Level reviews

"Miles of progress is the best progress. This is much better scenery-wise than the builder's previous Nevada, with combat and secrets satisfying on a similar level. And now we get exploration for puzzles instead of just keys and doors. The bad thing is the lack of shortcut in the beginning - gotta climb three times - and some strong accent missing before the end. It's still not a groundbreaking work, but you can try it for relax." - DJ Full

"Mostly set outside using the coastal textures from TR4 we have buildings to explore in, around and under as we spend most of the first half of the level exploring, climbing and platforming our way through the city on ledges balcony’s and rooftops through a daytime setting as we find lots items to find and use to aid progression. The second half of the level begins to slightly increase its difficulty with a underwater maze, lots of spike traps, enemies such as crocodiles, warthogs and skeletons and of course the fire and spike room. Overall a short but solid adventure that may be lacking puzzles, timed runs and a variety in its gameplay but it was certainly fun while it lasted." - John

"The two levels from this builder were released on the same day, while the other one was a standard city.wad affair, this one is a much better take using the coastal assets. Skeletons, crocodiles and warthogs are still plenty, but nowhere as much fighting is involved as the other set, not to mention lighting here is much easier on the eyes, what with most of the time being spent outdoors. The city itself is rather nicely constructed, the only thing that really let this level down in my opinion was the annoying underwater maze in the beginning. Harry's walkthrough is usually spot on so perhaps this is all on me for my (groundhog) bad days, but I found myself swimming in circles too often so eventually I just popped the level into trview and used it to get through and out. From that point onwards though it was a much more streamlined experience, fortunately. 35 minutes, 4 secrets. 04/24" - Treeble

"It seems that this builder chose the wrong genre (shooter) in his debut, and it's here, in a Coastal environment, that his peripatetic approach comes to its own. However, the level doesn't make it easy for you to get into the spirit, as early on it forces you to find your way through an interminable drowning maze, thus killing the mood and the gameplay right off the bat in a very efficient manner. I had no qualms about using DOZY here, but even so it took way too long.
Once you insert the puzzle item with the stripper name ( - Krystal'), the level sends you back on the exact same course that you had to take immediately before when picking it up and then making your way to its puzzle hole - talk about padding. It gets worse. The level makes you slide down a long slope, and its best idea for getting you back up is a series of ladders; whereupon, in order to get back to the other area that's accessible now, you have to circle back and repeat essentially everything you've done so far (bar the maze; small mercies). A little later, you climb down a long ladder to pick up the next item; then you climb it all the way back up again.
Thirty, forty minutes in, and nothing of interest has happened. Then you get to chuck some skeletons into nearby pits, and also to do some platforming. It's unchallenging but at least it vaguely feels like you're doing something other than treading water, and the builder's attempts at padding out the gameplay eventually cease. There's lotsa pigs a-poppin' up alongside the skeletons (to comic effect, on occasion), though it's only a couple of crocodiles that pose an actual threat. In the finale of this section, you're supposed to blast four skeletons into their nearby pit; in my case they all took care to never once jump that pit, always assiduously to circling around it. I didn't mind this, as it made for a much-needed change of pace - briefly, until I found the entrance to the Random-Death-by-Spikes Room, which instantly brought my spirits down again. Due to its simplistic setup it doesn't take many attempts to survive, but it's just such a thoroughly bad idea that it's evident that in his struggle to come up with ideas, the builder is clutching at straws by now. Thereafter follows some more platforming (again, unchallenging, all simple bog-standard jumps, with only a single slope inbetween), before we find out that this town was really only an obstacle Lara had to circumvent in order to enjoy the sunrise (the level doesn't play out at night, but Lara is facing east at the end). She wanted to get a better view, you see.
It all looks pretty enough, especially the grass-and-sand parts in outside areas are done quite well, as Spike points out. It's a town too modern, and way too neat and clean to be - lost'; everything seems ship-shape, except the inhabitants are in hiding - one more variation of the standard Coastal look, so there's nothing particularly memorable about it, even if sounds and texturing are quite alright (while lighting is often rather flat and not nearly as vibrant as in the original "Coastal Ruins"). The lens flare is used to good effect at the end, though not so much on an earlier occasion when it came from a solid wall. Lara is never called upon to use the crowbar, yet the builder keeps placing crowbar doors in her way; and he makes poor use of the cardboard cut-outs from the - Egyptian Adventure' as random props. The secrets are too easy and uninspired to be satisfying (just ammo lying around on a floor somewhere), in accord with the general trend of the gameplay. Unlike most reviewers, I didn't find this level entertaining (and certainly not fast-paced), but if a level full of uneventful backtracking and repetition, coming to life only briefly during its final act and bookended by an irritating underwater maze and an annoying room full of unmarked instant-death tiles sounds like it might just be your thing, then have a go at it by all means." - Mulf

"I quite like Coastal levels. I don't know why. Maybe it's the good looking appearance, the calming atmosphere (aside from the inhabitants - wild boars, skeletons and crocodiles are out to make life harder for Lara) or the relaxing gameplay, but I enjoyed this level quite a bit. There's nothing really challenging or taxing, and the underwater maze was a bit of a downer, but overall it's definitely worth playing. I spent 45 minutes here, so it is a rather extended level." - Ryan

"A very nice found that this small level built with the coastal tga and object. The gameplay is basic but it was nice to play a old level and find nostalgia of the old TR. A very good use of the tga file and a game not so dark. Not really hard, it was perfect for someone who want discovered trle and the official eidos wads and textures. Recommended." - BigFoot

"A great level for me to play after my first day of classes. Players should find this little coastal town to be a pleasant raid, spiced with a few entertaining moments here and there, including shotgunning skeletons into a few pits, warthogs, and a few timed spikes. The underwater maze is my one complaint, I think it was just a bit overdone with deadends. The looks are refreshing, especially the outdoor areas. The only way to improve would make it last longer, and maybe remove some of the backtracking." - SSJ6Wolf

"A Coastal level with the usual enemies. Apart from the underwater maze I had a great time raiding. Getting your hands on artefacts is your goal here. There is more of a challenge in this level than in the other level by the same author. Nice and bright so even when the sun is shining, as it is today, you can have a good time." - Gerty

"Enjoying and fast adventure, in nice coastal style ambience; gameplay is flowing and clever but not particularly challenging, and the puzzles are very easy. Secrets are also easy to locate (I found four). There are only small hogs, skeletons and a few crocodiles from the enemy front, and a few items to find that you need to use so as to open gates on the way. There's action both indoors and outdoors; the atmosphere is fine, although the lighting effects could be a bit more natural in some rooms. Good overall, could have been a lot better with some elaboration gameplay and structure-wise." - Ravenwen

"40 minutes in a classic Coastal setting with plenty of warthogs, crocs and especially skeletons that you can shoot into various pits. It flows rather fast and is actually quite entertaining with the exception of a painful underwater maze in which you find one of the two knots (after certainly dying multiple times). Found only three of the four secrets." - MichaelP

"This coastal level has good geometry and good gameplay, though the underwater labyrinth was tedious for me. Enemies are well placed and secrets not difficult to find if you look well. Correct sounds and cameras and well textured. Last room with the spikes puzzle was the best of this game which haven't very interesting features. A livel to entertaining a bit." - Jose

"We have the classic coastal type of level here with the usual wild boars, crocodiles and skeletons around. Lara is searching for a few gems and the pillar/knot items in various areas that can be underwater, that maze was horrible, or underneath the earth. Basically you jump around and climb ladders until you reach the end. I had some double doors that never opened for me and I found three secrets in forty minutes of gameplay." - Kristina

"This was a short level with some fun parts to it. It was nice and bright throughout, and had some fun things to do. I was, however, a bit fed up with the underwater maze, especially when I kept dying trying to swim my way out of there. I absolutely loathe skellies and they were abundant here, but there were lots of shotgun ammo lying about. I was perturbed that although I found the crossbow, I only found regular arrows which are useless against skellies (were they meant for the warthogs?). I did think the spike puzzle was great and all in all, this was a pleasant level to pass the time for about 30 minutes." - Shandroid

"This level hit the spot after a long dry spell of not playing anything but "Legend" and "Anniversary" This was a well planned out level with attractive areas. Plenty of ammo and flares as well. It was fun to play a level without rolling balls and timed runs. The underwater maze was a bit of a stinker but even that was playable without pulling your hair out too much. I do think "secrets" should not contain necessary artifacts. These, I believe, should be bonus items. A very nice level all in all and I will look with pleasure to play more of this builder's levels." - Sherry

"I have a definite soft spot for coastal levels and this is a pleasant enough foray into the genre (well apart from the underwater maze - I never ever find those pleasant). The coastal setting is well built and attractive and the gameplay is uncomplicated, with all the traditional elements in place, including skeletons, crocodiles and pigs as enemies. For some reason, it was just what I fancied and I found it rather refreshing. It's obviously too long since I last played a classic coastal level." - Jay

"This is one of those bargains, where you get a little more than an hour of net gameplay out of a fairly light download. It's not a bad little level, either, being an Egyptian romp in the old style that won't present experienced players with many challenges. This would be a good one for beginners to try, although there's a spike field near the end that seems to be a matter of sheer trial and error. Be sure to save often as you tiptoe across to the opposite corner. Harry Laudie has written a nice compact walkthrough that helped me a lot, although you don't really have to engage your brain all that much in this one. Recommended." - Phil

"This is a great Coastal level. The bright sunshine and pleasant surroundings belies the dangers ahead! It's nice to get Lara out of those dark, damp tombs sometimes. The rooms are well thought out and textured using the original coastal textures and you would think that we'd be getting bored of those by now but this level still seems fresh and new. The gameplay starts off rather easy but gets more difficult towards the end. It also has some nicely placed secrets. A thoroughly enjoyable raid." - Kitkat

"A pleasant little level set in a coastal style environment, that provided me with about half an hour of fun gameplay. The underwater maze near the start of the level was not my cup of tea, but the level improved as it went on, introducing some nice jumps and spike traps to work your way around. The skeletons kept me on my toes constantly near to the end of the level, providing a nice change of pace. The city itself was very nicely built, and there were a few pretty grassland areas as well. An enjoyable little raid that is just the right difficulty for anybody to play." - Spike

"A solid old-school Coastal level,which is similar in design to Bartoli's previous offering: apparently labyrinthine,but actually rather linear and straightforward. There's quite a bit of 'round the houses' work to do here (and an irritating underwater maze),but it's all pretty fluent and easy to follow while being spiced up very effectively by some good enemy placement (where you generally have a choice between 'despatch' or 'scarper');all of which,combined with some fun climactic platforming and a crafty 'spike maze',brings the adventure to an enjoyable conclusion. Much more entertaining than this builder's previous level,and very soundly constructed,this is 45 minutes of good old-fashioned raiding enjoyment." - Orbit Dream

"A good and classic Coastal ruins level, that kept me entertained for 40 minutes or so. It is a rather straightforward discovery , no switch to pull , but some artefacts to find, jumps ,climbs and swims , and some puzzles with spikes. The end of the level is a bit more challenging gameplay wise (although still suitable for beginners) with skeletons well placed. I found 4 secrets and have appreciated the emplacement there of." - eRIC