Level reviews

"A longer short, simple in objectives and not very aesthetic but very relaxing. The author says the crossover of TR3 and TR4 coastal was a random idea but it's a noteworthy one and could be developed - a task to consider for Harry or the others. Quite recommended." - DJ Full

"I'm very happy Harry made an effort to build a level of his own, even though his contributions to the community were already unmeasurable. The level itself is pretty bare and quite what you'd expect out of a debut level, it even has that extra "2001" flavor with the use of unmodified wad and texture sets, but it did have a few bold choices, namely the valley area which you get to explore at different heights and also opposite sides, but sadly the way the author chose to lock you in isn't the best. I have no idea whatever Harry is up to these days, of if he'll ever read this, but I still want to take this chance to say: thank you. 30 minutes, 3 secrets. 05/23" - Treeble

"A great effort interms of gameplay however the Texturing was thrown together. 17/40" - JoeTheCrazyGamer

"Not bad for a debut level, and from what I see, a one-shot. Nice variation of gameplay tasks, from rolling boulders, spike traps, a devious monkeyswing puzzle (look at the textures!) and jumping sequences, to fire traps, tight swimming exercises and shotgunning skeletons to their death off the edge of a chasm. The surroundings are rather lacking, with the sky being represented by a blue box, repetitive texturing and some weird algae-like texture on the water surface, but the author acknowledges these in the readme. A fun little level." - Ryan

"Considering, that this is the first and only attempt of Harry, this level has really felt well. Clearly, there is the one or other mistake, but I have played first attempts which were by far worse. And the mistakes which are in it are not really so bad. Though there hangs a palm in the air, walls have reminded a strange colour (that reminds me to the movie The Truman Show) and a paper-thin wall is also to be seen, but otherwise the level has absolutely succeeded. Lara must find three Horsemen Gem and two stars, then she is after about 50 minutes playing time by the Pharos Knot and at the level end. The degree of difficulty was not too high and the riddles relatively easy. A little bit annoyingly in my opinion were the many crocodiles. Above all if they were in the narrow underwater ways and nibble on Lara, because one could not avoid them. The skeletons were no problem, one could shoot them with the shotgun in a hole. It would have been really interesting how the level builder would have developed if he had further built. Then, however, we would has had probably to renounce his many good Walkthroughs. In this respect I am really glad that he does not have build anymore." - Scottie

"Lara is on a coastal trek and she is facing quite a few obstacles in her path to the Pharos Knot. The author made sure you would not get bored by adding several boulder sequences, spike pits, deadly fire pits and deadly water to avoid. That is not counting the groups of crocodiles in the pools of water - and more are always added to the mix each time you complete a certain route. I thought the crocs were a bit overdone, as most of your encounters with them are in small water tunnels where you cannot dodge their health-sapping bites. Oh yes, and the skeletons are here too, especially in an epic battle near the end where you must try to shotgun three of them off the ledge while avoiding a warthog at the same time. The gameplay was overall enjoyable, if a little short at 30 minutes, and had a good balance of linear and non-linear structure. The looks are a different story - instead of using a horizon, you are wandering around in a sky-colored box. There are some occasions where textures flow together well, but other sections are very wallpapered. Water textures are not transparent or double-sided. No care is taken to texture sizing either, and lighting could use more of a presence as well. It is a shame because these environments would have looked wonderful with a bit more care. But if you can set aside that downfall, you should have a good time with this level." - SSJ6Wolf

"A hat of for Harry to try and see for himself what it takes to build a level. He warned us (as well as his beta testers) for the textures and if you can see beyond them this is a fast paced but fun level to play. Your goal is of course artefacts, gems and stars and when you finally get the knot, the level ends there. Nice placements of the enemies and some nice manoeuvring through this level to get to the finishing trigger." - Gerty

"This level gave me the vibe of all the levels we got back in the early days of level building. Maybe more because of the object wad and tga used rather than the author's method of creating gameplay and settings, though they gave off a similar flair of the early level builders as well. There's nothing memorable about the texturing and the architecture, with maybe the exception of the big water room and the final lava valley, but the tasks were actually pretty ok considering that this is the author's first level. Nothing ground-breaking, but thoroughly enjoyable while it lasts. If anything - I didn't like that I could miss the first gem and had to backtrack for it when I had reached the end of the level already, but that might just be me not being attentive enough when I should have been. The first looks are promising, and I'm sure Harry can construct better levels further on if he sets his mind to it, but this is a solid, if not flawless offering as well. Give it a try, just keep yer eyes open!" - eTux

"I can't understand how our dear Harry can dispose his time to write an incredibly quantity of walkthrougs and evenmore built his own level! This creation is simple and has a very fast gameplay; contains all the classic tasks of first TR games: jumps over slopes, ramps with boulders, spike traps,... Architecture and textures are not very good, there are not cameras neither musics, but the level is enjoyable anyway. Secrets are very easy, and there are enough ammo to deal with the enemies. At least it's a level with no bugs. To be the first job it's a playable level." - Jose

"I hesitated to submit a review of this level, since I wrote a walkthrough for it at Harry's request and since he's such a valuable contributor to the walkthrough department of which I'm moderator. On the other hand, this is Harry's maiden voyage into level building, and I'm sure that any builder is eager to get feedback from those who have played his release. I admire anyone who is willing to take the time and assume the risk of learning the basics of level building, crafting an original creation and releasing it for public consumption and appraisal. What you will find here is a solid gaming experience that exhibits the relative crudeness you'd expect to see in one's first effort. A walkthrough is not really needed, although you're presented a variety of tasks and there are places where you need to think a bit before proceeding. For this reason I'd recommend this level to beginning players, to hone their playing skills. Sure, the lighting here is unsophisticated, but you have no trouble seeing what's going on around you and I therefore enjoyed playing this level more than I did some of, for example, this year's more "polished" BtB entries. Judging from Harry's demonstrated playing skills, I'm sure that we can expect more difficult and complicated levels from him as he becomes more comfortable with the level editor." - Phil

"A commendable effort by Harry who has 'chosen his trle profession' as being a formidable and very busy writer of walkthroughs but here wanted to see for himself what it takes to build a level. And what came out was a fairly standard and linear level in coastal style with a few rather tame boulder and spike traps that keeps you entertained for about 40 minutes or so. I found the use of the classic enemies (crocs, skeletons, warthogs) quite well done and the progression for three gems and two stars is fast paced until you (almost) get your hands on the Knot from the Level title. Three not too hard to find secrets are included as well. As stated by the author himself in the readme, texturing and lighting has rather been neglected here, but if you can look beyond that this is a fun little raid." - MichaelP

"How very good it is to see a well-established walkthrough writer turning his hand to level building. Now, whilst I am in no way going to pretend this is the best debut level of all time, I give kudos to Harry for his wish to have a better understanding of what builders go through in the creative process. Speaking as someone who isn't even capable of writing a coherent walkthrough, let alone building a level, I have to admire anybody who can even begin to grasp the basics of the level editor. I had a brief look at it a few years ago and quickly decided that reviewing was going to be my sole contribution to the TRLE community. Anyway, this is a decent first attempt at building and if some of the texturing leaves a bit to be desired, the gameplay is quite well devised, with fun agility tests and traps. Well done Harry and I hope you carry on practising with the level editor in between writing your excellent walkies." - Jay

"For his first level which I hope will not be the last, Harry has made a pretty good work with this classic raid. The level is built with the Coastal Wad , and textures from the Shore/South Pacific TR3 level. Warm atmosphere throughout the 40 minutes you spend here with the sound of the waves of the Coastal ruins, the level does not use many audio tracks. The game play is quite entertaining , after some discovery in the first areas , the fun really begins when you reach a big water room from which you branch to 3 little quests, a room with slanted blocks and a good monkey swing puzzle , a room with moves and jumps after some swimming, and a 3rd room with a run over pillars with curved jumps. There is also spike and boulder traps , a triple rope swings , and a final search for 2 golden stars before reaching the final yard with the prize. Nothing really difficult or brain-teasing. Some enemies are easily avoided while some others won't make your life easier, I enjoyed this final battle with 3 skeletons and a wild boar. True the looks of some areas could be better and the 3 secrets I've found were maybe too easy to find, but this level is quite decent, there is no bug, the author masters well many elements already (even sinks in the water), and is very pleasant to play." - eRIC

"Always good to see a Forum 'veteran' trying their hand at level building and this is a solid debut outing which,nonetheless,exhibits all the trademarks of 'first-time' status: stretched textures,water mazes,enemies attacking en-masse,water textures that were not double-sided and,most crucially,the 'end-of-the-world' evident in all the outdoor areas;indeed the beginning of the level was extremely off-putting,as the static sky was also bizzarly reproduced on the walls.To this end,a little more diligent beta-testing wouldn't have gone amiss. Gameplay-wise it's all very competant and not particularly challenging in a 'collecting various keys in order to progress to the next area' style,but it kept this player reasonably diverted for 45 minutes and that's good enough for him." - Orbit Dream