Level reviews

"Five levels of simple graphics but gameplay is good minus the key pickups hard to spot even if you pay attention and even if you expect them. Misc pickups are visible but you never need any so you can save time by skipping them. Audio is okay but the whole thing is optional." - DJ Full

"A series of short levels which don't really stand out much, in fact I think it'd might have been in the author's best interest to have worked all of the areas into one single level and add more polish, which it sorely needs. As it is, all five levels in here are a series of generally boxy rooms without a lot of care to texturing (lots of wallpapered tiles) and the motifs don't change much, it's always gardens or underwater tunnels. There's one level which is nearly pitch black as you run around a huge room dodging mummies and collecting flares (if you want to) before climbing up a wall. Nothing to write home about, I'm afraid. 35 minutes. 08/22" - Treeble

"In this game, Lara (and the player) travels through five very short levels in search of the Spear of Destiny. The most substantial level had a duration of just over 15 minutes, so you shouldn't go in expecting a substantial playing experience. In most of the levels, there are hints of complex gameplay (the boulder and blade traps and a couple of swimming sequences), but it's incredibly linear and you'll not be getting stuck here. The most taxing section I found was having to scavenge an underwater labyrinth for a ceiling lever and (optional) pickups. There was an unnerving dark room with mummies that was rather challenging, though. Not bad, debut- wise though and there is potential, just not fully brought to the fore." - Ryan

"Everything in this level is rather basic, from the gameplay which only very rarely gets beyond the usual item quest, over the boxy areas, to extremely bland visuals - there's almost no lighting used in the whole game; mainly the overly bright settings are at least player-friendly, but in the second level the constant darkness is highly annoying. There are also several extremely tedious moments, like the underwater passages in the first level, or the incredibly long crawlspace in the fourth, generally it seems the builder has just built several rooms and connected them with passages, as long as they might be, which is rather poor design work in my book, as well as some rooms where ceiling, walls and floor are textured with exactly one(!) texture. After 40 minutes I was rather glad to finish this level." - manarch2

"This level set was certainly a mixed experience for me. I'll start with the positives first. It's nice to see an early author level working with some more advanced objects, etc than normal. Most of the textures and objects selected were of high quality. I also liked the fact that a custom load title was included (always a good sign of effort). Music outside of the standard TR4 bundle was also included to add a little bit of depth. In terms of gameplay, most of it I found straight forward with the exception of a few boulder sections. I loved the deep dive sections swimming down long passages. Those sorts of sections featured allot in the early core games, but you don't often see them in levels today, so plus points for that! The core issue here for me was really the lighting (or rather the complete and total absence of it). Everything is bathed in a very flat light, and the whole set of levels could have been made to look substantially more attractive with the use of a few shadow bulbs. Texturing definitely also needs improvement however I am pleased to report that while repetitive, I didn't notice any stretched textures or wafer thin walls. Water was also frequently un-textured. I found the 'darkness level' completely frustrating. I really don't like the mummy enemies from TR4 that you cant kill with the pistols anyway, so filling a dark room with loads of them was really my idea of hell. That said once you get over the initial disorientation of that section it was actually straightforward enough to complete. The other thing that ultimately seemed strange was the number of levels. I'm pretty sure the author could have fitted all of the spaces explored here into one map. The last level seems like a bit of a pointless inclusion, and any release which just crashes to the desktop at the end really doesn't seem right. It's not a bad release, especially for a debut level however. Total gameplay time for me was 1 hour 8 minutes. Stiggy" - TheStig

"This set of five levels is a bit underwhelming, as you get to finish it rather quickly in less than 45 minutes and wonder what it was all for.
Acqua Sacra (4/3/5/5, 11 min): Very loong and breathtaking dives to manage here, many underwater switches and two looping camera flybys. The skull is rather sneakily hidden and easy to miss and at least one camera hint would have been helpful.
Tomba dei Demoni (4/4/3/3, 6 min): Pitch black, but with the help of torches and flares quite achievable - even though it is not really fun to search for a skull and a single jump switch in a huge dark room filled with mummies.
Gardini Sacri (6/6/6/6, 13 min): The most substantial part of the set, thankfully in the bright daylight again. There is even a hint of a puzzle with the switch you get to use twice, a small underwater maze and a few blade and boulder traps. It was also nice to come back around to the start of the level again.
La Lancia del Destino / I cancelli della liberta (4/5/4/5, 7+2 min): Not a very exciting conclusion, with a needlessly long crawl for a key, a few trapdoors and the big prize then immediately gets used as a crowbar - LOL. Still, a good debut effort in trying to tell a bit of a story. It just lacks the inspiration and a few strong puzzles or action to really be an entertaining adventure." - MichaelP

"This level made by a novice builder is not so bad, although this builder for sure does love long, very long tunnels. Whether they go up or down, with or without water, long tunnels. But getting a crash every time I reloaded, especially in the first couple of levels, is not so good. The animation of pick-ups is not right, so there is work to do here. Also in the lighting department, that for sure could use some fixing, from overly bright to extremely dark, and NO, providing flares in abundance isn't the answer. A builder has told me that building a maze is an easy (read lazy) solution to prolong a game play, so are underwater mazes and they are even worse for us players. I couldn't see the purpose in this underwater maze at all apart from drowning a lot, so I left the goodies one could find in here for what they were. I wonder if these levels were ever tested." - Gerty

"This is pretty basic stuff, and even though there are five tr4 files you should be able to finish in well under an hour. Others have commented on the amateurish lighting, but at least you can see everything that's going on around you, and that's always a plus in my book. If you're going to stumble here, it will probably be in the hidden pickups that are to be found in the most unlikely places. Apart from that everything's fairly straightforward. I don't recall many enemies other than the mummies in the dark second (but brief) level. I can't report that it's one of the finer productions out there, but I had a fairly good time making my way along while writing a walkthrough with the help of Tom's notes. Mostly for beginning raiders." - Phil

"A multi-levels game which does not last very long [ 45 minutes of net gaming time ] with nothing difficult to achieve. In 'Giardini Sacri' , i had to reload an ealier savegame because as the 'Erba Sacra' was missed, it was difficult to reach the ramps again because the rolling balls which had fallen at the first passage were a huge hindrance for Lara to proceed. The looks (too bright, safe for a pitch black area where you find enough torches and flares) are rather solid but 'basic' and suffer from absence of lighting. I notice that Lara can move while the fly-bys play & the falling underwater doors were funny to watch. The game is on the whole pleasant and with some originality." - eRIC

"A debut with a five levels adventure! Well, but they are short. Very few enemies, I found the shotgun but not really an use for it. Some rooms are excessively and unnecessary large, like the very long swims or the very long crawlspace to pick up the key. The level with all those mummies was excessively dark, but there are enough flares, of course, lol! I missed some puzzles, 'cause the game consists only about pull switches and find objects to open doors; there are some traps too. I've got a problem with a camera reloading again and again till I moved Lara out of the trigger tile (perhaps "one shot" button forgotten) and I needed to look in the forum to find the first sacred grass. Textures are not bad, perhaps levels need more work with the lights. Anyway a good debut. We'll see the next creations from this builder; I think we cand find an improvement." - Jose

"This is a nicely built level and I was impressed by the looks of it, considering this is the first one by this builder. I did have mixed feelings during playing this level mainly because there were some parts that I really enjoyed and others not so. I didn't like the fact that most important pickups are so well hidden and there are no hints or cameras. Like this small plant hidden inside another plant. Thanks to the forums help I was able to continue. There are also some graphic flaws in between and the game crashed to the desktop a few times at the beginning instead of going to the reload screen and same at the final trigger. The lighting is very uniform and bright throughout the level, except for one part where there is complete darkness and literally hundreds of flare to pick up while getting attacked by a bunch of mummies. Good thing Lara also has 2 torches available. I actually liked that part - I though it was nice because it was different. Best played in a dark room and a rather bright monitor though. Once one know where to look for important pickups the level isn't really that hard at all. It can be easily completed in about 1 1/2 hours, just if you don't miss any of the essential items and have to backtrack a lot like I did. The builder seems very talented and I hope there it more to come, maybe a bit more beta testing before release to test the cameras etc.. I would recommend this level, definitely a very good debut level." - Blue43

"As with so many levels built with hi-res textures,this initially fools you into believing that you're playing a far superior level to that which you actually end up with.It's not long before the flat lighting,unambitious architecture and linear gameplay combine to make you appreciate that this is very much a beginner's effort.The oddly chosen pickups (a small blade of grass to place inside a Bowl??)and their awkward hiding places are rather irritating,but you get the hang of the builders gameplay design after a while and it gradually develops it's own personality;and rather enjoyable it is,for all that. There are very few enemies (merely a collection of mummies in a large dark room),but plenty of speed nonetheless (especially the rolling boulder traps);and everything zips along in a fun sort of way for around an hour. What's needed for future relases is a better grasp of lighting to increase the atmosphere (lacking most of the time here) and a decent beta-tester.The signs of promise are definately all there,but they undoubtedly need a lot of refinement." - Orbit Dream

"Five short levels with impish game play. Like making it impossible for Lara to jump over tiny trim fences, so players miss the first skull. Then when Lara comes back for it from next door, the entry gate slams shut again, making her repeat flips to upper floors, rather than simply returning with the skull. Usually, cleverly hidden secrets, when done with humor, enhance a level, but here the hidden pickups aren't secrets but are vital to continue. Even in Giardini Sacri (or, as Lara would say, Sacred Gardens), a longer middle level which I thought had interesting design, there is a double-switch gag, and the elemental pickup is invisible, buried in foliage. Once I figured out the author's ploys, I noted how difficult it was for Lara to jump behind an open gate where there was a mess of dense foliage--so immediately Lara jumps there, and finds a needed key. Various boulder challenges add spice. The use of objects, such as trees and metal trapdoors, was good. But there isn't much in the way of atmosphere, and lighting is either light or totally dark. These levels are fun if you're prepared for a bit of trickster game play. A promising author debut." - dmdibl

"An easy one, with lots of hidden objects that you can't miss, but overally the levels are quite linear. Mostly these leaves/skulls under some leaves so it will prove to be hard to find them for the first time. But once you realise the builder repeats doing this in every level, you'll find these stuffs easily. I think this levelset doesn't have proper lighting at all. Only the 2nd level, the whole thing is dark, but nothing else. Otherwise, the builder uses some basic stuff in the levels, like avoiding boulders, swimming, collecting hidden goodies, shooting balls and such. I think these things are nicely variated throughout the levels. Nice musics used. Enjoyable one, I'm looking forward to the builders next level." - rtrger

"This level consists of five sections in all, but they are all quite short so the entire game isn't as hefty as you might expect. The settings are mainly light, bright and quite attractive, apart from the second segment, which takes place mainly in a large pitch black room full of zombies and numerous packs of flares, which are rendered somewhat superfluous thanks to the provision of a torch. The gameplay perhaps relies rather too heavily on the same devices (notably the finding and placing of invisible plants and a lot of swimming) but there are nice touches here and there and a good boulder/slicer trap sequence at one point. Occasionally I found the camera work rather disorientating, particularly in the earlier sections, almost as though the builder's ambition had slightly outstripped his (or her) technical expertise. Overall though, it's a decent effort for a debut build, with comparatively few hallmarks of the complete novice and I await future levels from this builder with interest." - Jay

"Acqua Sacra: Immediately in the first level one can see which is this the first level of this level builder. With the first dive one sees because a few stretched textures. Indeed, this is in my opinion rather an careless mistake, because otherwise it sees, at least what I up to this time look is able, very well. I suppose that the level was not tested or maybe not enough. Since testers would have noted such a thing certainly and would have responded. The thing with the four Jumpswitches with which one has to find out the right one after the Trial-and-Error-principle is however not a beginner's mistake. I have seen such a thing already in other levels. But this is nevertheless absolutely superfluous, because there the whole play fun gets lost. Otherwise still strikes that the level builder must work in his next level with the lighting. It is not so nice because even if it is mostly steadily light. This should not be called which looks not good it all together, but some more atmospheric lighting should already be. The Flybys are released for my taste too early. Just with the second Flyby one can recognise this very clearly. Lara jumps away from a slant to the back and one hears only that she has probably landed on the ground, because one cannot see it because already the Flyby is played. These Flyby is a little bit too hectic for my taste. The level builder should more exactly deal with this subject still once. Otherwise I have well liked this level. The stretched textures at the level beginning were quite actual only an careless mistake.
Tomba dei Demoni: This level is the exact opposite of Acqua Sacra. He is just pitch-dark. Though one finds many Flares and two torches, but it is not nice if one must walk around with so little light. Particularly as here also many mummies are a party to it, but Lara, unfortunately, no suitable weapons has. Just because of this darkness one can overlook the important Jumpswitch very easily.
Giardini Sacri: This level has a few good ideas. However, to me has struck which the underwater grid doors which Lara opens by hand a wrong animation have. If the door is open he falls down. I have noted this already in the first level. The underwater labyrinth is luckily relatively small and easy to grasp. Nevertheless, an air hole would have quite felt well here, because one can collect here a lot and because the way is a little bit long to the normal air hole, one must swim several times to and fro. Unfortunately, the big wheels have no sound. And the things to be found are partially hidden too well. It is not so nice if, for example, important keys lie somewhere in the middle of a plant, thus one can find them only with a lot of luck.
La Lancia del Destino and I cancelli della Liberta: These both levels are built quite well. However, they are a little bit short. And also here has the level builder hidden important things too well.
For a first work it has quite felt well all together. However, there are some things which the level builder should follow in his next level. It is always bad anyway if keys or similar are hidden so well which one can find them, actually, only by chance. The level builder should absolutely work on the lighting. Since either it was pitch-dark in a few rooms, or it was most time equally brightly with few exceptions. Hence, it would very feel well if he got some tester aboard, because they would draw the attention of him then also to both careless mistakes with the textures. With the sound there was, up to an exception, no problems. However, the level builder should insert a few camera hints in his next level, so that the inclined player knows what the lever or the key causes." - Scottie