TR Forge Advent Calendar 2012 - Curse of Winter 2 (Demo)

Level by Soul

Walkthrough by manarch2

NOTE: In this level, your task to get all seven Advent Calendar Points (ACPs) is not only to get the two secrets, but also to find the three explosives and not use them. This will require finding alternative routes so that you don’t need to destroy the ice walls with the explosives. If those are too hard for you, simply choose the easier path, but be warned, you’ll lose one ACP. Starting this game will give you two ACPs you cannot lose in any way.

First Trial

At the start Lara drops down into a cave. Head on and make a left turn at the end, jump over the slope blocking the way and watch the cutscene showing you a large exterior. Progress a few meters forward, then spot and jump onto a triangular plateau up the N rocks. Run to its top and turn slightly left, jump up and you’ll land on a slope – immediately jump forward and a last slope will carry you down in a smaller valley. Go W into the cave and pick up a Secret Rose for Secret #1 (ACP count +1). Head further into the cave, then get through the crawlspace and pick up Flares and a Small Medipack. Slide down the ramp and you arrive back in the starting room – return outside through the right passage. Now make progress through the S valley passing an icy lake with a snake and enter the small building. Pick up the first Explosive to your right (ACP count +1) and exit again. Now head back to the entrance of this outdoor area. Head W down the path and eventually you’ll come to another crossing, go to the right (N) behind the plants and pick up the Large Medipack. Head back to the larger path and go down W to the icy wall.

Now you have to decide –

Using the Explosive:  Place the Explosive in the small hole of the icy wall and it will explode soon. (ACP count -1). Enter the cave and jump up the slope in the NE corner.

Not Using the Explosive: Look up to the right of the icy wall; you’ll have to get up to the plateau up there. To do so, return a few steps to the slope E of the plateau, from the top of the ramp you can jump to the highest point so that you’ll slide facing the W. Now jump with a right curve to be able to land on this plateau. It’s really not that hard.

Paths Coming Together: Jump up to the W crevice and shimmy left, around the corner, then hoist up. Take a run-jump NE to the even floor, then progress to the far NW corner and stand-jump to the ledge of the high W platform. Jump up the last block and the camera view changes.

Second Trial

When you head on a boulder comes down in the valley, avoid it. Before you deal with it, have a look down to the ice lake. You can see a frozen monkey hanging on a “snake pole”. Now head to the S side of the boulder and push it forward once. Now go to the E side and push it so that it rolls down the valley and breaks the ice. Jump down to the NW plateau and onto the W slope toward the snake pole, then swing and jump to the safe W. The next jump leads you up to the snowy ledge N, finally jump to the NW ledge and slide down on the ice river. Jump up the W rocks and pick up the Explosive (ACP count +1) under the plants. Slide down E and approach the frozen tiger. Go between him and the stone, duck and pick up the Ganesha Key from the floor. Now head into the E cave.

Now you have to decide –

Using the Explosive: Place the Explosive on the icy wall N in the cave to destroy it (ACP count -1) and enter the temple.

Not Using the Explosive: Look up on the ceiling of the cave to see another frozen monkey hanging on some greenery. Also notice an even ledge NE in the cave, to the right of the icy wall. If you could somehow reach it you wouldn’t have to destroy the wall, would you? So to get there, return outside, head right and pass the frozen tiger. Go to the middle of the N rocks and find a triangular, but totally even part of the floor. Look up to the right – you can see the ledge you want to get to here. Run to the NE corner facing E, it’s recommended to be slightly embed between the slopes. Stand-jump forward and when you land on the slope, backflip on the rear slope, then perform another forward jump with a hard left curve. When Lara gets “stuck” between the slope and the block facing the ledge you want to get to, you have won. Save (you won’t be stuck) and backflip (this won’t always work, so try out different timings) on the slope behind you, then jump with a hard left curve and you’ll likely land on the safe ledge. First of two hard tasks done. Save again; thereon go to the SE corner of the triangular tile you’re standing on. You now need to perform a long run-jump to the triangular tile with the greenery. Align Lara in the exact SE corner by pressing the Walk, Forward and Left buttons simultaneously (Lara will slowly move forward and into the corner, but when you hold both keys for too long, she will slide down), hop back once and run-jump with a slight left curve at the very last possible moment. This will take quite a few tries though as the tile is practically invisible due to the snow; two last tips: Try to run against the left slope just before doing the jump, this will give you a slight boost – but at this jump one or two pixels might be enough, this boost might just get you onto this tile. Also, it helps much if you hold Forward while landing on the tile, as Lara might slide down if you don’t do that. The next jump is comparatively easy, from the N side take a run-jump (if you want, take a one-step run jump, making one slow step, then releasing the Walk button) to the flat S snow ledge. Now jump over the E slope and finally you can jump up to the monkeyswing. Get into the far NE corner – don’t release Lara just when you reach the tile, since the slope under you has a different architecture and she will slide down again! – and drop on the plateau. Slide down N into the room behind the still active icy wall.

Paths Coming Together: Place the Ganesha Key on the N side of the far NW pillar and the big ciruit door rolls away. Drop down and crawl under the door until the camera angle changes. Get up and follow the passage, don’t forget the Flares at the first turn.

Third Trial

When you are stepping on the different textured tiles on the floor, you’ll activate a mechanism with squeezing doors. To pass the first, hard trap, stand very close to the trap and start running when the first block just passes you; never stop running and don’t change your direction and you’ll make it if you timed the start right. The second trap is much easier – simply jump or run when the block passes, there is no second block to make life harder. Monkeyswing over the spike trap and stand-jump over the suspicious lattice – putting your feet on it would trigger a deathly firetrap.  Now you can simply run upstairs without having to fear anything, but there is still something to be done. Enjoy the fixed camera, then head to the middle of the E wall (without going in any of the ruins) and spot another frozen monkey. You can find and pick up the last Explosives (ACP count +1) here which he hid. To get it either face SW or just duck and get it. Go to the NW corner of the outside area and climb the strange structure. Position Lara in the exact SW corner facing E, and take one step left. Turn slightly right and run up the ramp, then jump and grab the SE crevice in the wall. Shimmy around two left corners, then drop and immediately jump off the slope to land on a high pillar. Turn E and go to the far NE corner, hop back and run-jump to the E ledge, hoist up and run onto the highest part of the right ramp. Stand-jump up to the highest ledge, then find and use the lever to your left. A trapdoor opens in the SE ruin. Before going there first go to the SW corner of the plateau and pick up a Small Medipack, then head NE and up the ramp. Run-jump through the broken wall and you will land in another area. Jump up the S ramp in case you slid down (or work your way up clockwise). Either way, you can take two stand-jumps up the two slopes in the middle of the room facing S and on top you can get the Secret Rose for Secret #2 as a reward (ACP count +1). Slide down and head back to the entrance, then run-jump on the slope which will carry you down on the floor level again.

Now you have to decide –

Using the Explosives: In the far SW part, you can find a block which has to be melted. According to the readme, it’s advised to not move it yet, so enter the S tunnel and run to its end. Place the Explosives on the icy wall and it will break (ACP count -1). Use the lever behind it and some fires in the outdoor area are activated. Return there but avoid the flames (quickly run towards the left or right at the exit).

Not Using the Explosives: (see Addendum) Head back down the stairs you ran up when you entered this area, go around the left corner and light a flare to spot a movable block in the N wall. Pull it out once S, then W, S, two times E and finally on the marked tile on the floor. The fire trap is now activated and you can get back up, but you can also get a Small Medipack in the passage where the block was hidden, crawl at the end and pick it up.

Paths Coming Together: Now you can push and pull the ice block onto the lattice – you need to pull it once while getting on the lattice, so time that one carefully. When the block is on the flames it will take a little time but soon it will melt, if it won’t push it back and forth and it will work. Climb on it and perform a curve jump NE to the ledge, standing on the middle of the W end of the block facing the ledge; afterwards climb up.

Drop into the ruin and climb the ladder to the top, either backflip or drop from the left/right and approach the crystal – a pitch black cutscene concludes this demo.

THE END

Addendum: Alternative (very hard) way to not use the third Explosives, but without melting the block: Head S to the structure directly N of the lattice (where the fire would come out if you had used the lever behind the icy wall) and stand in the NE corner facing the exact W (try to climb up from the E, due to a TRLE bug Lara will drop down again, but now hop back and stand-jump with a midair turn and all that without turning to the left or right). The trick now is to jump holding Forward and Left while jumping off, then in midair release Left and press Right. This won’t work in all cases, but with this method I could do it in two of five tries. Sometimes you can directly climb up, sometimes Lara won’t do it so shimmy to the right and she hopefully will. Should be a nice expert challenge.