trle.net ::: Level Reviews

Level:	Xtreme Maya Battle
Author(s):	SilentViper

total rating:	6.78	Gameplay & Puzzles	Enemies, Objects & Secrets	Atmosphere, Sound & Cameras	Lighting & Textures
	Daffy	8	8	7	8
	davep83	6	8	6	7
	Dimpfelmoser	3	4	8	6
	Fairy Godfather	5	5	6	7
	Freeman Porter	6	7	8	7
	G.Croft	5	5	7	7
	Gerty	6	8	8	8
	Kristina	6	8	9	9
	Lil Kid	5	8	6	5
	MichaelP	7	9	8	8
	Orbit Dream	5	7	7	9
	RaiderGirl	6	8	8	8
	Ruediger	6	8	6	6
	Sash	5	8	5	7
	Treeble	6	8	6	7
	Whistle	7	6	6	7
	category averages (16 reviews)	5.75	7.19	6.94	7.25

Reviewer's comments

"This game is not all about getting rid of baddies like the name suggests, there's some other elements too. You face a range of enemies, crocodiles, crows, gunmen, tigers, mutants, skeletons, and wild boars. In between the baddies, you have to do another task - pull a block, press a button, avoiding traps, climbing, finding and placing puzzle items. A little later on, there's a large room which has sub rooms feeding off from it, each of these contains an enemy - you must collect blue jewels and snakes thistles here - good fun. Followed by a dark maze, pushable block puzzle, placing all these puzzle pieces and the end. I was expecting a final showdown but that wasn't to be, the atmosphere near the end was pleasant and looked quite jungle like but maybe a million years ago! The texturing is nicely done with a jungle feel to it, with trees and grass all set into a temple, then later on inside the temple, there's a lot of brightly coloured stone, all the textures here are very big and bold and complement each other perfectly, but in some rooms they‘re just repeated like wallpaper - I notice many levels have good and bad textures. I didn't realise it was a Mayan temple until I saw the impressive pyramid outside, there's a few objects used such as statues with water coming out their mouths, or a torso mounted on the wall with his innards missing. I like the big star textures, I also like the section with the cages (after pyramid) as it's quite scary with mutants at the side camera angle. Lighting is ok, but doesn't add much to the atmosphere towards the beginning, but improves as you progress. In some places it's too bright, and in the area under the waterfall, it's incredibly bright. Some of the sounds are missing, wrong or doesn't match the surroundings (at the beginning but does when you're in the area with cages). There's a couple of bugs one with texture sounds being incorrect, and another getting stuck in the scenery. There's also a game stopper in the room you flood with water, if you miss a puzzle item, and flood the room, you can't unflood again. Also, is it necessary to have so much ammo just lying around? I know it’s all required but you could be allowed to search for it. Net gameplay 53 minutes." - davep83 (26-May-2012)

"I really liked this level for its various game and its originality, they meet that quite a lot of things there who changes the common place, a multitude of enemies who go of the monster to the raven, decors of game sometimes very nice and coloured or sometimes very empty and a bit sad. The gameplay is agreeable, not too difficult and asks to open eyes to miss nothing." - Daffy (22-Aug-2009)

"While Lara's back still hurts from picking up and carrying these tons of ammo, I must say I enjoyed this level. Sure, some textures or gameplay moments are crude, with some large empty rooms and possibilities to get stuck (for example if you don't pick up the golden gem), however, there are also places with well applied ideas, wild colours and atmosphere. I loved the blue caves when the camera follows you in the parallel rooms, so that you can already hear the breath of the enemies who are about to attack you and see them watching you, lurking in the shadow... scary! With a big selection of enemies and weapons, you get a lot of battle as the title promised, which is to say: not ambitious, but fun." - Ruediger (21-Mar-2008)

“This is the sort of level that you either really enjoy or have very little time for. Technically it's put together rather well and looks reasonably convincing as a South American setting. Gameplaywise it all falls rather short. The enemies although varied and plentyful are far too easily dispatched with the absolutely huge arsenal provided; and the player can get stuck if he/she ventures too far into the maze near the end without first battling the assorted monsters in their various rooms. For an undemanding (literal) blast this is certainly enjoyable enough; but most players will require more.” – Orbit Dream (10-Apr-2004)

“Overall Christian has some nice ideas but for me it lacks a certain something. Having played all his levels now it only confirms that feeling. This level is great looking and even the killing of all different kind of animals is OK. I still wonder at times why he chooses those big weapons and all that ammo. I liked the look of this game and never got stuck even in the maze I never got lost (that is almost a first for me LOL). It was over before I knew it. 17-05-2003” – Gerty (18-May-2003)

“The author certainly has a talent building jungle levels. All that greenery and the waterfall is well placed. The gameplay isn't much though three gems and two thistles to collect. The enemies are retextured and the birds hard to kill so don't waste your ammo at the animals on the ground some skeletons are thrown in the level as well. A lot of ammo and health is available without being necessary as the enemies aren't that dangerous. The last puzzle is the moving blocks then you place the items collected earlier and the level ends with Lara running uphill.” – Kristina (03-Mar-2003)

“Well if only at the beginning this jungle would be less boxy I would give a 7 to the atmosphere because even if it improves in later areas the beginning is very boxy. The level says it all ‘Xtreme’ so you can expect to find many baddies around well many animals fit better. You also get to pick up a lot of ammo that when you're picking those up it seems they never end. Later you get to the main arena where you actually only get to fight a few skeletons easily dispatched with your Grenade Launcher. However there are some doors and in each of them you get one puzzle item. DON'T GO TO THE MAZE ONE if you don't have two gems and two thistles or else you're gonna be stuck and will have to reload your savegame. I was lucky at this point because I usually get to save about ten times on each slot before actually changing it. Take a look if you're curious and if you like some shoot them up levels.” – Treeble (09-Jan-2003)

“The players out there who have mastered using both hemispheres of their brain will be able to tell from the title that this level doesn’t hold its interest in mind bending puzzles but in the amount of blood that can be shed and in fact the battles aren’t really the main interest point but actually who you battle as there are never before seen enemies werewolves panthers muscly guys crows and my all time favourite humped part human-like mutants who have been beaten unmercifully by the ugly stick and that actually don’t die but instead become maimed and then drag one leg around rendering them completely safe. Like some other levels though this one suffers from the ‘too much weaponry just randomly left neatly laid all over the place’ syndrome leaving you with not a hell of a lot of challenge not to mention the other little known ‘this sound doesn’t always go with that’ syndrome that sometimes amuses more than detracts. I’d say check this out now just purely for the novelty of new enemies because this will date very quickly well when every other level builder grabs these enemies there won’t be a whole lot of individuality left here I mean remember when ahmets were first seen and now look they’re a dime a dozen.” – Sash (02-Dec-2002)

“I thought that this level was well put together. Yes the gameplay is rather linear but excellent new enemies and objects are well crafted. The level itself looked beautifully crafted; I couldn’t see a texture out of place. One of the downfalls in this level is that some of the sounds don’t match the animation like the weird clicking noise when Lara climbs. A good - but rather linear - level. Worthwhile playing.” – Lil Kid (05-Nov-2002)

“As the name suggest you get lots to shoot at consisting of a wide variety of the animal kingdom including some vultures which can be pesky. The game play is mainly linear but with some side routes. Beware of the end routine off the large room with the cages/exits that you don't push the block over the entrance (you must do to get through) before you have the necessary gems and ‘roses’. Save your game before you move the blocks. Be observant to find all you need and get a pair of sunglasses ready for the glare of that insipid green pool. The rest of the graphics lighting and textures are appropriate to the mood of the section. Although it took me all of 30 minutes this level is worth a go.” – Whistle (01-Nov-2002)

“While I was disappointed not to find any good puzzles in this level I was really impressed by a number of other things. The enemies were the best I've seen in a while - if you're like me you've seen more demigods and soldiers than you care to see in a lifetime so something different is always appreciated. Here they included retextured ahmets some kind of bird - vultures maybe a large cat - like a lion and these huge bizarre mutants - though they did absolutely no damage to me so I didn't even bother to kill them. Many rooms in the level were quite beautiful with a jungle atmosphere an Incan looking pyramid and some absolutely amazing light effects. At the end you walk into a tunnel with aquamarine lighting and can barely see over the rise what looks to be a gorgeous jungle valley but then the level ends and you don't get to see it.” – RaiderGirl (25-Jul-2002)

“Well I liked it - true it is a showcase of what kind of enemies weapons and key pickups can be built into a level and it is very linear and straightforward to get through and not much of a challenge either (took me just below 40 minutes) but it is fun nevertheless and besides the croc-fish dog-lion (?) vultures mutants (eek) has also an occasional funky lighting/texturing effect and good though simple use of movable stones. One hint though make sure you have two jewels and two thistles before climbing up out of the little maze because otherwise I think you are stuck for good.” – Michael (21-Jun-2002)

“I expected like 500 baddys to kill and an overwhelming amount of animals but it was nothing like that. You do get a LOT of weapons and a LOT of ammo but you could easily have done with the pistols and the grenadegun. I kind of waited for that massive attack and when I came to an arena-like area I thought ‘now’. But not. You meet creatures of various kinds flying running and swimming. Not much puzzling it’s more like getting through and that took me 45 minutes.” – G.Croft (21-Jun-2002)

“This level is totally different it’s like a 3D-Shooter. Except of one or two hidden things which you will need to proceed you don’t have to search much around the gameplay is fast forward SilentViper doesn’t let Lara run out of ammo most times there are lots of them in one place to pick up. Maybe that’s not everyone’s taste short before you reach a big arena Lara can pick up so many ammo as if she is going to war. In the arena you have to open many doors separately to release lots of different monsters which are only cannon fodder with the superammo grenades really no problem. There are some new enemies the vultures don’t like to die fast they look harmless but were the hardest enemies in this level. Some new pickups and objects looked good all in all not a bad level. Look at the title you know what you will get this level is different than the most try it!” – Freeman Porter (21-Jun-2002)

“Very easy level. So much ammo that there is no chance of running out. Can get stuck forever in one or two places. After pushing a rock block the hole you climbed through heals up and there is no return if you don't have all the special items. A disappointing level.” – Fairy Godfather (21-Jun-2002)

“Play Tomb Raider! Travel to exotic places; meet interesting life forms; and kill them! Well what do you expect when a level is called Extreme Maya Battle and a pair of automatic weapons great you from the loading bumper? Gameplay wise this is as unimaginative as it gets. Picture this: After it takes you five minutes to collect all them weapons and ammo you come to a room with five doors and levers nearby. You push the lever and blast away the wild life to collect the items in the rooms behind those gates. This isn't much of a challenge as I ended the game with 25 grenades and four big medi packs. After you collected the five items a little maze leads you to a boring movable block puzzle that in turn gives way to a corridor where you place four items in quick succession to open four gates. Oh yes and you can get stuck on two occasions. It's a shame that the gameplay is virtually non-existent cause the atmosphere is rather gripping. Can't really resist to end this review with a quote from Charles Darvin: ‘The love for all living creatures is the noblest attribute of man.’” – Dimpfelmoser (21-Jun-2002)