Level reviews

"For a player it's gonna be a bit boring cause the pace is the same all the time = run through everywhere, sometimes finding keys and pulling switches. Would be good for relax if lighting allowed it, but often it's too tiring. I'd say not good not bad, just obviously trying things and succeeding at some e.g. ceilings weren't ignored, shortcuts were provided and the ending had a getaway. But the builder's 2010 level is much better so if in doubt, go there." - DJ Full

"As for a debut level this game can be distinguished as rather consequently built and guided. It starts in a cave and leads gradually to a temple complex. Everything is kept in the TR1 atmosphere, which I assume the author must be a big fan of. That atmosphere is accentuated by suitable music and objects albeit all too rare. The same concerns the enemies which are rather few considered the weaponry given. The level is visually appealing (as much as a Caves-style level appealing can be) and rather well designed from the architectural point of view. The textures are put in a more or less correct manner, I enjoyed also the gentle lighting which acts rather professional. A big drawback for me was the gameplay. I felt as if just finding the next key/idol/lever in order to progress, all without much payoff. Along the way I encountered a few nasty surprises in the form of randomly death tiles. That is a kind of - unfair' trap which spoils the fun for me. Another drawback would be a couple of - dead ends' which do not contribute to the game in any way. A thing that caused me to frown was a well-hidden, gameplay-significant, completely unhinted receptacle in a big room. Really, inspecting each and every wall to progress is not to my taste. I am glad, I have finished this level and I would really like to see some more work from the author, considering he has definitely considerably progressed in his levelbuilding skills (I enjoyed his BtB2010 entry a lot). Definitely recommended if you want some TR1 Caves nostalgia, because you'll get a lot of it here. Otherwise, not obligatory." - jawi

"This is definitely one for the classic TR fans among us. It's a very smooth flowing, brisk but quite entertaining jaunt in a South American setting to track down the Scion once again. The enemy attacks were a bit samey (only wolves and bats) and dark corners were a little too prevalent, but the textures, lighting and general architecture have been put together with a good degree of effort and are faithful to their TR1 inspiration, some of the traps and acrobatics were fun to perform and the class TR music is well used. Around 35 minutes of simple, linear but entertaining gameplay." - Ryan

"This classic TR1 style raid brings up back to the roots of the original game. A bit of Caves, Qualopec and Vilcabamba. Everything looks very familiar without being a remake. The game play is very easy and fairly straightforward with mainly switch and key hunting. Some receptacles and keyholes are always placed in the really dark corners of a room, which made it very obvious where to look after a while. A few pickups are placed here and there and many of them are flares, which are always a welcomed thing. A couple of pickups were trapped for nasty surprises. One of those cases where one knows that tile looks deadly, but you have to try to get that Medipack anyway - haha. On the enemy side there are many wolves and even more bats. The bats did become a nuisance quickly - I think half of them would have been enough. The whole look and feel of the level is very nice in general with a good mixture of light and dark areas. In certain areas there was a lack of background music noticeable, but the atmosphere was not bad at all. The camera work was a mixed bag. Some nice camera hints and flybys, but the fixed cameras in a couple of areas were a bit counterproductive when it came to orientation. The texturing was mainly TR1 and looked well applied, but some rooms felt a bit empty since there was not much decoration except for a bunch of non-shootable pots here and there. I enjoyed this trip to the past - it was relaxing, nostalgic and well worth the download. Recommended for everyone, but especially for fans of the original game! (50min, 4 secrets found)" - Blue43

"If you want to relax and play something easy this is the level for you. TR1 fans will feel at home in the featured location. There are dozens of bats and wolves to kill (a little too many for my taste) and some swinging blades on your way to find the scion, but no mean traps or tricky jumps. Lighting could be improved (I am not a fan of keylocks or switches hidden in pitch-black spots), rooms could use some more decoration objects and I didn't like all those fixed cameras, but texturing and the overall setting was good for a debut level." - Jerry

"It is a level constructed well with a rather simple and playable gameplay by every player, from the beginner to the expert. Decoration is style TR1 with much finer textures. Some places are a bit dark and it is necessary to use quite a lot of torches. A game for the nostalgic of the first version of TombRaider and a right time of game to be crossed. Great work of the constructor." - Daffy

"Oh those bats, they almost spoiled my fun in this decently made TR1 level, where you have a bit of caves , a bit of city and a bit of Qualopec for 45 minutes. Nothing out of the ordinary , but it was pleasant nevertheless to progress in a straightforward way from area to the next. It is a very easy raid as there is not a lot of puzzles (I like the room with the deadly pillars lighted differently from the safe ones) and the swinging blades are placed in a rather innocent way. Nothing too tricky except for an idol placed on the floor and hard to see (artefacts placed on the floor and easy to miss are one of my pet hates in customlevels). Some fixed cameras are well done but can be annoying, the packs of wolves are ok , I only wished there would be not so many bats as they are only there to annoy people." - eRIC

"I am fond of such levels with old textures and gameplay as simple as find key, use key to open door. There are dogs and bats to kill and a few easy traps such fire tiles and swinging blades. The level is about swimming and finding idol keys to use until you find the scion and finish it. Not a very interesting level. I found two secrets." - Kristina

"Well, I'm not nostalgic for TR 1, but I thought this was a nicely done piece. I liked how the color scheme is dominated by cool colors in the first half and then gets into warm colors as Lara approaches her goal. The gameplay is straight-forward. I didn't like the wolves as enemies, as I prefer human or supernatural enemies over killing animals. There were also a lot of them. This is a fun play, and the author deserves a lot of credit for doing so well on their first time out." - Duncan

"If you like first set of TR1 levels, this is your level. What regards! It seems that this author likes fixed cameras very much. No much to think, only explore and advance with a nice gameplay. The level is quite long, rooms not much big with many dark areas and few flares. No human enemies, only animals. Secrets not difficult to find. Well applied textures and correct architecture. A good level to having a good time and easy to play but with no special puzzles." - Jose

"A good run around to find your way first through the caverns/gorges and then through the ruins. No real out and out puzzles but plenty of"where's the next switch/ how do I get there" problems to solve. Enemies consist of rather timid dogs and bats, both these more of a pain than a threat (in fact I needed no medipacks for this level). Pickups were both obvious and devious, with plenty of flares to light up the pitch black areas. Punk Lara and some other good use of textures provided some good graphics and atmospheres, but would have been even better if so many repeat textures/scenes were not used, as some of the areas seemed to change very little from others, especially in the first section of the level. For a first effort this was an excellent attempt and I look forward for the author to produce some very good level in the future." - Whistle

"For me this level was quite enjoyable (LOL no timed runs!). We begin in a cave (gosh, it seems quite familiar, I'm sure I've been here before?) and proceed from there. We've got switches to pull, enemies to kill (wolves and bats only), 5 secrets to collect, lots of pick-ups, a little bit of swimming and several deadly traps to avoid before we finally get our hands on the Scion. If you're looking for a short/sweet game to while away an hour or so, try this one." - suzieq51

"This is the author's debut level and what a debut! This is a TR1 inspired level, which heavily uses Peru textures and objects. I quite enjoyed it while it lasted, even though it got me confused a few times with many paths to choose to go to. It's actually very linear, there are only a few key spots where you have four or so exits from a same room, so it's a matter of time to check them all until noticing only one will take you further. The Legend blue sweater outfit is here to and it's a fine addition, it blends into the level nicely. There are several traps, mostly swinging axes, but no big deal - making this a nice level for beginners to intermediate raiders. A few fixed cameras here and there and great addition of TR1 music helped improving the atmosphere of the level. Texturewise I couldn't find any flaw, many would complain about the low quality of the textures, but they're still gorgeous (I love TR1), and the lighting was worked out, very dark here, very bright there, and a gorgeous lens flare effect in the end of the level. This one is recommended to any nostalgic TR1 fan. 40 minutes, 3 secrets. 02/06" - Treeble

"Funny how those TR1 textures put me in a good mood. There you go builders - TR1 textures ensure that at least one reviewer feels mellow and well disposed towards a level right from the start, lol. The place is absolutely heaving with wolves so I was glad of a shotgun quite early on. The gameplay is easy, linear, and moves along nicely, but you may fall foul of some well-camouflaged underwater levers if you don't keep your eyes peeled. I thought it was a very creditable first time build, well put together and attractive to the eye, and I hope to see more from this builder in the future." - Jay

"As a rendition of TR1 very first level, this is a success. You recognize the place as soon as you set foot in it (ah... those prints in the snow... cue waves of nostalgia) and it keeps remaining faithful down to the very end, while not being an exact copy. The TR1 atmosphere is there too thanks to an indeed good lighting, with an amazing last beam of light at the end. This said, the dark corner trick is overused - but it has more to do with gameplay than lighting art-wise, in my opinion. Among the enemies, you'll find several pack of wolves, maybe too many but always very well placed, and many many bats. Lara's outfit was fine but a tad buggy. Secrets are generally fun to find or get and some are cleverly hidden (again a tribute to TR1 with the first one). There is one amazing music at one point (had me reload to hear it again), good choice and (again) good placement. All this being said I had two major problems with this level: first, way too many distant cameras, and most of them without any reason. Tends to be a bit irritating after a while. Second, the gameplay is repetitive and a bit too straightforward. No real challenge here, and once you've got used to light flares or the binocs each time you see a dark recess, research flows like a charm. Which leads to a slight boredom. A level I recommend if you're in for a quiet walk down memory lane." - Sutekh

"I took a break from the 2006 BtB levels to play this for the purpose of writing a walkthrough. It's a good, solid level and, like several of the other reviewers, I'd recommend this for newer players who are just learning the ropes (much the same role the companion level in TR1 served). There are a few tough spots, such as key receptacles in dark areas and underwater levers that can barely be seen, but for the most part you have a linear, straightforward raid with few surprises. The enemies are bats and wolves (lots of them), and you need to be on the lookout for occasional death tiles that are usually clearly indicated. A nice raid. I found four of the five secrets." - Phil

"It's been a while since I had played a level in TR1 sytle so I enjoyed this 50 minute adventure quite a bit. It also features the TR Legend winter outfit and is a rather simplistic run through the classic caves area, with many levers, often hidden in dark corners, some keys and gold icons to pick up and use and hidden crawlspaces to watch out for. Enemies are bats and wolves that come by the dozen, which gets a little tedious. A few blocks to push and several fixed cameras are used, some of which provide an interesting angle but more often I found them rather distracting. Only the occasional dart and swing blade trap, so this is a relaxed and linear level that will not cause you any stress. Found only three of the five secres, so probably missed two crawlspaces somewhere." - MichaelP

"Oh the reminiscent days of TR1 when the game had a naïve beauty to it. This level has exactly that quality and as soon as I began and saw the textures of the grey snowy caves with the wolf footprints scattered through the snow I immediately felt happy. As you progress you find simply lovely rooms giving you the feel of Vilcabamba but I was slightly disappointed that in these lovely rooms there isn't much at all to do but find some keys and levers, as well as fending off lots of wolves and bats. As you near the end you are given a few swinging axe traps to avoid but they are of no real consequence and easily passed. The upside is you get to go on the hunt for 5 secrets as well and I found all but one in this 45 minute level, maybe it was located in this little high crevice where I saw a wolf but could not reach. All in all this was a really wonderfully designed level architecturally but it lacked a challenging gaming element." - Sash

"As a homage to the Caves level of TR1,this is not only worthy but actually surpasses it in duration and use of scenery.It's an atmospheric adventure,wherein Lara must gain access to the Scion deep within the Andes. Probably as much use as can be possible has been made of the TR1 wad,but it's nonetheless restrictive when it comes to enemies,as there's only so much you can do with wolf and bat attacks.Even so,some of the wolves were effectively placed and gave me a fright;while the architecture was everywhere accomplished and the atmosphere evocative. There were probably a few too many dark nooks and crannies to explore,and progression was steady with the way ahead never in much doubt;but it's fun all-the-same and contains some good use of swinging blades (particularly in the final room) and a very clever use of sun and lens-flare at the end.Together with the evocative use of the spine-tingling Nathan MacRee music score,this is an atmospheric and nostalgic 50 minute adventure,and I recommend it heartily." - Orbit Dream

"I just love the textures as they remind me so much of TR1. This is however a different adventure and the gameplay is rather straight forward. A bit excitement could have been thrown in by making some levers timed ones. A puzzle here or there wouldn't go amiss as well. Found only 4 secrets and I know where the 5th was, but I never could get that door open. For the rest it is a solid level. Enemies were only wolves and bats, a lot of bats. Looking good Kat so how about another one as clearly you know how to make a good level, now go and make a great one. 27-12-2005" - Gerty

"I really liked this level. Lara is in Peru and looking for the Scion. This level looks straight out of TR1 and has the exact same feeling and atmosphere as the first game. I am a big TR1 fan, so I might be slightly biased, but there is no reason to not like this gorgeous Inca level! The gameplay was great, I always knew where to go and what to do. I was never stuck and never had to look for a walkthrough or help to complete the level. It felt like Lara was on a quest to find the Scion, and that's exactly what she did, without running around clueless around the tomb. Some might find the level linear, and it might be true. But it is good to play a easier level once in a while as well. The music and audio was also good. Music from TR1 fits perfectly into the level. There's nothing like running around in a Inca tomb with the theme from TR1 softly playing. The enemies found in the game were bats and wolfs, just like the original TR1 Peru levels. They are well placed, but you should never have any problems getting rid of them. You will find enough medipacks in the level. More than you will need, probably. You will also find A LOT of flares. They will also be needed, as there are many dark areas in the level. The darkness fints very nicely into the atmosphere of the level and I the textures were very good. There were however a very noticible outfit-bug when Lara uses a flare. A little minus there, but it didin't ruin the gaming experience for me. All in all a very beautiful level with the classic Tomb Raider feeling we all love. A level for everyone to play. I enjoyed it very much." - Thorir

"Quite an attractive and nostalgia-inducing level. Like the builder stated, this is a relitively simple and unchallenging level, although there were one or two tricky jumps. There is plenty of door opening via switches, on the downside of which the switches are usually nearby and take little effort to get to. However, this does mean there is little-to-no confusion about where the player is required to go next. Perhaps, though, the builder should have made them harder to get to, and perhaps put timers on some of the doors. There was good use of swinging blades to make the player jump and force them to be alert, and I am unsure why Kat did not place additional traps in any of the empty areas to liven them up. One thing that did please me quite a lot was the abundance of enemies. The atmosphere is good, although some of the textures did seem a bit carelessly-placed. Some of the secrets were easy to find. I recommend this as a wind-down level, or perhaps for the more inexperienced raider." - Skyld