THE SACRED TEMPLE

Level by Timothy Jeanmonod (TimJ)

Walkthrough by Phil Lambeth


Lara begins by sliding down into a dark subterranean cavern. Light a flare and go over to the NW corner next to the tree. There's a low crawl space hidden by the bushes. Crawl in on the right side and pick up the flares at the end of the short passage. Turn around and exit by hugging the wall to your left, or you'll find yourself stuck in the bushes. Cross the chamber to the opening in the east wall and enter cautiously. There's a blade trap in the floor depression in the next room, so hop over it and note the hole in the ceiling overhead.

Continue east through the next opening and you'll trigger a series of horizontal swinging blades while a door opens ahead. Hop over the first one and watch out for the spike pit just ahead. Take a running jump over the second blade and walk up the ramp and jump over a third blade into the next room. Continue running forward so you don't become the main ingredient of a spike sandwich as two deadly walls converge in your path. Draw your pistols and shoot two bats before proceeding through the next room.

Note for later the receptacle to your left in the NW corner and push the nearby floor lever. A block rises in the previous room, giving you access to the upper level through the hole in the ceiling. The passage to the south has also opened up, so head that way first and watch out for the delayed-action blade ball that drops down from the ceiling. At the juncture there's a closed door to your left (which opens later from the other side), so turn right and jump over the shallow hole onto the ramp. It looks like the perfect setting for a boulder trap, and so it is. Turn around and hop back up the ramp until you trigger the boulder, then run forward and jump over the hole as the boulder rolls down into it. Turn around, jump over the hole and head back up the ramp while lighting a flare.

When you detect the pushblock to your left, push it all the way in to reveal an alcove. Step inside to pick up the STONE OF ATUM for SECRET #1 and also take the small medi-pack for good measure. Go back to the main passage and turn left. When you reach the slope, turn around and slide down backwards (if you slide down facing forward you'll get spiked at the end). Grab the edge and shimmy to your right and around the corner. Pull up and hop over the inert blade to enter a familiar room. Pull up onto the raised block, turn around and climb through the ceiling hole into a small torch-lit room. First, go forward to the pedestal between the two lion statutes and take the CIRCULAR STONE. The door to your left opens obligingly. (Don't be deceived, however. You still need to find two keys to open the other door.) Then pick up the flares in the NW corner and proceed down the north stairs.

Follow the passage down, and when you reach the open area draw your pistols and shoot the skeletal harpy that attacks from your left. Note the closed door in the NE corner and enter the SE passage. Light a flare at the top of the slope and slide down into a room with a descending pin-cushion ceiling. Run slightly to your left and find the pushable block in the east wall. Push it forward twice as the ceiling comes down harmlessly and the door closes behind you.

You're in a small watery area with two closed doors and an open passage. As you have little choice, head through the north passage across a bridge into a corridor. As the ramp leads you to a slightly open area, look for the button on the south wall to your left and push it to open a door a little farther along. Don't go that way, however, as it just takes you back to the underground cavern where you killed the skeletal harpy. Instead, turn around and go back to the watery area. You find that the other two doors that were closed before are now open, so you have a decision to make. I'm not sure it makes any difference, so let's try the south passage first.

Step up to the edge of the slope and light a flare. Slide down into a room where dangling blade balls immediately start dropping from the ceiling. Run to the far right corner and quickly throw the wall switch before the blades activate. The trap door beneath your feet opens to drop you away from further harm. You land in a dark room. Turn around and activate the jump switch in the NW corner (giving you a cut scene of the closed passage next to the Circular Stone receptacle), then climb the blocks to the north. The door at the top opens before you get there, so step into the passage and push the button in the wall ahead. There's a small room to your left with a presently closed door, so turn right and run up the ramp. Turn right into the north corridor and quickly run through it to evade the blade ball that drops from the ceiling.

In the next room, which you visited earlier, use the Circular Stone in the receptacle to lower the block to your right. Go inside the passage and take the PYRAMIDAL KEY from the pedestal. Reverse roll and exit this room via the south passage. (The west passage leads to a spike sandwich trap and certain death.) Crawl under the blade ball and turn right at the junction. Take a running jump over the pit now filled with boulder and follow the passage to the end. Turn right and remember to slide down the slope backwards to avoid the spike trap in the pit. Shimmy to the right around the corner and pull up. Jump over the blade and pull up onto the raised block in the next room. Turn around and pull up into the upper room.

Go down the north passage and into the underground area where you killed the skeletal harpy. The door in the SE passage is now closed, but remember that you earlier opened the NE door. Go there, cross the small room and head down the ramped passage. Cross the bridge into the watery area and this time take the east passage. Drop down into a dark room and pick up the TORCH lying at your feet. Light it on one of the nearby flames and note the unlit sconces presently beyond your reach on the east wall.

Take the lit torch with you through the east passage and get ready for a neat little torch puzzle. Light the sconce on the wall to your left. This raises a block in the small room you just left. Go back there, hop onto the block and light the now accessible wall sconce. The block in the opposite corner is now raised, so jump over and light the wall sconce there. A block in the wall below is lowered, so hop down and enter the new passage. Drop the torch for a moment and pick up the small medi-pack, then step forward and pick up the STONE OF RE for SECRET #2.

Turn around, pick up the torch and hop onto the raised block to your left. Hop down to the south passage and resume the torch puzzle. Continue a short distance past the lighted wall sconce and take a left into the east passage. Light the two wall sconces you'll find there, then drop the torch briefly to pick up the flares at the end of the passage. Turn around, and before picking up your torch go into the side north passage and push the button at the end to activate one of several spike traps in this area. Now pick up your torch and go to the end of the west passage. Turn left and follow the passage until you reach the junction. Turn right and light the torch on the wall to your left, then continue forward and find the spike trap on your right. Time a run past the spikes, drop the torch for a moment and push the button in the wall at the end of the passage. Another spike trap is triggered.

Turn around, pick up the torch and time a run past the first set of spikes. Continue down the east passage and light the torch on the wall to your left. The second set of spikes is straight ahead, just beyond a side passage to your left. Turn into that passage and light the wall sconce on your right, triggering a third spike trap on your left. Run past those spikes, drop the torch and push the button in the wall. Little doubt as to what that did. Turn around, pick up the torch and run past the spikes into the passage. Turn right, then left and time a run past the second set of spikes.

Take the first left and light the torch on the wall to your left. Continue forward to the end of the north passage and you'll come to the fourth set of spikes ahead and to your left. Time a run past them and make a horseshoe turn to the right into the short south passage. Light the wall torch, drop your torch to pick up the flares at your feet, turn around and pick up the torch, and exit the passage. Turn right to find yourself at the entrance to a very dark room.

Step forward and find a round object on a raised tile in the center of the room. Light that object, being careful not to be standing on the raised tile as you do so (lest you be set aflame as well). Quickly drop your torch and draw your pistols as a skeletal harpy attacks. After it's dead, look around and see a dim opening in the east wall. Don't approach it, however, as the three tiles in front and on either side of it are spike trapped. Instead, go over to the south wall and use the light of your torch to help locate the climbing surface. Drop the torch and climb up the wall. Shift to your left at the top and drop down onto the ledge. (Lighting the central object removed an obstruction in the ceiling that would have prevented you from shifting left.)

Turn around and walk out to the end of the ledge. You can see the opening across the way in the north wall. Jump up to grab the ceiling and monkey swing across the room. Drop down onto the ledge and crawl into the opening. Turn around when you can stand up and pull up into a higher crawl space. Follow it to the bridge and run across to the other side of the room. Push the button in the south wall to trigger the spikes in the three tiles below. Retrace your steps to get back down with no loss of health, or, if you're too impatient for that, safety drop from the bridge and beef up your health before proceeding.

Step up in front of the spikes guarding the east passage and time a run past them. (It appears you're done with the torch, so there's no need to bring it with you.) In the next area is the second PYRAMIDAL KEY lying in plain sight on the floor, with a closed door just ahead. If you sense a trap, you're absolutely correct. Pick up the key and immediately take two standing jumps forward as boulders start crashing down. At the end of the second jump, run forward through the open door to safety. Draw your pistols and shoot the bats (four, I think, although it's hard to be sure in the darkness) that you've awakened in the next room.

The depressions on either side of the central pillar contain hidden blade traps, so avoid them. Take an angled standing jump with grab to land on the metallic tile in the east passage. This triggers a gauntlet of blade traps along the passage, and since they remain active it may be a good idea to save your game here. What's more, spikes drop down from the ceiling as you proceed, but if you dash through while holding down the sprint key you should get through unscathed. What looks like a fire trap when you turn right in the passage is actually harmless. Run up the stairs into the next room and relieve the skeleton to your right of the CROSSBOW and a small medi-pick (there are no hidden traps). There's nothing on the pedestal on the other side of the central pillar. However, there's a jump switch on the pillar that you can activate by squeezing between the pedestal and the pillar. Do so, then continue along the west passage past a wall sconce (which refuses to light, by the way, assuming you'd carried the torch this far) and another harmless "fire tile."

As you continue forward you'll trigger a couple of swinging blades in the passage. Simply crawl underneath them and enter the doorway to your left that you opened with the jump switch. Hop down a couple of blocks and run along the checkered passage until you reach a bridge and a fixed camera angle. Continue across into the next room and pick up the LASER SIGHT that's lying in your path on the floor. Don't even think about continuing forward and grabbing that revolver, as you'll be spiked for your efforts.

Return to the passage with the swinging blades and turn left. Run along the passage and the door ahead opens as you approach. (It's the same door that was closed when you saw it earlier from the other side.) You're now in previously explored territory. Continue west along the passage, jump over the hole occupied by the boulder, turn right at the end of the passage and slide backwards down the slope. Grab, shimmy, pull up and climb up onto the block in the next room. Turn around and pull up into the upper room. Place the Pyramidal Keys in their recepacles, and the south door opens.

Follow the checkered passage into a dark, spooky area. Push the button in the wall ahead and slightly to your left. There's no indication as what you've just done, but undoubtedly it was important. Reverse roll and activate the jump switch in the wall behind you. No clue as to what that does, either. The cramped area behind the column to your right appears to be for later, so head over to the west. Vault over the obstruction and hop down into a hub area of sorts.

Enter the south passage and pick up the crossbow arrows in the far left corner. There's a crawl space there in the east wall, so follow the passage until you can stand up. Pull up into the alcove to your right and activate the jump switch. Unfortunately, this doesn't open the door to your left or provide any clue as to what you've just done, so go back through the crawl space and return to the hub area. (If you get up on your tiptoes before leaving the alcove and peek through the lattice-work window, you can see the brass ball that's your next objective.) Explore the room to the north, although it appears to be empty. It's also rather difficult to exit. Back in the hub area, pull up into the west crawl space and lower Lara into the area on the other side. Enter the north room and look around. This one, too, seems to be empty, so go across into the south room. This one is also empty, but there's a passage into a west anteroom. Here you'll find a small medi-pack in the SW corner, and you can work your way into the north alcove and crawl back outside.

Enter the room to the north (to the left of a tree) and pick up the SHOTGUN near the entrance. There's also a hole in the ceiling the far left corner. Climb the north wall, pull up into the crawl space and go forward until you can stand up and push a button in the far wall. Go back through the crawl space and climb down to the room below. Now it's time to find out what you've accomplished with the switches and button. Go outside and head east. Climb over the crawl space into the first hub area and go as far east as you can. You see that a block has been raised to your right, so climb up onto it.

Use your binoculars (the action key will provide extra light and the crouch key will zoom in to give you a closer view) to find the dangling brass ball in the distance beyond the slit in the south wall. (The lattice-work window you saw earlier is right behind it.) Use the combined crossbow and laser sight to shoot the brass ball and make it dance. All sorts of chaos takes place as blade traps are triggered in the floor to your left, and the east wall is reconfigured. Hop down and step onto the dark strip adjacent to the east wall. The door ahead opens and spikes are triggered. Wait for the spikes to retract, then jump onto the metallic tile and immediately back flip to safety. Time a run past the spikes and pay close attention to the flyby in the next room.

As you walk toward the prize highlighted in the flyby, protective spikes pop up to surround it. You may be tempted to sacrifice a little health and tiptoe through the spikes, but don't try it (as the spikes are grounded in deadly fire tiles). Walk up close to the spikes and angle Lara to the left. Take a running jump to the landiog in front of the north opening and arm yourself with the shotgun. Take a standing jump onto the central slab in a room partially filled with a deadly golden liquid, and two skeletons are awakened on either side when you land. Blast them into oblivion with the investment of a single shotgun shell each, then take a running jump to the north ledge.

Turn left and approach what looks like a routine wall switch. However, the metallic tile just beneath it is illusory, so allow Lara to drop down and slide onto a ledge overlooking another room filled with deadly golden fluid. Hit the look key to restore camera control, then jump straight ahead to the nearest rope. Slide down to the bottom and aim toward the next rope either to your right or your left. Swing forward and jump off at the apex of your swing to grab the second rope. Slide down to the bottom and aim toward the switch in the south wall. Swing forward and jump off to land on the ledge in front of the switch. Throw it for a cut scene showing your prize from a different angle.

Turn around and get back across the deadly pool the same way you came. Climb the steps to the top of the passage, then turn right and climb the wall past the phantom tile and pull up onto the ledge. Take a running jump south to the central slab and a standing jump from there to the south opening. Run forward and step up onto the raised tile slightly to your right, near the spikes. Jump up to grab the ceiling and monkey swing toward your prize. Release and drop onto the raised tile with the pedestal, and take the STONE OF MAAT while Lara's theme music plays. Jump up to grab the ceiling and monkey swing back the same way you came. Release when you reach the corner and walk out to the east edge of the north walkway. If you want the final secret of this level you're going to have to work for it.

Take a running jump into the darkness toward the NE corner. You'll slide down onto a flat spot. Turn to face SW (the lava pit is straight ahead and below). It's much too dark to see without the binoculars, but there's a dangling brass ball near the center of the platform ahead. Locate it (slightly left of center), then shoot it with the combined crossbow and laser sight to make it bounce wildly. You feel a slight rumble, indicating that the area has been reconfigured in some way. Now you've got to get back, which is no easy task. Here's how I did it. Carefully step forward SW and slide down to the next flat spot. Then repeat so that you're just above the deadly lava.

[Jose Boo has suggested the following as a much easier route: Take a running jump into the darkness toward the NW-most corner and you'll land on a flat ledge. From here locate and shoot the brass ball at the center of the room. Then turn a bit to your right and jump over the reconfigured tile, continue walking along the W wall ledge and do a standing jump with grab at the end to pull up onto the walkway.]

Sidestep to your right and take a running jump toward the next flat spot south. You'll have to use as much of the triangular ledge as you can, curving to your right as you run. When you land safely, turn to face west and take a fairly easy running jump to the next flat spot. Then turn to face north and take one final tricky twisting running jump (as you did before) to the next flat spot. Turn to face NW, one step back from the corner, and take a standing jump up to the next flat spot. Repeat from there to the next flat spot. Turn to face SW and take a standing jump up to a ledge against the west wall (created when you shot the brass ball). Walk to the south edge, jump up and grab the walkway above. Pull up onto the walkway and note the raised block ahead and to your right.

Jump over there, climb up onto the block and from there onto the roof of the central structure. Step forward and pick up the STONE OF KHEPRI for SECRET #3. Jump from the roof down to the east walkway and enter the passage ahead. Run down the ramp into another room filled with a deadly golden liquid. However, you have no need to deal with it. Simply run into the helix at the bottom of the ramp to end the level.