Back to Basics 2008 - Pachacutec Inca's Valley

Level by Roli

Walkthrough by akci

[Video Walkthrough by JoeTheCrazyGamer]

Story:

The valley of Pachacutec Inca, the Peruvian king, lays somewhere in the mountains of Ollantaytambo. According to the legend, Pachacutec Inca left a valuable Incan golden object in the valley, it is called the idol of Pachacutec.It is believed that if fallen to the wrong hands, the idol has the power to call forward an ancient evil, which could bring the hell upon earth. It is Lara's turn to find the idol, which is guarded by the remnants of the ancient civilization.

You start by falling into a pool. Swim through the tunnel and get out of the water. Get rid of the compies and look around, there are three openings in this area, and if you venture to the right you can find first a couple of raptors, kill them of course, and then find three keyholes. You will acquire these keys by going in those openings, two of them closed, let's open them. Go back and climb the steps in the SE corner next to the waterhole and jump to the ledge above it. Lara takes a good look at the hanging round metal thingie above the W opening. Jump up and shoot it to open the W bars, as it's quite far you have to face it precisely. Jump over the adjacent ledge and pick up the small medi, then drop down. Go in the narrow passage on the S, between the staircase and the steps you just jumped from and go in the room under the steps. Pull the lever to open the bars of the N opening.

Now all three are opened, so let's find some keys, doesn't matter which order you take them, but if you want some firepower start with the middle (W) one. After the fly-by go in the hut in which fire is burning, kill the native and pick up the Shotgun.

Note: Make sure to save a single shotgun shell for the T-Rex towards the end.

Come out and go for the hut in front of you, push in the object, kill another native and pick up the flares. Next to this hut jump over the fence by swandive or sidejump, shoot the vases and pick up some shotgun ammo, jump back out and shoot the vase in the third hut for a small medi. Go to the NE corner and pull up on the sloping block, jump and you are on the roof. Go to the other end and slide/jump to the platform in the corner. Shoot the bats and jump to the horizontal pole, for the other roof. (It's a tricky jump, you may need to try several angles.) Jump straight ahead to the flat part of the next roof, turn left and jump for the leftmost not sloping part of the roof of the last one, in which you found the flares. From here jump to the alcove in the E wall and pick up the Golden Key. Drop down and go back out E to the valley.

Turn left (N) and drop down behind the previously opened bars. There is a slope leading further down, light a flare before sliding down to see what you're going to do because this is a hard part. About halfway down the slope there is a boulder hanging above which comes after you. There are two ways to avoid it, at the bottom of the slope is a 1x1 platform and another short slope behind it. The first method is to jump from the last possible moment from the first slope with roll, to arrive on the short slope sliding backwards, i.e., jumping over the platform. Grab the edge and wait for the boulder to fall, then pull up, jump/roll and jump over the horizontal poles. Unfortunately if you slide down backwards on the first slope you couldn't see when to jump. If you don't want the secret, or just don't want to lose health getting it, this is the method to follow.

The other way is to slide on the left side of the slope, jump at about the end to arrive on the platform while running, and with a hard right turn just run down from the platform on the right side, and you arrive into the 1st secret with considerable health loss. Pick up the Uzis and clips. If you jumped over the poles, you can come to this secret the same way you're going to go back. Jump over the lava and aim for the ledge on the right of the one in front to avoid the first flamethrower. Shimmy to the right, at one point Lara gets her feet set. The rightmost block is a ladder, at the block next to it is another flamethrower, wait before this one until it pauses, there is just enough time to shimmy past it. Climb up the ladder, jump up to grab the other ladder, climb up a bit then jump into the opening. Push the object out of the way, pick up the flares behind it and go in the mirror floored room. Watch the floor, in the far left corner you can see the image of a hidden lever, pull it to open the door.

You arrive to a small labyrinth-like area, but it isn't complicated. There are blade traps here and there. First go to the SE corner for a medipack after triggering the blade trap, then proceed along the S wall till you see an opening in the ceiling. Jump up, grab and pull up into the crawlspace, which is the 2nd secret, pick up the shotgun ammo and get back down. Continue by keeping to the left and you arrive at a door which opens before you, a native comes out, shoot him and go in.

As you go out the larger area boulder(s) fall down, depends on where you step, but they're more like a spectacle than an actual threat. Go up the slope and into the room with many levers.

Note: sometimes the camera sticks here at one point, if that happens a save and load will do the trick.

You need to pull two of these levers, the rest are trapped. Pull the blueish one W opposite the closed door, and the purple one E at the immediate right of it. Go in the opened doors, jump over the flame on either side to the safe tile. Jump up and grab the edge of the upper flaming tile, shimmy then pull up. Get the Silver Key and go in the passage E, the opening door leads back to the valley.

Go up the stairs in the corner in front, pass through the swinging traps, if you stay close to the wall they can't reach you. At the end of the room jump over the firepit to arrive into a tall room. On the left there is a ramp, you can only trigger a boulder by going up there. On the right a closed door and a ladder leading down. Climb down and go all the way around for a pack of flares, then move the crate out of the way and go in the darkness. Progress carefully as there are spikedoor traps here. Go to the left and pick up the clips in the room. Then go to the other way and pull the lever at the end, jump immediately to minimize the injury by the blade trap. Come back out, up the ladder and go in the opened door. Watch the skeleton crawling out of your way, then pull the lever. Come out and jump to the opened stone gate S.

It's a huge gorge with a fallen bridge, jump over the other side. Crawl under the darts, shoot the bats then get up the rock on the right. Pull the lever then jump up at the corner to grab the crack, shimmy around to the opened door. Pull up, go in the left passage, jump over the fire and pull away the skeleton to find shotgun ammo. Go back and go in the N passage, crawl under or swandive over the barricade, pull the jumpswitch at the end. Come out and go in the middle passage, through the opened gate.

After the fly-by safety drop and go in the room E. Watch out for the marked tiles, they set on fire as you jump over them. Pull the crates on both sides once, then jump around and behind them push the third one once. Jump up and grab the opening in the ceiling, pull up and get the Cog, then come out.

Note: Try to manage this room by igniting as few flame tiles as possible (no more than 5) so you can avoid the flare bug kicking in towards the end of the level, i.e., come out the same side you went in.

Get through the darts and climb the ladder, kill the wolves. Jump to the other side via the horizontal pole (don't use grab), kill the wolves here as well. Grab the crack on the middle column and shimmy around, drop onto the jumpswitch. Climb the ladder again, go in the opened door in front of you, jump over the smoking tile as it is a flame trap. Save before the timed lever. Pull it, roll and push forward once to have Lara take a short step, then stand/jump over the smoking tile and run for the horizontal pole, jump to the other side and dash in the closing door to your right. Kill the wolf and place the cog to open the double gate downstairs. Go in and when the flamethrower pauses jump up and get the Skull Key, you have more than enough time for it. The bars open behind you, slide down to the next room.

Either jump to the next slope or slide backwards and safety drop, to get down without injury. Dispose of the raptors and look around for medipack and flares. Pull up onto the lowest slope, jump/roll for the horizontal pole, then without grab to the platform. Jump on the slope above the pole so you would face the ladder, a sidejump will suffice, jump and grab it. Climb up and around to the right, jump/roll and jump over the two poles to the platform at the end. Go to the NW corner, two standjumps and two runjumps (or a final stand jump with grab) will take you over the collapsing tiles. One more runjump S to the last platform and pull up to another small labyrinth. No pickups here, just fire and blade traps, the ceiling is conveniently high so you can jump over the latter. Make your way to the other end E, to the zipline. Grab it and slide down, but release with good timing about halfway down so you land on the platform under the bridge. Climb up the ladder and go back to the valley.

Go to the keyholes and use your keys to open the bars. Go in and down to a room with many flametrap tiles, and a crate. Pull/push it onto the actually flaming tile in the opposite corner in order to open the bars, that one tile you can step on as you pull the crate. As you go out a T-Rex attacks, it seems he's been put into the slot of the swordsman, so only vulnerable to the revolver and shotgun. On this level you have shotgun only so that's why you needed to spare ammo, a single shot from close range will do. He drops the Pachacutec's Mask, pick it up then climb the ladder in the SE corner. Jump over the platforms N (which you can't see before you jump due to the fixed camera angle), when you grab the one with an object on it you have to shimmy past it to pull up. At the other end of the same platform Lara looks at the vegetation, covering the wall. You can grab it as it is a ladder, jump on it and move all the way to the left, to the platform in the NW corner. Jump to the roof where you find the receptacle for the mask, put it in to open the door below. Get back down and go in.

Drop down the hole, you fall into water. Stand before the millwheel and hold down ctrl until Lara grabs the edge of the platform. Jump over the platforms and pull the lever N to open the bars below. Drop down and go for your prize, the Idol of Pachacutec. The level ends before you reach it.