trle.net ::: Level Reviews

Level:	The Lost Armor of Horus 2 - The Lost City
Author(s):	Binibe

total rating:	8.52	Gameplay & Puzzles	Enemies, Objects & Secrets	Atmosphere, Sound & Cameras	Lighting & Textures
	dmdibl	9	8	9	9
	eRIC	10	8	9	8
	EssGee	8	8	9	9
	eTux	8	8	9	8
	Gerty	8	8	8	8
	Jay	9	8	9	8
	Jose	8	8	9	9
	Kitkat	8	8	9	9
	Kristina	8	8	8	8
	MichaelP	10	9	9	9
	Mugs	8	8	9	9
	Phil	9	8	9	9
	category averages (12 reviews)	8.58	8.08	8.83	8.58

Reviewer's comments

"Absolutely amazing! At least I have to say that in hindsight. The first half hour of this 90 minute long adevture in and around an acient city I had to curse the author because I always felt I was running in circles or into dead ends. But the beauty of this level is how well connected it is and how things wonderfully begin to make sense over time. It is very solidly lit and textured with a mix of library, karnak and coastal elements and the exploration can be confusing as you need a good sense of orientation and some patience, but you will eventually be rewarded with the crowbar and the torch and a fun run with the torch through a big part of the whole level again. Enemies are thrown in intermittently to wake you up again (scorpions, eagles, bats, dogs and quite an array of ninjas in the second half). There are a few jumps that are bit on the tickier side, but this is more a thinking-level. I found one short cut with a tricky jump that got me up on the roofs and into another courtyard too early, but you immediately realize you have gone the wrong way. You need to go back into the level again at the very end to catch 2-3 of the secrets if you feel like it. A great experience - not to be missed!" - MichaelP (11-Nov-2008)

"Being pretty satisfied with the author's debut, I was compelled to see where the story would take Lara to next, so started this up soon after. While I was a bit disappointed that there's no obvious connection beyond the armor pieces being the prizes here, it's still a great level to play. I have to say in the end I felt somewhat conflicted about it, though - on one hand there are a lot of excellent moments here, mostly in shape of fun jump sequences, some neat puzzles, and a clever course for bringing the torch from it's underground starting location basically through the entire level to where you actually need to use it to get your prize, but on the other hand - most of the level is your sandbox pretty much from the word go and it can get extremely confusing and irritating just as soon, as it tends to be with non-linear gameplay. What I didn't find so frustrating here surprisingly was the start - as you could pretty much go anywhere and still find something significant to do, but it pays to get through here in as few tries as possible, as, for example, by the time you find the crowbar - I thought it was a stretch to expect the player to remember every opportunity for its application throughout the whole map, so getting stuck midway is one of the worst scenarios here. That's not to say that the author doesn't try to help though - there are a couple of helpful fly-by's and sequences indicating you might have to return to a previous area to progress, but it can (and most likely will) get confusing nonetheless. The looks are well done, and the setting and overall feel reminded me a lot of classics like 'Twilight City', 'The Last Crusade' & 'The City of Blezqi Zatsaz', and in fact I'd probably consider this a successful blend of all three. There's nothing overly memorable about the separate parts of the settings, and it's easy to reach the end of the world on a couple of occasions, but that's about as far as my criticism goes, as the selling point here really is the entire package and believable setting of the city, and that's done extremely well. Unfortunately I didn't find either of the 4 secrets, but I guess that's what those swinging balls were for I never managed to master. In a nutshell - it's an excellent, good looking city level to play, but due to its specific setup might get confusing and require a lot of patience from the player. Recommended!" - eTux (21-Jul-2008)

"There's a bit of irony in the level title - "Lost City". Indeed if you don't have your compass on you certainly will get lost in this city. It's beautifully constructed and interconnected. Although pretty much standard textures and objects have been used, this is a great looking map and lighting is very well used to add to it's great atmosphere. It truly does feel like you are exploring some forgotten ancient city. Gameplay includes some cleverly thought out puzzles, building to the final torch bearing quest which requires patience and thought. This is a level where you would do well to make notes of places visited, doors unopened and paths to get places, as there are many similar looking places to go and revisit before you'll bag your quest item. Harry's trusty walkthrough got me out of trouble quite a bit, as I found myself quite lost on a number of occasions. Nonetheless, a satisfying raid, and the geat atmosphere created makes you want to continue, even if you experience difficulties. A single level but good for a longish 'thinking man's raid'. Not a quickie." - EssGee (21-Dec-2007)

"This isn�t a level you can stop halfway and pick up a couple of days later as I found out. Rather confusing but in the end it made sense. It starts out pretty slowly but it will pick up the pace (and enemies) as you get your way around. Haven�t been able to get all the secrets, those are not the secrets as we all know, but shooting blue balls counts as secrets. I came at that point that when I finally had the Revolver and the Sight, I couldn�t be bothered to go back yet again through the whole level. For the rest this city looked very good and there is enough to do and see, to keep you occupied for a while. There are nice traps and some timed levers and I had a hard time with the one over pillars to get to a jump lever. I got lost too many times for my liking but I do have a lousy sense of direction." - Gerty (14-Nov-2007)

"Normally I don�t like Egyptian levels but somehow this one got my attention. I admit it confused me very much t first but once I got into the builder�s mind it wasn�t so hard to finish it. The areas are all linked with plenty of water to go around. There are enough enemies to shoot and kill like ninjas, scorpions and a few condors. Through the various areas with switches and levers you get on the roof top at some point after a timed run for a secret. The secrets are not the usual secrets we know, the player has to shoot four blue swinging balls but there are no pick ups as a reward and two of them did not break. The gameplay although a little unusual and somewhat complex is interesting therefore isn�t for inpatient players. There is one area, the one with the deadly water where Lara has to light her torch, which can be completed not as it was intended. There is no need to use the slopes after the spikes because you can just go back the way you came although I did it both ways just to be �legal�. The final prize is a piece of the armor after less than two hours of raiding." - Kristina (30-Aug-2007)

"This is a gorgeous looking coastal town; I thoroughly enjoyed my time wandering through its streets, canals and rooftops trying to figure out what to do and where to go next. A lot of exploring is needed to familiarise yourself with the town as it is quite large. And what are you looking for? Another piece of Horus� armour. {Which just begs the question: How much armour did this guy need? By now Lara must have found at least three full sets�} At first the level lulls you into a false sense of security: a bright coastal town with only a few enemies. Then things liven up: gangs of ninjas instead of solitary ones, timed runs and tricky jumps. Plus a rather interesting torch puzzle. Great fun. The only negative point is the secrets: you can see them from the beginning of the level but you are a stones throw from the end of the level when you acquire what you need to access the secrets and if you choose to you have to back track through the whole level to collect them. {I chose not to go back to collect them.} It is only a small niggle though and doesn�t really detract from the enjoyment of the level." - Kitkat (21-Aug-2007)

"The level is very very long and absolutely no-lineal; it makes the level very complex and I had to go back to the same places a lot of times 'cause I hadn't the items needed. Even so I liked this level. The city (a mix of coastal/library styles) is very big and well builded, well lightened and textured too. There are many dark areas but the author provide us a lot of packs of flares (good!). There are good puzzles too and tasks are not very difficult. However, there are some strange defects I found. Near the beginning to the left of the double square golden doors with the lever behind there is a shootable vase; behind it there is a solid wall I could trespass and get to the other side (?). I didn't need the two crystals to finish the game; when I used them and went into the sewers, at the end I climbed a ladder and there was a closed wooden trapdoor; I couldn't find a switch to open it so I had to reload a savegame, but even so I could finish the game (?). I think that the trapdoor was the one in the outside area near the double square golden doors with the lever behind but I already had been there at the beginning of the level (?) (I think that the path I followed was not the path the author thought for the normal gameplay of the adventure. I get the crowbar first and the torch later). I didn't like to get the revolver + sight at the very end of the level, 'cause after several hours playing the game it's tedious and bored to take the long ways back to the same places only to get the secrets I left behind. The last detail to pass over the water was very original." - Jos� (20-Aug-2007)

"Highly enjoyable play, with huge interlinked outdoor areas that can be viewed without clipping because the author has included a tomb4.exe (though why effects.bin was needed isn't clear). At first the sheer size of the level is a little intimidating, but it will later turn out that all your initial, seemingly haphazard wandering had a reason. The layout will turn out to be one gigantic torch puzzle. Soon the play will move along quite quickly. The beautiful detail and clever construction of the outdoor areas, where Lara can have some fun jumping about the roofs, is very well done. The interior designs are rather routine, though they don't really need to be any more than that. I'm not sure the author fully understands the common skills of most players. Lara can easily standjump to a pillar to press a button, without ever setting off the spikes that are triggered by the author's planned route. She can jump to a roof and down into an area to trigger the closing of a trap door [oops], which shuts off a route that was supposed to be followed after using two keys. And in one place if Lara jumped to a roof and shimmied she encountered a paper-thin stone wall, which was disconcerting. At the conclusion of the game Lara finds the revolver and the laser sight...to no purpose. Is Lara supposed to return through the level to get the secrets, which involve shooting blue spheres? But the first sphere can be shot with pistols. For the second secret Lara backs up to the water, diagonal to the blue sphere, looks up, and shoots it with the shotgun. The third secret involves a quick dash and some frantic jumping with pistols blazing. So the revolver and laser sight aren't needed; and besides, getting all three secrets doesn't open up a treasure room or anything. Having the secrets do something could have added to the level. But these minor faults are mostly quibbles. All in all a very pleasant outing, and hopefully a sign of things to come from the author." - dmdibl (19-Aug-2007)

"What a beautifully constructed city venue this is ! There is so much to explore - which may have proved to be the only real source of confusion that I experienced. I'm afraid the thin line between what was meant to be "legal space" versus "illegal" led me on many wild goose chases. Nevertheless, I loved the premise of finding the way to move the torch in order to light the various lamps to obtain the ultimate prize of armor. The enemies include dogs, ninjas, and scorpians. The gameplay is mostly sloped-block jumping with a few killer spike-traps thrown in. The choice of secrets was a little odd, but that's just my opinion. Will look forward to and enjoy this author's next production - no doubt about it !" - Mugs (11-Aug-2007)

"This is a fun-filled and well-lit level from the Olde School of Raiding, one that I enjoyed very much. There's nothing particularly new here, but that's not something I normally look for while I'm playing a level. The main ingredients to me are the attractiveness, the ability to get past traps and enemies, the challenge of finding what to do next without becoming frustrated in the process, and the continuing forward pace of the action. All of these categories get high marks here, and I passed the two-hour mark on my gameplay clock before accomplishing all the tasks covered in Harry Laudie's walkthrough. But unless you're a completist by nature, I'd suggest you skip the aggravation of going after the secrets, particularly the two at the end that require the combined laser sight and revolver (which in turn are obtainable only after you've done everything else and are ready to step into the exit trigger). You get nothing each time but the satisfaction of stopping a swinging blue ball in its tracks, and the two secrets just mentioned prolong your completion of the level by at least fifteen minutes (due to the need for extensive backtracking). Otherwise, this is a well-planned level, and the generous helping of puzzles would have had me stumped had it not been for the walkthrough. Play it for a reminder of what hooked you to Tomb Raider in the first place. Highly recommended." - Phil (08-Aug-2007)

"This is a very lovely city and there�s a great deal of it to explore. It�s a most intriguing level with initial searching and familiarising yourself with the various areas, hindered by a few dogs, vultures, scorpions and ninjas, and the second half of the game given over to an extended torch puzzle. It�s really well devised and finding the routes to get the torch to where you need to use it is great fun and definitely something a bit different. Even if the words �torch puzzle� tend to make you groan, I urge you to try this level. I really admired the meticulous way it all meshed together and was sorry when it came to an end." - Jay (25-Jul-2007)

"If you don't mind, let me first quote another player in the forum : "The author certainly knows how to build an interesting level". Oh , I do agree with this player. This is a very fine and achieved level in many aspects. And a long one, it took me almost 2 hours to complete it. In a city with many different areas, Lara is searching for another part of Horus' armour.I really like how this level is designed , letting you see other places that you can't reach yet. The beginning is rather slow at first and a bit uneventful as you are exploring here and there but later on , after the sewers and the flyby that shows the group of ninjas, it really began to be exciting and a bit more challenging. Everything then began to make sense. I enjoyed the blind jump over the water to find a button, the timed door, the 4 switches puzzle, the jump room, the challenges in the room where you have to light the torch , and the great flyby that shows a series of traps you have to master. I Also appreciated the movable statues puzzle with the hint on the wall. Actually there were things that did not make too much sense for me when I first explored these areas (the passageway with the 2 rising blocks and the undergroung passage with the 2 doors to leave your torch a moment and to get it back), but later on , with the torch in hand everything became clear and logical. Actually a good part of the map was designed for the purpose of the torch puzzle. The setting and texturing are good , a bit on the dark side , but you get plenty of flares. The magic passage over the water was a nice final touch. An excellent level !" - eRIC (21-Jul-2007)