Level reviews

"Even disregarding the fact that it’s a Home level, the offensive soundtrack—an atrocity that one reviewer refers to as a ‘Holiday Mix’, because it’s not even the early-80s Madonna song itself, which would have been obvious but acceptable maybe; and of course it plays on a loop, which never is—, this aural assault made it clear right off the bat that the chances I’d be enjoying this one-off were very slim indeed. My initial expectations were largely confirmed, though I’ll concede there are mitigating circumstances.
The initial key hunt is unusually straightforward for a mansion level, but slowed down by overly helpful flybys (the first of which repeatedly goes through walls). You perform a few generic tasks, notably dealing with a situation involving switches and Raising Blocks while avoiding mummies in the attic (which looks like a puzzle, but you simply need to click all the switches) before you hit a fall-through floor, which leads to a duo of big roomboxes covered in Giza textures for some reason and featuring, respectively, the giant globe thing from Angkor (does nothing), and a decent spike trap. You proceed by sliding down a long slope accompanied by a quirky flyby (good) into another big roombox which could be charitably described as a distant approximation of a tropical island paradise, but in shallow water and underground. Treeble cheated his way through the only interesting tasks this area has to offer (which are marred, however, by repetition; as though the builder only had precisely two ideas, ropes and spikes; I’m not sure why Treebs would be deterred by the spike trap, since it’s merely an easier reprise of the one he braved earlier). Then it’s back to not-Giza for a pushable chore, a multiple-boulder trap that you can simply sprint through, and another interdimensional flyby. After that, you go back up to the mansion via a lengthy suite of ramps (the first of which features a fairly tight boulder trap) in order to deal with everybody’s favourite, the hedge maze (where you need to find two plugs placed in random spots). That done, you’re then left to figure out by yourself that the game is over. (Spike says there’s a finish trigger in Lara’s bedroom, but I sure as hell am not going back to confirm.) The wad is fully customised, but some of the objects are glitchy (stretched polygons on Lara Skin, jittery animations of the balloons, some SFX missing), and the builder opted to stack 4-click Raising Blocks on top of one another instead of simply adding an 8-click version. The result looks odd, but it’s not like the level was aiming at plausibility in this or any other respect (I feel the need to stress that it’s indeed mummies in the attic, not in the Arctic, that you’re dealing with at the beginning). I have to give props to the builder though for not attempting to explain away the assorted randomness by proclaiming ‘it’s all a dream’ and instead boldly allowing the level to stand as it is, even if most of it just doesn’t work except in the basic technical sense that the level won’t get you permanently stuck. One reviewer failed to find the lever at the start, and it’s hidden of course and sitting right next to the end of the world, but it’s there. On my second playthrough I stopped at the 30-minute mark, and that was before I would have had to negotiate the hedge maze again, so if eTux claims he made it through in 20 minutes, I say yeah right and I’ll believe it when I see it." - Mulf

"Woah what a ride. It's very crude but with moments of fun. If only the music wasn't looped and the outfit buggy, this would be a decent level. Also, where are all the guests? Are we talking about those mummies in the attic? Dementi about no finish trigger: there is one, just approach Lara's bed. But will she be able to fall asleep to those rave beats?" - DJ Full

"Well, one thing is for sure: either Lara's planning a party, or she's arrived fashionably late to one. This isn't a bad game in essence, it's just that the execution is rather amateurish so it's hard to enthuse too much about it. I liked the way that the Madonna Holiday track was used in the first and second parts and the balloons and lighting rig were nice touches, but the gameplay feels very lacking and disjointed and the textures are a bit shabbily applied and quite a few of the rooms looked a bit repetitive in that respect. I also encountered a bug where Lara's arms had sticks protruding from them, although it wasn't game stopping. A good idea definitely, but it doesn't live up to its potential." - Ryan

"Nothing special. Just running around, searching keys and doors. Lara looks beautiful in her blue dress. The Mansion with balloons and disco lights looks great too. But these are only advantage of this game." - Andzia9

"Finally got around to playing this quick 3-part level, with each part lasting about 10 minutes only. I thought it actually starts rather promising: Lara in her evening dress with a flashy car in front of her manor, the effectively placed balloons and uplifting Madonna Holiday audio track sets a good mood. Also you better bring your sunglasses with all the disco- and laser lights that are active inside the house. But it quickly goes downhill from here. Gameplay is routine and uninspired (find key, place key etc) and after the bizarre twist of dropping into a hole in the freezer and then exploring a crudely built tropical island setting to find your way back up and eventually return to the manor through a hedge maze...well, not sure that worked so well as a concept. Plenty of the classic beginner mistakes on display here as well with thin walls, wallpaper texturing, flybys going through walls, reaching the end of the world etc. So - it started nicely but then did not live up to its promise for me." - MichaelP

"ROSE RAIDER i'd have to say it's a good level to play.BUT the glitch with the guns took away some off the fun.and WHAT i don't like is some people don.t give an end trigger to there games witch i felt this game needed.sooo it be nice off builders really try to do that (give an game end tigger) soooooo happy raiding" - Rose Raider

"3 levels make up half an hour of gameplay. The first is a typical badly textured home level, the second is something wierd under the house (badly textured) and the third is a remake of the first with an additional hedge maze (badly textured). Overall it was very badly textured and the baddies were used sparsly. The grenade gun helped with all the levels and the gameplay was never challenging. The gun bug although annoying never got in the way of gameplay due to the lack of shooting. I dont recommend it." - Cory

"I've reviewed nigh on a thousand levels by now but I am still continually surprised by the imagination exhibited by many builders.This Level is a case in point;it's not paticularly well made (in fact,often downright shoddy) but the strength of the story idea is such that the enjoyment factor remains intact throughout. The location of the Mansion as a giant night-club (complete with surreal underground challenge)is really rather fun,and the creative use of music (while in the Underground Tomb the 'Holiday Mix' can occasionally be heard echoing in the distance to remind you of where she is)and objects is often intentionally funny. Less amusing are the dreadfully stretched and repetetive textures which do their best to ruin the enjoyable atmosphere and indicate all too well that the builder set about this particular adventure in a bit of a hurry.To add insult to injury,none of the three levels were linked together;which caused my PC to crash after each one.Ultimately,my patience was tested a little too far and caused me to become too ill-disposed towards this three-level set,but if you can prepare yourself for these various longeurs you may nonetheless take something enjoyable from it.It's an amusing oddity in any case,and I've played far worse." - Orbit Dream

"Oh well, here's a change for Lara's mansion lovers. Whether it's a good one or not is open for debate. Three small levels with rather surreal settings underneath Lara's home (even underground waterfalls!) where you'll quest a few items to proceed. I'll admit having DOZYed to get the items above the sinking current after a few failed rope jump tries, and also the item among the spikes (not sure whether we were meant to deactivate them?). Anyway, a few interesting objects to look at, but not much else. 30 minutes. 03/08" - Treeble

"Levels have a nice aspect, but a poor gameplay. Architecture is very simply, and I couldn't get fun with the game only finding and placing some objects to open doors and few more. Not well applied textures in some places, at least there were some cameras to help you. Few enemies some bugs and nothing interesting. That's all." - Jose

"The start is a bit awkward as there is a lever on the left you need to find to go to the party and you are millimetres away from the end of the world. There are also the beginners mistakes, stretched textures, paperthin walls and some missing textures. Trees floating in the air and of course Lara sprouting sticks from her arms. There is nothing wrong with fantasy but doing it in a game, at least take care that it is done properly. Getting finally back to the house I couldn't do anything more and I figured that I started the game in the wrong order. Well to be honest at this time I couldn't be bothered and threw it in the bin." - Gerty

"Oh dear! This is all enthusiasm over everything else. Three levels, with big areas to cover, items to find, and basically make it back to where you started. Which is inside a mansion. If the author was aiming for impact at the mansion, they have succeeded. The totally over-the-top decor doesn't compensate for this fairly simple run around. Huge problems with textures, unrealistic setups and TR no-no's. And that extends to Lara herself. Dressed in an evening gown that tears if she climbs and jumps about or uses weapons (possibly the most logical part of the level). Makes you think what sort of party this is? There are good simple block raising exercises to do. The layout is odd, in that the bedroom is on the ground floor, the kitchen up off one of the balconys, and opening the gate at the start is, well, odd. Had to laugh though at the buy-one-get-one-free migrain inducing lighting system. There's enough to fill the gym as well. The first area, in the garden, looks lovely though, with lots of balloons and nice fountain. Then Lara, for reasons of her own, must go below ground to make sure all is safe for the other guests, who are probably waiting around outside the gates, in their cars. The middle level is a simple jungle setup that is obviously underground. The idea is good, but unfortunately it's not good enough. It would be nice if the author spent some time among experienced builders and beta testers. That way, I'm sure, the next level will be wonderful as there is a great imagination at work here. I must say though that it was great getting up on top of the hedge maze... legally." - CC

"The game needs much work to be presentable and a better gameplay to say that you played a good level. First of all the architecture is very bad, with squared areas and nowhere near hat a level should be to show a kind of fake feeling of it being real. Even the waterfalls have hard edges and seem to be in the area. The textures are as bas, thin walls everywhere. The first part was unplayable because Lara is outside the gate and there is no way to get inside. I started the game from the second part, moved the third and then I could access the first part. All you do is find portal guardians, knots, gems and fuses. There is no enjoinment is such a game and I wonder why people keep releasing such buggy projects lately. The builder must go back and read the manual from the start." - Kristina

"Great, a party! Except rather than being able to relax, Lara is greeted with daunting tasks such as dealing with some mummies that managed to find a way into her attic, and exploring a large cave underneath her house. The gameplay is pretty slow most of the time, and mainly involves running around doing the odd jump and rope swing, although at the same time it's occasionally quite enjoyable. Textures are either stretched, missing or simply placed oddly (such as the paintings placed on the wall at ankle height) and there isn't much in the way of lighting, although it's suitably darker outside and lighter indoors. The last level was quite confusing, in that we were given absolutely no clue what to do once we got back inside the house. After wandering around for a while, I finally managed to find the one-square finish trigger placed on the right-hand side of her bed...obviously she has problems with getting in on the left-hand side. While the premise of this level is quite interesting, it's a shame that it wasn't executed as well as it could have been. That said, I still look forward to Hitoshi's next level, hopefully with an outfit that doesn't have a tendency to stick to nearby walls when Lara feels like shooting something." - Spike

"Lara's throwing a party and I must say it all looks very jolly with the grounds filled with balloons and the beautiful coloured spotlights in the mansion. Lara's dressed up to the nines, although it can't be easy raiding in a long frock. There are some nice ideas in this level, but overall the gameplay is very simplistic and the various areas may be fairly well conceived but the execution is amateurish. I thought the music choices were good and I did quite enjoy the atmosphere in the third section - running around the grounds and maze with the lights and music in the mansion as a background was rather pleasant. It's certainly not the worst debut level I've seen, but I think Hitoshi needs to practise a bit more with the level editor." - Jay

"Well, that was odd. Don't you hate coming early to parties? If Lara didn't, she certainly will now, as she was in such a rush that she couldn't put on her dress properly and it did all kinds of weird things during her stay here. Not minding that it feels a bit lonely here without anyone else having turned up yet, as the first to turn up you are also assigned to a number of chores, and it's no different in this 3 level game. The levels can be selected from the script separately, though they are all connected in a 20 or so minute adventure. The first and last level are essentially the same - namely yet another variation of Lara's home, and the middle level which is also the meat of this sandwich is yet another one of the mysterious domains hidden beneath Lara's home mixing something between a cave and jungle environment. So as you can guess - Lara's chores consist of gathering various items to unlock all the rooms, exterminating the mummies, exploring the mysterious realm beneath her house to ultimately end up on the other end of her garden and as a final task has to endure a hedge maze back to the start. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what I had to do when I returned, but I doubt that if there had been any more to tackle my scores would've increased. It's pretty clear that the author has either not cared much for getting the grasp of basics and just jumping in the whole thing, not had any beta-testing, or neglected what he had, so I recommend going back to the basics, and maybe then the next effort will be something more to celebrate! All that said - I've been to weirder parties than this, so it all may not be that bad." - eTux