TR FORGE ADVENT CALENDAR 2012 - THE IRIS ORIGIN

Levels by AoDfan

Walkthrough by Phil Lambeth

Level 1: THE VILLAGE

Follow the icy path around the corner and shoot two bats.  Approach a bridge that spans a deep and dark pit.  Since you have a flashlight in lieu of flares in this game, and since batteries for your flashlight are quite scarce, I made only a half-hearted and unsuccessful effort to find anything of significance in the pit.  Not only that, there's no easily discernible way back up, as Lara refuses to grab the rock ledges when she stands directly beneath them and jumps up.  It's academic in any event, as the builder has confirmed that there's nothing in the pit.  Cross the bridge and come to a pair of closed temple doors requiring two artifacts.  There's a closed gate on either side, each opened with a wall switch.  According to the builder, it's necessary to start with the gate on the right (W).

Enter a green-tinted room where you have to get across to the other side without falling into the deadly goo.  To do this must jump off five slopes in succession to reach a central flat pillar.  The third slope is the most difficult to reach.  The way I did it was to stand left of the first slope, roughly in line with the vertical edge of the third slope ahead, and take an angled standing jump to the left edge of the first slope.  Slide down ever so slightly, jump to the second slope and jump off with a hard right curve to the third slope.  If you make it that far the rest should be a piece of cake. 

When you reach the flat pillar safely, face the bridge W, hop back from the front edge, and take a standing W to land on the near edge of the bridge as a dart gauntlet is activated.  You can't simply crawl under the darts, for the squares ahead are blade-trapped.  I'm not sure there's any way to get across without suffering some loss of health.  The way I did it was to take three side flips in rapid succession, although I suppose running jumps will work just as well. 

When you get across, slide down the W slope and prepare to deal with three wolves in the cave below.  If you start shooting immediately upon landing, you should be able to kill at least one of them before they become fully active.  When all is quiet, pick up the battery N and the large medipack and the first MASK in the NW alcove.  Pull the nearby wall switch to open a trap door at your feet.  Drop down onto a pillar in an underground passage.

Hop to the ground and find a battery in the weeds near the N wall.  Turn around and follow the passage to a trench at the foot of a wide ramp.  Unmistakable signs of a boulder trap, no?  What's more, the ramp is spike-trapped in various spots.  Jump across the trench to the middle of the ramp and go up until the first boulder is triggered.  Turn around and run back to jump over the trench as the boulder falls into it.  Return to the ramp and go up the middle once more, past the spike trap on your right.  Turn right and run to the wall to trigger the second boulder, then simply hop back as it rolls by.  Trigger the third boulder poised over the left side of the ramp, then continue E to the top of the ramp.

At the top of the boulder ramp, turn around and face W.  Look up to see what appears to be a uniform climbable surface.  However, you can grab only the portion to your right, so stand at the edge of the darker floor and turn slightly NW.  Hop back and take a running jump to grab the wall ladder.  Climb up to the top and pull into a pitch-black alcove.  Turn on your flashlight if you like, although you can simply take a couple of steps forward into the darkness and pick up the COG for SECRET #1.

Get back down, enter the E passage and run to the top.  Turn left and climb the ladder.  As you pull up, a door opens to the room with slopes and green goo.  Take a running jump to the ledge and exit E to a familiar area.  Go across past the temple doors and shoot a jug for another battery.  Pull down the E wall switch and enter the passage.  Side flip over the two blades, and the door at the other end opens automatically.  Enter the next room and pay close attention to the ensuing flyby.

You need to make your way to the top of this tall room to obtain the second Mask.  Begin by going up the stairs to your right, around the frozen pond.  At the end, note the lowered trap door in the corner and take a running jump N to the ledge, just beyond another lowered trap door.  Pull down the wall switch here to raise a timed trap door in the N wall.  Angle NW and take a curved running jump to grab the raised trap door.  Pull up and take a running jump to the ledge in the NW corner.  Step forward and pull up S to the higher ledge.  Pull another wall switch here, which raises two timed trap doors, one further S and the other across the room in the E wall.  Therefore, you need to hurry along.

Side step to your left, then take two side flips left to land on a ledge in the SW corner.  Pull down the wall switch here to raise two timed trap doors directly behind you.  Reverse roll and walk forward to the edge.  Take a standing jump forward, then a running jump to the raised trap door in the corner.  Turn left and take a running jump N to the next raised trap door.  You should have plenty of time to line up a running jump to the ledge in the NE corner.

Jump up left to the higher ledge and take a running jump over a breaktile to grab a still higher ledge.  Pull up and take a running jump W to grab a crack in the wall.  Shimmy left to the SW corner and drop down onto the ledge.  Take a running jump E and enter the passage in the S wall.  Follow up the winding ramp to a higher opening facing the Mask you need.  As you step forward two flame blowers are activated.  Jump up to grab the monkey bars and monkey swing N, timing your way past the flames.  When you reach the N wall, release and take the second MASK from the plinth.

Sorry, but there's no quick and easy way back down.  Monkey swing back across to the other side (timing the flames, of course) and release into the passage.  Go down the ramp and jump to the SW ledge.  Hop back and wait before clearing the edge to hit the action key so that you glide onto the ledge directly below.  From here you can safety drop to the stairs.  If you leave without melting the ice in the pool, you'll forgo two secrets here (and a third one later in the level) as well as a good bit of gameplay.   Use the row of switches in the E wall to activate different flame blowers on either side of the pool.  All of the flame blowers must be on at the same time, or the ice will not melt.  Pull down the middle three, leaving the two on the ends in an upright position. 

Jump into the water and turn around to open the E face door.  Swim through to a room with waist-deep water and look around.  The most significant feature is a giant paddle wheel to your left.  Ahead is a closed floor gate and to your right is a closed wall gate.  Overhead is a ledge you apparently can't reach.  Go around to the N side of the paddle wheel and turn to face it.  Use the action key to grab a blade and keep it depressed as you're carried up and jump off to grab the ledge jutting out of the S wall.  Loop around to your left and climb the NE ladder.  Pull up for SECRET #2 and take the large medipack, two stashes of uzi ammo and the UZIS from the plinth. 

Climb back down.  There's a companion NW ladder, so go there and climb up to the higher ledge.  Go around to your right and find a cog assembly on the E wall with a missing cog, and a nearby wall switch.  Don't pull the switch yet, but instead place the Cog.  Now pull the switch to open the wall gate you saw down below.  Get back down there and wade through the SW opening.  Move the cage outside and onto the closed floor gate.  This causes the water level in the room to rise dramatically, allowing you to swim up and pull into the S alcove.  Run forward but look out for the spear trap.  Pick up the GOLD DISC beside the skeleton for SECRET #3, then grab the hard-to-see SHOTGUN and get back out.  Swim down and exit via the W passage.  Continue straight ahead between the flame blowers and pull out of the pool on the far W side.

Continue W, side flip over the blades in the passage, and use the two Masks to open the S double doors.  Step forward to trigger a flyby through a small village.   After camera control is restored, continue forward and deal with a trio of wolves.  Now you're ready to explore this area at leisure.  It's easy to lose your bearings, so I'll number each hut that's opened.  To start, head SE from the village entrance and pull down the wall switch to open the door to Hut #1.  Enter and do battle with another wolf.  Take the RUSTY KEY from the plinth near the E wall, and find a small medipack on a platform against the S wall.  Look in the weeds in the NW corner for a battery.  You can use the window sills to access the rafters, but there's nothing to do or get up there.

Exit this hut, turn left and go W to Hut #2.  Access it via the wall switch and find a battery on a platform in the NW corner.  The rafters are clean, so don't bother.  Note the structure against the S wall.  Believe it or not, it's a wraith catcher.  Nothing more to do here, so exit and turn right.  Go S between Hut #1 and Hut #2 and come to a little courtyard with a pool in the middle.  You can use the Rusty Key to open Hut #3 on the other side of the pool, so do that.  Shoot a wolf, then the white jug in the NW corner for some shotgun ammo.  Note for later the receptacle in the NE corner behind the animal skin.  The plinth near the E wall is empty.  Pull down the wall switch near the SW corner to open the double doors to the left of the entrance to the village.  Finally, move the cage from the SE corner until it's beneath the closed ceiling trap door.  Go to the SE corner and pick up the GENERAL VILLAGE KEY that the cage was covering.  You'll return here later after lowering that trap door, so exit and turn diagonally right to access Hut #4 with the wall switch.

Enter and pull back the skeleton to reveal another SHOTGUN.  When you pick it up, a cut scene points you back to Hut #2, and a wraith is released.  It's not the kind you can douse by jumping in water, so quickly exit this hut and turn right to run N between Hut #1 and Hut #2.  Turn left and enter Hut #2.  Approach the wraith catcher and wait patiently until the wraith self destructs.  Then return to Hut #4 and pick up two batteries at one side of the entrance and a large medipack at the other.  Shoot the jug in the SW corner for shotgun ammo.  The other jug is empty.  The rafters are clean as well, so exit and go around the pool W to open Hut #5.

There's another skeleton to pull back.  This one reveals the CROWBAR and awakens a wolf.  The NE jug contains another pair of UZIS.  No windows in this hut, so you can't get to the rafters.  Now is as good a time as any to explore the pool.  Exit this hut and jump into the water.  You can't pull back out here, so swim through the S opening into an underwater maze.  You can always come back here for air as needed.  Your ultimate destination is the part of the maze to your right, so let's explore the left portion first. 

Swim forward and turn left.  Swim to the end of the E passage and pull Underwater Lever #1 (cut scene of a gate lifting).  Flip turn, start swimming back W and turn left almost immediately.  At the T intersection you'll see closed gates both right and left, so we must look elsewhere.  Go back and get air at the pool.  Re-enter the maze and this time swim straight S.  Follow the passage into an open area.  Left around the corner is a closed gate, so turn right and follow the passage to Underwater Lever #2 (cut scene of a gate lifting to expose another underwater lever).  You can get some air right here. 

Go back toward Underwater Lever #1 and turn right just before you get to it.  Turn right at the intersection and swim past the opened gate to pull Underwater Lever #3 (cut scene of another gate lifting).  Get some air and note that the companion gate is still closed.  Return to the entrance area, follow the S passage and turn left when you reach the open area.  The gate is now open, so follow the passage until you reach Underwater Lever #4 (cut scene of another gate lifting).  Get some air, then return to Underwater Lever #1, turn right just before you get there, turn left at the intersection and voila! the gate there is now open.  Enter and pull down Underwater Lever #5 (no cut scene this time). 

Get air and return to the open area as before.  You've already gone right, and you've already gone left, so swim straight ahead to the W wall and turn left into the alcove for SECRET #4 and two stashes of shotgun ammo as well as a large medipack.  Flip turn, loop around to the right and swim into the left alcove E to pull Underwater Lever #6 (cut scene of a trap door lowering).  Exit this alcove and swim SW to enter an alcove for a SKULL KEY.  Flip turn, exit this alcove and loop around to the right to find the open trap door.

Swim up, pull out and jump into the companion E pool.  Pull the underwater lever to open the exit door N (which isn't timed, by the way).  Exit to find yourself in a different part of the village.  If you look to your left you'll see the pool you jumped into not long ago.  Go that way and continue N between Hut #1 and Hut #2.  Turn left at the village entrance and head W beyond Hut #1 to what I'll call the Bonus Hut.  Use your Gold Disc to open the double doors and enter.  Shoot the nearby lighter colored jugs for two stashes of magnum ammo. 

Continue S and pull down the wall switch to enter the Bonus Hut.  Watch out for the spear trap and enter for SECRET #5.  Don't go for the spear-trapped medipack, but pull back the nearby skeleton for yet another SHOTGUN.  The cut scene warns you that a wraith is about to be released, so flee next door to Hut #2 and wait for the wraith to follow you inside and self destruct.  Return to the Bonus Hut and find two stashes of uzi ammo in the SW corner.  Shoot the nearby jug for shotgun ammo and exit the Bonus Hut, since you can't reach the rafters.  Outside, locate the jump switch in the W wall and activate it to open the S double doors.

However, for now go back N through the double doors you opened with the Gold Disc, turn right and head E toward the double doors you opened with the wall switch in Hut #3.  Go through, loop around to the right and open Hut #6 with the General Village Key.  Once inside, loop around to the right once more and locate the ornate STONE.  Pry it off the wall with your crowbar.  A cut scene shows you where to place it.  Sorry, the rafters here are clean, too.  Nothing more to do here, so leave this hut and turn either right or left to exit through the open double doors.  Turn left and head S along the passage.  Turn left at the crossing and place the Stone to open Hut #7.

At first blush the place looks empty, but hop onto the four structures situated at the corners of the hut.  A block rises near the center of the room.  Use your General Village Key to lower the ceiling trap door, then climb up onto the raised block and pull up into the higher room.  Shoot the white jug W and pick up the GOLD IDOL.  Remember where it goes?  Get back down and return to Hut #3 (S of the central pool in the courtyard).  Place the Gold Idol in the receptacle in the NE corner, and the trap door opens behind you.  Get up onto the cage beneath it and pull up into the attic.  Note the sleeping skeletons. 

When you take the second SKULL KEY from the N plinth, one of the skeletons awakens.  You can blast it through the hole you climbed through, but unfortunately that doesn't kill it.  Better just to get back down, where it can't follow, and exit this hut.  Loop around right and go all the way to the S wall.  Turn left, then turn right at the crossing and follow the passage around to the right until you reach double doors requiring two keys.  You have them both, so use the two Skull Keys to open the double doors.  Go down the stairs, turn right and approach the slope to end this level.

Level 2: THE IRIS TEMPLE

After reviewing your statistics from the first level, hit the escape key to continue sliding down the slope into the next level.  Kill two raptors when you reach the bottom and enter a seemingly peaceful jungle canyon with unseen birds singing.  Continue forward and to your right.  Engage another pair of raptors coming at you from the S.  Locate a nearby reclining skeleton under a N rock bridge and take the large medipack from it. 

Head S toward a temple area, passing a high cave in the E wall to your left.  The temple is beyond a river, and a bridge needs to be raised so you can get over there.  If you fall anywhere into the water, you're doomed, so turn around and go to that cave you passed by just now.  Stand beneath the ledge on the rocks (and not the grass), jump up and grab the edge and pull up.  Run forward through the cave and see three raptors roaming about in the area below.  You can shoot two of them from where you're standing, but the third one craftily takes cover just below you, where you can't target it.  Hop down and finish it off. 

There are two buildings in this area, one N and one E.  The N building is occupied by two raptors.  Inside is a cage, a closed door and a plinth.  Take the COG from the plinth to attract yet another raptor.  Move the cage S and just beyond the gray stone pillars, then get around to its left side and push it W until it drops down to the ground.  Get down and pull the cage once S, directly beneath a jump switch.  Oops, you still can't reach it.  From the cage, jump SW to the rock ledge and take a curved running jump to activate the jump switch.  This opens the door inside the temple.  Go there and enter for SECRET #6.  Look at the goodies before you start grabbing, and decide what you want most, for whatever pile you choose, flames will erupt to prevent access to the other two piles.  Since this area is infested with raptors, I elected to walk straight ahead and collect the MAGNUM along with a generous supply of magnum ammo.  The pile on the left consists of a SHOTGUN, which you already have, and three boxes of ammo for it.  The pile on the right consists of a measly medipack.  Before leaving, shoot the light-colored jug in the NW corner for a small medipack, and the ones in the NE and SW corners for shotgun ammo (further validating my selection).

Go across to the other building.  This one has a trap door barring access to a ladder, so you need to find a way to lower it.  At least, that's what one would think.  But you can actually stand on the front step facing S, beneath the trap door, jump up and grab and pull up over the trap door.  Surely not what the builder intended, but if you avail yourself of this short cut you can step forward and take the second COG from the plinth.  A simple running jump N will get you back outside.  Shoot the raptor that appears and exit via the W cave.  If you wish to derive full enjoyment of the builder's work product, ignore this paragraph for now and continue as described below.

You can see a cave E across the river, and you can access it now by taking a running jump to the ledge in front of it.  However, there's a closed door requiring a key at the far end of the long tunnel, so there's nothing for you to do there at the moment.  Instead, head to the W end of this clearing and jump up to grab the ledge in front of the cave by which you arrived.  Pull up, run forward and hop down to the valley below.  Turn left and approach the still inaccessible temple.  Turn left at the river bank and go to the SE corner.  Take a standing jump SE to a rock ledge jutting over the water, and walk forward to take a standing jump E to a second rock ledge.  Face the rock ledge SE across the river and take a running jump to reach it. 

Enter the S passage and shoot three bats.  In the room beyond you can see a row of cog wheels along the wall.  Two of them are missing, however, and if you decided to play by the book you have only one in your inventory.  Shoot the jug in the NW corner and pick up the SKULL KEY.  Retrace your steps all the way back to the clearing where you obtained the sixth secret and go to the E river bank in front of the cave you noticed earlier.  Take a running jump over the water and grab the ledge.  Pull up, enter the cave and follow the tunnel to a pair of closed doors.  Use your Skull Key to open them and enter a puzzle room.

Locate the pushpiece in the trench near the S side of the room and move the pushpiece onto the W rising tile.   Go to the E wall and pull down the left hand switch to raise the pushpiece.  Move the pushpiece onto the NW raised block and push the left hand wall switch back up to lower the push piece to the floor.  Pull the pushpiece E along the trench, then move it S and onto the rising tile in the SW corner.  Pull down the right hand switch in the E wall to raise the pushpiece.  Get up onto the grated walkway and move the pushpiece along the walkway until it comes to rest beneath an ornate ceiling tile.  A flyby shows the trap door falling down in that small building in the clearing across the river.  Now you can get that second COG legally, so go there, ignore the ladder and pull up onto the upper floor of the small building to claim your prize.  If you have trouble making the jump back across the river, hang from the ledge, pull up and reverse roll.  That will give you a little extra distance when you perform your running jump.

Get back out and kill that raptor if you didn't do so earlier.  Leave this area via the W cave and return to the cog wheel room, using the same route described above.  Place the two Cogs (one left of center and the other on the far right) and then, and only then, pull down the wall switch to your right.  A bifurcated flyby shows a paddle wheel area to your left and a bridge being raised to access the nearby temple.  You won't be visiting the paddle wheel area, so get back across the river by jumping the rock ledges as you did earlier.

Go to the bridge and run across S to the temple.  The entry doors are still closed, so go to the SE corner and jump up E to grab the ledge.  Pull up, turn around and take a running jump and grab to the veranda.  Pull up and climb the ladder to an alcove just beneath the roof.   Pull up and run forward to pull down the wall switch.  The temple doors are now open, so get down and enter.  Immediately ahead are double doors requiring an artifact, so turn right and follow the passage.  If you go to your left you'll come to more closed doors. 

Enter a mirror room as the doors close behind you.  From the central tile (which is really a closed trap door), look in the mirror and note that there's an opening behind you in the W wall.  Turn around, go there and pull down the wall switch at the end of the passage.  Come back out, but be careful, as hidden spear traps have been activated in parts of the floor.  Look up at the ceiling to see which parts of the floor are safe, and which aren't.  Make your way carefully to the NE corner, to the right of the entrance as you face it, and enter the phantom passage to find another wall switch.  Pull it down to lower the trap door in the center of the room.

Go there (the path is fairly clear and safe) and drop down into the passage.  If you wish, the builder says that before leaving the mirror room you can locate and pick up a large medipack.  I didn't go back to pinpoint its location, however, so you're on your own if you want or need that pickup.  Run S into what I'll call the pushcage area.  Pull the first cage out and push it aside.  Enter the passage and pull the second cage back and push it to the other side.  Enter the passage and ignore the cage on your left.  Push the nearby cage W and follow the passage until you come to another cage.  Run past it and continue until you come to another cage.  Pull it out of the passage and pull it aside.  Enter the passage and go around for SECRET #7 and three stashes of magnum ammo.

Return to the cage you bypassed just now and push it away from the S opening.  Enter and follow the passage to a room with a deep pit.  Take a running jump E and grab the rope.  Slide down, swing forward and jump off to land on a suspended ledge.  Take the GOLD DISC from the plinth, sidestep away from the plinth and take a running jump E to grab the next rope.  Swing forward and jump off to land on the ledge ahead.  Shoot the lighter colored jug to your left (the one on the right is empty) for a battery. 

Enter the E passage and follow to a final puzzle room.  Your way out is barred by two rows of flame blowers.  There's a timed switch in the S wall, and there are wall switches in W and E alcoves that are protected by flames. 

When you pull down the timed switch, flames erupt right behind you while the protective flame in the W alcove is extinguished temporarily.  This forces you to run counterclockwise around the central structure so you can pull down the wall switch in the W alcove before the flame returns.  Take a rolling back flip and run to the E alcove.  Pull down the wall switch there before the flame returns.  The flame blowers protecting the N ladder have been extinguished, so go there, climb the ladder and approach the double doors.

They open automatically, so run along the passage, turn left and use the Gold Disc to open the S double doors.  Enter and attract the rumbling footsteps of a T-Rex.  If you remain in the doorway, you may find that the T-Rex becomes stuck there.  In any event, it breathes fire, so avoid facing it directly.  A few well-placed rounds from the shotgun or the Magnum will dispatch it.  If you need it, there's shotgun ammo in the NW corner of this room.  When the T-Rex dies, the exit doors open in the S wall.  Go there and run down the long ramp.  When you enter the next room and approach the artifact on the bridge, the level ends.