Level reviews

"Straightforward and chill. Can't get lost here, just one task per moment so it's good for new players. Secrets are easy as well. Shapes are simple and texturing questionable, but it creates an impression of a hidden place of an unknown kind. Audio is good. Maybe the clock revelation theme could be better edited as it's just several dramatic tracks one after another. I expected more from the final clock, as in the end I didn't learn more than I knew from the readme story. Nothing about what the clock does, or what the specific hour I've set on it means. Maybe it means something to the builders? It's still a mystery." - DJ Full

"Lighting is a bit dim on the eyes, yes, but I personally found this level to be very pretty and the lighting makes sense when you get to the outside areas under starry skies. Gameplay is rather simple and straightforward, the very beginning as you running back and forth a couple of times in standard TR logic but even then it's linear. There are lots of small details in here though, such as Lara's breath showing up after turning a pool of water into ice or how the ladders work only where they should be (ie. not the entire wall surface). I noticed this disables the "action" key entirely so when I climbed up too high or too low I had to wait for Lara to die to be able to reload, and the same for the levers which she can only activate after doing other things, the key gets disabled in those tiles, which is a rather clever workaround if you think about it. Shame this is the single offering from this author though. 30 minutes, 3 secrets. 07/22" - Treeble

"This is a solid little debut duo of levels, but possibly a little too short in duration. Both levels have a solid design with very next-generation looks and lighting, but maybe a little too monochrome look overall. The gameplay is very simple and linear and probably won't set anyone's world alight with just a few simple puzzles to solve and a few traps to solve, but I liked the occasional spices to it (like the nicely hinted block puzzle and the wraith-freezing-water sequence) and a couple of the custom artifacts. The atmosphere is good too, as mentioned a little dark overall and the music is nicely used. Good for a debut, anyway." - Ryan

"While testing this I had a great time and now playing it 6 years later, I still had a great time. So thumbs up for this debut. I liked the look of the level and even if it was somewhat straightforward it has the things in it that for me anyway had Tomb Raider written all over. Good use of textures as well as the sound. Enough lighting (didn't like the choice of the colour of the flares but that is me) and the flybys were well done. Only complain I would have that it was too short, but then we can't have it all, now can we?" - Gerty

"Two short levels as a quite strong debut level, but I see a more experienced raider (Bedazzled) did some objects and sounds, also the title flyby. Flowing quite well throughout the whole level, I somehow felt the first half of the first level to be a boring to and fro lever hunt. Two secrets to find here - none of them a real challenge or hard to find. Second half was better, with a clever push puzzle and a nice hint you can see in the flyby and, lucky for me, afterwards. Texturing was really good, the flybys really good and atmosphere decent. Objects were well used, there only was one enemy to kill - a bit low, but OK. The second level I found a little less strong (again until the end), somehow it was quite buggy for me as I couldn't save in the near of the button at the start and the lever at the end as they were inactive for a time. It rather felt like a pedestrian artifact hunt (they were on the way, nothing hard here), some fairly easy platforming. The two things I liked in this level were the lake freezing (always nice) with the wraith and the clock appearance at the end. All in all a good level with pretty visuals and fairly (too) easy and at parts boring gameplay." - manarch2

"The first thing I want to say is that this level I had fun and it's already a lot. I like this kind of sets a little gloomy without being too dark, just enough. During my journey I saw many beautiful things, good lighting effects and objects surrounded by light beautifully. The game itself is not very difficult but still quite fascinating. I hope this author will propose other levels because its manufacturer is promising beginnings of success. Anyway, congratulations for this one!" - Daffy

"I must have downloaded an updated version of this level, as the Lara look is completely different than in the screen shot on the level info page. I was totally surprised how beautifully designed this level is. The game play is not too hard and there are hardly any enemies, timed runs or traps, so it is really easy to play. The atmosphere is just right with good background sound and torches everywhere. I just had a good feel to it. There were also some very nice flybys. The texturing and lighting in this level is absolutely amazing. I know it is a bit of a personal taste, but this level is exactly what I think a Tomb Raider level should look like. I reminded me quite a bit of the way "Flashback" looked which was one of my favorites ever. Textures and lighting in this level are even more amazing, considered that this is the builder's debut level. The high room with the semi transparent platforms looked professionally built. I hope I will see more from this builder and in the same style as this one, but I also hope it will be longer. The level was a bit short and I think that it would have got a lot higher ratings in general, had it been a bit longer. It's just hard to give really high ratings when a game is so short. Unfortunately it was only a 45-minute raid and I had the desire to keep playing when it ended. Highly recommend this to everyone." - Blue43

"A great example here of what a level debut should be like. Solid structure and game-play, none of the newcomer standard errors (no wafer thin walls or badly lit rooms here). Instead what you get is a visually strong set of 2 levels. The TRNG engine is used to great effect here, loved the spinning items, and flare effect. Immediate thumbs up also comes in the form of a customised loading title. Everything progresses nicely, and i actually like the fact that you cant operate some levers before proceeding. I'd of been tempted to drop an audio queue in from (even Lara's own vocals), as I'm pretty sure there's something along the lines of "there's something I need to do first" from one of the games that could be utilised. Texturing and lighting really do come for particular praise here. I never found it too dark to explore, and i love it when builders take the time to experiment with subtle colour. The result is some very natural looking lighting amounst some nicely planned architecture. Looking at the preview shots on TRLE I can only assume the level underwent further graphical work, as the final product looks much better than those preview shots suggest. One of the things I'm not 100% sure about is the choice of music tracks. I think some of the tracks from Anniversary may have fitted better, and the Egypt tracks just didnt feel right at all. Music's a really important part of making your adventure immersive. There is so much choice out there I really encourage the author to look into some more of the other TR soundtracks next time. All in all the 2 levels took me 1 hour 6 minutes to complete. Never got stuck or needed to resort to any walk-throughs. This is very impressive debut, and certainly a level I would recommend. Keep it up and I look forward to playing your next adventure. Stiggy" - TheStig

"Good debut! This levels have some professional touches, like the ladders you can't climb up or down out the marked panel or the switches you can't pull until you perform some tasks before. Levels are very dark for my taste, and there are not enough flares to explore the dark areas; architecture is simple but correct, and textures are well applied. I missed (as usual) more enemies and guns to have more action, and some interesting puzzles which make you think, but gameplay is still good with no much backtracking. It notices a good use of the cameras and, definitively, a very playable level. Sure that we can expect better creations from this builder in the future." - Jose

"A good adventure , technically well done, not too long ( less than 40 minutes for 2 levels ) and without challenges. Some good puzzles and objects ( although one kind of small door does not fit quite well with the textures ) and a simple yet fluent progression. I appreciated some technical novelty or realism ( for example the fact that you can't go down along a climbable pillar until the bottom but need to follow exactly the ladders , the switch that works only after you set up the"mechanism" ). Only a few enemies , I appreciated to deal with the good odd red mutant croc. If the architecture is simple, the texturing is very neat , and lighting even a bit dark is competently done. Good atmosphere and sounds. Keep up the good work." - eRIC

"This is the author's first level, and I hope we'll see more from him, because it's great! Gameplay is nice, although I think a few more puzzles would have made the gameplay better. The rooms are nicely textured. Musics are also good. The secrets are in your way, unfortunately. The TRNG effects are also awesome.(like the spinning items on the pedastals) Mac has surely mastered the basics. I'm waiting for his next release." - rtrger

"One of the best custom levels I have played so far this year. Lara needs to locate three elements and a wooden clock and place them into the great clock in order to stop certain fiends messing with time. You will also need to locate a golden skull and a cog piece. Game-pay is not too difficult and searching is your main aim as enemies are minimal; one ahmet, a few bat and an ice wraith. This is not a bad thing of course, exploring is my fav part of TR and I'm never too bothered about having hoards of enemies to deal with. There are also a few buttons to locate to open doors and a couple of block puzzles to solve. The atmosphere was great; although the setting is meant to be a dark location, the added fires and sconces gives us perfect lighting and just enough to be able to see what you're doing without spoiling the realism. I also loved the way you could look up into the night sky in various rooms and see the stars and moon; a beautiful addition IMO! Since testing other levels, I have been a bit over-active in purposely looking for odd textures and I'm happy to say, I never spotted any errors in this game. I also thought the chosen textures suited the level very well and so did the fabulous audios. The objects were really nice too, and the additions such as coloured halos around the quest items always adds a touch of class to custom levels. Traps are spikes and boulders, neither of which should give you any grave problems. Found all three secrets; which were nicely placed, especially the last one. Now, although statistics say 30 - 45 mins of game-play, I happen to know I spent well over an hour on this level. This is perfect Raiding time for those of us who don't have all week to sit playing a level, plus, I love these shorter levels that don't leave me exhausted; but still have enough to keep me engrosed throughout. All in all, this was a marvellous level and I really hope that mac graces us with another great level soon." - Moonpooka

"And once again I am surprised and pleases with the high quality of a debut level. This time has mac delivered his debut and I must say that the level has turned out well. As the first I must mention the high quality of the textures. With the riddles I have liked particularly the light which marks objects to be found. It is laborious and not good for flow of play if such objects are hidden too well or have almost the same colour like the surroundings. Other positive points are the made good Flybys and the suitable sound. The only negative point is the short play duration of 45 minutes. Well, this is not necessarily a negative point, but I would have seen very much with pleasure even more. All together this was a strong debut and hopefully mac builds even more level." - Scottie

"This looks fine and there are a few good tasks. Lara jumps on a platform to shoot an ahmet, the ahmet runs around to the stairs to reach her and Lara jumps down, shooting the ahmet. The ahmet gets down and Lara jumps back up, etc. A wraith turns water to ice. The ending giant clock room is notably well done for the conclusion. But players don't have to keep much in their heads, this is all linear progression, except for some back and forth at the beginning. Like other Next Generation levels, these are too uniformly grey. And because the levels are short, not much more than fifteen minutes each, it's hard to give higher scores. If you are looking for a quick play, try these two levels. My main peeve was the new flares that are designed to blind the player rather than illuminate the surroundings. I turned up the lighting on my new LCD monitor and quit using any flares." - dmdibl

"We recently had many of very promising debut-levels. This is another one. It shows a lot of capability, creativity and the ability to create a stunning atmosphere. I really hope we will see future works from this author risking more concerning gameplay. Puzzles are too easy, there are no real challenges. Not a single demanding jump or timed run. The three crystals needed in the final, well created room could be found easily. Well, the run over some spiked traps chased by a wraith was funny, but not really challenging. More courage to create demanding tasks would be appreciated. But I enjoyed it very much. All things considered: Very well done." - Christian

"Really nice debut. The gameplay is easy and fluent, with some backtracking in the first level. Searching for secret shields is quite fun, even if they are relatively easy to find. The lighting, textures and sound are good, but it’s hard to appreciate because of simple geometry of the rooms. On the other hand A Test of Time is short, and not very challenging. After all it’s very solid level as a debut, and I’m waiting for another project from this builder." - Kat

"Here's another good quality debut level.Everything is well put-together and crafted with care,although the room architecture is a little unambitious (and there's a very high chamber which,when looking back from the outside,appears to fill empty space!)and the textures chosen,although well applied,are a little monochrome. Gameplay is generally very straightforward and linear,but a few inspired little moments spice things up very pleasently indeed (walls that are only partially climbable throughout their length;a lever than can't be pushed until all relevent tasks have been completed;a pleasing 'icy-water' effect)and there's a clear plot that is developed throughout,leading to a fine and completely logical Finale.Enemies being somewhat sparse and secrets which are hard to miss are elements which can be worked on for future levels;but this is a thoroughly entertaining 40 minute adventure and I recommend it heartily." - Orbit Dream

"This is a nice little two-parter. The only thing that keeps my scores from being higher is its brevity, clocking in at just over a half hour. There are few enemies, just some bats and an ahmet, so most of the gameplay revolves around finding artifacts and placing them in the final room. The lighting and music are used to good effect, although I probably would have complained about too much darkness if I'd been playing this on my old computer. Nothing very challenging, but it all fits together very well and I found it a welcome change of pace from the BtB Venice levels. An impressive debut." - Phil

"Another good debut level. We really have got some interesting times ahead if these new builders live up to their early promise. Well constructed, the author obviously knows the programme inside out. Good use of textures and lighting to give a dark feel without any gloominess and lets the player explore without the unnecessary use of flares - nicely judged. The use of custom objects lent a professional air to the level. It's a bit linear but with a good flow between areas without all that annoying back and forth stuff. On the down side, and these are minor gripes, few enemies to speak of, no timed runs, not much in the agility stakes and the secrets were too easy to find. All together 50 minutes of very enjoyable gameplay." - Diz

"How nice to have a new builder who has had sufficient practise with the level editor to be able to build a 'dark' level that still enables players to actually see what they're doing. Well done, mac. For a debut level, it is pretty good overall - very solidly built, with some impressive flybys, although perhaps some of the rooms could have used a bit more 'furniture' to dress them. At first I thought the gameplay might turn out to be nothing more than a button pushing exercise, but it developed nicely, with a block puzzle and good use made of an ice wraith among other things, as you find a gold skull, a clock and three crystals. Apart from the aforementioned wraith, enemies are sparse - a couple of somethings I couldn't make out that can be shot from above, an ahmet and a couple of bats. There are three secrets to find and you'd have to be trying really hard to miss them. Although it has two parts, overall it's quite short, but sets a brisk pace, certainly hinting at excellent things to come from this builder in future." - Jay

"A double level, with each part about 15 minutes in duration, that will serve you well with a rather relaxing raid. Initially a bit of back and forth but nothing to strenuous and it is all pretty straightforward with a few buttons to push and crucial items to collect. The whole setting is a bit too grey maybe, but the fires and the special effect glows do spice things up enough to create a decent environment here. Things do pick up a bit towards the end with a short wraith chase (nice to see the ice freezing element again) and the clock room is well done and a suitable highlight at the end of the adventure. All in all, solidly done for a debut with some neat effects, but maybe a little too tame and uninspired in the overall gameplay department." - MichaelP