Level reviews

"Short but not as sweet as I usually say, and I don't mean darkness, still kinda acceptable. The layout is the same but the remake part is mostly slower than the original even if you use skips, so you feel like you take way too long. The pace only changes for a moment after taking the Scion and then the level is over. What I liked is textures, these really convinced me. Heck, it may even be a rare case when texturing is the strongest aspect. The combat was also rather fun than not, and the pool room had a twist of my type (heheheh). So the final verdict would be "optional", however it's a good option which shows care that might benefit any future works." - DJ Full

"Another return to old haunts, with updated textures and objects; structurally the same as the original, but with variations on the puzzles, some of which work better than others. The pillar-hopping at the beginning is marred by the objects not conforming to the grid, so Lara stands or runs mid-air on invisible platforms, which makes the otherwise simple jumps stupidly difficult to execute. It took me way too long to figure out the pushable puzzle that replaces the moving blocks, because I didn't realise that the four-meter monolith was, improbably, a pushable as well. Apparently the builder had nobody to talk him out of the sillier among his ideas (there's a shark), or to complain about the darkness, which is exacerbated by lack of flares. The texturing is fine as far as it can be discerned, though there are a few untextured spots in inconspicuous places. The builder uses a light static from Angkor without the texture that goes with it, and it has no obvious relation to the actual lighting in the rooms in which it is placed. There's a wafer-thin floor and also an illegal underwater slope, a thing I haven't encountered in a while. When you get to the Scion, there's only one mummy, which moves, sort of. At the end there's the obligatory earthquake and a couple more raptors, but since there's no Larson, the level ends anticlimactically back in the tunnel in which you started. Playable without being overly entertaining and persistently gloomy with comparatively far too bright water rooms, this would have benefited from a few competent beta-testers' input." - Mulf

"Eh... this remake does its job fine(shaking things up enough in the gameplay department to avoid it feeling too similar with every other TRLE Qualopec remake, complimented by some very solid texturing and object/enemy utilization). But at the same time, its held back significantly by way too dark lighting, missing sound effects and a pretty uninspired sense of atmosphere throughout. Not necessarily a must-play, but the twists on familiar level chunks help to make this release worth at least a playthrough." - Ceamonks890

"This is another level based on the infamous Qualopec format, but the gameplay has been modified a bit to make this a more sufficiently enjoyable experience, although the surroundings still look very familiar. I found it a bit too dark in places and would have liked a couple more flares, but apart from that negative, this is a fun little level. Lara's new moves are utilised nicely and the block puzzle and boulder sequences were very neat additions. Worth a look if you're not tired of remakes yet." - Ryan

"Usually I don't like remakes very much, at least when they are rebuilt 1:1. But this remake has its changes and that makes it interesting. The rooms are quite the same, but the tasks are somewhat different. Some sounds are missing and the shark seemed a bit out of place. Also some audio files could have helped the atmosphere. It is a real pity that the level was made so dark and so short, after 30 minutes it's over. But, well, it was a debut." - Jerry

"The Tomb of Qualopec is probably the level with the most remakes yet -- even I built one myself a few years back. This one is slightly different, though, and even though it features some differences you don't get to return to the waterfall or face Larson. The base structure is the same and it's quite a loyal remake as far as looks are concerned. I'm just not too sure about the inclusion of the shark, but I really enjoyed the new twists as a whole. 20 minutes, 3 secrets. 01/09" - Treeble

"Another remake from TR1. This is a good remake; it's not only a copy from the original level. New puzzles, new textures, new rooms... The level is quite dark, but where are the flares? I've found only the shotgun as extra weapon, and few enemies. For all those who have played the original game, cameras are good and we can enjoy some new features. I liked this level. It's worth to play." - Jose

"What could have been a nice stroll to some well know surrounding was in fact a bit of a nightmare for me as the whole place was pitch dark. And I mean PITCH DARK. Reading the other reviews I am glad that I am not the only one. A pity though, because even with the extra flares I had to add, one cannot look at the whole room, even if it was only a small room. I liked the push puzzle and the boulder was also a nice touch. The builder for sure knows how to build, that is obvious, so up to the next one and make it gloomy (if needed) and NOT DARK." - Gerty

"This is one of those levels that makes me thankful I'm not epileptic - unless you engineer otherwise, you'll inevitably end up running around with guns blazing to try and find your way. Flares, my kingdom for some flares! That said, this is a respectable enough offering from a promising new builder. As other reviewers have noted, this isn't yet another mindless remake, but a tribute of sorts: a familiar setting given a makeover with some nice new textures, objects and gameplay twists. The author appears to have a sound knowledge of the technicalities, and incorporates the new material tastefully. Worth a look if you feel like a quick nostalgic trip, albeit one on the dark side." - Ampersand

"I realize I may be blowing this somewhat out of proportion, but sometimes I feel like the arch-nemesis of every remake project out there. While this level didn't change my views radically, it did make it hard to perpetuate my tough reputation. As the author correctly states - this is more a homage rather than a remake of the level. The settings are more or less the same, enhanced by the lovely textures, but the tasks are either a variation of the originals, like the brilliant variation of the shifting column puzzle, or the cool new sequence with the boulder and a water room, or some tasks that were not present in the first place, like the cool route for the jumpswitch in the beginning. The new objects and animations improve the overall feel greatly, but if there's anything I lacked - then it was flare pickups. It may have to do with the fact that for the time being I have to play with an external monitor, that makes my raids way darker than they usually are - but I found this level to be extremely dark, which is a shame, as the author obviously knows how to texture and light the level, and there seemed to be wonderful neat touches like small streams of water filling the pools and the like, but what's the use if they're impossible to see? An extra flare pickup here or there would've improved the situation in that aspect, but then again I only found one of the secrets, so I may have missed out on some of them, though they would've been welcome as regular pickups. In any case - a nice remake with some original flair for a change, so if you haven't played this level's various incarnations to death already, worth a go." - eTux

"Yes,this is 'variation on an original theme' as opposed to a remake,but I've visited this particular Tomb so many times now that I've just about had my fill.The new twists on old puzzles and moves are rather fun (the pushable block sequence took a little thinking out)and the rolling-boulder was a nice touch,but the gameplay still had an air of deja-vu about it and the whole level was so drenched in darkness that it took away quite a lot of the pleasure. As 're-envisionings' go,though,it's definately worth a look." - Orbit Dream

"This neat little 30-minute level is billed as a remake, but I saw little resemblance to the original TR1 level on which it is presumably based. The author has provided a walkthrough with the download, so I used it to make sure I finished during my lunch break before court resumed. There are surprisingly few pickups, so play this one mainly for the puzzles. It's too dark, so I manufactured unlimited flares so I could see what I was doing, but other than this distraction I had a pleasant enough gaming experience. There are also some new moves, where you can jump up from one crack in the wall to a higher crack. You can also back flip from a wall crack to a block, something I hadn't seen before. I found one secret not documented in the walkthrough, but there may have been more in view of the shotgun and uzi ammo with no accompanying weapon. Enemies are raptors and a shark. Not a prize-winner, but fun to play." - Phil

"Not being a fan of remakes, this one is certainly one that is worth a look. It is short and sweet at about 20 minutes and yes, you will recognize the familiar environment, but there are a few different things to do, the new Lara animations are put to good use and through this it is an entertaining little raid that shows that the author has a very good grasp of the editor and tools and we can certainly look forward to seeing more from him. I usually do not complain all that much about darkness, but this one came across very dark for me indeed and I used up the flares very quickly and then ran around shooting to get some light." - MichaelP

"The author states in his readme that this is homage rather than a slavish copy of the original TR1 level and I think that's a very fair assessment. The surroundings are certainly familiar, but the gameplay diverges from the original in several respects and is quite entertaining whilst it lasts. It's short and sweet basically -a nice debut level with some very good touches and certainly worth a look. It's encouraging to see yet another new builder with obvious potential. Keep 'em coming." - Jay

"The respect from this new author for a well known official level is quite respectable. Tomb of Qualopec is far from being a favourite of mine though, fortunately there is new things in this remake which makes it quite recommendable to play. A few new rooms, different puzzles at times [the puzzle with movable/raising blocks is a fine one], and the new moves for Lara to reach ledges. There is a few minor mistakes [an invisible block in front of the UW door or an illegal slope in that pool with the shark, no sound for the rolling ball], nevertheless this first offering is well made and the atmosphere pretty good. Beware this is quite a dark level, I had to double the gamma of my screen in order to see something." - eRIC