Levels listed...
TR5 - 33
TR4 - 3187
TR3 - 182
TR2 - 139
TR1 - 67
73816 reviews (20.4/level)
3595 (99.6%) walkthroughs
456 Hall of Fame levels
1259 levels rated >= 8
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
release date: |
01-Jan-2008 |
|
# of downloads: |
265 |
|
|
average rating: |
9.17 |
|
review count: |
26 |
|
|
|
review this level |
|
|
file size: |
55.20 MB |
|
file type: |
TR4 |
|
class: |
South America |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reviewer's comments |
"Here Lara collects a series of keys to get a gold idol. There are some nice natural cave and outdoor areas to balance out the many temple rooms. However those natural areas have a bit of wallpapering in the textures. As far as gameplay goes, some switches really need camera cues, such as the jumpswitch that opens the way to the crowbar. The keys require too much backtracking, to the point where I had to look up the walkthough just to remember where the keyhole was that I passed by a half hour ago. There is also backtracking caused by boulders or wraiths, forcing you to drop down from a landing only to make your way back up to it when the obstacle is dealt with. Other than these issues, the time spent here is enjoyable, with plenty of traps to dodge, puzzles with pushable blocks, and a rather tricky timed run to a gong you must shoot. Recommended. 49 minutes." - JesseG (04-Dec-2020) |
|
"Definitely a top-tier entry to the contest.
What a beautiful level. Misty valleys,
cascading waterfalls and rustic caves. The wow
factor is sky high. The gameplay isn't left
behind either. Fun puzzles, traps to avoid, a
fun timed run halfway through and the scariest
T-Rex encounter ever. Excellent." - Ryan (04-Jul-2016) |
|
"The famous Incan architect Suroh has created a whole town this time, nicely connecting with cave structures and with a great feeling of being there. Perhaps the path she has created is not spicked with too outstanding challenges, especially the quest for the four seals is a bit dull at times, but afterwards it gets better and there are nice tasks like the path around the T-Rex with inspired platforming (despite the constant action sound in this part is probably just placed to scare off intruders). Suroh however didn't notice one can finish this game after some minutes because the top of a slope is reachable from a higher ledge, but perhaps this is the quick exit in an emergency case for Retto Pyrrah, the king of the whole town some of its inhabitants describing as having a magical attitude. Pyrrah might also be responsible for the lack of flares in this level, he must have taken all of them with him, but they are not so badly needed as in Rail Sarbacapuhc built by Ocoup the second. The way the walls, floors and ceilings are designed is quite masterful and in terms of beauty Suroh is certainly the best architect in terms of visuals in the 8002 BtB competition (historians are still unsure where this odd name comes from, perhaps it's a code or something like that leading to a hidden treasure with 19 gems, but this mystery has never been solved). Speaking of mysteries, there's only one Suroh has hidden, but since it's not very hard to spot, historians think this was just placed to please the desires of Pyrrah because he once found a whole chamber of secrets, now he doesn't like so much trouble after all. It's said someone has managed to cross all the paths, solve all the puzzles and manages to avoid all the traps in just 30 minutes, and after returning to light again he said since he was searching for a bit more of an adventure, he said it could've been some more challenging and puzzling at times, but overall he was quite pleased with what he saw in there." - manarch2 (18-Mar-2016) |
|
"As is expected from a Horus level this a beautiful level, with
detail and variety around every corner, it feels slightly
below Horus' usual standard in one or two more cubic areas but
those parts are rare. There are also some original twists on
the theme like a swamp section. The gameplay has the
unfortunate oversight that you can skip 90% of the level with
one relatively easy jump as soon as you have the crowbar, but
that's the only thing that lets it down. There are various
tasks (with initial non-linearity giving away to more linear
gameplay later), and one of the best uses of the T-Rex I've
seen, that actually gives it a feeling of threat again (even
if that threat is as much an illusion as real). Though I was a
little disappointed that, for all the hype in the story, the
"pit" is a very small part of the level, and not even the
creepiest. Another highlight of this Back to Basics." - Mman (07-Nov-2012) |
|
"Summer 2011: My first contact with the levelinfopage.
I simply thought the title is an anagram of EtOH-alcoholic -
possibly a dedication to some friend who likes to party a
lot. But that didn't match. One letter too much, and "o"
didn't equal neither left "i" nor "c" - unless it's a hidden
physics law where overall impression (o) equals creativity
(c) divided by inspiration (i). Autumn 2011: After
several months of wondering what the title means, I decided
to READ THE STORY."Hmmm..." - I thought. "Retto'Pyrrah".
Wait... "pyra" means "potato" in our dialect... But it's a
relatively low possibility for Nadine to refer to this
particular word. So I did what every researcher should do in
the beginning - I googled "Retto'Pyrrah", and there it read:
The Boy Who Lived. Not until this moment I got the
hidden meaning. "Whoah! - I thought. If the description and
the title have so many secrets, then what about the level?!"
So I wrote this short preamble and it has become a beginning
of a future review. The tribe has spoken. I knew if there is
a review started, the game automatically gets on my must-
play list. Today, I don't know what was first - did I want
to play the game because I wanted to write a review, or did
I want to write a review because I wanted to play the game.
The question was "when". Summer 2012: Oh, well. How
long does it take for me to attempt to play a level? Few
days ago, someone mentioned Etalocohcilihc in our
GTSS game. I told my story, memories came back and it was
now or never to face my destiny. And as long as the game is
about a city, the review is separated into "inhabitation
zones" as well.
GAMEPLAY SETTLEMENT
The level is constructed the unusual way: if You don't focus
on Your goal, You can, almost in the very beginning, just
break through the exit and leave. But if You are devoted to
Your task, You will unfold everything, and the whole level
might feel like the hugest secret You have ever found. So
You might find everything or nothing. I say "might", for
it's all caused by one stone You're not supposed to access,
but anyway You can. What is possibly an epic fail in mind of
Nadine, gave me that all-or-nothing experience I've been
missing for a very long time, and I actually don't care it
wasn't intended - as the effect is totally unexpected and
leaving much to think of, including a focusing class. What
WAS intended is the possibility to throw You into most of
locations right at the start of the game, as puzzles are
divided in two parts: non-linear and linear. The first one
requires visiting 4 different environments for items, those
tiny places: a cellar, a cave waterfall, and the larger-
spaced: a pit, a valley; however even the mentioned valley
is not too big at all, so, even though much widely spread
than other parts of the puzzle, it feels local and comfy.
Then we enter the palace for a heavy-swingpoled agility
test, with flames and spikes, but it all depends on skills
and preparation, not on luck, so if You do it good, You
don't even get tired. Same goes for the following boss
fight. There are few of those in custom levels which are not
annoying, and this is one of them. Nadine follows that
simple rule which accompanied the original TR boss fights,
and which is now being ignored by many builders: "think
instead of shooting". Of course I struggled through that
series of traps (btw You can avoid all of them, there's no
counting on luck again), got that Lead Key, got the
revolver, got the ammo... and then FORGOT to kill the beast.
Oh, well... Never mind.
PUZZLE SQUARE
After picking up the Pyrrah seals and Epans idol, I was
ready to find a lot of overall reference everywhere (wasn't
those boulders called "Rowling Stones"?). I got clearly
surprised when I found the following mask named just a
"Guardian's Mask". I really expected to see something like
"Erode LB Mud" (however that combination would be more
suitable to call a Swamp Key instead). Need for the reason
to give a default name required further investigation - I
launched wikipedia and scrolled through the list of
characters from all 7 books. I reversed names of the most
important and none of them sounds Incan at all (and Regnarg
even sounds more Scandinavian). But nonetheless, the theme
will sit in my mind for some time, and in the end even my
txt file You're now reading ended up called "Weiver rof
Enidan".
GRAPHICS DISTRICT
Before, I had no idea BTB Peru was 128x128. People say those
textures are grainy, but this doesn't disturb me - I find
them clean and clear. Unfortunately, Nadine has overdone the
fogbulbs a bit in the first two areas, and the eyes got a
bit tired when I tried to see something through. It's a
pity, because there's no texture rotated wrong, none
stretched nor squished, no single crack visible, and the fog
masks such a really good work. I nonetheless played with the
fog turned on, as that was the author's intention I didn't
want to ruin.
OBJECTS QUARTER
Spikes, wraiths and dinosaurs. I am starting to think if
someone has no idea what enemy to put in the wad, he/she
includes a raptor. And everytime such raptor appears, it
does it in a narrow corridor and wrooaaarrrhhhhing on Lara
only to scare the hell out of a player, together with a
terrifying action music sounding in the same moment. In this
case, this action sample is fortunately missing, and thanks
to that it was one of that few moments when I didn't panic
and maintained all remaining points of the lifebar. Ergo,
the first properly placed raptor I killed since I don't know
when... and the little chicken-like dinos are more cute than
deadly (I should have left them alive). The final wolf is
the only failed enemy, effectively hidden by a disturbing
static camera.
ATMOSPHERE SURROUNDINGS
There are more cams used, and those are helpful or
immersive. Monkey-swinging gets new angles, and a hint is
provided for a distant keyhole, as well as for opening doors
here and there. There's no camera clue for the other keyhole
(no problem as long as there are only two keyholes in the
whole game) and none for the wraith annihilator (but we get
another kind of hint so I figured it out). What supplies the
cams and vision in general is of course sound. And frankly I
can't imagine better sample to introduce Lara to Pyrrah's
chamber. I stood for a moment, listened to it all and
continued only after it ended. Thanks to BTB08 creators as
well for including it in the package.
SUMMARY
In fact only several places, this microworld is... Anyway
filled with miniquests it goes for a complete hour in stats.
If You don't mind author's vision, turn the fog off. But
regardless from what You choose, please do something: run
the game, climb the first staircase and hop on a crate
placed in the middle of the pool. Now think about that crate
for a while, and imagine struggling through this pool
without it. I'm still not sure what a "proper level" means
to Nadine, but I certainly see a difference when a builder
cares about players." - DJ Full (15-Jul-2012) |
|
"A very well designed level making good use of the supplied competition wad. Really liked the atmosphere created, and the way progress was structured using swingpoles and timed sequences. The timed trapdoor that enabled you to leap over a wall flame seemed to be redundant, as one could simply climb up the block next to the taller platforms and access them from there. Texturing and lighting were effectively done and good use of sounds. The swamp area featuring the T-Rex was a really good setup, and provided some out of the ordinary gameplay to avoid those big chompers. Perhaps a bit more camera work to lead the player in the direction of some vital key holes might have made things a bit more fluent. A most enjoyable level though." - EssGee (08-Feb-2009) |
|
"Level with brilliant architecture and enjoyable gameplay. It has its own spirit, you can feel it in every room. I love that mystic room with mist on the floor. There are some stretched textures but only a few. Unfortunately some textures don’t suit each other. I don’t remember exactly whole level (but don’t think I guessed the marks...) so my review is short but I found level very good. Brilliant piece of work." - jawi (01-Jan-2009) |
|
"This was the first BtB08 level I played (I simply love that name!) and it is definitely one of my favourites. The game play is fun and progression is fluid, there are lots of interesting tasks to perform; which aren't too difficult so you are never bored or frustrated. Enemy placement was good and I found the skullpole 'wraith killer' quite easily, although compy's did keep sneaking up on me! And I thought the use of the T-Rex was great! (He always scares the life out of me so the fact that I could avoid a direct encounter with him pleased me no end.) The atmosphere was great throughout the level; there really was a feeling of being in old, musty caves. And the textures and lighting were beautiful. This is quite simply a thoroughly enjoyable level." - Kitkat (07-May-2008) |
|
"I had to give up this one in my first try as I did not know how to get rid of the first wraith at the beginning. Now I can say this is quite a good BTB08 Peru level with excellent graphics , and the use of some features to enhance the atmosphere and the looks. Architecture and texturing are very worked on , and it is quite an achievement when gameplay and looks go well together harmoniously , never to the detriment of one of the categories. This is a fun level generally , not too difficult , without memorable puzzles but with a good variety of things to do. There is one trapped room with spikes, boulders, and hammers which was difficult to raid , the player has to quickly feeds Lara with a medipack while she pulls up on the platform. Aside from this point , the progression and the actions are quite fluent , and entertaining especially when it comes to timed trapdoors and swinging poles. One of the last rooms with timed raising block and trapdoors was also quite well made and fun to raid. There is not many enemies through out the level, but the use of the TRex was quite memorable. Very good work." - eRIC (02-Mar-2008) |
|
"The Gameplay in this adventure exhibits the true touch of a Master,and is a terrific lesson for other builders as to how it ought to be done. There is never a dull moment here;not one.Progression is generally linear (with the occasional piece of sidetracking) but is always exciting,challenging or thought provoking (and occasionally all three at the same time),while never once provoking that infuriating "I can't bloody do this!" which bedevils many other custom levels.The variety of challenges and puzzles on offer is really quite spectacular,but pride of place must go the inspired and cheeky use of the trusted T-Rex. In all other respects this is also a very accomplished level,although one or two outdoor areas (while good looking) appeared to be functional rather than truly authentic,but this is a very minor gripe. When the entire level absorbs you completely for its entire duration (at one point, my wife stood next to me and pulled silly faces but it took me a minute or two to be aware of her presence)then you know you're playing something special.Enjoy." - Orbit Dream (29-Feb-2008) |
|
"I just think this is the best game tested until now. Beautifully done, the atmosphere, the collocation of the sound, everything is just perfect. The graphics are amazing, the environment is always full of detail with a very good use of light, but this level designer is, I think, someone who has a lot of experience with the editor. I really like the ceiling in one area and all the 3d structures were very well done. The game is not so hard to play, but there are some good traps and very difficult paths. The only thing I do not like of all this competition - as I already said - is this big monster, the T-REX. It's just too stupid, and it always seems to never die. But in this level the T-Rex is also well used, and I really liked the fixed camera at that point of the level.
The level is not full of surprise, but it's just perfect.
The best until now and generally one of the best levels of the year." - diamond (29-Feb-2008) |
|
"Gorgeous. That's the keyword for this level. The entire setting, from the initial cave to the final corridor, is pure eye candy. Very well crafted ambients provide this level a fun gameplay involving quite a bit of platforming. The level focus a lot on exploration, and despite being very linear, most of the time gameplay revolves around pole swinging and jumping. The T-Rex sequence is the most original I've ever seen, set in a swamp and you don't need to kill it at all (I didn't), but rather you work your path around and over it. Some of the sequences later in the game are a little more hectic but still manageable. If you're not interested in playing all of the BtB Peru levels, at least play this one, it's fun! 50 minutes. 02/08" - Treeble (22-Feb-2008) |
|
"T found this level the most beautiful of the contest. Texturing and lighting is perfect and together with an excellent room- and level architecture you get an very convincing, atmospheric level. The first part of the level is more for the explorer and the admirer of beautiful views, the second part is more action oriented, escpecially around the huge, swampy T-Rex-cave (nice idea!). The difficulty level is rather medium, with some occasional challenges. So this one also belongs in my opinion to the top levels of the contest and that's why I highly recommend to play this one!" - Raymond (22-Feb-2008) |
|
"Another tongue twister of a level name and I am amazed at some of the names the builders came up with as I for sure lack the imagination. What stands out as excellent anyway is the way one has"to play" around with the T-Rex. The atmosphere in this game is pretty good, if you have the Vol FX on. What I didn't like was there are no flare pick ups, at least I couldn't find any and even if you are supposed to be deep into the jungle I would like to have a look at all the dark corners, as you never know what you may find there. I have to admit that I binned this level twice as the first timed run with the trapdoor did me in. Had to use someone else save, the other one was very frustrating but I managed after too many tries IMO. The wraith however is just plain evil as the only thing I could do, is shoot at the thing so it would leave Lara alone as I was running out of medipacks. But I did manage to get the only secret in this level. Also found a short cut but I read in the stuck thread that I missed a big part so I reloaded and indeed... The level could have used a bit more camera work as I sometimes wondered around to figure out what to do next a bit too much." - Gerty (04-Feb-2008) |
|
"This level can be a bit too tricky at certain points, especially at the beginning - at least that's how it was for me. There are several situations where you think a move is impossible, yet can be achieved, or other cases where the settings are misleading and you think you are supposed to do something yet you actually have to do something else. In spite of all this however - or maybe just due to all this - I found the gameplay particularly inventive and clever, as most of the tasks you have to make are far from being conventional and this not only shows creativity from the part of the builder but also requires creativity from the part of the player. I was going to give this level a 10 for gameplay but the reason why I didn't was because for such a challenging and requiring game I think a spectacular finale would have been more matching. Atmosphere and scenery wise, this level is a feast for the eyes, the effects are beautiful (the fog valley in particular), also the sounds and music choices are very fitting and add to the imposing feel of the adventure. Cameras are OK, but I have to say that as much as I enjoy discovering things on my own, I wouldn't have minded a camera at a couple of situations, hinting where I'm supposed to go next. But these are details really, as the level overall is crafted with mastery and brilliance and surely stands out among the best in this year's BtB project." - Ravenwen (22-Jan-2008) |
|
"Hooray, two levels in a row that have decent lighting. My overall impression of this level is much the same as Queen Quizi-Cal, but this one clocks in a little longer at 70 minutes. But the gameplay is equally as refreshing, with timed runs that are challenging without ever becoming frustrating. There are dark moments here, to be sure, but they're not distracting, and "darkness distraction" is what causes me to mark a level down. Not in this case. I agree with other reviewers that the T-Rex Moment here is quite invigorating. Thanks to Dutchy/Gerty for the advance walkthrough. I predict this level will wind up in the upper tier of the competition, although probably not in the Top 3. Highly recommended." - Phil (21-Jan-2008) |
|
"Ah, the melodiously named Etalocohcilihc (imagine Lara saying it, giving it the musical Incan pronunciation). I would rate this among the top three BtB Peru entries, along with "Sweet Memories" and "Water of Life." All show excellent design and, best of all, are fun to play. The quality in this contest has been fantastic, so it seems that only the most highly accomplished authors who have already produced dozens of professional-grade levels have a chance here. ["Back to Basics," right, boy is that title becoming less and less accurate as time goes on.] I am partial to the challenges presented in the other two levels mentioned above, but I have to say that many may prefer Etalocohcilihc for its more balanced game play. I simply played through this level non-stop, while marveling at the design elements and texturing that created such an immersive world. Most of the time the player is involved in exploration. First get the crowbar and then four gold seals. I almost missed one seal because I was reluctant to drop down into all that dark mist in the pit area, since I wasn't sure what was waiting down there. Then there follows one challenge room with a timed trapdoor, pole swings, and fire traps. This turned out to be not as bad as it looked: once past the initial timed trapdoor, Lara can jump over the fire jets by hugging the walls. I'm not even sure that any later switches were timed since they gave no trouble. Then one deals with a grumpy T-rex that is stuck in a swamp, and eventually returns toward the first rooms to negotiate them at higher and higher levels. Back to the pit area to claim the golden idol. It seems like that will be the end, but there is a final timed run with a collapsing bridge that took several attempts to get right. Note: the TR4 for this level is almost 20 MB, but while playing I never had the sense that this was an over-sized level, rather, it seemed just right. One of the top three Peru levels." - dmdibl (15-Jan-2008) |
|
"A beautifully designed level with a straightforward gameplay , not so much running around back and fro from A to B and back to A. This is a level for everybody to play and enjoy. I am sure you will like it as much as I did.
Highly recommended !" - Ruben (12-Jan-2008) |
|
"Chili con chocolate, huh? Simultaneously spicy and sweet, this is an utmost perfect level, meaning we're being spoiled by all these wonderful creators who've long bypassed the latest infamous official Tomb Raider games. Flawless in every sense from graphics to atmosphere, from puzzles to action, this level truly deserves four tens. If not for anything else (but it does), at least for the very best and most atmospheric T-Rex moment ever to appear in any Tomb Raider game to date. Excellent." - Jorge22 (10-Jan-2008) |
|
"Another marvellous level with a fantastic gameplay. It's not lineal but don't worry, you'll not need to revisit the same places several times. The level is very long with a lot of tasks and puzzles to solve, many traps and sometimes difficult situations, but superable. There are four seals to find to can enter the palace, three keys to access the Gold Idol Lara was looking for and a final mask to finally escape with her prize. No much enemies to shoot, I liked a lot the swamp area with the T-Rex 'cause I didn't need to kill it to continue playing. I missed a lot some flares for the dark areas (I couldn't find any pack). There are some interesting fixed cameras, but when you trigger something there's not camera shots to show you what you're doing, although you'll not need to go far to find the way. Many thanks for this great level!" - Jose (09-Jan-2008) |
|
"Hmm, trying saying the title of this level quickly, three times. I disturbed a wraith early on in the level, but it just disappeared. Perhaps it went off by itself to find some suitable object to explode against. If only more of Lara's enemies were that considerate. On the subject of enemies, beware the compys; the cunning little devils sneak up behind you. This is a particularly pretty level, with atmospheric, mist-shrouded valleys and the utterly unforgettable opportunity to mess about in a swamp with a T-Rex. If by any strange chance you have never experienced one of those nightmares where you're trying to run away from something awful but your legs won't work properly, now's your opportunity to find out what it's like." - Jay (08-Jan-2008) |
|
"Searching for a golden idol of the inca, Lara is on her way through a wonderfully designed underground complex of buildings, caves and water areas. Atmosphere and ambience are built fabulously ... everythings looks amazing and wonderful. The same I want to say about the gameplay ... it was not too hard, but never boring. In all the diffenert areas Lara had to solve very interesting puzzles and many exciting moves and jumps kept the game challenging. A pity that there are two bugs in this game, which could have been fixed easily ... Anyway, this is my favorite level of the contest so far :)" - Eva (06-Jan-2008) |
|
"This is a very nice and simple level to play... for the most part. It has a nice setup with at first having to find the 4 keys to the palace... I was actually stuck for a while with finding the third key, simply because I was too terrified of having to already jump down into that dark pit! So points for good atmosphere there. The only problem I did have with most of the gameplay in this level were some of the timed runs. They were not necessarily cruel, only somewhat tedious, especially since one was about making it to a trapdoor in time, and turning from that trapdoor platform to a swing pole and quickly jumping on it. I find swing poles hard enough to jump on already, and it gets even worse in a timed run. Also, this timed trap run up to the top of a room was annoying, simply because it required one first to do it in order to trigger all the rolling balls and get them out of the way, and then to do it again... of course all the times on had to die as well. All that having been said, about traps and swing poles, some of the jumping and even the swing pole jumping is lots of fun, and the author actually manages to create a sort of Legend/Anniversary feel with all the swing pole traversing. Object placement is very good. The best thing the author does is to give us the Uzis early on, and lots and lots of ammo for these guns. A lot of builders often forget to do this, which is a shame because the ammo fires away so quickly. So all the Uzi shooting I could have fun with in this level was great. I could have used a few more fun enemies though. The T-Rex encounter was interesting... it was a nice idea of having him wandering around in a swamp, and one doesn't even need to confront him and kill him. However, he does manage to kick you a lot with his head or tail while you are trying to once again align yourself with swing poles, and the ongoing never-ending TRA Boss fight loop was truly getting to me, which is why I had to temporarily switch off my sound. Lighting is good in this level, however a bit to extreme at times. It had something almost psychedelic about it, with how some of the snow rooms were purple or glowing it seemed. Texturing is very nice, and some really nice creations with room geometry. I loved the huts that we actually ended up going into or coming out of at times. Also, another thing has to be said about the fog bulbs. I played this level the first time through without Vol FX on, and it didn't look like anything special. Then the second time now I had Vol FX on and that made all the difference. The place feels cold, damp, or hot and humid in other rooms. Also, the swamp area looks great with the brown fog bulbs. It was a shame that finding the final Golden Idol was a bit of a let down at the very end, but otherwise it was a very good level." - Sethian (06-Jan-2008) |
|
"This is a wonderfully textured and lit adventure of about an hour, which is fast paced, teases you with a few advance glimpses of areas you get to much later, and while never being overly tricky keeps you entertained with a variety of tasks to complete, first to find the four seals, later some keys and the idol. Very few enemies and they really do not play a role here. Maybe a few more cameras could have been added, but it is never hard to imagine where to go next even without them. A few traps along the way spice things up and the whole area around the TRex is fun to go through, especially as you monkey swing above it. Relaxing and fun to play." - MichaelP (02-Jan-2008) |
|
"From the start I made the assumption that this must be an offering from one of the LE community's seasoned builders, mainly because of how much detail and realism was put into this level. The crunching sound of footsteps on the snow, impeccable texture detail, and very real cave/temple architecture excited me from the get-go. Most of the gameplay is really a hunt for objects, but the author provides plenty of classic tomb-raiding fun involved in acquiring them. There are plenty of big areas to play around in, and you can definitely sense the vast feeling of them. Exploring them thoroughly and avoiding traps, as well as a few puzzles and a timed run provided very satisfactory entertainment. Highlights of the level, for me at least, included the outdoor waterfall valley, the Idol pit, and the T-Rex swamp was also quite thrilling, even though the dino was pretty much locked up and didn't pose a threat. However, it was a little scary how he could eye you so closely on the ledges of his swamp but caused no harm. The use of textures shows the author has a lot of creativity with applying them - Particularly I liked the face entryway near the beginning of the level, nicely textured murals in some of the rooms, and the transition from the snowy beginning into a rather thick and dense jungle experience and back was done well. This small world the author created feels so real that you're actually in there yourself. The enemies are few in the level, a couple of wolves and some small dinos thrown in with a raptor that don't pose much of a threat, though the level is more about exploration and not a shoot-em-up. Overall, this is quite a treat for the entertainment it's able to provide in under an hour. Regrettably though, I was unable to find the one secret of the level, but the fact that it's very well hidden for me provides a reason to replay the level. In conclusion, a great gaming experience. Definitely a must play." - Relic Hunter (01-Jan-2008) |
|
"With this being the third level in the competition I've finished so far, I could easily tip this as an early favorite of mine and early candidate for a victor in this year's competition. From start to finish it's absolutely delightful to look at (bar few very minor texture problems) and the atmosphere pulls you right in. There's not much to complain about from technical aspects, as the use of lighting, fog, objects and architecture give away the status of a seasoned builder early on and the gameplay is not lagging far behind as well. Focusing mainly on jumps and platforming tasks, this doesn't really offer that much in the thinking puzzle aspect, but that's not necessarily a bad thing and I thoroughly enjoyed my time gathering items and overcoming the troubles the builder had prepared. If anything - I thought the sequence of the whole level sector's could've been somewhat different as the T-Rex swamp sequence seemed to me like a perfect choice for the climax of the level shortly before reaching the end, not the midpoint, but that might as well have only been me, thus leaving only one real obvious flaw for me - which was that the last wraith you encounter in the game chased me all the way till the finish trigger and there's still a while between the point it appears and the level ends, so it got pretty annoying soon. I might have just missed the point where you dispose of the wraith, and it kind of added some challenge to the end sequence, so I didn't mind too much on the whole. Other than that - a recommended play. Not too difficult, but not exactly a walk in the part either." - eTux (01-Jan-2008) |
|
|
|