FORGOTTEN GRAVES

Level by Szymon Cupryn (Emoo)

Walkthrough by Phil Lambeth

Begin with Lara standing on the mossy banks of a deep moat. Behind you is a corridor leading to a pole. Let's save that for later, as there's much to do first in the immediate area. Turn right and run past the bridge on your left and the crawl space directly opposite. Continue to the west wall, where there's a closed gate. However, in the dark area to your right is another crawlspace leading to some flares and SECRET #1. Back out, reverse roll and jump into the water. Swim forward and turn left into the small opening. Keep turning left to complete a U-turn into a closed passage. Pick up the revolver at the end for SECRET #2. My, but we're certainly on a roll here.

Exit the passage and climb out onto the bridge. Head over to the SW corner and climb up onto the block there. Jump up and grab the vines above, and monkeyswing over to the SE corner. You'll get a fixed camera angle here, so make sure you stay close to the south wall. The best way to do this is to line Lara up squarely before beginning your trip, and resist the temptation to alter your course along the way. Drop down at the end onto a taller block (that you couldn't access from below) and pick up the small medi-pack. Hop to the ground and notice the closed gates in the south wall.

Cross the bridge and use the crawlspace to enter the structure ahead. Climb up the pole and backflip near the top to a ledge. Pick up the shotgun ammo for your trouble, and note the receptacle for a star artifact you don't have yet. Realizing that you'll need to return here later, jump and grab the pole, and slide back down to the floor. Exit the structure via the crawlspace and turn left. Enter the corridor in the NE corner and climb up the pole. Backflip near the top to a short passage, then turn around to find another pole. Slide down into a new area and run forward. A dark flyby gives you a hint of what's to come, ending with the retching sounds of a nearby mummy.

When camera control is restored, run forward all the way and shoot the vase in the corner for some much-needed flares. Dodge the mummy while you explore this area, picking up (while continuing in a counterclockwise direction), a vase containing some revolver ammo, a scarab tile that you need to step on to open a door further along in this area, a passage leading to a vase containing the shotgun, a crawlspace with the all-important Hand of Sirius, some shotgun ammo, a small room (accessed through the door you opened earlier) with a vase containing the uzis, and a nearby scarab tile that opens another door in the area. By this time two other mummies have been awakened, so make haste.

Exit this room and go across to the door you've opened in the west wall. Step on the scarab tile to awaken yet another mummy, then locate another opened door in the west wall. Go past the large coffin and activate the floor lever, which does something unknown at present, as the exit door at the end of the NW corridor is still closed. Since you have the Hand of Sirius and know where it goes, return to the area where you began the level, crawl under the space into the structure and climb back up the pole. Insert the hand in the star receptacle. Again, there's no cut scene giving you a clue as to what you've just done, but you suspect that maybe, just maybe, the exit door in the previous room is now open.

Actually, no it's not, so don't bother going back to check. When you emerge into the bridge area, you find that gates in the west and south walls are now open. (You opened the west gate with the floor lever and the south gate with the hand.) Cross the bridge and enter the south gate first. As you run up the stairs and lose camera control, you're rewarded with the chimes of SECRET #3. Take the crossbow from the pedestal at the top of the stairs, and stop to pick up the crossbow arrows on either side. Shoot the vases in the corners for two small medi-packs.

Go back outside and cross the bridge. Turn left on the other side and enter the other open gate to the west, which closes behind you as you run into the next area. A flyby provides an overview of the task ahead. Crawl under the theshold to avoid the dart gun, then run to the shorter sloped pillar to your left. Locate the climbable surface on the west face and climb up to the top. Pull up and allow Lara to slide forward, then jump off to the sloped pillar ahead. Repeat this a number of times until you come to a flat-topped pillar in the NW corner. Use the respite to consume a medi-pack if necessary, then turn carefully to the right (avoiding another dart gun) and take a running jump to the higher pillar against the north wall.

Turn to your right, jump up and grab the monkey bars in the ceiling. Monkey swing over to the tall central pillar, which is a difficult process in that you both lose camera control and you're continually badgered by another dart gun. When you drop down to the surface of another scarab tile, you get a cut scene showing that an underwater door in the moat area is now open. Monkeyswing back across to the previous pillar, then turn right this time and continue along the north wall. Turn right at the corner and take the dogleg around the east entrance. Drop down on the other side and pick up the large medi-pack and the uzi ammo, then drop down to the floor. A ninja awaits you, but he's probably got his nose buried in the wall and is therefore harmless. Kill him anyway if you wish, then hug the entrance structure (to avoid the dart gun) and exit to the east.

Turn left in the corridor and climb up the ladder. Step forward into the corridor and pick up the uzi ammo, then continue forward to trigger a short flyby. Drop down the hole at the end into the dark, dungeon-like area you've already visited, and put that crossbow to good use by blowing away the welcoming committee of mummies. Exit via the SE corridor, then climb up the near pole and slide down the far pole. Emerge in the moat area, jump into the water and swim into the SE opening. Continue winding through the tunnels until you reach another dart gun gauntlet. Look for a nearby hole in the ceiling and swim up and through the small opening. Surface for air and climb out. Thanks to Akci for this information: Jump up the S wall, grab the ledge and shimmy to the right, enter the crawlspace for SECRET #4, a small medi-pack and some uzi clips. Go back out, run forward down the short corridor and throw the floor lever.

Reverse roll and jump back into the water. Swim forward and turn down and left at the intersection, being mindful of the dart gun. Continue until you reach the end of the passage, then surface and quickly climb out to dispose of the two ninjas. There are vases on blocks at each corner of this room. Shoot them all and climb up onto the blocks (being careful once again to avoid the dart guns) for three stashes of uzi ammo and some shotgun ammo. Go through the large doorway to the south and turn right through some doors you must have opened earlier into a desert setting. Shoot a couple of ninjas who come forth to challenge you, then continue inside to trigger some action music and two more ninjas. Continue to the back left portion of this enclosed area and enter the SW passage. Throw the floor lever at the end and reverse roll to take out yet another ninja. If you run around a bit in this section you'll eventually spook a sixth and apparently last ninja.

Throwing that last lever must have done something, but it certainly didn't open those large doors across the hall to the east. Do you suppose... Sure enough, if you go back to the pool room, jump into the water and swim back through the passage the way you came, pull out of the moat and run over to the NE corridor, climb up the near pole and slide down the far pole as before, you'll find that the door at the end of the NW corridor is now open. Stand at the threshold and draw weapons to kill two scorpions, then go inside with a lighted flare and run around to draw out two more scorpions and eight (count 'em, eight) mummies. You can kill them singly or in groups, as you prefer. When done, explore the area in a more leisurely fashion and shoot a couple of vases for target practice (they're both empty). Then locate a crawlspace back in the NE corner for SECRET #5. Take the crossbow arrows and shotgun ammo and quickly back out to deal with the ninth mummy that you've awakened.

Locate a passage in the north wall not far from the NW corner and throw the well-hidden floor lever after a brief cutscene shows the doors across the hall from the desert room you recently left. I normally hate to see the shorthand phrase "make your way back" in a walkthrough, much less write it myself, but after all, you were just there only minutes ago. So, make your way back to the pool room, climb out and go to the large doorway to the south. The doors to your left are now open, so enter an open-air oasis with a pool in the center, and enjoy the brief flyby. Hop into the water and splash around until you hit the exit trigger.