also a few flybys. On the enemy side Lara encountered birds, skeletons, wild pigs, crocs and several easy to kill Shivas. The texturing looked pretty clean and the level was well lit. This was a pleasure to play and although being an old school level from the earlier days of TRLE it was still a nice treat. If you are in the mood for a good old jungle level, this one is an excellent choice. (50 min, 3 secrets found)" - Blue43 (09-Feb-2011) |
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| "Non-linear outdoor levels are the hardest to design and construct. Not only do you have to work very hard to ensure that the player never gets to places they shouldn't, but the non-linearity itself can lead to all sorts of problems if the player fails to go to all the places intended by the builder. In this instance, the level builder succeeds magnificently in avoiding both of these circumstances by constructing a large and fully explorable jungle environment which never once leads to design problems (and which looks as authentic as was possible with the original LE)and ,most importantly, always allowing the player to return to previously visited areas should they happen to overlook an important pick-up (and guess what I did? ) The end result is a clearly well-planned adventure, painstakingly constructed. As far as gameplay goes, there's a little bit of almost everything thrown into the mix, and plenty of examples of good creativity. Texturing is immaculate and cameras have been used generally helpfully (although a few indications that three and not two gems were necessary for forward progression would have been helpful in advance).Lighting left a little to be desired, however. Although by no means neglected, the lack of evocative and creative lighting in the jungle itself prevented the creation of a suitably potent atmosphere - a few shadows behind trees and shafts of light piercing the overhead foliage would have added a lot to the overall experience. Nonetheless, those who enjoy completely non-linear exploration peppered with a decent supply of enemies, numerous traps and jumping challenges should enjoy this thoroughly. A big 'thumbs up'." - Orbit Dream (06-Oct-2010) |
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| "A rather easy and short raid with still enough obstacles to overcome in indian jungles and temples for wich I have a soft spot. The beginning made me wonder who was the first to use the Alien soundtrack for custom levels, once again it fits well. Gameplay is standard, the most fun for me were the spikes and boulders and I always enjoy climbing trees. It is easy to miss the shotgun and enemies (skeletons) thus get more challenging but do not stop Lara. And of course Shivas (OK, Kalis) who are also among my favourites. You need to kill them though because one of them should drop a key, so the first time around with me letting the Shivas live I did a lot unnecessary re-searching the level until I had enough of this constant screenshaking caused by the Shivas and only then found the key. Athmosphere, sound and cameras are the strongest part here imo, I really liked some hinting fixed cameras for climbable treetrunks or showing shimmycracks without being all blatant. One odd static flyby in a moment when a shiva attacks struck me as a bad idea though. The lighting I liked most in the outside areas, all this green-golden-ish textures and lights gave a good sunny day filtered by the canopee impression. I recommend this to any fans of india levels, beginners included." - snork (23-Jun-2008) |
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| "Unfortunately these days I am not able to play as many custom levels as I used to or I hoped, but I'm glad the Raiding Party at Lara's Home is still going strong. In comparison to some of the levels we've played in the past, this one was on the easy side -- though I've found myself stuck in a few spots. I like the way these jungle and temple environments complement each other, creating a convincing setting and abusing of audio tracks and background music, making it an even better experience. The subtle hints for the crystals were nice, but there was quite a lot of backtracking for me as it was easy to overlook bits here and there. The monkeys using Lara's voice were funny (and since the first one that popped up was well hidden in a canopy, I wondered what the heck was going on until I finlly spoted it). 50 minutes, 2 secrets. 06/08 LHRP" - Treeble (22-Jun-2008) |
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| "A solid jungle level, very reminiscent of the TR3 India levels. The level has some well constructed jungle and temple areas. Texture application is quite good, but certainly could have had more attention paid to detail. The lighting has a suitable green tinge to it and together create quite a good atmosphere. The level includes a couple of good flybys and soundtracks. Mostly the gameplay makes sense, but you may get caught out like I did and miss one of the gems, which requires some tedious backtracking. Pay attention to objects that you see but can't necessarily use immediately. Remember these and all will make sense in the end. I enjoyed my time in this level." - EssGee (21-Jun-2008) |
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| "Another nice little jungle level. The story goes that Lara discovers stories of a powerful artefact called the 'idol of durga'" legend say it possesses the power of life and death. It is located in a secret room hidden in the jungle. It used to be placed in the centre of the temples for people to worship long ago. About 5 years ago rumours spread that the bodies of the long dead have risen and are once again walking among the baths. Noone knows how or why the dead are back and whether the idol has anything to do with it. After hearing this Lara sets out to claim the idol and return things to normal. The level is very similar to both TR3's jungle and Temple Ruins. There are quite a few traps avoid that can be tricky. And some clever puzzles you need to use keys and levers to access a torch needed to open the final door to the idol not so simple as you have to jump across trees. There are a fair few enemies skeletons crocs and shivas. There is a tough part with the shivas you place 3 stones and they come to life right behind you! The toughest trap I thought was in a room with a slope and boulders flame emitters and a door at the top. You need to reach it but some squares set off the boulders and have fire coming out. Another was a room with a spike floor. There is quite a bit of climbing to do over the trees to reach new areas I got stuck a few times and needed the walkthrough. Other than that a fun little level. Play it!" - Aims (04-Jun-2004) |
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| "It can't be easy to build such a realistic looking jungle so it's obvious a lot of work went into building Indus Valley. This is one of the best I've seen so far and surpasses at times even the original jungle levels of TR 3 with it's many trees to climb a river with a natural bridge and other small pools of water and many areas to explore including some that aren't so easy to get to. Your objective is to collect a number of small gems which you need to collect the real prize - The Sun Goddess - which is being guarded by a number of Shivas and some great traps like the waterfall you have to climb up that has been booby trapped with flames and boulders plus a huge room filled with deadly water and difficult jumping that will have you reloading at least once I'm sure. There are also some spike traps with a pesky skeleton that tries to push you into the spikes deadly boulder traps fire traps crocs - it seems like whoever built this magical place does not want you to find their precious Sun Goddess and take it away. For me this was the perfect blend of exploration and puzzle solving and was a lot of fun to play." - RaiderGirl (30-Oct-2003) |
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| "This is a lush beautiful jungle setting with some really fun bouncing about in the treetops to enjoy. It takes a lot of exploring and it's easy to miss things. Most of the water is safe to go into although you might want to de-crocodile it first. You'll get plenty of exercise jumping and climbing avoiding spikes boulders and slicer dicers. I particularly liked the cascade/flame/boulder sequence and the torch puzzle took a bit of concentration. Enemies are crocodiles vultures skeletons (but you get the shotgun nice and early so no problems there) and Shivas. There are four Shiva's crystals and a key or two to collect and the final artefact is the Idol of Durga. I only found one secret and since I never did get the uzi I suspect that was secret number two. 20.10.2003" - Jay (21-Oct-2003) |
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| "A fun jungle level with a couple of good jumps and fun sequences involving every bit of the environment around you. The looks are great even if the textures could've been applied more accurately and the author could've made more use of the possibilities of the lighting effects - nevertheless very well done was nice to look at while playing. The tasks are fine too even if I completely missed the Key of Kali the last Shiva dropped and had to go through the flame/boulder waterfall dangerous water area again to get it. No serious bugs - just the weird lines at the shotgun in the inventory - and Lara's 'clone' appearing before entering the room atop the dangerous water area. Found 2 secrets along the way. Well worth a try - 40 to 60 minutes of fun guaranteed." - eTux (18-Oct-2003) |
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| "I'm not sure why this is named after the Indus Valley or any kind of Baths - doesn't seem to resemble either. It's a jungle setting and a pretty standard one. There are traps and climbing rooms to get through and such. The best challenge was making in back across most of the main area while carrying a torch - that part was fun. Not many med packs for a lot of traps and enemies. The author clearly spent a lot of time on this and the community should be grateful for such dedication." - Duncan (18-Oct-2003) |
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| "I'm not really a fan of jungle levels but this one is nice. First you have to find three shiva-crystals not as easy as it sounds then light a torch and with the torch you have to light a basket in the trees. I had a lot of trouble to get in the trees with the burning torch and needed specific directions (thanks Michael) but I was not the only one. There are some monkeys around no need to shoot them a few boars (or was it just one?) crocs very annoying skeletons and some statues coming to life. A very nice level have fun." - Josi (16-Oct-2003) |
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| "I really enjoyed this jungle level. Both the gameplay and the surroundings! The mission is to find the Idol of Durga that is disturbing the peace in the city of Harappa making the dead walk again and such things. You have to find three gems and two keys to be able to put your hands in the Idol. On the way you have to avoid traps and fight Shivas among other things. And when you get the torch - find out where to light it and where to use it! The jungle is really good looking and you come back to the center area several times but I didn't mind that I just enjoyed the beautiful scenery!" - G.Croft (15-Oct-2003) |
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| "Well jungle levels are amongst my favorites... This is a simple level not too sophisticated but very nice to play. I only found one secret and I suppose that should be it - or else other secrets were very carefully hidden. Apart from very few annoying but harmless bugs (see what happens to the shotgun in the inventory after you pick it up) I truly enjoyed it. Even the middle part with all those never ending traps lol... There's a lot of jumping from branch to branch and a couple of monkeys whom I decided would be better off dead since I was unfairly bitten by them! The medipacks are not abundant (I guess that's already a tendency now) but you can make do with what you have. The player must find a key and then three gems and then fight three Shivas among fires (fortunately they died easily) and then another key and a torch. It's easy to find where one can light it - harder to discover what to light with it. So there we go from branch to branch once more... Then there is a statue which may be for the second Indus Valley level - or not - since I heard Chris was starting a continuation two more than harmless Shivas and a final gem to end the level. Don't be fooled by the simplicity of this description... You may have to put your brain to work here and there which is what we all like doing right? And it can be nice when a level isn't desperating can't it? So... All in all a very enjoyable jungle level for jungle levels fans with very pretty settings and an adventure awaiting for you. Download it and you'll spend some quality TR time." - Jorge22 (15-Oct-2003) |
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| "Wow! The most improved level builder of the month award clearly goes to Chris-Craig and we can only hope he will be giving us another one. I simply loved it. One hour of pure Jungle/India fun starting from the very nicely done introductory flyby the added music the high attention to detail in creating the architecture the hopping around the trees to find three gems - and later hopping around the trees with a torch in hand - smartly done. The waterfalls are used very well lighting and texturing is very solid and did I say it is a great environment to explore in? You get a modest amount of the usual suspects in terms of traps and enemies: spikes slicer dicers boulders burners vultures warthogs crocodiles monkeys shivas and very efficiently placed skeletons. The room with the deadly water had a few nice jumps to master and I found two secrets (Uzi ammo and Uzi). At the end you pick up the small Sun Goddess right in front of the big one and make your quick escape. This ending is really crying out loud for a sequel so get to work Chris-Craig. Well done this one." - Michael (12-Oct-2003) |
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| "This level has a texture like that in the Indian levels from TR3. You have to find 3 Shiva Crystals for getting a torch. You can light a bulb with it so finally you will get your objective: the Idol of Durga. I don't understand the reason of Lara never has some kind of lighter or matches it would be more simple. :-) Or she should have taken the torch in her backpack and swam out with it. :-) You must get 2 keys one of them from a Shiva. Unfortunately I missed one of the Crystals so I must get back for it from the Shivas to the top of the trees. :-) There are numerous spikes poisoned water rolling stones fire blowers and rolling blades and the enemies are vultures crocodiles skeletons wild-boars monkeys and the Shivas familiar from the TR3. I found 2 Secrets and I got the Uzi and Shotgun too. The added sounds and the textures are great. It was a superb adventure." - Obig (12-Oct-2003) |
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| "A Jungle level I love those and so I wasn't disappointed at all. Do read the readme the author includes as there is a nice little rhyme with some clues. Jumping everywhere possible in hunt for 3 gems. Enemies here are some vultures crocs monkey (one bit Lara) skeletons and Shivas. There are some traps and the one with the spikes had me reloading a couple of times but once you figure it out it is not that hard. There is also some deadly water you have to cross and skeletons that might hinder you. But if you are lucky you'll get the shotgun and I liked that weapon the best for them. One skeleton fell off of one of those platforms just in plain sight that was hilarious to watch though. Getting a couple of keys and a torch will let you pick up the Idol of Durga and with that in her backpack Lara left for another adventure. It was over before I knew it so make us another one Chris as this was a great level. Only found 1 secret. 09-10-2003" - Gerty (11-Oct-2003) |
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| "A jungle level nicely done and better than the previous one. Your goal is to find four gems from which two are outside and one inside requiring a few jumps and climbing to access it so that you can get the Sun Goddess. The enemies are condors crocodiles skeletons and shivas with the shotgun coming too late at least for me as I had already passed from the spikes and pole room. One torch puzzle fairly easy and that's about it. I admit it doesn't have complex puzzles or custom objects but it is fun to play and I particularly liked walking-jumping on the trees. Forty five minutes of game play and one secret found which was very obvious. Play it you won't regret it." - Kristina (11-Oct-2003) |
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| "What a major vast improvement from Chris' first and he should be extremely proud. This time you've found yourself in the hot jungles of India where you are on the hunt for the Idol of Durga to collect this idol you must first find 3 Shiva's crystals then place them which also awakens 3 very unhappy Shiva's but be careful how you kill them as one may drop a vital object and you don't want it to land in the fire that rages around. This will lead you to an unlit torch where you have to first find a place to light it and then find something to light with it this will unveil the resting place of the Idol but be careful as the Shiva's that guard it will not take kindly to you stealing it from their midst so take care of them again carefully and end the level with at least 2 secrets in your backpack. I really enjoyed the initial non linear feel with many ways to go just be careful you don't take the wrong way as it will lead to a bit of backtracking to find some things that involved tree climbing and exploration the traps that seemed to infest most of the middle of the level were also really well placed and I loved the boulder dropping fire laden slope you have to ascend as well as the sometimes tricky platform jumping around the deadly water based room. I don't know though if it's because I am really partial to jungle levels but I had so much fun in this 50 minute level and like a certain percentage of the levels I was really disappointed it ended so soon. Keep it up Chris!" - Sash (10-Oct-2003) |
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