Level reviews

"The author has definitely nailed that TR2 Venice setting, although it's presented here at dusk. This is one massive level split into smaller areas but the transition is quite organic so it definitely feels like a single piece. I thought there was a lot of padding in the form of running back and forth and there are certain routes you end up taking two or three times. Another minor detail I'd like ot highlight isn't entirely on the builder, but the TR2 item pieces are very small -- if it weren't for the walkthrough, I wouldn't even be paying attention to anything of interest, I might have run over the keys and the circuit board quite a few times before eventually spotting them (and only because the walkthrough told me they were supposed to be there). Still, for what its worth, and especially for a debut level, this was an enjoyable way to wrap up the longest week ever. 55 minutes, 3 secrets. 01/23" - Treeble

"There is not a huge variety of puzzles and tasks here but what can make up for that is the layout and exploration of the the level! its so fresh and original, its huge with lots of platforming and running around from new area to new area, climbing on rooftops, swimming through canals, exploring through libraries finding items and keys to open more areas to progress etc. theres a timed run bug which i found myself cursing at because that needs to be done at a certain time in the level otherwise the door doesn't open again later on hence having to reload a previous save point. the first of the level is in and out of buildings and canals and the second half is located in and around the threatre itself which gives the level a bit more variety in location but there is a lot backtracking and item finding and i felt that with a bit more variety in puzzles, traps and tasks then the gameplay would of been more a fun experience as the other elements of the level such as cameras, music, enemies and visuals were spot on" - John

"Where do I begin? I marked this favourably because it is a beautiful setting. However, it is not particularly linear. THRICE I had to watch the video walkthrough and start all over again because I missed some items. That said, I had great fun so thank you!" - High Priestess

"I had tons of fun with this level - it's cool that you can explore different parts of the city, although I wish there was some boat action through those lovely water canals. I admit it gets a bit repetitive as you progress but when you reach the theatre at least the settings change and you have a different place to explore. Jumping over the roofs of the buildings, shooting various thugs and dogs, finding different keys and pulling lots of switches is what the gameplay consists of and it's actually very entertaining - just a bit confusing sometimes. The city and the way that it is built reminds me of the original Venice level from 1997 without being a complete remake or something like that - the author did a great job with keeping the same feeling from the classic but still being original. The atmosphere is relaxed, even the numerous enemies didn't change it at all and I love it! Some messed up sounds here and there though that don't fit the objects at all. The visuals aren't perfect but still pleasant enough to look at. Great job, Nick!" - misho98

"I always enjoy a visit to Venice and this is no exception. It makes a change as it is in dusk. The beginning area looked familiar, but then it branches out into new territory. All the usual TR2 elements are present: enemies, sounds and gameplay. Well done, Nick!" - Ryan

"This would have taken much less time if certain things were given more focus and preparations of the timed run were done before accessing the trigger button - occasionally I had no idea if I don't see something in my current location or if there's something elsewhere to do first. But the game compensates a lot with solid storyline execution, challenging enemies, convincing puzzles and very comfy scenery, so I was prompted to play it slower than I usually do, in order to absorb it better just the way I like." - DJ Full

"A very long level , in reality 3 intertwined levels , that took me 1 hour 45 minutes to complete. I thought it would be a remake of the TR2 levels, but in fact the setting is quite different, which is a good thing. There is a lot of ground to cover , also some swimming in the canals. All this to and fro was a bit tiresome at times in the search for many keys. There was a few enjoyable moments , especially in the beginning when you have to make jumps to balconies, I think I have found a shortcut here by the way to access the alcove with the movable box. The end of the level when Lara eventually accessed the theatre is also a bit more eventful but I still think there was place for more interesting gameplay in general in this well made map, as some areas serve no great purpose , and even some rooms are empty . Another thing that annoyed me is that a couple of keys were too small and can easily be missed. Enemies are baddies , dogs and rats , the usual suspects. A well made level which would have benefited greatly to be more compact." - eRIC

"This is one of those levels that,despite being well-crafted (especially for a debut)and having an excellent atmosphere was just not able to interest me. Perhaps it was the overfamiliarity of the location;or the constant backtracking;or the fact that the a highly efficient memory was needed to recall which button opened which door within the labyrinthine environment (especially as I was unable to play this level in one sitting and had the deuce of a problem remembering all the important details when getting going again several days later).Critically,the 'timed-door' bug (mentioned elsewhere) was completely unforgiveable,as I had pressed it much earlier in the understandable belief that it was the right thing to do.Even with the aid of the Walthrough I found this to be a hugely complicated and generally dull offering.It's ironic,but this large adventure actually seems like a dry-run for Nick's later,smaller (i,e. more compact) and,IMO,far superior 'Evening in Rome'.I would play that instead." - Orbit Dream

"Well, the Venice setting is a personal fav. This one delivers in all the important ways - the setting is well made and the gameplay is properly confusing (gameplay in Venice levels should always be a bit complex). A speedboat race would have been cool. I thought the interiors were too dark. The theatre was much simpler than normal, which is fine, but it could have used a big confrontation - I would have put the meeting the "boss" on the stage. I found the ending with freeing Winston and his ridiculous tray to be a bit lame. In spite of these gripes, I thought it was well-done level, and it's fun to play if you enjoy the type." - Duncan

"This level consisted of two halves. One centers on a"marina" area and its canals, while the other involves the theater itself. The marina area mostly involves finding keys and opening doors, and there is also one timed run. Not too challenging, some backtracking and testing your memory to see if you remember where the door in the cutscene is located. The theater area is more of the same. But you have to do some problem solving to turn off some fans, and the level ends with a fairly good showdown. Overall, a fun level with good scenery." - Celli

"The Venice setting is impressing and very interesting but I always hated the very dark atmosphere in most of these levels. This one, unfortunately for me, has that kind of atmosphere so I am not thrilled about it. The theater is nicely done and so are the underwater passages but make sure you find the water hole first and then do all you have to because you won't make it in one breath. The outside has great canals and buildings but not much to do and there is also an interesting library area. I found two secrets and thought this level is the best from all the Venice ones I've played so far." - Kristina

"This game, that in fact consists of 3 levels that can be accessed freely, was a good adventure. We adventure in Venice, searching for Winston, the butler. Well, the level is not linear at all. We have to find small keys that we can find at people, or in dust-bins, or maybe in fontains. Finding the movable blocks is necessary. Well, for the first time I missed one at the crossbow ammo. :-) The enemies are little rats, gunmen, seamen, and some dogs. We have lots of guns; we get the Revolver, the Uzi and the Crossbow too. There are 3 secrets on the level where we can acquire gold. The end, of course, is a happy end; we finally find the one we are looking for, and we take a helicopter for leaving this wonderful, superbly textured, intimate level. And the added sounds increase the feeling more. Noone should skip this great adventure! :) You can find a Hungarian walkthrough (as we don't have English version), savegames and pictures here: http://treditor.hu/15/the_theatre_of_venice.htm" - Obig

"In this level I lived a strange situation: when I pushed the button into the hole on the library to open the double doors (timed run) I lost that opportunity and I had to push the button for a second time later, the double doors won't open (or I not arrived there in time) and I couldn't continue playing; so I reloaded an old savegame and pushed the button only one time (for a first time) and yes, I could trespass the doors (???). The rats must be humans converted in rats, 'cause the voices they have. When the fans are out you can't pass through them, they're still mortal. Most of the game is based about get too many keys (10) and pull too many switches (14) to open doors; this makes the gameplay more tedious, but there are some interesting tasks too; moreover loading different levels in many places, create more confusion to the player. Secrets are not hidden, you only have to explore and pick them up (?). There are several rooms where you can't do anything, this makes the game more real. The levels are well builded and detailed, but with few new ideas for puzzles." - Jose

"The title and the intro flyby already tell you that this is a very, very solid debut level. Quite a bit of care went into textures and lighting and the overall atmosphere created is rather believable, except for the several areas throughout were you get clipping errors because you can see too far into the distance. Gameplay is the usual Venice style, ie a lot of exploration (especially because you jump back and forth between three levels here) and plenty of bad guys to kill (plus a few dogs and all those rats). There are almost a dozen keys to find and use and also two circuits. The three golden secrets are not too well hidden. As said, the overall setting is really nice with the restaurant, the library and of course the theatre (great idea with the falling sandbags). Watchout for the bug with the button for the timed run as it will only work when pressed at whthe right time. Very enjoable hour or more spent in Venice." - MichaelP

"The previous reviews led me to believe I'd have more fun than I actually experienced here. I'm a fan of the original TR2 Venice levels, which were played for the most part outdoors under blue, cloudless skies. They become considerably less enjoyable when played at dusk or dawn (whichever you have here), such that they seem like just another dark level. It was also disconcerting to warp from level to level at the most unlikely spots, but I suppose it was necessary in this case for some technical reason or it wouldn't have been inflicted upon the player. There's plenty to do here, and the walkthrough was very helpful in clarifying some of the backtracking that would otherwise have left me thoroughly lost. But I must admit I've had much more fun in many less elaborate levels. Recommended, but not enthusiastically." - Phil

"Despite there not being much in the way of puzzles but searching for keys, and that there are a lot of areas extremely reminiscent of the original Venice levels, and that some areas are just wasted such as the one massive courtyard area with just one piddling key to find, and it wasn't even hidden at that, and that there were a lot of gates and doors that are left unopened at the end which made me feel as I played that I was missing something, and that there is a button for a timed run/swim that if pressed before you make a clear opening for the timed run/swim didn't seem to trigger the doors open if you press it a second time, and, oh okay there's nothing else, well yeah there is, and the fact that some of the 3 gold object secrets had to be found to progress so making them not really secrets but triggers, this was a fun set of intermingled levels. There isn't much more to really say other than it's exactly what you expect from a Venice level and if you have played the original levels you will be very comfortable and at home here. I just wish there was more originality from the author as I have to rate down for this fact." - Sash

"I really love Venice levels and this one is so reminiscent of the original I was positively wallowing in nostalgia. Ah, there's nothing like a good wallow. It's not a difficult level - jump around the awnings, swim in the canals, find keys and circuit boards and kill a few thugs. Quite a relaxing raid really and if you like Venice levels perhaps it's time you had a bit of a holiday in this one. A super atmosphere that made for a very pleasant raid indeed. In his readme, the author states that this will probably be his only level. Well, I hope he changes his mind as he has an obvious flair for level building." - Jay

"Any opportunity to visit Venice again is great. Ah! the nostalgia! It was wonderful to hear the old sounds and music, and the new music is so appropriate you'd swear it should have been there all along. Nick has created a very large and good looking Venice level. So big that it has been divided into different parts. And this is his first level, wow! Although it's very much a Venice level as we all know and love them, this looks more realistic with lots of canals, boats and gondolas, alleyways and boardwalks, cafes, restaurant, librarys, gardens, and plenty of buildings to explore, with jumping to red awnings and shooting windows. It's was great being able to see through gates and windows into other areas I had yet to explore. Enemies are the familiar club wielding thugs, normal sized rats, gunmen and dogs. And what is Lara doing here this time? She's here to rescue Winston, who has been kidnapped. At base it's a seek and find level, searching for keys to open numerous doors. The level hopping may cause a bit of confusion though, trying to remember how many keyholes you've passed, and in what part of the city(which level) you saw them. This had me running around like a headless chicken testing all keyholes as soon as I found a key, especially at the start. There are a couple of little annoyances that can cause more confusion. The level change near the start, as you run along a boardwalk, shows a door ahead in a wall. In my game this door looked like it was still closed even though I had actually opened it. Run through the level and you'll see it is actually opened. There is a timed switch in the library that took a while to figure out. Some of the keys are tiny and almost impossible to see, so check everywhere carefully. Other things that are hard to see are the circuit cards, the gold bundles (secrets), and some switches that are very well camouflaged or hidden behind moveable blocks. And still I reached the end with a strong feeling that I had missed a lot of things. Overall it was good fun and looked really beautiful in places. I never tire of Venice levels, so I'm looking forward to more of the same in future." - CC

"I am of two minds after playing this level. I loved the whole lay out and I would categorize it as an exploration level as you will be exploring every nook and cranny. Although there is much to see... there isn't that much to do. That is a real shame. This level is cut in parts (nothing Nick can do about it as that is where the LE fails big time), but one completely empty room with nice canals and boats, buildings and all you find is one small key, is in my opinion a bit of a waste. There are many doors still closed and apparently they stay closed, well don't give the impression that they can be opened (make them solid?). All in all it is impressive what Nick showed us. It does lack a bit of oomph in my opinion. Found some un-textured bits and there is a bug so DO NOT push the timed button behind that trapdoor in the library, first use the Floodgate Key to make the way free for Lara. Because of those level changes, sometimes it looks like a door is still closed, but just go on anyway as the door will be open. 24-10-2005" - Gerty

"I do like Venice levels, especially when they do look like Venice as in TR2, which this one does to all the possible perfection. All the goons most objects are taken from TR2 (even the first images are directly taken from it :) )and the game contains a lot of very interesting challenges even though you may sometimes end up running around like a headless chicken without even the faintest idea of what to do next. Then, when the game ends, you wish there could have been more... One of those possible "running around" moments can be, most unfortunately, due to a mean bug, which has already been mentioned by another reviewer - hence, my 8 in "gameplay and puzzles" and it's the only reason, but an important one. And I had to replay the entire game from the start! Of course, it was worth it. Another problem I find in this game is that there are loads of keys and a couple of circuit cards and they can be very, very hard to spot. Apart from that, I think this is a must for every player. Really good stuff." - Jorge22

"This is the second Venice level I've played and is the best and interesting level. I like it very much for its environment. It reminds me the old level and show me the beautiful scene in Venice. This is the level that can really relax you, differ from those underneath or with many disgusting enemies levels. They always made me nervous and reduce my pleasure. A pity is that I can't drive even one boat in so many boats. In the old level, jumpping from the boat to destroy the mine is the most interesting solution in TR's world I believed." - Watck

"This is the best Venice level I've played so far (custom level I mean). The settings and the atmosphere of the game is just as TR2 Venice levels, although the puzzles are completely different. The enemies are also from TR2 and the keys, the objects, the boats, the sounds, the secrets.... all reminds the original game. That's the nicest touch of the game, I've enjoyed all of it even in the hardest parts. There are some faults like the timed door problem (don't push the switch before using the floodgate key), and the extreme darkness of the theatre. In Tomb Raider 2, Venice levels were the best in my opinion, and in TRLE world this is a "must play" for all the raiders. Great work, Nick!" - Loupar

"This is Nick's first level(as far as I've seen) and I must say I'm mighty impressed. Lara's goal in this fun and interesting level is to free Winston from Bartoli and his henchmen and for that she must naturally travel to Venice. And this is the Venice that brings back fond memories from TR2; although the settings and puzzles have changed, the atmosphere and textures remain much the same. I really loved the overall structure and idea of the level; fun, imaginative and exciting. It is of average length and not overly difficult, but that doesn't mean that it's any less of a challenge.....there was not a second of boredom in this brilliant adventure(and it's NOT often that I play a level which I feel contains no tedious or long-winded parts)!!!! There were lots of doors and gates to open and keys to find, but it was never really hard to know which doors the keys belonged to and although this level included quite a bit of searching and exploring I didn't get completely stuck around every corner like in many other levels. One timed run that I had some trouble with at first, but once that obstacle was overcome I thoroughly enjoyed the rest. In this level I found 3 secrets(neatly disguised as various pieces of gold) and they were quite easy to find. I absolutely loved the rescuing of Winston at the end of it. The only thing I wasn't too happy about was that some places were really dark and I could spend half a dozen of flares in the same room. Nick, I think you've found one of your first fans.....your level was a pleasure to play, I totally loved it and I'm looking forward to seeing more of your adventures in the future!!!" - Selene