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The Lost Ark by Merlin

Blue43 7 6 7 7
Ceamonks890 6 6 7 5
dmdibl 7 7 8 8
eRIC 7 6 7 6
eTux 6 6 6 5
Gerty 7 7 8 7
Jose 6 7 7 6
LuxQSD 6 6 7 7
manarch2 6 6 7 7
MichaelP 6 6 7 6
Nuri 6 8 7 7
Orbit Dream 7 7 8 7
Phil 7 6 7 7
Ryan 6 7 6 6
Torry 5 7 7 5
Treeble 5 5 7 7
vienna 7 7 8 7
 
release date: 23-Aug-2004
# of downloads: 78

average rating: 6.59
review count: 17
 
review this level

file size: 9.47 MB
file type: TR2
class: nc
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
tmerlin@boo.pl

Reviewer's comments
"A short romp through a greek/nordic style temple. It's a linear, laid back casual raid that doesn't task you with doing anything you haven't seen before. One would say it's a bit too easy. I do believe that the author was playing it safe since it's their debut level. Regardless, I can't say that the level is unenjoyable. The texturing is quite nice and progression feels fluid. The huge temple room was also a nice setpiece and the traversal segments were entertaining. There seems to be an issue where Lara's ponytail disappears and floats around behind her, which was funny to see. Also the final room opens without any keys being used which I think is a bug since the walkthrough says there's two more rooms to explore to get the keys. Above average adventure recommended for casual raiders." - LuxQSD (24-May-2022)
"Fairly simple little TR2 level of around 30 minutes which is pretty linear. Some reasonable jumping sequences and a mass attack by giant spiders. The final door opens without the key so that in itself is an issue. Nothing here that will tax the seasoned raider. Typical paper thin walls in this." - Torry (10-Jun-2018)
"Despite being a TR2 custom level, for the most part this level felt like a TR4 level - possibly because of Coastal Ruins texutres and a handful TR4 objects spread out. Another fairly simple raid but with some nice moments, such as the temple exterior and the main temple area, shame it was mostly empty though. A couple of platforming/trap series to get you on your way to eventually reach the fabled ark itself. 25 minutes, 1 secret. 05/17" - Treeble (28-May-2017)
"Nice level from year 2004. I liked levels brightness and textures are also great. Puzzles are basic, no hard to solve. Great example of TR2-level for other level builders. Recommendable for TR2-fans!" - vienna (19-Mar-2017)
"An occasional TR2 level is okay for a change of pace, and The Lost Ark provides a decent diversion of nearly an hour. You need to look out for spiders and spike traps, but for the most part everything is quite linear. A cumbersome one-paragraph walkthrough has been provided by Henk Eland, a writer with whom I'm not familiar. When you finally stumble across the Lost Ark, the level ends as you approach it. There are nice platforming and jumping exercises. Lighting is good, as is typical of most TR2 levels." - Phil (29-Aug-2016)
"Sorry, but I didn't really enjoy this one. It just seemed TOO easy. The vultures at the start seemed to fly about in circles, the traps were easily passable, there were hardly any puzzles and Lara's ponytail seemed to disappear at certain points (vaguely amusing). Oh, well. Lara does manage to locate the Lost Ark of the title, so at least she managed to salvage the day :)." - Ryan (25-Aug-2016)
"This is a short level with a few enemies(I think there were only spiders) to kill. Lara is searching for a lost ark (as the name of the level reveals XD)..." - Nuri (23-Aug-2015)
"A rather straightforward release that isn't too bad for a debut, where we find ourselves seeking out the Ark of the Covenant in a random temple(despite a certain American archaeologist already having done so in the past), dodging deadly traps and eradicating loads of spiders before the job is done. Despite a promising start however, gameplay is disappointingly linear, with plenty of empty rooms which contain monotonous texturing, passable lighting, barely any decorative objects and a few glitches(such as a door trigger which will activate even if you don't use the key or a particular room where Lara's braid suddenly disappears for no discernible reason). Still, if you're looking for a level that isn't too complex, than this one will most certainly do the job for you. But don't go in expecting a completely immersive experience and you shouldn't find yourself too disappointed with it in the end." - Ceamonks890 (31-Aug-2014)
"This TR2 level has some defects in the design and in the gameplay. In the starting room you can drop from a side and reach the end of the world; you can't go up (reload); in the final room where you have to use two keys I didn't need to use any key (???). The rooms are huge and empty, with few objects, no human enemies, I often missed cameras when doing something. The puzzle with several switches to stop fires was interesting, and the gameplay is not bad at all. Texturization is monotonous, but also not very bad. I noticed lights were worked, but even so some rooms are too bright. Playable anyway." - Jose (11-Oct-2013)
"The initial area promised a nice looking (if you don't try to peer too far beyond the presented illusion) temple exterior, so I was hoping to get more of that somewhere down the way. Instead, most of this 20+ minute level is spent underground passing linearly through a serious of chambers till you find the titular ark. I have to admit being disappointed a little bit by this, but I suppose it fits the natural flow of the game. For most part the game is straightforward enough to not be overwhelming, and you get a bit of variety with the regular-key hunts, some (thankfully not too much) block pushing, draining a room, evading traps, and fighting enemies of all sizes. The only hiccup I (and seemingly everyone else who's reviewed the level) encountered was near the end, where Lara merely said a stern 'No!' when I tried to use the keys I had collected, but the door to the ark opened anyway. In addition to this oddity, Lara's ponytail somehow got sucked into an adjacent dimension, but if you start the level knowing about these quirks you're equipped to handle all it can throw at you. The lighting is overall put to decent use, but I found that the textures didn't mix too well and the room geometry was a bit too blockish to be fully attractive. Still, it's a decent level to try, especially if you're not in the mood for anything complicated. Found only the Golden dragon secret." - eTux (20-Oct-2012)
"This one did not work so well for me. It is a fairly linear 30 minute raid and the tasks are straighforward and pleasant enough, but somehow it never really managed to catch my interest. You get a few traps to manage and the spike room with collapsible tiles looked kind of nice, but the texture choice was a bit patchy and lighting was often brutally switching from one room being very dark to an adjacent room being totally bright. At the end something seems to be screwed up with the keys somehow, but I managed to get to the Ark and the finish trigger nonetheless. A solid little level and maybe you will enjoy it more than I did." - MichaelP (30-Aug-2010)
"The gameplay in this level is rather straightforward, but there were many different obstacles, the enemies were a real challenge and the atmosphere was nice. The textures are outstanding here and I liked them so much. At the beginning you seem to be on a platform somewhere in the sky which wasn't good. But this is a real highlight in TR2 custom level history." - manarch2 (05-Aug-2010)
"A straightforward raid with nothing complicated, but that always offers an entertaining progression with various things to do. The enemies are not of the big species except for a few big spiders that can be killed from safe distance. The setting is quite okay with mainly a mix of TR4 and TR2 textures with a few more. At the end , there is a couple of places that do not work the intended way , as you don't need some of the keys to open doors but you don't miss a lot , so it is not a big technical issue. A pleasant level. [29 minutes]" - eRIC (11-May-2010)
"I rather enjoyed this adventure. Couple of bugs and some real ones. 4 giant spiders at once! Nice game play and good atmosphere. Contains collapsing tiles over spikes, boulder trap, burners and some good jumping - everything a TR2 level needs. Well done." - Blue43 (19-Mar-2010)
"Nice little adventure and in here, you are looking for the Lost Ark. There are some nice traps in here and at a certain moment you have to battle four (yes four) giant spiders. Encountered some bugs as well, as I jumped to avoid the spikes, Lara fell in and had no harm done whatsoever. Also the last Key, the door just opened for me, by standing in front of the key lock. But do go and look for the Keys as that is just a tad more fun. But apart from that it is a nice level, just what you can do in between all the bigger ones." - Gerty (18-Feb-2010)
"I was familiar with the author's spooky and fun TR3 "The Call of Cthulhu." This TR2 level is better in its design work, and it has varied lighting, including heavy shadows, which one usually expects in TR4 but not in unofficial levels. A solid and short straightforward adventure, with Lara encountering lots of spiders, both little ones and giant spiders that gang up on her. Experienced players may find traps easy to circumvent, but it's fun not to question too much. I did find a bug near the end, but it doesn't affect game play. Lara stands in front of the last two keyholes before the Lost Ark room, and tries to use the keys. In my game, whether of not Lara has the keys, Lara says "No," but then the corresponding door opens as if Lara used the key. This isn't mentioned in the walkthrough, so maybe it was a fluke, but Lara can get both keys and proceed through to the final area without problems. Rather brief, but what is here is well done and engaging." - dmdibl (16-Feb-2010)
"For the most part,this was a totally absorbing,well-built and enjoyable adventure.Although perfectly linear,each succesive room was well designed,dark (but never oppresively so),deeply atmospheric and contained either a nicely devised trap or a nasty enemy (and sometimes both.) Although shadows were applied too liberally,the resultant environment was surprisingly creepy and suspenseful and the gameplay was moving grippingly along at full throttle until the penultimate room,where the 'find two keys to unlock the Final Door' puzzle was spoilt by having the door inexplicably open without having to place the second key - leaving one room tantalisingly unexplored.The opening outside area was grand,but didn't hold up to close inspection;while a spike pit jumping challenge could easily be avoided simply by walking slowly through them. If you can overlook these faults then the resultant level is hugely enjoyable and well-balanced.A highly entertaining raid." - Orbit Dream (29-Jan-2010)