Level reviews

"Without a walkthrough close to hand what starts off as quite interesting and original to explore around ends up being very confusing, irritating and annoying because of a lack of camera clues and the obscure placement of objects to collect or interactive with, im talking about the bunch of keys on top of a pillar that is hidden and that i had to do a huge backtrack for or the fact you should know that you can apparently light little trees on fire which is needed for progression. besides that theres lots of platforming puzzles with the torch and some nice areas to look around and explore but mostly the gameplay was a bit of a bore with lots of annoying backtracking and a shortage of proper traps or fun puzzle/tasks to entertain yourself with, also the lack of music with that dull ambient industrial sound in the background really didnt fit in with the outside areas and the atmosphere. the layout and different areas of the level with the textures was done very well, its just a shame that there wasnt anything fun to do in them" - John

"(4) Gameplay & Puzzles: I'm sorry to say I didn't find this level fun to play at all. The first large canals area had very poor gameplay. When you start the adventure, you can either go down into the sewers, as the builder intended, or jump over a roof tile and reach the large canals. Initially, I did the latter, and I ran around in circles for ages because I didn't have a torch to proceed. After I did the former, I had a torch, but then AGAIN I ran around in circles for ages because it's super counter-intuitive, without a camera hint, that you need to light 5 lemon trees with the torch. While the gameplay wasn't as frustrating beyond this point, it was still pretty unengaging, with basic platforming, very few traps, and no puzzles -- moving mindlessly from one room to another, while occasionally finding jump switches hidden on the sides of walls. The backtracking platforming was also not fun, and I think a shortcut between the first large canals area and the old theater was absolutely needed. The level seems unfinished, or rushed; I suspect this due to the lower quality of rooms towards the end of the adventure, and also due to the fact that nothing happens after you use the bundle of keys on the keyhole near the beginning, where the torches are found. (5) Enemies, Objects & Secrets: The enemy placement is weird; there's only 1 goon/1 dog, and lots of demigirls, all of whom you face while crouched with your pistols, which makes the combat not very fun. The level was really lacking in traps, with one of the traps just being blades that you can simply crawl under (?). The debris falling trap near the beginning of the game was a cheap shot, imo. I believe that a player should be able to see a trap beforehand, so they have a chance to dodge it, or at the very least see a suspicious dark area where a trap may be waiting. However the builder made the debris trap invisible prior to triggering, which is just cheap design. The backtracking for the 1 secret is very excessive. It's not like the 1 secret gives you sweet ammo that you could use for a final boss fight or something, which would make a tiny bit more sense. (5) Atmosphere, Sound & Cameras: While the brick pillars in the large canals area look weird and out of place, the outdoors atmosphere is generally good. I could tell the builder put in a lot of effort to make buildings look like buildings and not just giant flat rectangular backdrops. However, towards the end of the game, there are large interior rooms that are empty and lacking visual interest. As for sounds/music, I only recall the TR1 Atlantis ambience background on loop for the entire game, aside from the last minute of gameplay. More sound/music variation was needed, and I stand firm that spooky TR1 Atlantis ambience is not a good fit for sunny, cheerful Venecian levels. The builder demonstrated knowledge in camera flybys, and there were some camera hints, but it wasn't enough. More camera hints were needed overall. If the builder wants the player to do something illogical and counter-intuitive such as set lemon trees on fire, fair enough -- but GUIDE the player with a camera hint. A flyby going from the torch bundle to the lemon trees would have been just fine. (8) Lighting & Textures: The builder's use of colors was excellent; there were some warped textures here and here, and some underwater cracks, but overall it's a great looking level. Overall, the aesthetics are pretty good, but I can't recommend this level due to the gameplay, which goes from frustrating to dull. 4/5/5/8." - nerdfury

"I am still amazed how different every level looks, as well as the use of the puzzle items. I have to admit that I did like the way this level looked but I was less charmed about the game-play. The long back and fro one has to do for the so needed items and also the major lack of camera work gave me some irritation, specially when I found out that I had to do it yet again. Also how in hell would one know that one had to fire some lemon trees? Then finding out that one had to do just that I was scratching my head as some of them I couldn't reach. Then there was the pulling of chains (at least 3 times), well luckily the doors are near so you can hear them opening. Texture wise it for sure could use some TLC. Nevertheless it is a nice adventure and if you have a go at it, the walkthrough is out." - Gerty

"This one was unorthodox. The ideas of the pillars in Venice were nice, but weird. The backtracking got annoying, especially for the secret. It was alright but not the best." - Ryan

"So this level manages to be quite original, with interesting usage of objects (as supporters for breaktiles or fire pipes) or unusual architecture, and does pretty well in those regards. The initial trap galore and the following torch jumps across the "roofs" are most interesting, yet while the rest of the game still offers pretty novel tasks, it's not exactly a great level. The backtracking in this level is so exaggerated that it kills any kind of fun, and it can be even more so if you tend to miss things the first time around - all this would've been half as bad if, for example, the builder had triggered a raising block after reaching the "upper" areas the first time. And the secret at the end is probably one of the most annoying ever, as you can prepare for another five minutes of yo-yo-backtracking. I also had the feeling that the builder tended to lose interested in the editing at some time since the quality of the game goes downhill towards the end, with no real tasks being required to achieve the various items, and the looks also aren't as inspired anymore. In the rest of the level, the atmosphere is rather well done, with the aforementioned unique touches and particularly well done lighting. I also liked the "mysterious" flyby cameras. Some rather boxy areas were rather avoidable and texturing is quite sloppy most of the time, there were way too many misplaced textures where the builder didn't divide the walls carefully. There's a slight overuse of demigods in this level, with not really enough ammo for them so shooting with the pistols will take much time, and some object placements aren't quite perfect either. In my opinion the author did pretty well with some of his ideas but maybe should have teamed up with a more experienced builder so that the backtracking and the lacks in texturing wouldn't affect the experience so much. Certainly not the most boring level and the builder has a lot of potential. 40 minutes." - manarch2

"This is another level I had skipped earlier on due to comments from fellow reviewers and decided I'd only give it a shot with the walkthrough at hand. There are certain unusual things about it, the most prominent probably being using at least three or four different torches as you lit up plants, however, all in all, I thought the environments in this particular level were quite nostalgic. Other levels might have had prettier vistas, but the damp atmosphere here were a throwback to TR2 and I quite enjoyed it, so it's charming on its own way. 40 minutes. 02/14" - Treeble

"A quite complicated game with a lot of travelling and shooting. It's all pretty, even though I'm still unable to guess what the large pool of pillars really is. This para- surreal construction contrasts with the far upper section in a pleasant way, like if we were invited to visit two completely different districts of the city, the impression even greater when we consider two different water elevations. This is a really nice concept. A rather creative torch puzzle plus several nice trap settings introduce a nice mood of challenge to it, but later progress requires too much of running back and fro, and in similar unfortunate addition there's a completely nonsense secret designed against all reasons secrets should be created for: unneccessary effort rewarded with nothing of particular use but artificially lenghtening net playing time by several long minutes. In the same field, enemies dwell which almost always ambush us when we're unable to defend poor Lara without a severe health loss. The thing can still be finished without a medikit, but unnecessary damage remains unnecessary. Thankfully, there are also objects in this severely injured category, which save it from total doom with their subtle yet accurate landscape filling (maybe except the plant growing on the marble). The ambient heartbeat sound is definitely non-fitting. SUMMARY: This pretty game might be confusing, but it has something in it worth playing... of course with the demigod crawl trick kept in mind :)" - DJ Full

"The one real problem with building a level for a fixed-date release (i.e. this competition) is that there may be insufficient time to fully test the builders work before the deadline. I'm being charitable and assuming that that was the reason why this level was particularly confusing to play and lacking in logical progression.Problems which all could have been remedied,had the author not been so pressed for time. At any rate,I can think of no other good reason why the builder believed that the concept of igniting a collection of trees (some of which,while being identical to the flammable ones, were merely decorative objects) was in any way a good one.Nor why there were so many places in the level where the player could reach a total impasse if they did something not envisaged by the builder (miss the crowbar; only pulling an important chain twice and not three times). Very few camera clues were provided;and when they were,sometimes showed meaningless hints (a door you'd never seen before,opening in a room you'd never been to). The boat was superfluous (I was expecting a decent water-borne sequence,but it never happened);and much of the Venetian environment looked quite implausible and was obviously created for purposes of gameplay (especially the jumping columns and contrived ropeswings).Once I'd given up attempting to work things out and had finally resorted to the Walkthrough,I had a good enough time.The interiors were well crafted;there were a good number of tough creatures to kill;and the texturing and lighting was pretty accomplished. If you don't mind using the step-by-step guide you'll probably have a good time; but don't try playing it unaided - it's ultimately not worth the frustration." - Orbit Dream

"The first time I attempted this, I didn't get all too far into the game mainly because it never occurred to me I should set the lemontrees on fire. With a little help of Gerty & Dutchy's walkthrough that and a few other tougher spots were out of the way and the rest of the game flowed relatively smoothly. The level has a lot of creative touches, that while not necessarily are something never seen before, do a good job of setting this apart from the rest of the BTB entries. The central lake area with the pillars is a rather original means of getting around to certain hot-spots for the level, the theatre complex was well done, with one area in particular being a neat shout-out to the original Bartoli's Hideout (where you have to shoot out a window and use an adjacent room (a balcony in the original) to get further), and the ending has a cool Temple of Karnak reference. The looks are bit of a mixed bag - the lighting is decent, the texturing, while not the cleanest there is - conveys the authors ideas nicely (the theatre and the aforementioned lake being my favourite areas), but there're also plenty of squashed textures and boxy architecture to prevent a higher scoring. And as far as the gameplay scores go - I would've loved to rate this even higher in light of my previous comments, but the level also (unfortunately) incorporates two major flaws - lots of backtracking and insufficient camera clues. Since levers open up doors all over the level and not what you would necessarily deduct to be the most logical option, it seemed somewhat unfair to leave the guesswork to the player. While most of the times you can sort of stumble on what you are looking for if you have a good grasp of the map, overall that felt a tad unnecessary. Same goes for the backtracking. I suppose if you complete everything there is to an area before moving on, the backtracking may be kept to a minimum and not appear to be such an issue - but I travelled up and down the map far too many times to count (a few of the occasions being - going back for the level's only secret close to the end, or to complete the fire puzzle earlier on). It made me wonder, if the author wanted to stick to the way he designed the level to flow, why not at least build in a few shortcuts to easen the burden on the player? And of course - the tree burning and chains that have to be pulled 3 times were only for the clairvoyant among us, so the author should consider beta-testing or thinking about his level in player's terms if he wants to expand his target audience. All that said - this has a number of fun, quirky moments that make this worth a go, even more so if you keep the walkthrough close at hand, so do give it a go. You might not get a timeless masterpiece this time, but the author quite possibly might have it in him in the future." - eTux

"For me It’s very difficult to rate and review this level. Mainly because I don’t want to be ‘the one who lowered the total score’. I’m sorry, but I quite disliked this level. What’s wrong? Wrong is gameplay. You have to go a few times from the very end to the very beginning of the level and back again to the end and again to the start… what is VERY annoying. Another bad point in the level is lack of the cameras. I pulled some switches and I still don’t know what they triggered! Another thing is strange parts in gameplay. Why does the player have to burn five plants in the city? I also found stupid that he has to fight the demigod very near the beginning. There is also very tight jump which ISN’T nice. Not at all. It made me really angry. I miss some objects - level is quite empty. Texturing isn’t bad what surprised me a tiny bit, but there are still cracks, stretched, squished and wallpapered textures, so author has something to work on in his building skills. The lighting wasn’t very well done either – rooms were only darkened a little bit – that’s all. Overall this level isn’t good and I did not enjoyed it. It even isn’t bad because of the beginner builder’s mistakes. It’s just not a level which you would like to play. I don’t recommend it. There are many other and better levels in this year Back to Basics contest – this one is surely one of the weakest." - jawi

"Again I'm in impression. Despite that not much to do, we could visits some interesting places. Little annoying was runninng forward and the returning back to places which we were there many times. The way to get rose was very curious." - Andzia9

"This builder knows how to use the editor, but it seems that he/she forgot that players are free to go where they want. There are two big areas in the level, and to go from the first to the second it will take several minutes, or more. A player can start playing and reach the final rooms easily, but when arriving there he needs a key: return to the very beginning and explore, then return to the final rooms; but when arriving there he needs a mask: return to the very beginning and explore, then return to the final rooms and find only a piece of the mask; now he/she notices that another key is needed: return to the very beginning and explore, then return to the final rooms; but when arriving there he only find a bottle: return to the very beginning and do more tasks there, then return to the final rooms; but when advance more he needs a waterskin: return again and explore, then return to the final rooms... Not a gameplay for my taste. From the other side, the level is well builded, it has a good look and there's not bugs; perhaps I missed some cameras when pulling switches and some puzzles to solve; also there was not good to shoot demigirls often with few weapons and ammo. Not bad but very tedious." - Jose

"I really wished I could score this level higher because it has a number of really original ideas and the architecture overall is cleverly thought out. But that is also exactly where its problem is - I dare say this level can only be entertaining if you either play it with the brain of the author, with the walkthrough close at hand or when you play it for a second time. Playing it for the first time, I must have done the jumps and rope swings from the one area to the other area about 20 times or so while searching for elusive keys and other items along the way. And I ended up having to ask the author about how to get that 1st piece of the mask, only to find that you had to light five of the bushes on fire to open a door in the other area - a nice idea as such, but without any hints, so the player is left completely in the dark. Speaking of which, there is very little camera work, ie you pull several switches and have no idea what they cause and they do cause things that are not necessarily always nearby. The other gripe I have is that much more care could have been put into lighting and expecially texturing as you can see especially in the larger areas there are many wrong rotated or squashed textures and cracks that could have been avoided. Those things aside though and despite the frustrations, I must say I did enjoy the raid, because once you finally figure things out, it is a clever one and I did not even mind going back all the long way to collect that secret at the end. (90 mins, 1 secret)." - MichaelP

"I have really enjoyed this level because of it’s original (even if not too realistic) architecture and some nice ideas for gameplay. There is several nonlinear paths, and clever hidden secrets; the gameplay is rather fluent, but sometimes it depends on luck – the lack of cameras is definitely the biggest flaw and causes a lot of backtracking. Very often player must run through some traps and obstacles again, and again. It may be a bit tiring and frustrating after some time. The riddle with the torch and bushes is very clever, but there is actually no clues or hints, so it's a little problematic at the beginning. Overall, this level is worth recommendation, but definitely for players, who have enough patience for backtrack through certain parts of the map ;-)" - Kat

"Though I find the idea of a person called 'King Author' pretty funny, not much of the storyline involving roses of the gods that corrupt the world around them actually shines through in the level, which is a shame. That aside, this is an okay thirty-five-minute level. The gameplay is pretty fun, though a bit simple and linear for the most part. Switches are sometimes placed in strange places, and while they're usually not too hard to find, you do need to keep your eyes peeled. There are four witches in this level, which is annoying because they pose no threat at all (just crouch down next to them), but you still need to kill all but one of them to proceed. The texturing is okay. There aren't any rooms that will make you go 'wow', but there also really aren't any rooms that will make you puke your guts out (like some levels are wont to do). The only exception (though you likely won't puke - it's not that bad!) are the last few rooms. It's almost like the author ran out of time, as the texturing is completely uninspired, there's a window that shows nothing but darkness, there's an invisible block behind a door and the final artifact is just lying around on the floor. Up until that point, though, this wasn't a bad level." - Magnus

"This level spells retracing, in particular if you miss a couple of not so easy to spot keys. It took me over ten minutes just to fetch the secret, retracing a by now very familiar route. Also, there are some triggers with obscure actions. I didn't find any really hard tasks, although it took a few attempts to get going with the ropes (as usual) and a "booby trapped" pickup confused me for a while. Also, it was not very obvious what to do with the torches, but once that mystery was solved, the rest was pure labour. There are some traps and enemies, but mainly you have to run back and forth. Some rooms are quite nice, but in general the appearance is rather dull." - Bogey

"I feel that this level has been 'under-rated', as it was a very enjoyable adventure. The gameplay was cleverly thought-out, however, slightly confusing (a flyby showing the lemon bushes and the torch would have been nice to get you on the right track). Enemies were quite numerous, with 3 demigirls, and some baddies. The architecture was very wierd, with the 'terraces' that needed to be jumped on. Sounds and cameras were both lacking. The lighting and texturing were both nice, however, it was never stunning, so the score cannot really get any higher. I saw how to get one secret, however, I did not go for it. Overall, an enjoyable level, with nice moments like walking on water, that plays very well. 45 mins." - Cory

"In a series where there is rarely more than two torches I was surprised to see several more made available. It quickly became apparent that there was a reason - several were needed for different areas. I was waiting to see if anyone would find a new use for the Lemon trees and this builder did - a surprising one which may have caused some initial confusion for most Raiders. I liked the imagination and creativity shown to go boldly where no one else had gone. The pulley having to be used 3x was a nice touch when we have all become used to a one pull for all the other levels. The bright, cheerful ambiance was a relief as well as the easier gameplay throughout. The demi Witchy Spirits were used well and placed effectively. I think this is one of those levels that plays better then the reviews would suggest. I also like the fact that this builder has perfected the ability to silence the blades and that the noise doesn't follow Lara through half the level. If you haven't played it yet, try it. You just may find that it's a little jewel of a Raid - surprising, fun and different." - Bene

"This level is quite different from the rest of the BtB10 levels, in good ways and bad. On the one hand, the gameplay is mostly quite interesting, and in some ways, unique - for example jumping across the canal on the little roofs and then on the pillars supporting them, or walking on water in the final room. But on the other, the enormous amount of backtracking necessary and the illogical puzzles (i.e. burning the lemon trees) left a bad taste in my mouth. Even getting the sole secret involves backtracking through around half the level and back - very annoying, to say the least. Some of the objects seem a little out of place - for example, ornate pillars in an underground tunnel.
On the positive front: I don't mind the rather large number of witch enemies - in fact I think they are quite well used. And I love the looks and atmosphere, which are the best part about this level. The large canal area is beautiful, as are several of the indoor spots. The camera flybys are well done, though the point of the final one was a little lost on me: why bother showing a way out, when the level ends right then and there?
Overall: A very interesting level, though it does get frustrating as well at times. I hope that the builder will continue to perfect his/her skills and create another unique but more streamlined level in the future." - Mytly

"I only do that at times but I've just read a few of the previous reviews to this level and, just before I start my own, I'd like to leave a note saying that it's a very well known trick how to kill demigods without getting hit at all and that, true, the level is buggy but not incredibly buggy, just a little buggy in fact - and we're even warned about it (unfortunately, not in the readme but in the download page) - unless you count Lara not being able to climb out of the water at some points as a deadly bug. Having said that, I thought the design was interesting and the game sequence generally interesting too. Nonetheless, I'll have to agree I too might never have thought of lighting the lemon trees if I hadn't read about it first. Then, I thought there was too much back and fro in this level, which can make it at least somewhat boring in ways. Finally, and this is related to the back and fro section, getting the card in order to go back all the way to the corner end of a far totally different room in order to get a secret doesn't seem quite right when all you really have to do is climb a structure, get the rose and finish the level with a (sorry to say) flyby that adds nothing to the rest. So, I guess this is my lament. I liked the level as a whole, but I'm certain it was built by someone unexperienced as a builder and I can only hope he/she will improve in the future because I feel there's potential." - Jorge22

"A nice little adventure put together ,taking place in a beautiful and carefully designed environment. But , alas, here the facts which Dick had mentioned before in another review become more clear and evident than ever : rather than people constructing a city to their own liking and needs , again the city itself seems to have shaped its inhabitants leaving to them only very limited space and freedom to wander therein and live their own lives. Unfortunately this applies to most of the BtBs (but not all) this year and may be due to only one WAD allowed , so no particular blame on this builder. Running and swinging over the rooftops again and again is definetely not Lara`s idea of how to get things sorted , and swinging through solid battlements is the less. A rather thin storyline and atmosphere here in this game. However , any builders effort (and there seems to be a lot in here) should be rewarded and not put down by grotesque low ratings. I shall give it an eight for encouragement , Okay ?" - Ruben

"Nice level, plays well, my only remark is the long backtracking, at least once and twice if you want the secret. Took me a while to figure this one out, but that's Raiding ain't it? Pity the textures weren't always placed well, many rotation errors and here and there a solution to fix a crack made matters only worse. Sometimes you can better leave the crack than stretch textures to the limit. Lighting was a bit all of the same I thought, not much variation in outside/inside, at least at the start of the level. More lighting work could have raised the quality of this level. Sometimes I was a bit puzzled about what a lever did... Puzzle objects used well. Missed some nice audio tracks here and there, the flyby at the end also didn't have music at my end." - Dutchy

"An interesting and quite imaginative level, especially the area with the tall columns however in my opinion it could have benefited from a few more visual clues and whilst lighting the lemon trees was quite a clever idea, if I hadn't read it in the thread on this level I never would have got it, and would have given up on this level. That said, the level was well built, lit nicely and textured well but was a little inconvenient in its execution - I didn't go back to get the secret because I wasn't interested in doing the rope thing for a third time. Enemies weren't over used and were relatively easy to kill - even the abundance of demigod's didn't detract. A tricky jump here and a less obvious way of getting escaping falling debris there make for a departure from the usual and to me they are signs this builder has understood some of the subtleties of building and I hope has more to offer us in the future." - sharnilal

"Even though I spent an hour getting through this level, it still felt like I didn't actually get that much done. This may be because there is, or can be, a large amount of that time spent backtracking as you try to figure out what to do. The beginning has a nice action sequence to kick things off, but after that it is easy to get stuck if you don't realize those potted trees must be lit on fire to open a door (kind of a strange connection anyway, but I've seen worse). Combat did not feel that involved and just had a few one-on-one fights. The texturing is good overall, but in some parts, especially cave areas, it can get a bit icky when the faces of the rooms get jagged. I liked the flybys however, especially the dramatic one at the end. A decent creation, but it could use a bit more care in how it is structured for players." - SSJ6Wolf

"What a mixed bag we have on our hands here. This level started out on a good note, entertaining with some collapsible tile runs and climbing acrobatics over deadly water, and it also has some nice architecture in the outdoor areas. From then on, things begin to be not so good. The level has a smooth level of progression up until a rather obscure task is missed, preventing further progress. While the idea of burning the plants was interesting, the execution doesn't work out too well. It's not at all hinted what must be done, and the act of burning the plants opening a door on the other side of the level bordered too much on being illogical. On another note, there can be a great amount of backtracking in this level, caused by how the gameplay is designed, and if one initially misses the burning of the plants. A few other errors, like the chains that don't work until they are pulled three times can also be very disorienting. On the other hand, as previously mentioned, the level overall has a good appearance. Textures are cleanly applied, save for a few squished clocks on the walls of the buildings, and on the canal ground, the transition from dirt to rubble textures was abrupt. It would also help to add some roofs to the building walls of the first large water area. In latter parts of the level the textures are applied with care to make a few visually pleasing rooms. Lighting also works quite well overall, and the idea of the end flyby is interesting. While this can be a bit frustrating to navigate, the level is solidly built and I did get a good share of fun out of it. Surely if the author improves in the gameplay department, the next level might be something of high quality. Not bad overall." - Relic Hunter

"This level plays mainly in very large areas with only a few puzzles and bad gameplay. Several times you have to do long and complicated ways. A shortcut would have been gratifying. For the secret you have to backtracking the complete level. The puzzles consists of searching and finding switches and the right doors, where camera evidence would have been desirable, but often missing. There is also a torch puzzle, where something new needs to be ignited. But what is missing here, is an indication of what is to ignite. The entire area is made even quite obvious, but the sound urged to quit the level as soon as possible. The only one opponent (the witch / Demigod) was used very often, sometimes in bad position and in my opinion it doesn't fit to these places. Overall, an interesting area with a lot of potential that has not been exhausted, unfortunately." - repley

"Wow! and low... this level is very strange. Architecture - Such a thing doesn't exist. This pillars with the roots... Not any flyby at the start, not any camera hints at the game. The player must search and run the long needless ways. Not any interesting riddle... Sound is boring. Too many enemies. Lighting was ok, the textures too, but not interesting. This level is dont must-have. For nobody" - masha

"This level's gameplay seems to suffer from either a lack of testing or the author trying to be too clever for their own good, or perhaps a bit of both. I would have got completely stuck without the hints given in the reviews here, especially the plant burning, although the chain pulling also counts, and considering the former, it's hard to tell whether the latter is a bug or a "feature". While you could minimalise it if you knew the route there's also quite a bit of backtracking if you miss a puzzle or item. There's also a severe lack of camera hints at times. Beyond those issues though the rest is enjoyable, and there are some original ideas (and implemented in a smoother way than the plant burning).
The level makes some unique use of objects, namely overhangs, that provide an original (and somewhat surreal) Portrayal of Venice that works well. Architecture varies a bit, some areas look good while others are blocky and empty, but it mostly leans towards decent visuals. With some polishing this could have been among the best of BTB2010, but, as it is, it's enjoyable but a little rough." - Mman

"Lara on her way in search of a lost rose... this level leaves rather opposing impressions. On the one hand I liked the texturing and lighting and the big water areas, one of which you could almost call a harbour area. On the other hand there are a few oddities, like those small roofs on the pillars that you will hardly find in Venice and those citrus trees that you have to light (I would never have this figured out by myself). I found gameplay to be quite easy, the jumps across the roofs where fun and also the various little search quests. Bottomline: A nice level, easy to play but with a few oddities...." - Eva

"This is the eighth level from the BtB2010-Series and at the same time it is the first disappointment. This lay not necessarily at the textures or the atmosphere. This felt well both. But the Gameplay was a real failure. The inclined player could find here many levers and switches, but in most cases a camera hint was absent what these levers and switches caused. And thus the player runs to and fro and looks for an open door. A torch riddle was as irritating. Wherefrom should one know that one must light with the torch five lemon trees? Furthermore one had too often to fight against this black woman. An important bunch of keys was easy to overlook. And wherefrom should one know that one must pull a rope three times, so that a door opened? Allowedly, the area was not very big. But it makes no fun to search constantly everything in hope which has opened somewhere a door. As already said, textures and level architecture felt well, but it has made anyhow no fun." - Scottie

"Of the half dozen or so BTB levels I've thus far played, this one best captures the special charms of Venice. The generous outdoor segments are a pure delight to play, and the lighting throughout is absolutely superb. You get more than an hour's worth of gameplay to boot, and the level bears the stamp of a master's hand. A couple of moves proved quite difficult for me, especially that curved jump to a pillar for a vital key. I tried a right to left swerve repeatedly, without success, but finally made the grab with a left to right swerve. You also have to do a running jump with a midair roll in the same outdoor area, a move which I've always found to be rather challenging. However, since you have to do it repeatedly throughout the level, it eventually became second nature to me. Sometimes vain repetition does carry with it a mixed blessing. Another unusual touch is the requirement of lighting trees with your torch. Green, fruit-bearing trees, at that. Not something I'm accustomed to, to say the least. And finally, I question the wisdom of placing the level's only secret at the very end, requiring a major bit of backtracking for no other purpose than to be able to say "I got the secret." However, a gorgeous, well lit level covers a multitude of sins, and I can heartily recommend this release to everyone." - Phil

"Another different level in this BTB 2010 Venice edition , where the author has set up a particular atmosphere with the 'beating heart' background audio , and the tasks at hand are also somewhat original. The setting is not that realistic with these small roofs around the pillars , but that is to serve the gameplay , so I don't mind that. I am more concerned about lighting the lemon bushes , for that never crossed my mind ; that and the backtracking ( did not found the waterskin until arriving farther on where it is needed , plus you have to backtrack no matter what to use the bottle of Wine ) are the things that let this level down a bit ; on the opposite there are some good moments , the underground room with breakable tile you have to use by shimmying along to a crack , some other areas and rooms , for example the room where the Wine is found , are pleasant to raid although not difficult , a couple of very enjoyable curved jumps to do , and the freezing of the water at the end , that allows you to pick up the Rose , are all good moments. Not many cameras in the level , but I don't think more were needed, as there is not a lot of confusion or things hidden in this level. The texturing could need some fine tuning , on the opposite the lighting is just fine and pleasant. Not a winner but a good level I enjoyed , that clocks one hour , respecting the unspoken 'rules' of the BTB. Keep up the good work." - eRIC

"There are some unusual objects to light with the torch in this level and a lot of backtracking if you miss relevant articles along the way (yes, I did). The various areas are attractively made and the enemies are used effectively. More camera shots of what various switches achieved would have made life easier, but it remains a fun level all the same. Nice to have the 'ice wraith turns the water solid' scenario. I haven't seen that for quite a while." - Jay

"The readme for this level fails to mention critical features, such as pulling chains three times, and leaves players helpless to proceed. My impressions at the start were very positive. Lara has a choice of going underground, or exploring a scenic lake. The underground lighting and texturing create a convincing environment. Lara runs over collapsing tiles, finds torches, and locates the fire element puzzle. She returns to the lovely lake. Here the author shows a unique, and rather appealing, concept of design. Lara does slope and rope jumps to pillars, and uses these to cross the water. There are a couple of challenges that require knowledge. First, the pillar jump to the bundle of keys: set Lara up for a diagonal jump, hop back, jump straight up into the air (this advances Lara by a slight amount), now run jump and when Lara lands at the exact corner of the pillar press the Roll Key [End]. It may look as though Lara is falling off the pillar, but the Roll Key makes the jump succeed. Second, this level contains five Miss Witchy-Bitchy, encountered at close quarters. The only way Lara can deal with her is to run right up to the creature, crouch, and fire pistols with impunity. The level has plenty of Uzi ammo, shotgun ammo, and medipacks, to deal with a few gangsters. I happily played this level while Lara picked up a bottle of wine, carried it back to the fire element puzzle, and lit it. Then there is a traveling camera shot of an opening door that is impossible to reach. Up until now, every time a switch is thrown there is zero indication of what it does, often not even a sound of a door opening, so Lara has had no clues about what is going on. Now the screenshot is meaningless. All game play at this point hits an impasse. I struggled for several hours, and made one discovery. Lara had previously moved a cross to find ammo underneath. This cross can be moved to an adjacent courtyard, and positioned in front of doors to open them. This is a vast expanse, and there are absolutely no markings to indicate where this cross should be placed. This action allows Lara to get half a mask, and light a torch, which lets her fill a waterskin. I consulted the forum. Postings say that Lara should use torches in the lake area to set fire to five potted lemon bushes. It had not occurred to me to burn the shrubbery. Also, in this level, chains have to be pulled three times to open doors. How can one tell? When Lara flips a switch nothing appears to happen, so when Lara pulls a chain once and nothing happens, it doesn't seem any different. Traveling between areas of this level is time consuming and involved. Lara was near the chain, so she went there first. Two more pulls and doors open. Lara gets the complete mask, uses the waterskin, fights Miss Witchy-Bitchy, gets a Key Card, and picks up the Lament Rose. The level ends. But Lara never went back to the lake area to burn the five lemon bushes, so what was that about? I know where to use the Key Card in that area, but the level ends with the Key Card in Lara's possession, so maybe it is for a secret. Unless you need to review this level, I would wait for a walkthrough to explain what all the switches do, and explain about the one keyhole that doesn't seem to do anything because the doors are already open (works with the bundle of keys), and how to place the cross when there are no markings, and generally clarify the game play (pull chains three times) and its incendiary features, and explain why there are six scything blades in a doorway when all Lara has to do is crawl underneath the lot of them." - dmdibl

"ok i just finished this level ........ is nice builded at wich u have to work a bit to finish cos u need some items and open some doors in unusual ways for ex u need to ignite some lemon bushes ....... huhh .....?? after that find a waterskin ..wich u need to fill and is not that easy .. a bottle off wine wich also is at unusual place .......and alot off back and fro running between the 2 main areas wich involve alot off jumping over platforms and swinging from ropes ......... the moust frustrating part is with the only enemy in the game ...... - the ghost -- wich can be stuck in the air and after that cannot be killed ........ and u need too cos leave some items behind ....... also is very hard to kill u get the shotgun off course but not much ammo for it and this ghost can take alot off bullets untill die and need to kill 3 or 4 off them .... and a single one take 12/15 shotgun bullets !!! and the shotgun bullets simply is not enough for all 4 so u need to use the standard pistols too . and not to mention not enough medipacks too and those ghosts throw some ice balls wich lower ur health very fast ...i finished somehow the game with 0 medipacks and Lara life about 30 % !!!!!!!!! well without this frustrating parts could be a nice game ..." - Jack&