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Level: Hunt for the Blue Hope back home search
Author(s): Seemeister
total rating:7.09 Gameplay &
Puzzles		 Enemies,
Objects &
Secrets		 Atmosphere,
Sound &
Cameras		 Lighting &
Textures
CC 8 6 7 7
Dimpfelmoser 7 6 6 7
Dougsan 7 7 6 6
eTux 4 5 5 6
Fairy Godfather 6 6 6 6
Freeman Porter 9 8 7 8
G.Croft 7 7 6 7
Gerty 7 7 7 7
Kristina 7 7 7 7
Loupar 7 7 7 7
Magnus 7 7 6 6
MichaelP 8 7 7 7
Miguel 8 7 8 7
Momster 9 7 7 8
Orbit Dream 3 5 3 8
Phil 9 8 8 8
RaiderGirl 9 8 8 8
Ravenwen 9 8 9 8
Sash 6 7 6 6
SilentViper 10 7 8 8
Tombaholic 9 7 7 7
Treeble 7 7 8 7
Xxenofex 10 9 7 7
category averages
(23 reviews)		 7.52 6.96 6.78 7.09

Reviewer's comments

"I do wonder if there is a name for a psychological disorder where one absolutely resists with all his/her living essence to commit to playing/reading/watching a sequel before knowing what the predecessor is like? If there is, let me know, because I'm quite sure I must have it. I initially just wanted to give this a quick look, so I could move on to the author's higher rated Hunt for the Blue Hope 2, and the reviews I rather selectively read before starting the game encouraged me into thinking that it would be a minimal-trouble romp through a compact Venice setting. That turned out to only be half-right with this being set around the confinements of one street, I'm not so sure about the minimal-trouble part. First time I attempted it I got as far as getting the star, and was confused why I could seemingly end the level without attaining the coloured emotion Lara was supposed to get here. This time I deviated as little from the walkthrough as possible and managed to find the handful of unnamed keys that eventually reward you with the elusive gem and nitrous oxide feeder, but I'm not sure it improved my impressions of the level. For such a compact area it manages to send you around it in as contrived a way as possible, an abundance of crawling and climbing segments has never been my favourite kind of gameplay, and even if those along with the oddly textured monkey-swing and climbable segments, invisible shatterable windows and movable objects that blend in the surroundings a bit too well for comfort might make the builder feel all clever about himself - I thought the entire point of building was to construct these in a way that the player can feel smart about solving them too (or at least realize in hindsight that he/she could've figured it out)? I have to say that's not the impression I got with this level. But it's not all bleak and gloomy - the settings look nice enough for most part, and even if the tasks themselves are a bit unstructured and obscure, the compact size of the area is encouraging in that you at least have the illusion that progress could be right around the next corner or behind that next blue wooden door. Found 1 secret." - eTux (31-Oct-2011)

"Yet another of those levels I had started and soon quit in the past, and today I finally finished it. I have mixed feelings about it: on one hand, I think it's really nice that the place is cozy and generally nicely crafted, but I think the constant backtracking is too confusing, especially since in true TR3 fashion you keep going around and around looking for that elusive key or keyhole. That being said, it's what the gameplay generally relies on, so progression is linear but not without having you head back and forth quite often. Some shatter walls are invisible, but you'll soon notice them so it's not such a big deal. Texturewise there are a few flaws but the setting is convincing overall. I could have done with more cameras, though. 55 minutes, 1 secret. 04/08" - Treeble (05-Apr-2008)

"I loved the style and setup of this seemingly brief but in reality very rich level. What dominates is the particularly inventive use of the environment and the many details that you have to spot so as to find ways to move on. Instead of expanding the action in vast areas, Seemeister has taken advantage of almost every corner in a few rooms so as to add hidden levers, dark crawlspaces, concealed passages. In that way, a seemingly limited area is packed with things to locate and do; only spotting them is not always so easy! You begin in a small alley and you see several balconies on the walls around you, but how you get to them is another story. The gameplay is excellent, highly requiring at points, but always very inventive. A very important thing about this level is that, although the actions you have to do seem complicated (for example, there are many doors to open, and several times pulling a lever close to them doesn't have any immediate effect), the general style of the action is such that it helps you understand the outline and therefore after a while kinda guides you through, as you can figure out all the logical connections. Moreover, the limited spaces make all the necessary backtrackings a rather easy and entertaining process. All in all, a great little adventure." - Ravenwen (14-Feb-2007)

"I spent a very pleasant hour making my way through this level. Dutchy has provided a marvelously compact walkthrough, which makes you expect a much shorter level than you actually encounter. The enemies are rather pedestrian (SAS, bats, dogs, crocs), and there seem to be a lot of keys and levers, but the pace is quick and the gameplay is challenging throughout. Recommended." - Phil (17-Mar-2005)

“It's a nice and entertaining level with only few gameplay highlights like the fire and slopes room: It was the only part of the game where I had to reload. It's a good work with some minor faults.” – Loupar (18-Nov-2003)

“I played this again to get ready for ‘Blue Hope 2’. There are enough puzzles and tricky jumps in this level to keep seasoned players on their toes for about an hour. Unfortunately a good player can also short cut through about 30%(?) of the game. Must remember folks this was a first effort. Well done Seemeister for a newbie.” – Dougsan (14-Nov-2003)

“Here's another ‘standing around wondering what to do next’ level; but it has the added twist of including the extra ingredient of ‘that is so unfair! How on earth was I supposed to know that that was possible??’ style of gameplay. Unmarked shootable windows; unmarked pullable objects; and best of all a fire pillar-jumping room which contains two impossible to see crawlspaces. This was the sort of room where you were under the impression (having athletically circumnavigated it) that you had done the right thing only to meet a total impasse later on in the level with no idea what to do next. A suitable Fly-by upon entry to the room would have made it all clear to the player but as in many other places in this level where cameras are sorely needed the builder seems under the impression that just because he knows the correct sequence of actions all of the players must therefore know them as well. Not this one! You can in fact end this level very quickly once the double doors have opened. Simply run past the machine guns jump the water and turn left. In fact I would recommend this very course of action. You're missing little else beside frustration. Construction wise the builder has done a good job.” – Orbit Dream (24-Sep-2003)

“The first level of the author and it’s not bad at all. In a city setting with a garage windows and tents above and a nice ship but you won’t be getting aboard though we will find SAS and bats plus a lot of keys levers to push and very sneaky moving blocks. I liked it with the area that had the burning blocks being the best for me; there are well hidden ladders there. It’s certainly something different with Lara’s goal being to find a gem which is no other than the Blue Hope. There is a problem though with the level because you can easily ride the bike and jump from balcony to balcony that will bring you close to the first blue ball to shoot. The result of that is to access the area with the sentry guns earlier and with Lara being able to jump across you can reach the helicopter area and finish the level without playing it probably as you will miss many areas. I found two golden roses in the hour it took me to complete it.” – Kristina (17-Sep-2003)

“It does add a certain something playing a level from a person you met in real life. And shame on me as this level is quite 'old' so to rectify that I am playing both his levels back to back. It is a quite nice adventure that kept me busy for a while. Starting out in a small street you have to enter the buildings to get the Blue Hope and escape with the bike (all boosted up) and a helicopter. Easier said than done as there are levers to pull and keys to find. And they are hidden quite well. Sneaky was the glass window one had to shoot and just by sheer frustration I shot towards (what I thought was an invisible block) and felt real good to have found that solution. There are however some questions as I found two jump levers and in the first go I used them and in the second go I didn't so I still don't know what they did. The secrets are nicely hidden found only one. Enemies SAS guards and very pesky bats with a dog and some crocs thrown in. At the end there are 2 sentry guns. There is also some block pushing and especially that computer block is hard to distinguish. 24-07-2003” – Gerty (05-Aug-2003)

“This is a great little adventure. Uses a lot of Venice and ship textures because we have a city street warehouses offices canals and ship. Find the crowbar on top of the awnings at the beginning because it’s really needed throughout the level. The main aim is to find keys some of them very well hidden and a star. And you also need to find the lasersight as you’ll be shooting blue balls and glass windows. Enemies are guards dogs bats and crocodiles. The boiler type room with burning floor took me a long time to get through. All in all a good old fashioned TR adventure.” – CC (08-May-2003)

“This is mainly a level of exploration with a few tricky jumps traps and hidden pushable blocks thrown in for fun and the areas are interesting to search and include a small street in Venice with the surrounding buildings a large ship where you find the 'Blue Hope' and then with a final bike ride past some machine guns you make your way to the helicopter that is waiting to aid in your escape. There are a number of keys and hidden passages to find in the beginning the blue swinging balls to shoot a vase or two to shoot and a glass wall behind a plant that really had me confused for a bit since I couldn't see it. There's a room with a boulder trap a deadly floor and flaming pillars that's a lot of fun and has a few hidden areas in the dark to explore and once on the ship I could see the blue gem but had to search a while for the pushable block that hid the passage that led to it. I found two secrets both included a golden rose and one had the uzis plus there were plenty of pickups to use on the soldiers bats and crocs especially since some of the soldiers just ignored me. Overall a fun level with lots of different things to do.” – RaiderGirl (24-Nov-2002)

“I played this when it was released and it didn't make much sense to me then. 9 month later I find it still somewhat halfbaked. I remember Seemeister stating somewhere that he doesn't like to cover long distances in a level. Instead he seems to be awfully fond of crawls and climbs. For me there were just too many levers (some of them pointless) doors and keys. Furthermore if you decide to have windows inside a building they should at least be textured as such. The crocodiles are out of place the cause and effect of the target shooting is illogical and as you must know by now I'm not a big fan of movable blocks that are unmarked. But I liked the fire room where you had to do a bit of jumping and I thought it was quite good that the SAS guards appeared on the balconies so you had to use the revolver with lasersight to get rid of them. The atmosphere can't really decide on an overall theme while the textures and lighting could use a little fine tuning. However apart from the many crawls and some fruitless searching I enjoyed the hunt and look forward to Seemeister’s next offering.” – Dimpfelmoser (22-Sep-2002)

“For Seemeister’s first level this was quite good and had me stumped in two different places because of a very unobvious block raising trigger and an even more unobvious movable block. In this Venetian textured level your object is to retrieve the ‘Blue Hope’ gem from inside a ship and then make a few nitro boosted jumps to the end this means finding a lot of keys fighting SAS and of course opening doors with levers or other triggers. My favourite part of this level however had to be a block jumping room where unlike many block jumps in other levels you have a lot to do and find as you make your way through it. So if you want a level that for the most part is fairly straightforward but that still has a couple of tricky parts then take a look at this cute 50 minutes level.” – Sash (21-Jun-2002)

“Almost an hour of real fun entertainment starting out in a city where you explore a street and the inside of a building until you reach towards the end a ship to find the 'Blue Hope' gem and escape with the motorbike and a helicopter. Texturing and lighting is solid and many of the objects are well placed (piano trucks nice keys) but I thought many of the rooms seem a little empty. Enemies are mainly SAS a few bats dogs and crocodiles. The fun part is the gameplay although it can easily become frustrating if you don't look carefully for well-hidden crawlspaces not so obvious climbable walls and make sure you look out for things to shoot with that revolver. I particularly enjoyed the fire room and was not smart enough to find the two secrets.” – Michael (21-Jun-2002)

“As the name implies Lara must search for a large blue diamond in this Venetian-style seaport finding along the way the nitro booster to aid her escape. To succeed she must locate a number of elusive keys scattered through buildings cellars and the hold of a cargo ship. Enemies include mainly SAS with the odd trap thrown in for good measure. Texturing sound and cameras are all on the basic side and many of the small details that make for a great level are missing. But this did not detract at all from my enjoyment of the level which flowed nicely with a few pauses to figure out the next move. Overall a very fun and engaging hour+ of raiding which is well worth a try.” – Tombaholic (21-Jun-2002)

“A rather classic level although it takes place in a couple of buildings a street and a ship. Lots of keys to be found and levers to be pulled. Look carefully for crawlspaces and movable blocks which sometimes are very hard to spot. An invisible window kept me trapped for a while too. Overall a good and entertaining level.” – G.Croft (21-Jun-2002)

“Well done level it’s the first from the author and it’s really not an easy one. Some things are hard to find so keep your eyes up and look in every corner. There are many levers to push some keys to find and a lot of well-hidden objects. The goal is to find a gem named ‘Blue Hope’ and to escape with it with the motorbike. There were some camera-bugs but they didn’t harm gameplay. 1:30 playing time 2 secrets” – Freeman Porter (21-Jun-2002)

“For about fifty minutes I wondered where I could find the valve pipe to be able to make the final jump with the motorcycle maybe the level should have been called ‘Hunt for the gray valve pipe’? Anyway most of the time you have to find levers and keys that in many cases are very hard to find. You have to keep your eyes open not only to find levers and keys but also so that you don’t miss the movable blocks. Oh and don’t worry about the valve pipe you’ll find it I did.” – Magnus (21-Jun-2002)

“A level allowing the more expert player to bypass the author's intentions in two areas. Almost at the start a clever backflip is possible onto a balcony saving a search for a series of keys to the correct entrance. Later in a 'hot' room it was possible to climb and shimmy to a safe block without jumping into a corner to turn the heat off. But overall a fun level to play.” – Fairy Godfather (21-Jun-2002)

“This is a short but ingenious map. There are some puzzles that are almost not solvable where have to go a long way twice to find them e.g. with the switch where you need to jump on a burning tile and all you have to do is stand up in the crawlspace before or the movable computer that I almost missed – all the simple things you have to look for them. So for a first level really good. The only problem were some stretched textures but I kept forgetting that for a long time myself too. (*g*)” – Silent Viper (21-Jun-2002)

“It's a nice level which sometimes can be hard - being the first work of Seemeister; I am sure he will go on. A little short on sound and cameras - but a lot of keys jumps doors; lighting and textures are good - could be sometimes better. One hour and a half of playing - thanks for your work Seemeister” – Miguel (21-Jun-2002)

“This level gave me some hard nuts to crack especially in the ‘Hot room’. Before I get the object (a key) I had to pass this room 3 times and it was the hardest place in the whole level. Seemeister was hiding the keys and artifacts so well I like to call him a master. He also placed the enemies in a very perfect way and the amount was not too much and not too few. I like this kind of level very much. But I have some things to criticize. The textures are pretty but some were squeezed others stretched. Also he has only a few lightings and there was no sound in the level this makes the atmosphere very thin. If Seemeister builds his next level with more time and he don't make the same mistakes as in this level I believe it will be a level that reaches the Top50.” – Xxenofex (21-Jun-2002)

“This is the very first custom level I played so I must have liked it because here I am I don’t know how many levels later. I did enjoy this level downloaded off the Eidos site with Justin’s help. A good City wad with some brainwork involved. Finding that shootable window was probably the most difficult thing to do and a couple of tricky jumps down and into areas and well hidden pickups. One of the more pleasurable ‘modern’ levels I’ve played with lots of switches and puzzles not always easy to find. Baddies include SAS dogs etc. nothing very overwhelming. Throw into the mix the ship and the motorbike and you have a well-rounded fun-playing level. Again quite enjoyable.” – Momster (21-Jun-2002)
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