Levels listed...
TR5 - 31
TR4 - 3141
TR3 - 177
TR2 - 133
TR1 - 61
72325 reviews (20.4/level)
3532 (99.7%) walkthroughs
445 Hall of Fame levels
1222 levels rated >= 8
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release date: |
25-Dec-2006 |
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# of downloads: |
223 |
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average rating: |
9.47 |
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review count: |
34 |
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review this level |
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file size: |
149.40 MB |
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file type: |
TR4 |
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class: |
Oriental |
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author profile(s): |
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| Reviewer's comments |
"This is the only level from this prolific builder I hadn't played up until now, and it's a behemoth release, which is why I've always shied away from it. While I still have about 33 other levels like this until I can complete my 2006 raidlist, I have to say these feature length games often leave me with mixed feelings. I spent the better part of my free time over the last four days to see this through to the end, and I know for a fact I've only done so thanks to Jenni's thorough walkthrough, and while it looks beautiful and stunning from start to finish, it feels like the author doesn't want you to leave, with a lot (a lot) of unnecessary padding, lots of running back and forth, climbing up and down, all true and tested TR 101 yes, but at some point I just wanted it to end. And when you're nearing the end, it almost felt like adding salt to the injury by forcing one last pushblock puzzle, a triple-tiered one at that, which just feels redundant and honestly doesn't add anything to the experience. Quite the opposite, in my case. Other than one tricky jump it was enjoyable for the most part, but I am positive if this was half as long, it would have offered a much better and more positive experience. Perhaps this was in line with 2006 standards though, life wasn't as terrible then as it is now. 4h30min, 16 secrets. 07/23" - Treeble (30-Jul-2023) |
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| "BEAUTIFUL! I played this one in 2008 and until these days it's one of the best EVER, the fun
is comparable to a Core classsic Tomb Raider (yes, THAT good). Jade Empire is entirely
passed in the Floating Islands of Chinese mythology, like the end of Tomb Raider 2. The
atmosphere is dark, windy at the edges of the islands where you can see the endless
darkness, but more calm and sometimes peaceful inside the huge inner stages. The enemies are
few, but strong and exotic, which is a bonus because back in 2006 few level builders were
able to customise textures. The music is amazing, I recognise some pieces from Chinese
films. And the puzzles and traps are creative and well distributed. You don't get bored. Do
yourself a favour and play Jade Empire." - Bruno-Oyaji (11-Apr-2022) |
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| "This one was very nice indeed.
I just have to say that this level was not what i expected it to be, it was even better so that's just great :).
So basically in this adventure Lara gets to visit the Jade Empire which is visually breathtaking to say the least and coupled with some great voice acting and you know you are hooked. My favourite level is the first one, i really love platforming so this was a really nice start for me as you get to explore a place which reminds me a bit of the "Floating Islands" level from TR2. Gameplay is good and you won't have stop and think too much about where to go next, however there are a bit too many levers that you have to pull and perhaps the difficulty is a bit on the easy side but i still didn't get bored because of that as there is so much eye candy and you really want to explore every corner of the place. There is one thing however that i just can't ignore and that is the pushable block puzzle near the end which was quite easy to figure out but it took way too long to actually get it done. As soon as i knew exactly what i had to do i just said to myself "oh no don't say that i have to get that block all the way over to there" this was a tedious moment but apart from this i really enjoyed it. I definetly recommend this level to everyone as it still is a really good one especially when considering it's age." - totizedger (26-Sep-2017) |
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| "I had no idea Gandalf is such a wonderful voice actress, she definitely added a lot to the already brilliant climate. An unusual play of reds and yellows makes it very Oriental despite of too intense Angkor references, and, contrary to the title, not even a Jade pixel used. I'm very sensitive about odd pickup locations, things like climbing the whole level of floating rocks to find a key on the top very easily kill the fun for me, but this way the item at least feels important. Then we do an even greater quest for the second blue gem, it felt wonderful to see such a classic object playing such a vital role. But the items are also totally new objects, here's the origin of BtB stones, dragon stars and Chinese fan. All of them, and all other elements of interaction are arranged in interesting way, very diverse and never confusing. Sometimes you need to be observant and explore all corners, but in such scenery this is what you wanna do. Certain unexpected moments occur as well, for instance one of few truly surprising water flood flipmaps. So I considered a full score all the way, until the final pushable - such evil thing wouldn't even happen in a bad joke level but here it ruins the finale, keeping all the tension unresolved, wasn't it enough to copy the earlier vase pushable from Reign of Chaos? Both of these should just go, and I hope it happens when the game is finished." - DJ Full (10-Mar-2017) |
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| "A fantastic game. I can't find enough good things to say
about it, it's probably my new favourite levelset. I was
very confused by the last secret - 16 out of 15... I
couldn't see that there was a reason for that! The
environments had great use of colour with bright and
colourful surroundings, very unique maps.
The block pushing at the end seemed very tedious and
unnecessary. My only real complaint is that some of the
music choices seemed over the top, or maybe it's a case of
some tracks played louder than others.
There was a hint for part 2 and I certainly hope this
adventure will be continued.
One of the best levelsets I've played. Took around 7 and a
half hours." - izzynoodles (13-Oct-2016) |
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| "This was a beautiful adventure by
Christoph. The gameplay was nice and
varied. Enemies were appropriate to the
setting. Lighting and textures were
excellent. I still hope for a possible
part 2." - Ryan (26-Dec-2015) |
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| "From a visual standpoint, this game is a true masterpiece. The choice of textures and objects, the wonderfully applied lighting, the perfectly matching sounds, beautiful flybys, great architecture - all are giving this level a very authentic and unique feel that few levels managed to reach, and even less back in 2006. The locations are quite varied yet still the builder managed to keep coherence and there's always something to be amazed in every level. There is also a good variety in the gameplay with a mix of platforming, puzzle solving, traps and exploration that (nearly) every good level needs, but something went wrong here. I mean, there are decent tasks in every level and rather intuitive progression but the tedium mentioned by other reviewers before is something that I never found in any otherwise such highly professional game. Just when the game flows fluently, the builder has placed an incredibly long shimmy, jump sequence that needs to be done several times, painful yo-yo backtrack or - perhaps worst of all - pushblock puzzle that is comparatively easy to figure out but takes way, way too long to execute. I honestly see no point in such pointless tasks that are obviously intended by the builder as it could have obviously been much smoother to get through this game. Apart of the one jump in the penultimate game that does not seem to fit to the overall difficulty, this game is also on the rather easy side and often consists of using many, many levers (that only add to the pedestrian parts) and the (still plenty) tasks could've been a little more diverse and challenging to figure out, instead of being sometimes very boring. Concerning the graphics again - the quality of the texturing decreases a bit in the last two levels with a couple of mistakes, a few end of the world moments are not a large issue because the builder has effectively used fixed cameras - the still one or two not so nice views are forgivable. Certainly the overall visual appearance is rather clean though and a visual treat. The secrets are very nicely hidden - a bit strange that the builder claims there are 15 secrets but I found even one more ;) - and the fancy enemies are certainly spicing up the thing nicely, although the final boss is maybe a bit too overpowered. Overall a very good, if too often tedious, game that was undeniably ahead of its time and still stands extremely well even for today's standards. Spent a total of 3:30 hours in here." - manarch2 (18-Jul-2015) |
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| "Even after so many years this game is still in my mind and heart. It's one of the best TRLE for me and definitely gave me a lot of inspirations and power to deal with my projects. I don't want to be technical so I will say that this game give you a chance to take that beautiful journey around this oriental world. It's very unique and priceless game, there is so many wonderful moments, it's really remarkable. Highly recommended, great experience." - MD (12-Apr-2015) |
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| "Impressive oriental adventure, not difficult and not easy (in some points little boring), i didn`t like some music choise plus in many areas only left side on my earphones worked and it was annoying!!! Some pushable puzzles was boring because too long way to push blocks and some levels had too many backtracking... But these were only a few things i didn`t like. This game is definitely recommended, excelent atmosphere, lighting and textures was perfect, various locations and very impressive storyline... I missed only one secret. I wouldn`t call this game masterpiece, but nevertheless don`t miss it. Recommended 8/10/9/10" - OverRaider (15-Jan-2013) |
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"My journey with this level has been an unusual one. I started playing it several years ago, when a lot of things were different, one of those being that this level was still available for download at trle.net, and finished it only fairly recently. The test of time usually sets the true classics apart from the historical curiosities, but I found this had elements of both in it.
Some things that I found impressive when I first started the game had lost their appeal by my nowadays standards. For example - while there's no denying how pretty the looks are (the first level being my favourite), some elements felt like thrown in just for the effect, not because they organically fit in. A case in point are the waterfalls, which are omnipresent throughout the adventure. They are dramatic and give a very dynamic feel, but more often than not their presence made no sense, unless you habitually go around wondering where the water comes from in custom levels. The shining effect on objects, lens-flares, and other effects also get a similarly dubious treatment. On the storytelling/gameplay front - what I might not have cared about that much a few years ago, but do now - was that there hardly were any clear objectives given to the player, so it's difficult for tension to build up and hard to determine how the idea's should've unfolded logically. Sure, if you read the level's story, you know you're after a katana, but there were no intermediary goals that assured you of your progress as far as I could observe. The environments just seemed to be a medley of whatever came to the author's mind. It starts out, for whatever reason, in a quite surreal fashion on floating islands, and then moves on to a series of rather conventional looking settings (buildings, caves, a big lake area) for the rest of the game. Playing for the sake of playing does work in a lot of cases in the TRLE world, but in a decently sized level series (5h of net gaming for me in here) this flow-of-consciousness building is not the best approach.
That said, the other side of the medal is me gaining more appreciation for different aspects of the game due to my experience with other levels played in between. What definitely goes to the game's credit and what not a lot of other games can pride themselves with, is how well it flows. There still are some game-stopper moments, for example - some of the movable object puzzles (as clever as they were) were pretty much always very time-consuming and tedious. I also thought the placement of some of the switches and items whose purpose only became apparent later on, bordered with unfair on some occasions (waterskin in Buddha Sanctuary comes to mind). However, when it works - it does so in a way that doesn't insult the player's intelligence or patience. You get the rather standard fare of jump-sequences, timed runs, trap evading, and key hunting, and maybe the occasional fight, but the way it's put together will always keep you on your toes and rarely result in boredom.
The years in between me starting the game up and finishing it were spent studying the Chinese language and culture more in-depth. In light of this, whilst I was not by any means setting out expecting a carefully researched and rigidly faithful portrayal of the culture's elements, it was hard to overlook some of the more slapdash treatments of the theme. The game as it is now, was, of course, always doomed to be a generalized idea of how the Far East looks in a non-far-east-person's mind, and there's nothing wrong with that (taking in consideration how poorly some builders even handle elements from their own native cultures, and also the fact that this still is just a game). In fact, I think the author has done more things right than wrong overall. Apart from a one line of Chinese characters that are consistently rotated wrongly throughout the game, the ones used seem suitable for the settings. The audio tracks used seemed appropriate throughout the game and there's nothing that struck one as odd too much as far as architecture and the settings go. What stood out in a less positive light was that Lara's quest in this quasi-Chinese mythical empire was for a distinctively Japanese sword (considering that China has an abundant history of everything swords-related, some pretty much identical to the said katanas, if that was the author's fancy) and the Cambodian textures (that have more influences from Indian art) utilized in the later levels did stand out. I was also not particularly impressed by the King Arthur myth reference, but that's more of a personal dislike of mine, and not an objective fault. I imagine most players could not care less about this, but in Latvian we have an expression that roughly translates as the 'craftsman's idiocy' which (if an explanation really is necessary) implies us being unable to overlook the details from our areas of interest/expertise in other fields, and you can take my opinion as a showcase of that.
I also had some technical issues, namely, I found that Monkey Paradise for whatever reason was a pain to handle on my Windows 7 system. As in - I was unable to load any savegames from it, or make any level jumps to the level, which at first stopped my plans to pursue this game. Mytly's tip to use the compatibility mode on the exe file (plus, trying the troubled parts on an XP system) got me past that. Naturally I don't really put the blame on the author for this - all I wanted was to point this out for reference if others experience the same.
Overall - as said before - this had the elements of both - an epic and a historical curiosity in it. While there are aspects of the game that fail to impress the 'year 2011 reviewer' in me, it still is an enjoyable game, memorable for the looks and gameplay tasks alike. Found 15 secrets." - eTux (16-Jan-2011) |
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| "our optimum level is very good I am without words to describe both perfection, really liked it despite great absurdities escalate everything else is not easy and great and amazing, the textures are great, even with the classical movements, everything is perfect congratulations keep it up !" - Jessica Croft (23-Dec-2010) |
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| "I have had this level in my collection for awhile and never played it until now. I am saddened that it is no longer available for everyone, but I would like to be able to put in my two cents since I have had it for awhile. First of all, the entire level is exquisitely beautiful, with gorgeous objects and texturing. Lighting and music are all wonderful as well. I never got bored in any sublevel because the puzzles were so inventive and fun, except perhaps the final level box puzzle which was a puzzler, but quite tedious. I had plenty of ammo and finished the game with well over 30 medi-paks, so these were non-issues. One odd thing I found was that I finished the game with 16 out of 15 secrets! Even the walkthrough didn't have that extra secret! I usually can't find any secrets, so that made me feel special. Anyway, I wish I could recommend this amazing level set, especially since there are only a handful of good oriental levels to choose from, but alas, I cannot. I am sure ilyaine has his reasons, and that is understandable. I am very happy I played this level finally, as it is really remarkable." - Shandroid (13-Sep-2010) |
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| "This levelpack is amazing!It tests your raiding skills a bit,but it's quite relaxing.Atmosphere is wonderful,puzzles are very creative.I'd rate the musics to 20/10,if I could do it.:)Secrets are very well hidden too(I found the bonus secret too.:D).I loved the complex gameplay.The only bad things are the bugs,that's why the gameplay is only 9 points for me.If you like exploring,and "not too fast" gameplay,this levelpack is for you.~ Don't miss it. ~" - rtrger (23-Sep-2009) |
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| "This is with no doubt a very good game, rather user-friendly, and great looking. The sfx sounds , the audio and the lighting , are great and very pleasant. There are not too many enemies throughout , and they are most of the same kind, mainly snakes and warriors with a few others, but they fit well in the scenery , and so are some of the beautiful and well made new objects. The levels are quite different in terms of gameplay , some are about puzzles and use of objects , while others are more based on action with jumping around , horizontal poles or rope swinging and the like. I really enjoyed much Sky-high , and making my way around Star-shine river. Moonlight temple was also to my liking. In fact there are many moments which pass quickly given the fluency of the game. There is also a few "redo" and backtrack , no game is perfect, in Emperor House , there is a strange mistake as you can place the barrel on the wrong tile and later on have to reload a previous savegame given the fact that the switch that rises it is of the one-shot kind. The game ends by a level with both action and puzzles and concludes well what is all things considered a great gaming experience. [7 hours - 12/15 secrets]" - eRIC (04-Apr-2009) |
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| "This game is full of so many wonderful moments that I don't know where to start. So how about at the beginning? Lara swan dives off a cliff in to a pool far below only to have a vertigo inducing climb back up them! Then there is the Emperor's teleporter. (I want one of those!) Or when the ice crystal turned the lava to water. Now that was cool! Plus lots of interesting items to find and use, such as cherry blossom, prayer wheels, yin-yang symbols and a Wakizashi sword. Overall the Gameplay is quite easy so progression is fluid - but there are one or two jumps that might cause problems! The Atmosphere is fantastic and the Lighting & Textures really suit the setting. If I had one complaint it is that the Guide looked exactly like all the other baddies, I found that confusing. And maybe there is a bit too much back tracking. (OK, two complaints!) But all in all this is a great game and should be on everybody's 'To play' list." - Kitkat (06-May-2008) |
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"Sky-High (10/9/9/10, 40 min, 3 secrets): Talk about starting an adventure on a high note! You dive into the world with great looks, beautiful audio and nice little cut scenes and beautiful objects like the rainbow and then you are treated to some (for me anyway) fabulous gameplay jumping around floating rocks in search of a key and a gem. Probably my favourite level of the whole set right at the beginning.
Monkey's Paradise (8/8/9/9, 45 min, 3 secrets): This is essentially the BtB06 entry of the author (there called 'The Blue Sun'), which was fun to revisit and has an added area with some traps towards the end.
Emperor's Gardens/Emperor's House (8/8/10/10, 40 min, 3 secrets): Even more beautifully applied objects here and great texturing and lighting throughout. You push and pull blocks, barrels and chains to progress and there is quite some back and forth within and between the levels to reach several keys and occasionally the backtracking really got a bit too long.
Star-Shine River (9/8/9/9, 35 min, 3 secrets): Nicely dramatic intro flyby here as night has fallen. This part is a bit of a hunt for switches with quite some exploring to do. The jumps around the river were great fun again though and the introduction of the guide, which is well used, always spices things up a bit. You find your first two prayer wheels here.
Moonlight Temple (9/9/9/10, 30+15 min): Plenty of traps await in this part and it turns out to be surprisingly linear, but that does not take away from it being very entertaining. You collect the remaining 6 prayer wheels in this part and the puzzle to raise a pot up several levels is interesting but a little tedious. Afterwards to backtrack through some of the earlier levels before reaching the...
Buddha Sanctuary (9/9/9/9, 80 min, 3 secrets): The longest level of the whole set with plenty of work to do but it never gets boring. In a few words: Spikes, Monkeys, Keys and Warriors - and all of these by the dozen. Not sure why that one jump that you have to do twice had to be so tricky though - did not really fit in well with the otherwise rather easy gameplay.
Temple of Dawn (9/9/9/9, 35 min): The grande finale, and indeed it is a worthy final level with some action right from the word 'Go', a battle with 6 lizard dragons, a very cleverly conceived (but still rather tedious) block push puzzle and of course a boss enemy that takes some patience to kill but is not really difficult to overcome.
All in all, a masterpiece of an adventure that would really have been worthy to see a sequel one of these days. Seems it won't happen, but we should never lose hope ;)" - MichaelP (24-Apr-2008) |
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| "I love challenges and this one has to have been the most challenging yet! Also i like the japanese type of levels and really found this different from most custom levels. One last thing is that the first level with floating rocks/debris really reminds me of TR2 floating islands level, fantastic game [christoph]!" - TombRaiderTim (02-Jan-2008) |
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| "This level was simply beautiful. I really enjoyed exploring and solving the puzzles. I encountered a few bugs, like swing-poles being very flukey and the cherry tree at the beginning not working properly until I reloaded my save. One particular jump was exceedingly difficult (I had to waste over half an hour watching a video on Youtube and trying to duplicate the moves exactly until Lara somehow glitched up to where she was supposed to be). Other than those problems, this level was truly amazing and I am looking forward to more levels like this." - Ward Dragon (31-Dec-2007) |
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| "Excellent Game - Yes, a whole game, I'd say...
I liked the old fashioned "Ah Ha" & "Umph", but there was a LOT more. The moves were difficult at times, and I thought a few times impossible. The range of puzzles and challenges was emmense. He used just about everything I've seen, but in different ways.
I like the "new" Lara - she looks almost as good as Legend - how did you do that ??? (I've seen the evolution through several games, so I think the game designers have been collectively improving her for a while).
Also, the textures and 3D appearance of objects - very good - especially the little four legged pots.
I did get a little tired of the key thing, but it's always fun to find something...
Remembering where you were, and how to get back to where that was anyway - good memory challenges.
The music was excellent, very good backgrounds for the gameplay.
The updated moves and pushable blocks that you could climb on were good.
The varity of environments was interesting, although sticking to the oriental theme, especially in the beginning - the jumps seemed a little more challenging somehow, when you're hanging in thin air...
This was one of my favorites for the year !!!" - Juno Jim (25-Dec-2007) |
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| "Everything was perfect. The lighting in every room and outside place was great, with new sounds, effects, water, and enemies. The outside world was amazingly perfect, the water sounds when lara goes to swim are absolutly great, and with extras. The new animations were great, i really loved them, and i couldn't stop playing this great game! From me it gets a 10 out of 10." - Vaughnage (15-Dec-2007) |
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| "WOW, this was a wonderful adventure. Everything was very orginal and everything was great the puzzles were great and the level design was fabulous. However this set of wounderful levels is for the skilled players, even I had to look at the walkie here and there. GREAT GAME!! Looking for Part Two, bring it on!!!" - dantheraider (04-Dec-2007) |
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| "Great level, hated some of those water enemies! There were some tricky jumps and some great puzzles. I loved the monkeys just hanging around. The scenery and background music were great. I enjoyed Lara's new move and also the moving blocks that could be climbed on made the block puzzles even more interesting. I found a couple of the rope jumps a bit difficult but all added to the challenge. I was disappointed to reach the end! So am looking forward to the next one." - Moonliteshadow (17-Jun-2007) |
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| "This multi-level set is a visual feast, very nearly a match for Neon God from the standpoint of sheer beauty. Each level is different, each level provides a variety of gaming enjoyment, yet they all fit together and adhere wonderfully to the Oriental motif. I would unhesitatingly award it top marks across the board except for one thing. The tedium. Tedium in the very first level, hopping along a seemingly endless series of suspended blocks that had already been navigated. Tedium in the maddening use of shimmy cracks to cross long lava pools. Tedium in having to backtrack along a gauntlet of staggered pillars at least three times to pull different switches. Tedium in going up and down a tall room a half dozen times or more to keep pulling a single switch to shift block alignments. And I'm tempted to deduct from gameplay a whopping three points for a single sequence, that deceptively simple but criminally cumbersome block puzzle near the very end of the adventure. All told, the superfluous activity probably accounts for at least an hour out of the nine hours plus that I spent here. But I must say that the positives so overwhelmingly outweigh the negatives that I'm forced to be charitable. Jenni has provided a comprehensive walkthrough that I simply could not have done without, although the haywire compass (east is west, and vice versa) was probably responsible for some of the directional errors that slowed me down some. I have to hand it to the builder for finding a way to keep my hex-altering-flycheat-enabling program from working. However, I was able to make it all the way through without having to cheat and without enduring excessive frustration, including the timed runs and the tricky jumps, but that harpy at the end made me use up all my high-grade ammo before I was finally able to kill it with my pistols. Until the vivid memories of the tedium described above begin to fade, I probably won't have Jade Empire Part 1 on my replay list any time soon. Hopefully the builder will take note of these remarks as he works on Part 2. Highly recommended (but with a warning label)." - Phil (23-May-2007) |
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| "Somehow, I've only now played this brilliant adventure and I'm only sorry I haven't played it before. I usually like games (that is, games divided into several levels, making it a full adventure) but most especially when, as is the case, it's about great graphics and great music (thus great atmosphere) and a perfect balance between the things that make a game playable. My only complaints are that Lara only spoke in German (small complaint, though), a rope I could only grab with a savegame very near the start and a mirror room with spikes (and I hate that but I managed with a scheme provided by the author) - that is to say, not many complaints for a long game. The best news, though, is that this was only part I. I guess that means I'll be very much looking forward to playing part II. Oh yes!" - Jorge22 (19-May-2007) |
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| "What can I say that hasn't already been said? An amazing set of levels with a beautiful array of oriental rooms and exciting challenges, and it has to be said that Christoph has managed to produce an absolute winner by creating moments to remember for years to come. Lara looked stunning; and even has some new moves, and every area seemed to have its own special atmosphere; from the head spinning Sky High level to the darkest regions of the Temple of Dawn. Enemies are Chinese warriors, water snakes, dragons and a tough old Harpy will show up at the end. Lara will also come across many traps such as spikes, blades and rolling dragons, and you will also be tackling a few puzzles along the way; particularly memorable is the box puzzle in Temple of Dawn. Various items need to be collected to proceed; there are lots of keys to find and a few other nice bits such as blossom, prayer wheels, mosaic tiles and the Wakizashi. All in all, I can't state enough just how beautiful these levels are and I can't wait for the next instalment. I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I did. Thank you Christoph!!!" - Moonpooka (01-May-2007) |
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| "Gorgeous Asian adventure with hours of genuine Tomb Raiding and exploration here! First of all, the areas are GORGEOUS. The lighting creates a unique atmosphere. Secondly, the gameplay is great. I was never really too stuck, I mostly knew where to go all the time. I didn't need a walkthrough or forum help, which surprised me a bit for such a lenghty adventure as this! You'll definitely explore a lot, climb a lot, solve puzzles and make your way through dangerous traps. I'd say the difficulty is normal, and that this level is suitable for anyone with a bit of TR experience!
I can't wait for Christoph's next adventure. If it's like part one, we're in for a thrilling adventure!" - Thorir (29-Mar-2007) |
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| "Lately we get a lot of levels that can be classified as complete games and this is one of those levels. There are at least two or three levels I have played before and the setting in most places reminded me of the Oriental BtB with the Chinese influence present. The gameplay isn't complicated and most of the time you use levers and switches, move blocks that you can stand on and kill small dragons. The enemies aren't hard to defeat but the last flying one is a pain in the ass and without any ammo given it was very annoying to spend all that time trying to bring it down. One thing is for sure, you won't get bored with this game. The first level with the floating blocks was great but having to do it many times became tedious and at some point wasn't necessary, the builder could have made a shortcut somewhere to spare us all that climbing and jumping over and over again. The rest was about finding many keys, mauve, red and green ones. The new animation with Lara not having to grab at all times in order to climb onto a block and not having to waste time making her crawl was great and 'relaxing' for the player. Now if we could have something so we don't have to keep pressing the 'action' key at all times in order for her to climb ladders it would be perfect. I liked this game and recommend it. I found twelve secrets." - Kristina (19-Mar-2007) |
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| "When I finished the first level of this game I thought this could be a great game, and yes it is: marvellous scenes, excellent architecture, beautiful musics (for me the best of the game), good gameplay more based over Lara's moves than looking for artifacts or pull switches to open doors,... I thought I could be very happy with this game, and so it was. Only I missed more enemies and more kind of them too. But when I arrived to Buddha Sanctuary things changed. Only going from place to place to open too much doors was bored for me; moreover the very tough run in the corridor with the spikes behind and the jump with twist at the end was impossible for me. One year ago, when I played with my old Pentium II with W98 I had no problem making this kind of jumps, It was easy; but since I shopped my new machine and runned the LE under WXP I'm not able to do this kind of jumps (the patched tomb4.exe for XP perhaps?) when I try it Lara only extend her arms and do an angel jump, but not roll, so I had to abandone the game (excellent till that moment). In spite of this, I think that when many people have to enter in the forums looking for savegames to avoid a task, this is not a good thing for the game. One of the best levels I've played anyway. Thanks." - Jose (03-Mar-2007) |
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| "It was long time ago i touched the custom level...and after i have played this game i will play again it. It is fabulous! I have to mention that i love the Asian levels but truly i think this is the best custom level that i have never tried until now! All it's so perfect! The lighting and the texture are just amazing....i can't believe that someone with the level editor have done this!
It looks like to be in china , the temples the structure all looks like the reality! I have spend a lot of time staring at the beautiful buildings, and at some beaufiul objects like the buddha statues, i repeat i really was impressed by the beauty of the grafhic.
The game isn't very hard but it's not so easy , and i really really raccomand this level to all...it's simply wonderful! And in the end i have to mention the music...wonderful choise of the music...it reminds me some movie like memories of a gheisha or crouching and tiger hidden dragon...
I am really waiting for the second part, and i don't want to imagine what could be possible to see with the new level editor!
Perfect Job Christoph!" - diamond (31-Jan-2007) |
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| "This incorporates the author's original B2B oriental level, enormously expanded into a truly huge game, involving a lot of exploring in confusing but undoubtedly gorgeous rooms, temples, gardens and water areas. It starts out in a Floating Islands type setting and there are some very interesting jumps to achieve, up in the sky. There are a few enemies about, but nothing major and, apart from one pixel perfect jump later on in the game (well two really, as you have to jump back again) there isn't anything too difficult to achieve. Quite nicely balanced gameplay, although admittedly a lot of switch throwing. Lara has some new moves I've not seen before and the pushable boxes that could be jumped on whilst still remaining pushable were something new to me in custom levels. There were a couple of unintentional laughs along the way too. A couple of monkeys were doing something I didn't enquire into too closely, but it looked distinctly biological and one particularly generous set of doors gave me a medipack when I tried to open them. Really. I mean they didn't open, but the unexpected medipack was pretty kind of them I thought. I feel compelled to lodge a complaint about the weather though. It only stopped raining right at the end of the game and then it snowed (at least I assume it was meant to be snow, although it was indoors - it was a very pretty effect). I mean, rain I can get at home practically any time, lol. Thoroughly enjoyable and I'm looking forward to part two." - Jay (30-Jan-2007) |
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| "Fabulous level. One for the TR connoisseur! I personally like large, expansive levels, and this one does not disappoint. The Asian setting is a particular favourite, so the architecture, scenery and music were wonderful as was the camera work. The secrets were neither too easy nor impossible. Some difficult jumps especially in the latter levels but do-able with patience. I loved the new pull-up move and, as mentioned above, the rendering of Lara was noticeably smoother and more aesthetic. Lastly, but by no means least, the moveable block that can be climbed - a rare but very welcome sight - please keep it in Part 2! Can't wait. Well done Christoph!" - Adrian (14-Jan-2007) |
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| "This realy great level is the fascination pur - the music, the cameras, lighting and textures, the gameplay and the puzzles - running and not too much of a hard playing. I have enjoyed this level from the beginning and to the end. Not too much of the hard enemies, but much interesting puzzles and wonderfully places, very nice music and cameras - it is exact the typ of the level, that I love. Absolutely recommendable!" - masha (04-Jan-2007) |
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| "The World is not enough for Mr.Bond , well it certainly ain` t for the new generation of top class TRLE level builders who constantly put 007 to shame by designing such beautiful and breathtaking adventure games . Shortly after Nadines masterpiece NG here comes young Christoph taking up the challenge by presenting a fantastic TRLE issue placed in such beautiful environment I find no words to describe ! We see a completely newly styled heroine more beautiful than ever performing the hardest tricks like walking the tight rope and afterwards slowly taking her hands down , very cool as if to say : now , that was quite easy , wasn't it ? Gently animated pull-ups to upper ledges were just beautiful to behold
where Lara obviously would hate to get her new combat boots scratched ! All the marvellous levels in Christophs game are accompanied by some music that always fits the current scenario, from Hard Rock when there's tight jobs to be done to interludes of classical music up to dreamy mystic Chinese chants ! Wonderful ! An 11 from here !!! The storyline is well designed and always comes up with surprises ! Rooms and textures are first class , bound for glory ! Atmosphere is from cool to creepy , never got bored and missed some hours of sleep the first couple of days simply because I just couldn't stop playing . What` s hidden there around the next corner ? Given it an 9 only for gameplay and puzzles is because an endless search for keys to be put into numberless keyholes became such a nuisance ,one cannot remember how many blue or red or mauve keys there are , and where they fit ! There is also a bug or two here and there which causes Lara to toggle endlessly trying to jump on the ice or she gets stuck in a block unable to move any further :The author has provided much information online especially in the Levelbase Forum trying to keep players encouraged , but restoring and or inserting data. files is not my cup of tea ! I personally believe that the Top Class Level Builders have already taken the old TR Editor to its limits , or even far beyond it's limits it was ever designed for , and at the present stage no-one can foresee what these builders would be able to achieve if they were only given better tools to design their masterpieces ! By designing this wonderful game Christoph has again climbed up again a few more steps towards TRLE heaven . Thank you so much !" - Ruben (03-Jan-2007) |
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| "Jump, Jump and jumping in first level :) One of best levels realized in 2006. Now finished on first january 2007. Very clever traps and very logical made it puzzles and not too hard, but for thinking too at some pints. Secrets are little easy to find and only one time trap run for secret fir nice moves of jumps and fast run. Lights and cameras are very good on bridge or on some area besides fired lava of grreat waterwalls. Finished for about 7/8 hours thsi very nice game. End looking forward for next levels of Cristoph. Good, on end when you see THE END and testers this is end only of part 1." - Ivan (01-Jan-2007) |
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