Level reviews

"I got frustrated with this one. The house is very nice in terms of architecture and furniture but two things ruined it for me : first, the music, which I found depressing, where I expected something more cheerful for an Easter level, but this is a matter of personal taste and I muted it and that was fine. And secondly, after having tried to open the first 4 cabinets at the very beginning of the level, but to no avail, I assumed that these ones could not be opened and started to ignore them. Of course, that made any progress in the game impossible and I had to look at the walkthrough to understand that yes, you can open them - I was just too close to them and I had to step back to be able to trigger the animation... I was annoyed also by the pedestal upstairs : as it's impossible to draw it towards a wall when it's one tile apart, I couldn't imagine that Lara could slip between the pedestal and the closest wall to push it towards the aforementioned tile. This is not very logical... Well, I played more TR 1/2/3 these past years than 4 and 5 and I'm not used anymore to these kinds of pushables but I don't remember having struggled like that with objects. I also had difficulty to open one trapdoor, that I did see, but when it wouldn't open, again I thought it was just a decorative tile and again I had to go to the walkthrough to move on. There are a lots of moments like that where you have to shuffle around an element to see if you can trigger something, and since there are a lot of furniture and objects around (which for the majority are not triggering anything), it gets annoying at some point. But still, this is an interesting level with a lot of creativity and ideas, not only in some puzzles but also with clues that trigger something out of the game, the difficulty switch... And the cat was nice! I didn't try to shoot her ;)" - OrFractal

"A classic and very enjoyable easter level. At the beginning, there is an option to choose difficulty; I chose hard difficulty, so I will be refering to it. Like most event-themed levels, it focuses on exploration and puzzle solving. Our objective is to find five easter eggs. Before we get to them, we have to solve various puzzles. I especially liked the puzzle with pushing the three easter eggs. There are some pretty tight timed runs too, but they are all manageable; for less experienced players, I suppose the timed runs are easier in easy mode. If the level had some more gameplay variation, i.e., some parkour or some more twists to the gameplay, I would have given it a score of 10. Design-wise, it is very pleasant to the eyes. Level is colourful. We get to explore the mansion and its garden. Both areas look vibrant. Nice use of decorations and textures. The lighting is good, but it could have been made a bit more immersive and contrasted. All in all, the atmosphere of Easter is present. It is a really vibrant and enjoyable level, perfect for every player. Definitely recommended :)" - BlackWolfTR

"A rather large mansion all things considered, but at least its one filled with furniture and looks like a place actual people could live in. I like how there are several doors that allow you a quick return to the main hall, that reduced the backtracking to a minimum (combined with the walkthrough, of course) and helped keep me engaged from start to finish. Not sure what to make of the explosive eggs, a rather dangerous prank to pull off I'd think, but otherwise it was all simple and straightforward. By combining the secrets in this level with the one in Rock the Easter Boat you can access a still functional website for some wallpapers and a couple of objects and textures, which I thought was a nice gift. 40 minutes, 4 secrets. 06/22" - Treeble

"I really love mansion levels, and this one has so much going for it in terms of exploring and how it looks but to be honest i just got bored quite quickly, the only real puzzle was at the end with the pushable pedestals which was clever but tedious, the rest of the gameplay is finding switches, keys, and things to shoot and push in these beautiful textured rooms with lovely relaxing music and nice objects.the trouble for me is that there wasnt any more puzzles or traps, most of the level was stuck inside and there wasnt much platforming or anything really intriguing or interesting. anyway this mansion really is a treat for the eyes and i can see a lot of effort has gone into it, i liked the cute pussycat and easter bunny at the end as well" - John

"Interesting little level, with many tricky parts, but not a lot of gameplay or difficulty, even in hard mode. There's really not a lot to say. It's a simple house Easter level, with bunnies and painted eggs to hunt around. The most interesting puzzle is still easy. Some parts are tricky to figure out, especially one particularly hard to interpret camera angle. If you want to relax and celebrate Easter with little risk of seeing Lara killed often, enjoy this level. Otherwise, you'll find more entertaining levels out there. Thank you, l.m.! There are a lot of relaxing little details that are good, deserving of praise: congratulations!" - MigMarado

"A wonderfully charming Easter level, and I could have picked no better time to play it. An extended raid through a brilliantly textured and lit mansion, to eventually locate five Easter Eggs. Some of the fake ones explode, so you may end up getting confused often, as I did, but I really didn't mind in such eye- catching surroundings. The music (particularly the piano excerpt) was definitely a plus. The most brain-teasing moment was the multiple push puzzle in the basement involving three pedestals and various blocks. Be careful though, as I got inadvertently locked in the basement anteroom as the door closed behind me with no way to open it again (I think using Hard Mode was the problem, so Easy Mode is the best bet). I couldn't deduct much though, as I enjoyed myself so much." - Ryan

"A dot placed and played to end this year season, before I finally face the truth: Easter is gone since two days. It will never return until next year. Goodbye eggs, bunnies and chocolate. Goodbye sleepless nights of building and playing. Back to reality... but... before that... happens... One... more... time! A Ring of Power on my finger. "Something so small a thing", one would say... so small a thing, just switches, pickups and running... but how it is done! No, I have nothing against a switch when it's so nicely wrapped I can't imagine anything else could belong to its place. This is a manor like many, and a quite dense one, but everything is like I said - fits perfectly, nothing flickers, all is well composed and lit. Lots of minor touches, though a giant army of them. Like if a colony of workaholic ants was building an anthill bit by bit. And there's something else I always like: the powers of TRNG utilized in subtle way and never overdone, so the playthrough also goes bit by bit, injecting fun in small batches until a player is fulfilled with soft ending climax. Well done." - DJ Full

"And so i decided to try out another easter level. This level takes place in a luxury mansion. Lara goes out on her traditional easter egg hunt, but they are not so easy to find this time. The option to choose between hard and easy gameplay is a very good idea which i suppose makes timed swims and other things easier. What makes this level worse for me is the exploration type of gameplay which is not my favourite type of gameplay. I didn't even think about pushing the egg pedestal over the edge for it to drop down i had too many other things in my mind at that point. Sadly i spent some time running around headless which made it a little bit tedious. What i liked very much though was the egg puzzle to raise and lower the blocks which is ingenious. I suggest having the walkthrough at hand if you get stuck. Despite some of the negative things i've said i do recommend it because i didn't have a keen eye for the most part so i don't blame the level for this." - totizedger

"Encouraged by the good time I was having with the same author's King Arthur level, I figured why not give the only level I haven't reviewed by him a go too. To be fair, I actually had tried it at a time closer to its release, but could not make any significant progress. The walkthrough helped me now where I had failed back then and I was through the mansion in no time. As can be expected, the author's settings are beautifully rendered and a pleasure to get lost in, the rooms of the mansion are interconnected in myriad of ways, and various effects like the exploding eggs are fun to watch and be startled by. That said, in my humble view this is not among the author's best work. Despite the on-screen text clues and playing it in easy mode (more so in hope of having an easier time navigating the area, and not necessarily for fear of any timed sequences or genuinely tough gameplay) it was rather difficult to get started, or to make sense of what's happening here. The only real puzzle present in the level is the movable egg pedestal one closer to the end - I ended up solving it by trial and error, but had to admit its cleverness when I learned from dmdibl's review, that it worked via segmented triggers raising and lowering specific tiles. The rest is just running around from room to room, stumbling upon buttons and jumpswitches (some unfairly hidden out of your view, like behind shrubbery, etc.), shooting items in hope of them revealing much-needed keys or puzzle items, searching cabinets, and figuring out the rather obscure clues (I've seen the push-an-object-over-the-ledge schtick a number of times now, but I just honestly didn't make the connection that that's what I had to do once the setup was finished) and so on. Just in my previous review I scolded a level for employing the same objects with different, yet vitally important properties, and the shootable window that looks like most others in this charming mansion was only distinguished by a slight hint (Lara looks at it for a moment). I understand that a seasonal level will probably not be about shooting baddies, retrieving priceless artifacts or saving the world, but 'running around from point A to point B' is neither particularly easy and player-friendly, nor is it enthralling gameplay. The level's better moments are much appreciated, but I fear on the whole it wasn't up to the builder's usual standard. Found 3 of the 4 secrets." - eTux

"What an amazing level!I really enjoyed the egg hunt, it's perfect for playing it on Easter or just on an afternoon. The atmosphere is nice, a sunny day in a cool house and the piano music is incredible. Textures are colorful, lighting is good enough for a sunny dat. I recommend this level, it's so far the best home level on trle." - misho98

"One of the best mansion levels, and one of the most atmospheric levels ever with all that wonderful piano music. Perfectly built, textured and furnished. Since it's a festive level no enemies and traps, so you can immerse yourself in the pleasant experience. A cute white cat wondering around, nice touch, maybe it was just an accident but he even led me to the library. Some nice puzzles and in the hard version timed runs. Wonderful relaxing level, highly recommended." - Akcy

"Amazing! Fantastic! The best home level I have ever played! Textures are amazing, atmosphere was flawless and I liked lara's outfit! l.m makes incredible levels and should not stop. The puzzles were good but the one near the end was a bit annoying. The music was really fitting as well. There was basically no bugs (I think) and no problems of what you should do and where you should go. Recommended. Also in the statitics it says there are 4 secrets and I only found 3. I wonder where the last one is..." - afzalmiah

"If you want a fierce battle or a long adventure, you should know that the Eastern (as well as the Christmas) levels aren't what you are looking for. Mostly there is no shooting involved and exploring is high on the list. Here you have to find five eggs and as a bonus you can gather two golden secrets eggs as well. Set in a nice mansion, you have your work cut out for you. You search every room and find switches and keys to unlock all the doors. Nice block puzzle in the end, which isn't so hard to figure out. I like his style of level building and will be looking forward towards the next." - Gerty

"As soon as I began playing, I was convinced by the great look of this home level. At the beginning, you can decide if you want to play on hard or easy mode, which I find very good: The timed runs were very hard to solve (luckily I did after few tries - even on hard mode). So the game could go on, even if you couldn't manage it. You have to find five eastereggs, which isn't easy: You have to solve several timed runs, very difficult puzzles and finding well-hidden levers. This is not easy, as you can imagine. But I highly recommend it to everyone, because one should not miss this challenge." - manarch2

"Clearly Lara is a little strapped for cash this year, having to rely on her friend to supply her with those much-needed Easter eggs. She won't give them up so easily however, thoughtfully giving Lara full access to her home and a Revolver in order to shoot up the place to her heart's content - as well as to solve those all important "riddles", of course. As fun as this may sound, gameplay simply boils down to traversing back and forth between rooms, whilst occasionally pulling a switch, putting a bullet or two into some precious vases and pushing furniture around or over ledges. Since Lara's friend clearly anticipated this wouldn't wreck her villa quite enough, she also dotted a few exploding eggs around the place to spice things up a bit. The various pieces of furniture that did manage to survive in one piece were generally placed well, and the mostly appealing texturing and lighting helped in creating an environment that outshines the gameplay. While there aren't exactly as many "riddles" as you may be lead to believe by the level's description (bar the final pushable puzzle, which does require a little thought), it's a decent enough level if you prefer style over substance." - Spike

"Amidst easter bunnies and a roaming cat, and with a choice of easy mode and hard mode this little mansion level is a short game of egg hunting and some slightly odd puzzling. With business plummeting now that all right thinking people have ditched their chintz it is clear early on that this is the home of a now severely alcoholic Laura Ashley for the plethora of drinks cabinets in many of the occasionally luridly decorated rooms in this mansion. The abundance of florid sofas and scatter cushions would at least seem to suggest that the resident needs to sit down frequently, perhaps to bewail the mass move to glass and steel furniture, blinds and laminate flooring. Or maybe it is to simply stop the room from spinning, with its associated risks of spewing forth some further interesting additions to the decor. Getting on with the game then, it is at least pleasurable to listen to the various piano pieces that play in the background as we roam our way through this home. Without any guns the earlier stages of this level are about switches and doors before even encountering any keys for other doors. For the most part it is a somewhat sedate affair, with nothing strenuous other than perhaps a general frustration at figuring things out. Not that it's too difficult, even on hard mode. Having said that, there are some timed runs which will test the player a little, so don't get too comfortable. Once things got moving I found this house really enjoyable to play through, and well into the swing of things I shouldn't have been surprised by the approach to one egg that did actually make me jump. The banister arrangement in this house is interesting for one section that must have been installed by Mr. Ashley, for having had enough of his lush of a wife he's made a special section which moves the banister out of the way and it's clearly his hope that in one of her inebriated states she'll simply fall from the upper floor and kill herself. It is at least an efficient way to obtain a divorce and keep all the money. Finding the gun then enables access to the garden of this house. I say garden when it is more a back yard. Having retrieved another egg here it is on to some swimming through some awkwardly arranged underwater passages in order to retrieve a key. This was a good little section that is a test of breath and movement before the usual running out of air. When the player ultimately gains entry to the basement there is the most confusing block puzzle to figure out. Being the impatient sort, I simply stumbled my way through it by chance and didn't actually suss it out until near to completion. Once done the way is opened to a vat that is cunningly disguised as a large, antique vase and which contains Mrs. Ashley's secret stash of rare Napoleon brandy. Rare only in that it hasn't been consumed by her yet. Also here is the final egg and once this is retrieved the way back to the library has been opened. Back in the library there is one more switch to flick to get to the easter bunny and with it's correct placement downstairs the end of the level is triggered. Over all then, this is a reasonable level of some enjoyment and fun. Texturing, despite my mocking I thought was rather nice, and the already mentioned music was simply a delight to have accompany me during play. In fact, I even purposely ran Lara to the piano situated in this house to re-trigger a particularly good piece a couple of times. Some of the 'looping' of rooms was perhaps a little over done for much of it I thought was unnecessary, but it really didn't detract from the gameplay. There is plenty of ammo to be had in this level, much more than is really needed. Health packs were either scarce or I just didn't find them, but this wasn't a problem as I didn't need any. It was nice to see how text on screen was used in this level and I think it is a useful feature that could be utilised well by more builders. So, for a bit of enjoyment that isn't too much this is a good level to play." - Czar

"l.m was already one of my favourite builders, and this level confirmed it. I like l.m's style of building and the way he integrates short cuts all throughout the level to stop too much boring backtracking. I did actually play this at Easter but forgot to review it :/. I like mansion levels and this is a beautifully textured puzzle game without too many tricky moments and using many features of the TRNG engine. The music was also a really nice touch. Its general theme is the classic Easter egg hunt and in such a gorgeous setting it never got boring. It features several push puzzles, but none too laborious or tedious. Just make sure you keep an eye out everywhere for switches and the like. I cannot wait for l'm's next installment!" - TrueRaider

"Lara must find five eggs hidden around the mansion. The music was the worst part i think--it was ambient, but too subdued and made the feel of the level too mellow rather than cheery or bright or holiday-ish. it got boring. i'm not sure what the secrets were for, and i definitely didn't figure out what the "NE" sign was for behind one of the secrets. the last cutscene was okay, but not great. The push puzzle for one of the eggs was pretty clever if you're a fan of push puzzles. The level was okay, generally less exciting and less holiday-spirit-conducive than i'd hoped." - drguycrain

"At the beginning, a pleasant house level, with Easter egg hunt theme. But this soon feels like much more, with the occasional jolt of an exploding egg. It's nice when one finds all four secrets, and gets a text congratulation for having done so. The house is indeed well done. I did have one problem in the kitchen, after using the red key. Lara shot the windows, starting with the one that lacked the flowerpot. Nothing happened. So Lara started shooting and pushing everything in sight. There had to be something to do in this kitchen, else why the key? Finally Lara shot the window again, and this time it broke. The fact that one can choose either hard or easy game-play mode is a good touch. And the crate and pushing puzzle at the end was intriguing. Instead of standing on a trigger tile, Lara stands on only a quadrant of a tile to raise or lower blocks in the room. I didn't even know this was possible. And the end is rewarding with camera shots of Easter bunnies wandering about the house placing eggs. (I assume to distract Lara so that they can eat all the carrots and lettuce in the fridge. It seems that sort of level.) A welcome adventure. Delightful." - dmdibl

"Very very nice to play this home level, with a really fantastic environment and all kind of details to make you feel good. There are some good puzzles; the crates one is excellent, although I still don't know very well how I did to raise/lower the blocks. There are not enemies, but you'll dispose of the revolver to shoot some things. The only danger you cand find is the fire in the fireplace so, it's a level to exploration and think how to solve the puzzles. There are some nice melodies too (the piano music is too much beautiful to can explain it with words), camera shots to help you and perfection with the nice textures. Recommended." - Jose

"This is very colorful and pretty mansion, decorated for Easter holidays. To end this level you must find 5 Easter eggs and cute little bunny. Game-play is non-linear, searching and solving puzzles. I recommend this game to players who like levels without enemies. I didn't like the idea to shoot the black static cats, that way I killed also the real white ones. It was kinda fun, you can call me weird. :-)" - Oxy

"Intrigued by the couplet of Easter level offerings this year, I will say that I'm pleased to have played this little adventure. Lara goes on an Easter egg hunt in a very nice looking mansion, with some not-too-stressful gameplay and adjustable difficulty level. It's mostly a hunt for buttons and objects mixed up with some timed runs and pushing for a little variety. The text hints are also worthy of mentioning, something I don't recall seeing in a level before. Overall, this is a very tranquil level with lovely holiday decorations, and an atmosphere bathed in tranquility. I liked how the areas are rather smartly designed, as in after completing tasks or opening doors to other areas, there are no major backtracks to complete and a passage to where you must be is conveniently provided. If there's much wrong with the level, it's that the exploding eggs freaked me out a bit. I did not expect that, lol. On a more serious note, the lighting is a bit short of perfect through the level, it's very uniform all the way through. That's not a bad thing, but a bit of variety in color would be appreciated. On the texturing front though, it's impeccably accomplished. While it does have it's puzzling moments, this overall is a very relaxing level from an accomplished builder. Not to be missed!" - Relic Hunter

"If you think you're too old to do an Easter egg hunt at Easter or afraid your neighbors might find you running around crazily in your backyard, pop in this one and you'll have a great little Easter egg hunt adventure. The mansion is quite wide and abit complex with alot of rooms to explore and doors to open and is absolutely beautifully structured (I loved the skylights in the main hall and hallways and some rooms). Well placed and warm textures have been used and gameplay isn't that hard except maybe for the timed runs you encounter if you choose the harder mode of gameplay. The accompanying music is dead on suitable and really enhances the spirit of the level. This is a level worth playing if you want to have a break and enjoy the Easter spirit. Well done!" - Shady Croft

"This is a delightful little level that grows on you as you go along. At first it appears to be just another glorified house level where you find buttons to push to open doors to new rooms, etc., like dozens of other levels we've already played. Even if that had turned out to be the case, the pleasant surroundings (courtesy of the NG enhancements) and the ample lighting would have been enough to earn it near-top marks from me. But what proved to be the highlight of the level was that maddeningly simple block puzzle near the end. It probably took longer than it should have for me to conquer, but I finally figured out that you have to move the blocks around without stepping on the two decorated tiles. Very nicely done. To my astonishment, what seemed like a fairly short level registered more than an hour on my game clock. Highly recommended." - Phil

"well a nice easter level ... not hard with a nice block puzzle on it ....no enemyes but is even not needed ... no difficult jumps or timed runs ....more focused on searching graphics and cameras & flybyes are excellent made i find nice ideea with finding revolver and ammo for it relaxing game for a rainy day good jobb" - Jack&

"What a delightful Easter gift for Lara and follow Raiders and what could be more traditional and appropriate than an Easter Egg Hunt? All five are found in a well-textured mansion with a small garden and once found, will lead to the Easter Bunny. There are secrets, also (more eggs) and a few letter combos to be discovered. The choice of hard or easy gameplay and the texting from the builder to the player is a surprising twist. Music is used well throughout and is a definite plus. Kudos and a big Thank You to I.m. for this Easter gift to the Community." - Bene

"Eastermansion is such a beautiful and well-made little Easter level filled with challenging puzzles and not such a leisurely Easter egg hunt. You can choose to play on Hard or Easy Mode and I chose Hard Mode, which I had to switch to Easy Mode once I kept burning up in an attempt to get the red key. Allowing the player to switch back and forth was nice. I did, however, make the very tight timed run upstairs. This level is filled with gorgeous objects and textures that helped create a lovely, bright springtime atmosphere. The author was also very astute when choosing the beautiful music, which added to the ambience. I did get fairly confused a number of times and I could have sworn I shot a vase once before and it was empty, then it reappeared later when I checked again revealing a necessary blue egg. I also was put off by the exploding blue eggs. They did not cause harm to Lara, but that made it difficult keeping track of where the real blue eggs were found, as well as ruin the peaceful atmosphere. Having all the eggs non-exploding would have been helpful for me when I got to the end and discovered that a needed switch would not reveal itself until the final blue egg was found. This caused me great confusion because I thought I had a glitch on my hands, when in fact, I hadn't acquired all five eggs. The problems with the level are few and the brilliant aspects are many, so I highly recommend this one." - Shandroid

"Such a treat to have Easter levels again this year and the first one is very enjoyable indeed. And even considerate to the player, as you can switch between easy and hard gameplay any time throughout this hour long level, which I assume would make the timed runs and the tight swim a little easier. There are 5 eggs to find inside and around the house and the (for me) new concept of putting text hints into the middle of the screen for the player works quite well. All in all, gameplay revolves too much around mere exploration for my taste, but I did like how the whole place opens up more and more as you manage to get the doors opened. The revolver is a key find and there is plenty of ammo around to shoot the necessary things then. The puzzle room with the push and raise puzzle was confusing initially, but once you figure it out, is easy to do. It ends with a nice flyby and if you found the two syllable secrets you can already have a pretty good duess about the missing third one - at least when you know German ;)" - MichaelP

"I don't usually much care for mansion levels, but I'll definitely make an exception in this case, because an Easter egg hunt is just a lovely idea, plus this particular mansion and grounds are a nice size to make exploring fun, rather than some vast echoing pile that requires a map to get round. There's also a cute little white cat to keep you company and occasionally get in the way (which is typical cat behaviour, so top marks for realism there). This is a very charming level with nicely varied gameplay, including a timed run and a clever block puzzle, great atmosphere and well chosen music. It's really put me in the mood for another Easter level, which I see there is, so if you'll excuse me I'm off to download that one now. Happy Easter." - Jay

"Overall i would say i liked the level a lot. I will say that i did really like the mansion and how it was built. What i liked the most was the music that applied all around the house. I liked it about how the music was very homely and when i approached the piano, the music was being played by piano. The atmosphere was very comforting and i would like to see this mansion used again in the future. Overall 9.75/10" - herothing