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Lara on Ice - The Caves by Schlaefer

Andzia9 2 2 2 2
Catherin 2 2 2 1
Ceamonks890 1 1 2 1
DJ Full 2 2 5 2
Duncan 3 4 2 2
Gerty 3 3 3 2
Jay 3 4 2 2
Jose 2 3 2 1
Kristina 3 3 3 3
Magnus 1 0 0 1
MichaelP 4 4 3 1
Mulf 2 2 0 0
Orbit Dream 2 2 1 1
Ryan 2 3 1 1
Sash 1 3 1 1
Scottie 1 1 2 1
Treeble 1 1 1 1
 
release date: 03-Apr-2005
# of downloads: 89

average rating: 1.91
review count: 17
 
review this level

file size: 16.60 MB
file type: TR4
class: Cold/Snowy
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
christoph.gochermann@gmx.net

Reviewer's comments
"An effort has been made, but not a very big one. Everything here seems random at best, textures, objects, triggers. Even the geometry seems to be all over the place with huge rooms. There's a lot of running around, random boulders instantly killing you, and there was a particularly annoying sequence swimming into and back from a long tunnel quite a few times for air as you swim over random triggers. At least all those pointless medipacks you will stop bothering to collect will prove useful. For completionists only. 20 minutes, 1 secret. 07/21" - Treeble (04-Jul-2021)
"Yes, it's true, this level is marginally better than this builder's previous effort, but only in the basic technical sense that the switches now appear to work as they should, and the flybys have ceased looping forever (though cameras continue to hold their ground in this builder's epic struggle with them, in that you still need to hop off the trigger tile to get rid of a fixed-camera view). In all other respects, this is even worse than the builder's debut: that was merely incompetent, while this adds insult to injury in the shape of interminable corridors and booby traps, the latter the result of a cleverer-than-thou attitude that this level is a very long way away from having earned indeed. Calling it an eyesore would be one of the kinder ways of describing its visuals. In the end, you're expected to go back for air through a very long underwater tunnel half a dozen times while you're opening one door after another; I frankly admit to having spared myself this exercise in futility. No builder should be allowed to get away with that kind of thing. The level is, again, the first instalment of a series which thankfully never materialised, although this time around the number of levels threatened was cut by half (from eleven down to six); maybe the builder's next effort would have been a single stand-alone level, but I guess we're happy we'll never know; I'd be the first to sign a petition intended to keep this person from releasing any further levels." - Mulf (12-Oct-2019)
"Hmm, well, this isn't that good a level. The environments are repetitive, textures are stretched (were the animating textures a bug or a design choice?) and the gameplay is completely linear and the inclusion of an underwater maze wasn't helping matters. Can't really recommend it, sorry. Thankfully, no additional levels in this series have since been released." - Ryan (24-Oct-2016)
"A quest for 17 small and 14 large medipacks excluding the red herring ones but still counting the final pick in the very dooming end. We also get a load of crossbow explosives but they are totally powerless against the icy demigods encountered. Still it's quite unusual to spend these on raging wolves. In general these enemies, except the crocodiles, fit the crude icy scenery and would work nice if only they weren't appearing from nothing and without warning, much like a load of rollingballs placed around. Cameras and music are the strongest point and I wish everything else was applied with that care. SUMMARY: Totally optional." - DJ Full (01-Sep-2015)
"You'd think with the five month gap between releases that we'd start to see some actual improvement within Schlaefer's work. But nope, its about as bad as previously(including practically all the same issues as 'The Pyramid of Cheops'.) So don't even bother wasting your time on this one." - Ceamonks890 (05-May-2015)
"This level has no finish trigger and ends in a room where Lara gets hacked to death with a blade. Anyway,enough of the good parts;weak points are stretched textures,no lighting,excessive and pointless pickups,a long underwater labyrinth, and strangely resilient dogs. Nonetheless,it's all simple and linear;and at least none of the other levels in the prospective series that the author has threatened to build have (as yet) materialised." - Orbit Dream (27-Nov-2011)
"Boring level. Rooms are too big and nothing interesting to do. If author could use more objects, then maybe will be ok. Lot's of medipacks, but there is no need to use them. Author must do more working. Only advantage, the new enemie - sea creature." - Andzia9 (28-Nov-2009)
"This is one of the level, which one must not literally play. Paper-thin walls, wallpaper textures, monotonous textures, gigantic rooms, absolute empty rooms, starting-up enemies, to bright lighting, desolate Gameplay. Have I forgotten something? Probably. Result: Only for people who really play everything." - Scottie (20-Apr-2009)
"A lot of stretched textures, paper-thin walls, enemies appearing out of nowhere, and unnecessary pickups. Not so much lighting, good gameplay or, indeed, fun. It's basically a linear run through a twelve-minute level. There was also a tedious part where you had to swim back quite a long distance several times to get air. Unfortunately, the rest of the level wasn't much better. It's better than the author's last level, but only marginally so." - Magnus (03-Jul-2006)
"I feel so bad having to write another scathing review for this author. You would hope that the second level of a builder would be somewhat better but this one was, well how should I put this, poo poo stinky! The only thing I think that was on ice was the whiskey that must have been drunk, and in considerable amounts, to come up with this level. There are all the hallmarks we aren't looking for, thin walls and floors, icky texturing (some that change at blinding speed as to look light something you'd see in a nightclub...and all I can say is thank god I am not epileptic or I may still be in the midst of a fit), no puzzles, a secret that isn't secret, enemies that pop out of thin air, big square rooms, should I go on, you know all the usual suspects. I did however like the big green aquatic monster dudes that walk on land but even they just seemed totally wrong here. Again, I apologise to the author if anything I have written has hurt their feelings but this really isn't a very good level, and take heart in knowing that if I built a level it would be so rotten poo poo stinky that you couldn't get rid of the stench with the most industrial of room deodorisers, so good going in at least building levels!" - Sash (01-Nov-2005)
"Sorry, but these are really the best scores I can assign. Where's the gameplay? Where are the puzzles? You push a few levers then doors open, enemies appear,... Atmosphere is ok, you feel you're in an icy environment but the stretched, same and always repeating textures hurt your eyes. Too huge rooms in my opinion and also some wafer thin walls can be noticed. I wonder what are the billion of medkits and ammo for..." - Tinka (27-Oct-2005)
"There are many wafer thin walls and floors. The changing textures are a bug or are so put? Where is the water surface? Secret near the beginning isn't really a secret, you don't need to look for them to find it. You don't need so many medipacks and ammo. When you place The Hand Of Sirius or pull a switch, the camera don't return to Lara. Why did you need fill the hole with the medikits with water? You can take it anyway. What a lot of items have to do in midair? Traps are very innocent, lights don't exist, bad geometry, only square and rectangle rooms,... a disaster. At the end, when the final music of the end of the level sings, Lara stay trapped behind the blade. There is no end trigger? To be continued? Oh no, please!" - Jose (07-Jun-2005)
"Apart from the obvious, like paperthin walls, missing water textures, over brightness and no finishing trigger I am puzzled as well. What was the meaning of filling that one pool with water, in the room with the boulders in the ceiling that is. As one can climb down and up again pretty easily. There is a galore going on for pick ups, and there are indeed some enemies in here and some of them appear out of thin air. Finding two Hands you both can use and lots of levers, some of them I am not sure what they did though. The flashing textures might throw some persons into a fit and were really out of place here. Found one secret. 11-05-2005" - Gerty (16-May-2005)
"Well I enjoyed the opening comment. Otherwise, this is a very simplistic level with fairly rudimentary gameplay and more medipacks to the square inch than I've ever seen. On the plus side, it is marginally better than the author's first attempt so we are at least headed in the right direction, but there's a long way to go yet." - Jay (01-May-2005)
"In the readme Schlaefer hopes that his second release will not be as bad as his first and in a way he has improved, but nevertheless there is still a way to go to come up with a really decent level. The rooms are very huge and square, plenty of thin walls and floors (the manual explains how to avoid this), virtually no lighting added at all, missing water textures and some strangely animating textures (was that intentional?). It is also a pick up galore for no apparent reason. There are two hands and two eye pieces to collect, but you really only need to use one hand for progression. Enemies are a dozen dogs and a few crocodiles and two of those big baddies that are tough to kill, but you can really avoid both of them easily. Gameplay is linear with a few levers to use along the way and the underwater 'maze' is rather tedious but not difficult. I liked the spike bag path, that was at least a small challenge and the level ends without a finish trigger after about 30 minutes. Found one secret near the beginning." - Michael (25-Apr-2005)
"Alas, this is such a poor level that I write this review simply to warn people not to play it. It is a pity the author can do no better." - Duncan (15-Apr-2005)
"I rarely write that a level is bad or has bad and poor design but I am afraid this is one of those situations where I will have to. As far as I am concerned there is no real gameplay in this and the textures are so badly placed that spoils it for everyone. They are stretched, patched and one tile has been applied in entire rooms. Not to mention how big and empty the rooms/areas are. There is no finishing trigger so you'll know you've reached the end when you get to a room that has a blade behind a gate, there is no escape. Not fun to play." - Kristina (10-Apr-2005)