THE DRAGON PEARL

Levels by Ranpyon

Walkthrough by Phil Lambeth, with the assistance of DoggettTV's two-part video walk

Level 1: KUSANAGI MOUNTAINS

Slide down the rock face and step forward to the edge of a precipice.  Note that the Desert Eagle and combined Laser Sight are already in your inventory, but you have only six rounds of ammunition which you'll need much later. Pick up the DIARY for useful information about your mission and drop down into the water below. Stand up in the higher SE corner, face E and press the action and up arrow keys to make Lara jump up and grab a crack in the wall. Shimmy left and pull into the crawl space. Drop down the other side and pick up flares. Face the W wall, back flip onto the slope behind you and jump off to activate a higher jumpswitch that opens a nearby gate. Get back through the crawl space into the water, swim through the S opening and follow the passage to an open area where a couple of Japanese goldfish try to nibble on you.

Turn left and continue S along the channel until you find a ledge to your right where you can pull out of the water. Make your way W up and past the waterfall, then jump back into the water and pull the underwater lever attached to the block jutting out of the W wall. Another gate lifts somewhere. Turn around, swim to the ledge jutting out from the E wall and pull out. Take a running jump to grab the S block, pull up, run forward and pull up onto the waterfall. Wade through the shallow water and pick up a large medipack. 

Return to the edge of the waterfall and take a running jump to grab the higher N ledge. Pull up, walk a bit left and take a running jump into the W opening where a gate lifted. Run forward, take a TORCH from the pile and jump back to the previous ledge. Carefully hop down S onto the ledge near the waterfall and run off at the NE corner to land on the block below. Stand jump NW onto the ledge near the water's surface and take running jumps clockwise from ledge to ledge until you reach the flaming torch. Light your torch (screen shot of nearby branches) and take two running jumps NW and NE onto the ledge with the flammable branches. When they've been consumed to ashes, leave the torch where you can easily find it again (perhaps on the nearby grassy E path where you can see a closed door up ahead). Pull up onto the ledge where you burned the branches and go forward to the SE corner, where Lara's head juts out above the leaf canopy.

Stand jump N onto a rock ledge, walk to the other side and take a running jump slightly NE over the jutting tree limb onto the next ledge. Hop NW onto a slightly lower ledge and from there jump over to the temple roof. Go to the other side and jump to grab the crawl space in the W wall. Pull inside and stand up in front of a row of breaktiles. When the spikes spring up, run over the breaktiles, jump over the spike pit and continue forward over the next breaktile to the S wall. Hop back to grab the edge (noting more spikes below), release and grab again, and pull up into an alcove with a wall switch. Pull it down to lift a gate somewhere.

Hang from the edge of the alcove and ledge jump up to the higher alcove (jump and up arrow keys). Turn around and stand jump to grab the edge of the slope. Pull up, slide a bit and jump off to grab the ladder. Climb up to the crawl space and exit by jumping forward (again, jump and up arrow keys). Keep the jump key depressed so you jump off the slope below onto the temple roof. Turn left to find a triangular ceiling hole at the NW corner. Pull up to a higher section of the temple roof and go around to a triangular ledge at the S wall. Crawl to your right into an alcove for more flares.

Exit and go around the upper section of the temple roof to the E wall to find the lifted gate. The E stairs lead down to a closed gate, so turn left and slide down (Lara looks up left on the way down) to a snake-filled pond where a flyby takes over. Stand in place and shoot two snakes, then jump into the water and swim across E to pull up at a break in the fence. Turn left and run N along the wooden walkway. Jump N over the fence onto a rock formation, then continue with a NW jump onto a stable rock surface and locate the small triangular crack in the N wall.  A brass ball is swinging in the space beyond.

Draw your pistols, stoop and shoot through the crack until you see a cut scene with a door opening somewhere. Turn around to your right and shoot a third snake in the water if you didn't target it earlier. Jump back to the rock formation and from there to the wooden walkway to find the opened E door. Enter, turn left and enter the alcove. Turn right and jump up to activate the high jumpswitch. The next E door opens to release an assassin who leaves a small medipack behind.

In the next room is a pushable jar. Move it through the next room and out onto the wooden walkway. Then push it right (N) and all the way E to trigger a cut scene of a lowered rope. Turn around, jump over the fence into the water and swim SW toward the waterfall. Pull out onto the ledge to the right of the waterfall and get on the higher block at the NW corner. Face N and jump up to grab the slope covered with weeds. Pull up and take a rolling back flip to grab the S ledge.

Pull up and follow the adjacent path E. Hop onto the short tree limb, turn left to face the lowered rope but don't jump to it yet. Instead, take a running jump NW to the next short tree limb and hop NW into the opening that separates the tree and the rock face. Crawl into the W opening for uzi ammo. Return to the previous tree limb and stand jump SE to grab the lowered rope. Turn slightly left, swing forward and jump E to land on the pagoda roof. Crawl E to the other end of the roof and drop down to the courtyard.

There's a ladder in the NW corner you'll use later. For now, go to the grassy area S of the tree and locate a hard-to-see floor trapdoor. Face E to open it, then run or step onto the revealed springboard to be launched forward onto the roof ahead. Go a bit NE, hang and drop from the other side, slide and grab, and shimmy as necessary to make sure you're over the water below. Release and fall into the water, swim S and E through the tunnel and surface at the trench. Wade forward and locate the ceiling trap door. Pull it down, turn around and  pull up into a small room.

Pull up into the E alcove and save your game in front of the timed wall switch. You've got 20 seconds to conquer a platforming exercise that takes you up the room to a plinth, but it's not too difficult when you know the drill. Roll and take a running jump NW onto the near edge of the first raised platform. Turn slightly right to face the wall and back flip onto the next higher platform. Stand jump forward onto the third platform, immediately side flip left onto the fourth platform, face the corner, roll and run jump diagonally onto the fifth platform, roll and run jump diagonally onto the ledge with the plinth. Take the RUSTY KEY and save your game again to avoid having to repeat this.

If you reached the ledge in time, the raised platforms stay put, so use them to make your way safely back down to the floor. Drop through the hole, enter the trench and swim back to the underground pool. Pull out onto the sloped rock and back flip to a stable ledge. Take a running jump slightly NW and grab the opening. Pull up into the crawl space, stand up, face E and back flip onto the slope. Jump off to grab a higher ledge and pull up. Take a running jump SE to grab a crack in the wall, ledge jump up (jump and up arrow keys) to grab a higher crack, shimmy right around three corners and pull up onto a ledge.

Walk forward, pull up W onto the roof of a familiar building and drop down the other side. Use the NW ladder you noted earlier to access the pagoda roof. Go around clockwise, through the crawl space to the other side and at the NW corner jump N to the tree limb. Use the zip line to get across the water to the W pagoda. Draw your pistols as you encounter your first enemy in a while, a giant green lizard that explodes nicely when it dies.

Go around to the E side of the pagoda and use the Rusty Key to enter. Take the FAN from the plinth as a gate opens somewhere. Exit, jump into the water and swim around clockwise to pull out at the same NW ledge as you did earlier. This time, jump into the waterfall and locate the opened gateway up S. The steps leading up are for later, so turn around and take a running jump to grab the triangular N opening. Pull up inside and climb another block to trigger an on-screen warning.

You don't want to trigger all the breaktiles going across, as you'll need at least one to get back. Run over the first one, jump to the fourth one and continue to the floor lever. Push it to move aside a roof panel somewhere, then use the remaining breaktiles to get back across the spike pit. Drop down through the crawl space to the waterfall ramp, hop up S and go up the steps to an opening. The passage on your right takes you back down to the waterfall, so step out W onto the roof, turn right and locate the opened panel.

Drop down through the hole and shoot the assassin. Pick up an entry for your Diary and read it. Place the Fan at the NE corner to open double doors somewhere and you'll hear a repeated swishing sound. Climb the ladder in the ceiling hole and back flip onto the roof.  Go around to the S side, drop to the lower roof and from there to the ground, where you'll face the opened N double doors. That swishing sound you heard was caused by Japanese darts protecting the hallway, but they're easy to jump over or crawl under.

Go up the stairs and take the PIECE OF ONI MASK from the plinth (cut scene of a closed window). Go back down the stairs, get past the darts and go around on land to the left of the river, past the alley where you left your torch long ago, and pull up onto the ledge where you burned the branches earlier. Jump to the N ledge from the corner just as before, but this time take a running jump SW across the gap to another ledge. Run jump up SE and hop into the nearby alcove. Push the button to see something moving (turns out to be a swing pole coming out of the rock face) in a dark cut scene.

Get back to the previous ledge, look W and slightly down to see the crawl space and stand jump down to it. Crawl inside and around the corner to arrive at a slope. Slide down backwards, grab the edge (spikes below) and shimmy right around the corner. Ledge jump up and pull up onto a ramp. Walk up to the edge, take one step back and stand jump forward to grab the ceiling. Monkey swing over the river to an alcove with a wall switch. Pull it down to open double doors somewhere. You can evade the hungry fish waiting below with this neat trick. Hop back, slide and grab, pull up and allow Lara to drop onto the edge of the river bank. 

Run jump N over the obstruction, then run jump E across the river and retrieve the torch that you left in the E alley. The doors up ahead are now open, so hop up there and drop the torch just inside the entrance. Enter further to draw out a giant green lizard, kill it and stand about halfway between the entrance and the nearby tree and look up at the N wall. Draw the desert eagle, target the disk embedded in the wall and shatter it (1 of 5). Go E and up the steps into the shrine. Vault onto the slab where the Buddha sits, turn around and jump W to grab the crack. Ledge jump up and pull up into the alcove. Turn around and run jump E to activate the high jump switch. Double doors open. High up on the N wall is another embedded disk (2 of 5), so draw your desert eagle and shatter it.

Exit the shrine and approach the tree in the courtyard. The hole in the trunk operates as a reach-in switch that triggers SECRET #1 and gives you a DARUMA DOLL. From where you're standing, turn left and look up S to see another disk next to the tree limb (3 of 5). Shatter this one with your pistols by jumping up and down (you'd likely waste valuable ammo trying to target the disk through the leaves with the desert eagle).

Enter the S shrine and Lara will look up left. First, shoot two assassins, one of whom drops some very welcome desert eagle ammo. Very carefully, pull up into a corner of the E alcove with the flaming bowl. Turn around in place and jump up to grab the wooden rafter. Pull up and use your pistols to shatter the disc (4 of 5) in the S wall (stoop as necessary). Pick up more desert eagle ammo and hang from either side. Drop down into a corner and hop down to the floor. Go back into the courtyard to retrieve the lighted torch (note that the entrance doors are now closed) and bring it with you to the S shrine. Hop over the fence into the central area and light the SE contraption.

There's a flash of light in the next room. Drop your torch, as you have no further need of it, enter the S room and pick up a diary entry on the E landing (a list of Japanese numbers with the corresponding Arabic numerals). Go over to the W landing and walk through the phantom painting to find a plinth with a DARUMA DOLL for SECRET #2. Exit this room and look up NW to see a disc (5 of 5) near the ceiling hole. Shatter it to open an underwater door in the courtyard pool (there may or may not be an accompanying cut scene showing the door opening).

Exit to the courtyard, jump into the pool with the cascading waterfall and locate the open N gateway. Swim inside and keep always to your left to find an alcove with a ceiling switch that opens a trap door above a pickup. Return for air and save your game for a long swim. Enter the N gateway, dogleg left at the pillar, take a hard left (W) at the next pillar and go all the way to the wall. Follow around corners until you reach an opening to your left (E). Swim there and down to find the opened trap door and the GONG HAMMER.

To return, swim up and exit W, turn right and follow the passage to the intersection, take the passage to your right (S) and follow with a dogleg left to reach the pool. Pull out right or left and return to the S shrine. Go into the back room and use the Gong Hammer to strike a mighty blow and lower a nearby trap door. Exit this room and locate the opened trap door above the SE ladder. Climb up and back flip to an upper level. The N doors require two artifacts to open them, so go to the S side and shoot the panel with the scattered patchy holes.

Enter the next room. This is where the Japanese numbers apparently become significant, but I won't bore you with the details (because I couldn't figure them out myself). Pull the left (SE) chain two times. Pull the right (SW) chain three times and you hear the faint sound of a door opening. Get back down to the lower floor and find that the W door is open. Enter to see a pool with a number of sloped pillars. Jump over the fence into the water and find an underwater lever on the SW pillar. Pull it to lower ladders onto the central ceiling block. Surface and pull out NE. Stand jump W to grab the sloped pillar, shimmy right to the wall, pull up, slide and jump to the next pillar, slide a bit and jump off with a left curve to land on the third pillar, slide and jump off to grab the ladder.

Shimmy right around two corners, hang from the right corner (Lara's feet must be below the bottom rung) and take a rolling back flip onto the sloped pillar. Jump three times, curving in midair as necessary, and land on a flat ledge with the MAGATAMA. Jump into the water, pull out NE again and exit this room. Climb the SE ladder once more and back flip to the upper level.  Enter the S room and pull the left chain (SE) three times and the right chain (SW) three times to open another door down below. Get down to the lower floor to find that the E door is open.

Enter and shoot the assassin. Find a diary entry in the NW alcove with some cryptic information. Go up the stairs on either side and push a button at the end. When you push the second button a panel slides aside to reveal an opening. Go down the stairs and loop around right or left, as the case may be, to find the opening in the E alcove. Squeeze past the plant and jump into the water. Swim S to an enclosed room and pull out onto the central block with a pole.

Vault up onto the central block, face E and climb the pole. Back flip near the top onto the W ledge.  The pedestal appears to have a golden dragon statute for you to pick up, but it's actually a pole that you can turn. Turn it once, then stand jump NE to the next ledge and turn this pole two times. Stand jump SE to the next ledge and turn this pole two times as well. Finally, stand jump SW to the last ledge and turn this pole three times to lower a block in the water.

Drop down into the water and swim down where the block lowered to find a second MAGATAMA. Swim along the passage to the other end, pull out and exit to the inner courtyard. Climb the SE ladder, back flip to the upper level and place the Magatamas in the N receptacles. One of the doors opens, so go inside and take the PIECE OF ONI MASK 2 from the plinth. A window opens. Get back down to the ground floor and exit N to the outdoor courtyard.

The W exit doors are now open, so go to the river, loop around left and climb onto the ledge where you burned the branches earlier. Jump to the N ledge from the corner just as before, take a running jump SW across the gap to the other ledge and hop down slightly NW to the crawl space you used earlier. But this time, pull up onto the triangular ledge above the crawl space, face NW and back flip onto the sloped rock face. Jump to grab the swingpole, swing around once and jump off to land on a ledge facing the opened window. Don't go there yet, however, if you want the next secret.

Turn around and jump up slightly SW onto a ledge above the swingpole. Take a running jump slightly SE past the obstruction onto the slope, slide and grab the edge. Shimmy left until you can pull up and hop into the triangular opening. Follow the underground passage to some shallow water, climb a couple of blocks and step into the alcove for a DARUMA DOLL and SECRET #3. Go back the way you came to the outdoor area. Safety drop from the edge and make your way back up to the opened window as described earlier.

Take a running jump to the window sill and hop down into the room below. Shoot the bell with your pistols to activate the teeth doors in the N passage. Get past the teeth doors and combine the two mask pieces. Place the ONI MASK in the receptacle to open the exit doors. Go back past the teeth doors, vault up into the window sill and jump forward through the leaves and into the river below. Swim forward, pull out onto either ledge and jump through the opening to be carried to the next level. 

Level 2: IZUMO RIVER

After the opening flyby Lara finds herself in waist-deep water near a kayak. Wade over to the kayak and climb inside. Paddle forward over the edge, drop down and continue past an underwater fan (which will suck you under if you attempt to swim) and central block along the winding channel. You pass a number of ledges, indicating that you may be coming this way on foot later rather than in the kayak. Paddle just over the underwater fence in the narrow NE passage and place the kayak against the left wall. Dismount into the water (page down and right arrow keys), and pull out onto the ledge. Turn around and jump to grab the crack in the W wall. Shimmy right and around the corner, and pull up into the alcove.

Turn right and take the WOOD WHEEL from the plinth (cut scene of a swingpole lowering). Jump into the water, get into the water and paddle out into the open water. Go back the way you came and paddle through the waterfall. Dismount, pull up onto the E ledge and shoot a bat. Walk out to the S end of the ledge, turn around and locate the ladder wall to your right. Jump to grab the vines after saving your game (another active underwater fan nearby), shift right and climb up until you can pull out. Turn around and take a running jump S to grab the lowered swingpole. Swing around and jump across to the other side.

Follow the passage around right for some flares. Go back, hang from the N edge, release and grab the crack below. Shimmy left and pull up into a crawl space. Crawl forward until you can stand. Jump E over the gap to grab the higher ledge. Pull up and proceed to a triangular ledge overlooking the river. Stand jump NE down to the central block, shoot a bat and take a running jump E to grab a crawl space (the crack in the N wall is spike-protected, as you may guess from the holes). Pull inside the crawl space and go around right to a spike pit. Drop down and walk slowly through the spikes to a small medipack (stoop to pick it up).

Walk back, pull out of the pit, back flip onto the higher ramp behind you and immediately jump forward with grab to evade the triggered boulder. Jump back to the ramp, go up and pull up right. Place the Wooden Wheel in the receptacle and turn it to disable the spikes mentioned earlier. Go back down the ramp, jump across the gap and follow to a ladder in the N wall. Climb up, shoot a bat and safety drop through the opening onto the central block in the river.

You can now safely jump to grab the crack in the N wall above the holes. Shimmy right around the corner and drop down onto the ledge. As suggested earlier, you now have to make your way across the ledges scattered along the river, grabbing as necessary and shooting a bat along the way. You may want to save your game between each successful jump, as some are rather tricky due to the low ceiling. When you reach the N ledge next to the underwater fence you negotiated with the kayak, turn around to face S and jump up through the hanging ivy to grab an opening. Pull up and turn the wheel to open a trap door, releasing a boulder that crushes the fan below.

It's now safe to jump into the water and explore to your heart's content. Do so, swim SW just past the central block and pull out onto the S ledge. Crawl right and around the corner until you can stand up. Jump E over the water and grab the ledge. Pull up and walk out onto another triangular ledge overlooking the river. Take a running jump to grab the ladder, climb up a bit and back flip into an alcove with a one-time lucky charm (OMAMORI) at your feet for SECRET #4.

Drop back into the water, swim across N and enter the opening beneath the formerly spike-trapped wall. Follow the passage to the end and swim up to surface. Don't pull out immediately, as the ledge is spike-trapped. When the spikes retract, pull up and quickly back flip onto a slope. Jump off to grab the ladder. Climb up near the top just below the swinging blade, take a rolling back flip and grab the ladder behind you. Shift left and drop down onto a safe ledge. Jump S to grab the crack in the wall and shimmy right. Time the blade to pull up into an opening. Walk up the ramp, turn around, back flip onto the slope and jump off into an upper alcove with the OLD KEY on a plinth. Get back down to the water and swim back to the river.

Turn left and swim all the way back to the N end with the underwater fence. Pull out SW onto the nearby ledge and jump over to the N ledge. Use the Old Key to open the door and enter a room with four chains. Pull all but the one nearest to you as you enter (the S one). Gates open in an underwater passage, so jump back into the river and locate the S opening. Swim to a new area and pull out SE. Go to the other end of the ledge for a large medipack. Jump back into the water, look in the seaweed patch for the UZIS, then swim through the small NE opening.

Surface, pull out N, walk up the ramp, turn around and back flip onto the slope, jump off onto the next slope, slide and grab, pull up while drawing your pistols, back flip and fire continuously to shatter an embedded disc that raises a trap door at your feet. You can now stand jump over the the slope into the S alcove and push a button that brings out a swingpole and lowers the trap door so you can return to the area where you found the uzis.

Pull out SE once more and crawl E into the opening. Follow around to an opening where you can see the swingpole ahead. Save your game for a rather tricky jump. Take a running jump to grab the swingpole, swing around and jump off to activate a jumpswitch in the W wall. It's hard to line up precisely and make the grab with the low ceiling, so you'll have to grab and move a bit right with the arrow key while swinging before jumping off toward the jumpswitch. Either that, or jump off with a right midair curve.

When you're successful, a trap door opens, so pull out SE onto the ledge, locate the ceiling monkeybars spanning the room, jump up to grab them and monkeyswing N to the opened trap door.  While keeping the action key depressed, push the jump and up arrow keys to make Lara turn around and start climbing the S ladder.  Pull up at the top and walk slowly down the corridor. A wall torch will light and horizontal blades will be triggered. Hop over the latter on the way to a room with flame-blowing dragon heads and three giant green lizards. Now would be a good time to use that good-luck charm you've been carrying around. It appears to work at random, however, so you might want to save your game before using it. On one occasion it added 20% to my health, which wasn't of much help in this situation. On other occasions I was provided 50 rounds of uzi ammo and 6 desert eagle bullets. Keep trying and reloading until you get your desired result.

When peace has been restored, go to the W wall, turn around and look for a jumpswitch. Activate it to make another jumpswitch appear on the opposite side of the room, but if you don't get there quickly it may disappear (at least it did one time in my game) and the first jumpswitch will not reset. So run SE between the flame-blowing dragon heads, loop around left and activate the companion jumpswitch to open the S door.

Enter, go to the S wall, turn around and jump to grab the ladder. Climb up to an upper room where an explanatory flyby is triggered and an entry is added to your Diary. It seems that grabbing the artifact on the plinth ahead carries some risks. What the heck.  Walk forward, save your game, jump over to the plinth and take the DRAGON PEARL.  Don't say you weren't warned. To end the game on a more pleasant note, reload your save, walk toward the plinth and this time shoot the artifact.