Create a Classic 2019: STRANGE CATACOMBS

Level by Scourge05

Walkthrough by Phil Lambeth, assisted by Doggett TV's video walk

Lara slides down to a small room. There's shotgun ammo at the SE opening next to the pushpiece. The jars are empty. Note the closed W door and push the column forward to get it out of your way so you can enter the next room. Push the other pushpiece onto the marked tile to open the door in the previous room. Go there and follow to a bridge spanning a partially flooded room.

Safety drop from the bridge and look for the SHOTGUN and a small medipack in one shallow pool, and 2 x revolver ammo in the other pool. Go to the narrow W pool and drop into the opening. Swim to the other end and pull out into a new area. Go to the dry, dark W room, loop around right or left and climb the ladder to a ledge. Jump E to grab the rope and swing forward and release with grab to land in the passage above the stone face with water issuing from its mouth.

Follow to a multi-layered room. Jump the gap to the central ledge and shoot the large jar for the REVOLVER. Pull down the switch on the NE column and safety drop from the E end. Pick up the crossbow arrows at your feet and jump over to the SW alcove for explosive arrows. Jump back to the central ledge and jump over to the middle E alcove and shoot the jar there for poison arrows. Drop down to the lowest level and try to avoid the mummy as you explore this area in vain other than to find two empty jars.

Jump into the water and swim E through the opened doorway. Follow until you reach a ceiling hole where you can pull out. Climb the ledges in this room and shoot the jar for a small medipack.  Take a running jump E and grab the opening. Pull up into the passage and follow to a wall switch that opens a nearby door. Get down and find the opened door in the NE corner. Go through and follow to a room with ledges and a pushpiece above, and deadly water below. Move the pushpiece onto the marked N tile to open a door somewhere.

Go back the way you came, drop into the water hole in the previous room, swim back to the green-tinted water room being guarded by the mummy and pull out.  Jump E to grab the ladder in the central structure and climb up to the next ledge. Walk forward to the other end, turn around and pull up to the next higher ledge. The opened door is at the SW corner, and you can't reach it from here, so jump W to the outer ledge and SE from there to the opened doorway.

Pull the wall switch at the end of the passage to open a door in the deadly water area, get down into the water below and swim into the E passage. Turn left, pull out and return to the deadly water area via the NE opening. Jump the ledges all the way to the W wall, hang left to face the fallen column, release and grab the ledge below. Pull up in front of the door you just opened.  Go inside and pull down the wall switch to lift the door beside the previous wall switch. Yes, I know, tiresome backtracking ahead, but the real trick is getting out of here.

Take a tricky (low ceiling) running jump to the SW block, then attempt to jump and grab the upper W ledge. You won't make it, but you should land safely on the block below. Stand jump slightly SW to grab the higher ledge and pull up. Return to the area with the mummy and get back up to the upper SW passage. Follow to a small but deep room with ledges.

Climb the ledges in clockwise fashion, pausing for the LASER SIGHT (which awakens a skeleton down below) and the CROSSBOW along the way. When you reach the top ledge, pick up the crossbow arrows. If the skeleton is in range, you can combine the crossbow and laser sight and shoot off its head from up here with a normal arrow. Or, you can go back down to deal with it now or save it for later. Your choice.

The cavernous area S is filled with skeletons (four by my count). The most efficient way to deal with them is by arming the crossbow with explosive arrows, dropping down from ledge to ledge to the floor where two of them are waiting, and go to the central structure where you can take out three of them with a single arrow. The fourth one is on the green-tinted NW ledge, and you'll probably have to take that one out separately. When all is quiet, find the floor lever beside the central structure and push it to open a nearby door (middle ledge, SE corner). Climb up to the NW ledge for the CATACOMB GEM (1 of 5). You can shatter the bones on the middle NE ledge by standing in front of them and firing your pistols while repeatedly reverse rolling, but it's unclear whether doing so is necessary.

Exit SE through the opened door into a large open-air room with two levels and a number of closed doors (which I'll call the main room). Turn right into the N opening and follow the passage to a pool room. Jump into the water, swim E and pull out. The jars in this area are all empty, so pull up onto the higher ledge, using the convenient block, and see the nearby pushpiece.  Move it out of the way and enter the passage to pull down a wall switch. A door opens in the main room, so return there and find the opened door in the W wall, near the entrance by which you arrived.

Your only reward is another wall switch. Pull it down to open an underwater door. You know where that is, so return to the pool via the N opening, jump into the water and swim E past the opened door. Pick up the CATACOMB GEM (2 of 5) and pull the underwater lever to open another door. You know the drill by now, so return to the main room and go up the steps to find the opened door in the SE corner. Go on through and up more steps to a dark three-level room. Find a large medipack on the central ledge, then use the hop back and glide trick (using the action key) to get down to the second tier. Make your way over to the SW corner and push the face button to open a door and turn on a green light.

Turn around and run along the outer ledge until you reach the large medipack in the SE corner. Safety drop to the floor and find another large medipack near the NE corner. Move the pushpiece onto the face tile at the other end of the track. The E door opens, so go there and jump into the small pool. You'll have to fight a strong current, but pull the NE lever first to turn off the current. Then pull the other two to open the W door in the previous room. Go there and stop on the first tile as spikes pop out and flame blowers are activated. This would be a good place to save your game.

Jump up SW onto the block next to the closed door (you'll soon open it). Hop down to the safe tile NW and time a run forward onto the W safe tile. Pull up S onto the block and pull down the wall switch while the flames are dormant. Hop back down and jump up NW to the passage and follow to a new room with spike traps and flame blowers. Jump W and pick up a large medipack. You can see a gem in the distance, so make your way without much difficulty to the W wall and pick up the CATACOMB GEM (3 of 5). Before leaving, jump over or shimmy past the flame blower to pull down the S wall switch. Go back the same way you came through both trap rooms and look left for the opened S door in the room where you started.

Enter a water room with flaming pillars. The water isn't deadly, so before doing anything else jump in and pull the E underwater lever on your right to open a door in the three-level room. Explore underwater for a large medipack near the W wall and flares near the SE corner. Swim back and pull out onto the N ledge.  Stand jump and grab the nearest flaming pillar, shimmy around to the SE corner and pull out. Stand jump and grab the next pillar S, shimmy around and pull up in the SE corner once more. Stand jump and grab the next pillar, shimmy around to a far corner, pull up and jump to the S ledge. Push the floor lever to open a door in the main room and swim back N.

Pull out, exit the spike room E and find the wall switch on the pillar ahead and just a bit to your left. Pull it down and continue E to the next pillar on your right (just past the pushpiece). Light a flare to find the ladder and climb up past the second level and back flip near the top onto a ledge at the third level. Exit NW and return to the main room. Hop down to the steps and loop around left to find the door you just opened at floor level.

Go through to a new room with spikes and a pushpiece. Ignore both for the moment, pick up the revolver ammo you can see across the room and climb the N ladder to an upper alcove.  Turn around and take a running jump to grab the spike-free pillar. Pull up, turn right and take a running jump and grab to the safe E pillar. From there stand jump NE to the next pillar and take a running jump and grab to the pillar in the SE corner. Pull up for the CATACOMB GEM (4 of 5).

Drop down to the floor, run across the room and move the pushpiece S to the other end of the track. The SW door above opens, and to get there you need to use the ladder again, jump to the first pillar and from there to the SW opening. Go in and pull down the wall switch to open another door in the three-level room. Get down to the floor, exit this room NW to the main room, continue W through the opening on the left to the room with ledges, go around to exit N at the uppermost ledge, and jump the ledges in the next room to reach the floor below.

Kill the skeleton if you didn't deal with it earlier and exit to the three-level room being guarded by the mummy (now that you have the proper equipment, you can take it out if you wish). Jump E to the central ledge, run across and drop from the E side, take a running jump N to the dark opening and step forward for the only SECRET in this level. Pick up 2 x small medipack and a large medipack, then drop down to the first level and find the opened door at the SE corner.   

Enter a small room with more ledges and go around to the back SW corner to find a floor lever. Push it and climb the ledges to the N wall. Drop down to the ledge there and pull down a wall switch to open the door at the top of the room. Continue up the ledges to the opened door E and enter the next room. Climb up SE and push the floor lever.  Hop down to the floor and use the raised block to access the N wall switch. It's timed, so quickly climb back up to the SE floor lever ledge and take a running jump N to grab the ladder (or jump up directly from the floor to grab the ladder if you can position yourself correctly without wasting too much valuable time). Climb up to a higher ledge and stand jump forward onto the raised block. Turn around and jump to grab the S ledge before the block goes back down. Pull up and follow the ledge around. Climb the blocks and pick up the CATACOMB GEM (5 of 5).

Get back down to the floor and exit this room NW. In the next room do the same thing, descend the ledges and exit NW to the three-level room. Go around to the W side, jump to grab the ladder and climb up to the second level. Run across to the E side, turn around and climb up higher. Jump across to the W ledge, then to the SW opening you visited earlier, and in the next room climb the ledges in a clockwise direction. When you reach the upper S ledge, run forward to the room with many ledges.

Make your way to the E opening, second level, and follow the passage to the main room. Go up the steps and turn right at the top. Find three gem receptacles on the E wall and insert a Catacomb Gem in each one. Go across to the upper W wall and find the other two receptacles.  When you insert your remaining Catacomb Gems, the SW door to your right opens. Go there and enter a room where two skeletons come to life. The jars are empty.

Continue W to a water room with ledges. There's nothing in the water, so turn around at the entrance and find the ladder. Climb up to an alcove and pull up higher right. Take a running jump W to the ledge below the tall flaming pillar. Stand jump W to grab the ledge with the flame blowers, shimmy as appropriate to avoid the flames and pull up. Note the wall switch on the pillar ahead as you pull up. Wait for the protective flames to subside and quickly pull it down and get back out of the way.

The upper SW door has opened, so make your way over there (not difficult) and pull down the wall switch to raise two blocks on the other side of the room. Dive down into the water and pull out onto the E ledge as before. Climb the ladder, pull up right and continue climbing N until you reach the upper bridge. Go halfway down the bridge as beetles emerge, turn left and take a running jump from the corner to land in the N alcove. One of the tiles in there is a trigger tile which opens the upper NE door. Two flame blowers are also activated, so get past them (noting the harmless mummy that has appeared on the ledge below) and jump to the left of the opened door into the passage. Follow to a wall switch that opens the W exit door. 

Go toward the W wall and stand jump S over the flame blower onto the block below. Hop to the W ledge and go through the exit door as it closes behind you. Turn around and pull down both wall switches to open the real exit door behind you. Go on through into the sunshine and a fixed camera, and run forward to end the level.