| Reviewer's comments |
"It's a level that starts out quite nicely, with some areas reminding me of the first level
of TR1 (some of them are almost the same with some modifications). But then it became like
an exercise of finding and pulling levers, and most of the time one couldn't tell what they
did. I think the only enemies I found were skeletons, although they're quickly taken care of
as soon as you find the crossbow, and other weapons you'll find too. I think some objects
could've counted as secrets, but they were never registered; I don't think there were any
secrets at all (or maybe that's just silly me who didn't find them!). One thing is for sure,
though: you will (hopefully) never run out of shotgun ammo in this level." - alan (27-Nov-2022) |
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| "A very beautiful level, even by today's standards. And this is about all you can say about
it! The gameplay consists of pulling levers and opening doors and killing skeletons with the
early acquired crossbow. The environment uses the Peru caves textures which is my most
preferred TR location and it is well crafted and it took me less than one hour to reach the
final location where the gameplay gets really bad. Enormous backtracking between two areas
where you meet very unwilling to die wraiths and easy to dispose of skeletons, one lever
showed me one door opening but I found it closed (or didn't find it), went there in an
unintended way, still couldn't reach the final two levers and after another 40 min I decided
to go there doing the unintended jump I had seen upon entering this area! If there were any
secrets, I didn't find any. Since it is an extremely easy level, I would recommend it for
absolute beginners to classic TR in order to get acquainted with manoeuvring Lara." - billie2001 (02-Aug-2022) |
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| "Such an underrated greatness! A 254 rooms level! In 2001!
Lasts more than an hour! What else you want from such a
great level which I ... 'some varied gameplay!', what did
you just said?
Mh, that voice is right indeed, this level's doom is its
gameplay! It's not that atrocious, despite being fairly
repetitive ... such a shame! VoodooKiller could became one
of the greatest level builder if just he would have
continued ...
In any case this level is worth playing for its great
atmosphere and its great texturing. Recommended. Wolfy
Regards." - Wolf7 (28-Jan-2019) |
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| "Personally, I enjoyed this stunning debut. Despite of the
age of the author himself, it was an amazing level.
Gameplay was alright, objects were cunningly placed, and
above all, atmosphere, lighting and textures were designed
in a very nice way, which stimulated the player to play to
the end of this expedition. Thanks a lot!" - Mehrbod (16-Dec-2018) |
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| "This is undoubtedly a stunning looking
level for its age. The architecture,
design and texturing of the rooms is
extremely beautiful and evokes the
atmosphere of the TR1 original level
brilliantly. Unfortunately the gameplay
side of things doesn't measure up to the
visuals. Using one lever after another and
backtracking various routes to find the
respective open door got really wearying
after a while and in a game as long as
this only makes you want to end it
quicker. Not an enjoyable experience for
me, but it looks great." - Ryan (08-Dec-2018) |
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| "This is a splendid looking level - very well made, large and imposing. Gameplay wise, it falls down a bit however. The pace is lively and you can certainly have fun blowing up skeletons as you get plenty of explosive crossbow bolts. Unfortunately, it all turns into a bit of a lever throwing exercise as you charge from room to room. There's a bit of swimming etc., but no puzzles or timed runs and it feels a bit dull after a while. This builder only made two levels and I would really like to have seen more of his work, especially if the gameplay perked up a bit, as visually it's amazingly good." - Jay (30-Aug-2016) |
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| "I am a bit disappointed, because this level is very good
looking, has a good map design and architecture and still
is on the boring side. When the level began I thought now
this will be loads of fun. All the atmosphere drops after
a good first 10 minutes and the realistic environment to
explore and beautiful camera work didn't really balance up
the entertainment. I don't know, maybe the builder wished
to remain true to the spirit of Caves of TR1 as it is
uneventful, too. There are not much things to do, find a
lever close by, open a door, find a gem and use it, and
this repeats till the end. And if you add the fact that
this is a long level, you can see what I mean. Some
puzzles or traps would be fitting to spice it up. The
enemies in the level are skeletons but I've found loads of
explosives so that did not help it, too. There are no
secrets unless I couldn't find one, but there was a well
put crossbow to find before the obvious one. Anyway, this
level would still be very good for beginners or for one
who wouldn't mind the switch pulling type gameplays." - Nomad (15-Feb-2016) |
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| "This is a great looking level; the Peru textures are well used and the
lighting is interesting (though I think the ambience is a bit dark at
times). It's actually a pseudo-remake of Caves with the same overall
structure but much more in between. A couple of the object uses
don't work so well though (like inactive floating Wraiths).
Unfortunately the gameplay doesn't really improve on the more
tedious parts of the author's first map; it's mostly running around
large rooms doing basic tasks and throwing levers, and, at the end,
there's a super-tedious task where you're supposed to backtrack
between two areas several times (though there's thankfully a
shortcut to cut out one trip), which again leaves a not-great final
impression. It's unfortunate the author stopped making levels after
this because they could have made some great future works if they
put more interesting gameplay into the visually strong levels they
make." - Mman (11-Oct-2015) |
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| "This is a super nice level and very large level with mainly TR1 textures and lots of connected rooms (the author's notes say 260). It is a very complex level but not so, that one will get lost all the time. I had the walkthrough at hand but to my amazement I didn't have to look for directions a single time. The game play flows really well and consists mainly of switch pulling, which some might find boring, but I would rather call it relaxing. There are hardly any enemies, except for a couple of skeletons, but there are tons of pickups and weapons. The atmosphere and lighting/texturing in this level is stunningly beautiful. There are plenty of flares, but not many are needed, as only a few corners are really dark. It is simple and not overly decorated with plants and other stuff, but the lighting and room geometry make it so beautiful. The level is not challenging at all, no complicated puzzles, no timed runs or difficult jumping. I would highly recommend it to a beginning raider, but because of its design and looks, I think everybody (specially those who love TR1 style) should play this level. Unlike many other older levels, this one does not have a dated look or feel to it and is still great in today's world of TRNG stuff. From a viewpoint of map design, lighting and texturing this level is definitely a gem. 2 thumbs up!" - Blue43 (07-Aug-2010) |
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| "What a nice setting this level offers! Room construction and texturing are so well made. Unfortunately the level is not as good and enjoyable gameplay-wise. It is such a big map and there is so much potential for the one or other puzzle, but apart from shooting a couple of skeletons and avoiding some wraiths it's only running through on the search for switches and a few gems, including a lot of backtracking especially in the last third of the level. This became rather tedious in the end, the more so because it all lasts about 2 hours. I found a shortcut to skip a part of this (the ledge with those last two levers can be reached from the nearby greenery ledge), but nevertheless played it all in the right order as it was intended by the builder. Also I missed some more camera hints, and some audio files thrown in here and there could have enhanced the atmosphere." - Jerry (26-Nov-2009) |
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| "I was really surprised to see how good this game is visually. TR1-Peru textures are used skillfully and room geometry is clearly much better than it's in majority of custom levels. A factor which dectracts from the quality of this game is gameplay which contains almost solely activating switches that open doors to new areas. I would have liked to solve at least few interesting puzzles or jumping tasks but neither of them were included which prevents me to give higher number for gameplay category. Even if the gameplay isn't great this level is worth playing due to interesting and carefully constructed environment which alone makes it enjoyable." - Samu (20-Feb-2009) |
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| "Very very long this big level with hundreds of rooms and huge areas to explore. I liked a lot the architecture and textures; the ambience was a bit dark but lights are well with some nice views in certain places. But gameplay was very bored; not difficult to play, half lineal and only based in pull floor levers and place some gems to open doors. Too many levers to pull. In the final areas I had to pull a lever in a room to open a door in another very far room, go there and pull another lever to open another door in the previous far room, go there and pull... and so several times; as I said, very tedious and bored. Enemies are only skeletons and some wraiths, and when you pick up the crossbow there is no interest about blasting them with the lots of explosive ammo pickups you get during the journey. I found the revolver and the sight too but they are useless or perhaps I missed some secrets. Good construction but I missed some puzzles." - Jose (01-Jul-2008) |
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| "Gosh, I am on a roll with playing all these cave adventures. While doing another search, I came across this little beauty. From the moment I stepped into this one, I knew I would enjoy myself and that I did. The first initial room was so impressive and amazing, it just put me in the right frame of mind for this type of environment and setting. So again I was totally enthralled and submerged into yet another Lara adventure, which was ahead of me. There is nothing too difficult in game-play during this quest, everything was fairly straight forward and linear and was easy to complete. I only got stuck once and that was at the end of this level, when I started with all those floor switches, once I knew what was going on, I soon completed this fine level adventure and I felt very sad to leave it. Your enemies are skeletons and wraiths. Skeletons are in there abundance during this whole adventure, but with your trusty crossbow and with plenty of supplies of explosive arrows; they were soon blasted into oblivion. I really enjoyed exploring all those little caves for all those important supplies of ammo and medi-packs and I didn't get bored once, while playing this little level. The whole layout, architecture and lighting of each room gave this an excellent feel and the right kind of atmosphere as you were making your way throughout this quest, as you were in search of all four missing gems, which were scattered and hidden in all those dark and gloomy cave settings. Each room was finally tuned and superbly built by this author, with the appropriate colour coordination, textures and objects placed, which enhanced the game-play and gave you the utmost best experience and atmosphere during this cave environment. I loved playing this level, its very impressive and its well worth downloading and playing it for yourself." - Gill (13-Jun-2006) |
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| "This is the kind of level that really pushes my hot button. I've recently finished Armageddon 2 and Kyoto; and while these are levels with unusual scenic beauty I found myself applauding silently while working myself through the delicate surroundings of Chiclayo Caves. I tried to play this level over a year ago but got bogged down near the end. Anya Marie has recently provided a wonderfully clear walkthrough so I decided to blow off the mothballs (4/04) and try again. Even with the walkthrough though things got a bit tedious at the end with all that lever pushing but I had enjoyed myself so much up to that point that I wasn't about to let that spoil my enjoyment of this level. We've been awaiting a sequel for a couple of years now so I hope the author will soon give us the next installment in what appears to be a series. Highly recommended." - Phil (10-Apr-2004) |
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| "A wonderful level that I still can't believe it is almost two years old. The darkness is present and doesn't get any better I am afraid but although I was lighting a flare every two steps I never run out. The atmosphere is great caves all over with bridges you pass from the inside great underwater caverns. Everything is beautiful with all the rooms looking awesome with perfect textures and greenery. I just loved this level and it's the second time I am playing it. The enemies are not many but sufficient skeletons and wraiths. The crossbow is given at the right time with more than enough arrows. You will need four gems and a lot of levers to push but the way everything is constructed we won't get bored. The only thing that wasn't very pleasant was the back and forth near the end between the two caverns through the water tunnel. You need to push a lever on one side and swim back to climb up again and cross a door; I am sure that could have been avoided with a shortcut added at least half way through the tasks. The level is old and therefore some things like that are excused. This certainly one of the best levels out there mostly because of its environment it is given perfectly. It's highly recommended." - Kristina (04-Sep-2003) |
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| "What a level and being biased as I loved TR1 I had a blast. Eerie comes to mind although there aren't that many enemies apart from skeletons I had a feeling that around every corner something was lurking. Finding more than enough ammo and even twice the crossbow and a shotgun revolver and sight all I needed to do is switching levers and finding the yellow gems. Bit short on puzzles but the look of the rooms was in my opinion stunning. 12-02-2003" - Gerty (16-Feb-2003) |
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| "Well the title says it all caves. At the start I thought for a moment my monitor went black but that is just the flyby it starts pitch black. The level is not very difficult you have to open a lot of doors most by pushing levers some with gems. I don't think there is a way to get lost it's obvious all the time where to go and what to do. Skeletons are your enemies but that's not really a problem because you can find enough ammo to get rid of them. I did enjoy this level but at the end it became a bit boring when you have to do the course a few times to get all the doors to open. The atmosphere is good especially in the beginning I was walking on my toes so to speak. But that could also be because of the darkness I don't like walking around in the dark. But then I should not walk around in caves should I? Oh yes there are some spirits as well at first they did not want to explode at the statue but when I stayed in the water near the statue there was no problem." - Josi (29-Jan-2003) |
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| "Chiclayo Caves has a monumental appearance but its gameplay doesn't match. There is a lack of enemies in the most part of the game. In some rooms there are lots of skeletons to...kill? and very few switches to activate. It's too big to play almost without incentives; is all very simple. However is very well built and the light and textures are perfect; the sound could have been better and the cameras more helpful." - Loupar (13-Dec-2002) |
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| "A very long raid in caves with the TR1/Peru textures with parts of a lost city. I like to raid in this kind of places with a bit of greenery or snow. Some rooms are very impressive in some others there is plenty to do. Sometimes a lot of skeletons to destroy sometimes only you and Lara walking together. There is a couple of good puzzles most of the time you simply have to find your way or the next lever. The best parts is when you must find what to do next in rooms with many openings or ledges but sometimes it was a little boring in the middle part. At the end there is also a repetitious series of actions in the very great cave where you dive several times. If you like exploration and a linear progression in a very good setting finding a lot of pickups but no secret this level is for you (and for me too :))" - eRIC (26-Sep-2002) |
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| "260 rooms says the author and after playing the level I am pretty sure it is. Even if the level was thoroughly texturized with TR1 textures it doesn't seem because it is stunning. The objects are from Catacombs wad some retextured so they fit better with the atmosphere some were simply placed such as the vases but they still looked good. I just didn't like the massive use of skeletons. A lot of them. While the visual of the level is perfect the gameplay is not that good because most of the work in the level was finding levers to open doors and finding more levers. This is a 75 minutes level that should be played by every TR1 fan." - Treeble (26-Jul-2002) |
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| "Set in a series of countless rooms spread throughout a cave this level reminded me very much of the 'Caves' level from TR1 and in fact if I'm not mistaken the first section of this is actually a recreation of the TR1 level but without being very obvious. Starting with a wonderfully smooth fly by which although simple filled me with dread this game eerily delves you into moving from one room to the next with almost entirely the use of levers newly retextured large buttons and 4 golden gems as well as fighting innumerous numbers of skeletons and I found myself really loving the feel of it but then it seemed to go on for just a little too long and at 100 minutes was maybe 20 minutes too much for the type of game play it offered. Texturally though I was extremely impressed at its solidly built look with the great use of water throughout and also the way the further the level progressed the more lovely the rooms seemed to become. All up it's a very professionally built level but maybe a little more diversity in things to do would have made it perfect." - Sash (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "While this level borrows a lot from the TR1 Caves it is visually absolutely stunning and the textures and lighting must be some of the best I have seen in a custom level. Too bad that the sky graphics are only seen twice for a short moment. The level in itself is huge and it took me about 1:30 hours to get through. Unfortunately gameplay comes a little short as many of the big rooms are rather empty and with little to accomplish other than yet again shooting a skeleton (I counted 27) which becomes easier when you find the crossbow and explosive ammo. In general very many pickups to find. All in all you will have to find and place four yellow gems and towards the end there is quite a bit of back and forth running to open the right doors. Definitely a level to look at even there are better ones out there in terms of gameplay." - Michael (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "Well with all the hype about this level being designed by a professional designer I must say that I expected more. Now don't get me wrong the textures and graphics were beautiful. It is probably the nicest looking level around but the gameplay was quite bland. Every now and again you would recognise a part of the "Caves" from Tomb Raider 1 which brought about that nostalgic urge to see what was around the next corner but truthfully there was nothing new here. Some of our other highly rated amateur designers that abound have put together better levels than this one (in the gameplay and puzzle areas). Also the over use of wraiths got down right annoying. Sure one or two but 7 or 8 is a bit over the top. Also in the last large cavern with all the to and fro-ing between it and the other cavern via an underwater passage you can miss all that by a well timed and angled jump to the ledge with the two levers. You then do not need to go to all the trouble of getting to the other two ledges with levers in that large cavern. Just head for the newly opened doors a couple of passages back where you came from and that triggers the exit." - Torry (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "In this first level of a new series denominated 'Ring of the King Atahuallpa' Lara has to find 4 golden gems in a hidden temple among the mountains in winter. There are a lot of levers to activate some traps and many skeletons to kill. The level is structured well light and perfect textures but the sound could have been better. The difficulty of the level is middle but it is necessary to say that the puzzles are elementary and there is too much ammunition and easy to take. The beginning of the level remembers much the beginning of TR1 but with great difference of graphic quality." - Boris (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "Set in a series of caves tunnels and underground temples the object of the game is to collect golden gems in order to advance toward the end. The ambiance and texturing is excellent in much of the level and somewhat drab in other parts. While the level is large comprised of over 250 rooms gameplay proceeds briskly and the puzzles are pretty simple. Lara has some good battles with multiple skeletons before finding the explosive ammo and crossbow (maybe easier to turn off the auto targeting for this part). All in all it's an enjoyable couple hours of raiding and I look forward to seeing what comes next." - Tombaholic (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "The first few levels of Tomb Raider I are my favorite so I really liked the atmosphere here everything from the textures and layout down to the background music. The few textures thrown in from the Egypt levels in TR4 were a nice touch. You won't find many puzzles here - it's mainly running through the caves finding the next switch to open the next door but watch out for the spike traps! There are quite a few skeletons lurking around one large room had quite a number of them. It seemed like every third tile in the room triggered one. I had fun running around triggering all of them and then jumping in the pool and watching them stand there and wait for me to get out. There are lots of pickups mostly ammo - I didn't find the crossbow as soon as I would have liked and I would have appreciated many more flares. This is a nice long level and with almost 260 rooms expect it to take you a few hours." - RaiderGirl (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "A very beautiful level it reminded me a lot of the beginning of Tomb Raider. No hard puzzles but very good texturing. I didn't find any enemies until I had played the level for 20 minutes (?) but then there came so many skeletons I missed the time when I was alone." - Magnus (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "A pleasant level to play with extremely well textured rooms and scenery. The gameplay was fairly easy. Puzzles were few and the use of levers to open the many doors meant a lot of levers (I counted 24). I look forward to another level from this talented creator." - Fairy Godfather (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "This level was presumably intended as a homage to 'The Caves' from TR1. That level was short and swift and did what it was supposed to do very well; that is introduce Lara and her various acrobatic moves to the player. It then ended as soon as its point had been made. This level although well constructed simply doesn't know when to call a halt. 2+ hours of the same type of gameplay and goodness knows how many levers. It could have been entertaining. Unfortunately it was quite tedious." - Orbit Dream (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "Even if a bit boring this level is one of the best I've ever played. Boring because mostly the same things had to be again and again in maybe a little different way but since I haven't played TR1 it was quite exciting for me. And some of the ways the puzzles were performed wasn't really bad it's just that maybe the author could bother with putting more puzzle items in the game (and maybe not so many levers there are other switch types available you know). But no matter that the author created a big + entertaining level to play so grab it and play it." - eTux (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "Ok so this is a bit long and there is an awful lot of levers to push (especially in the second half) but who is going to complain when the setting is as breathtaking as it is here. Apart from Ian that is. At the start you have to shimmy a bit to get one small medi pack and I thought: Wow this is going to be a real tough one but later on you get more pick ups than you need. I wish the crossbow was placed a little further down the line as from then on getting rid of the skeletons becomes a bit boring. But the main flaw really is that two of the three ice wraiths that chase you near the end won't explode. Very irritating. So the gameplay is not that original but there are some good moments neat jumps and what is truly outstanding here is the spectacular and clever camerawork. Haven't seen such perfect change of angles in quite a while. This combined with the beautiful texturing result in a truly magnificent atmosphere. Thus I found the 100 minutes it took me to reach the end very pleasant indeed. If there had been a bit more diversity as far as the tasks and enemies were concerned it would have been a real classic. Just for the fantastic structures you have to have a look. I particularly liked the last big room with the white rocky underwater tunnel. Haven't seen anything like that before." - Dimpfelmoser (21-Jun-2002) |
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| "This level has some elements of the TR1 Cave Level. So if you liked that you'll probably like this one as well. It has very well made surfaces no gaps you can get stuck in. The textures are the TR1 ones. Some of the locations are just the same like in TR1 but then again different enough to make it interesting. The riddles are not to hard but some of them get a bit boring after some time. But still it's worth a try." - Tombraidergirl (21-Jun-2002) |
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