Level reviews

"Underwhelming level, but some bits are somewhat charming like the wall level where you can kinda see what the builder was trying to do, the last winter level also had some interesting custom assets so that's a plus. Might be useful for builders but that's about it." - Neltharion

"With the exception of Xmas Horror featuring a handful new objects and enemies, all other levels seem simple tutorial tries from the author. You'd also be forgiven for thinking Great Wall Revisited is some sort of remake from the TR2 level (it's not). The two Home levels are hilariously short though. 10 minutes. 11/19" - Treeble

"Even by test level standards, these are incredibly short. Antarctica 2: a couple of jumps over ice platforms to reach a button that leads to a switch that opens a gate...right next door. Nothing much else. The Great Wall of China: this looks nothing like the original level, but there is a small ounce of enjoyment here with a couple of (easy) enemies to combat, a key to find, a suicidal crow (yep, you heard that right) and an interesting little manoeuvre needed to progress that's not actually mentioned in the walkthrough (put Lara on the very edge of the tile then side flip, it worked for me). The textures are bland, though. Xmas Horror: this is pretty funny, although not substantial. A nice outfit for Lara, a very brief snowmobile ride, a praying mantis (ridiculously simple) and a Shiva to fight. Use a key and it ends. As is the case with most test levels, at the end I was wondering what the whole point of it all was. About 7 minutes." - Ryan

"Another pack of short test levels in different locations, but this time with no much interest. The gameplay is simple in all them, based only about pull some switches and find some keys to open doors. In one of the levels there is a phantom hole causing the player get stucked, and in another one there is a Lara with... two faces! Perhaps the author got his purpose testing features, but for me the levels were not very entertaining." - Jose

"I'm not sure about the provenance of the various - test levels' available for download hereâ€"or indeed their purpose, as in many instances what was supposedly being tested appears to be the most basic of setups. But of course I had to see the praying mantis. And having seen it, I can see why other reviewers would rather refer to it as - a strange green stick-man'. How disappointing to watch it stand like glued into place, pathetically trying to claw at Lara until dispatched with a single blast from the shotgun. Not really recommended, no." - Mulf

"One more! Let's again test a bunch of setups which aren't even used anymore. There are still a few of these to go... What do we have here? A trip around the whole world. We infiltrate a base in Antarctica and visit a Great Wall of London, where we can meet a rare instance of crow which dies before taking a single bullet. This segment ends in a very annoying way, just before we pick up the uzis. Then we take a break in a manor which we start with pistols, so we can shoot at defenseless Winston unlike in TR3, but the guy still doesn't die, even from 1178 bullets (here's where the unpickable uzis would be useful, but I just left Lara on pistol auto fire as I washed the dishes). When we appreciate the mansion size, which is more realistic than the classic one was, we move to another manor, of even more realistic size. After that one a selection globe appears to offer a choice between a Christmas horror and two crashes to desktop, so choose wisely. The last segment takes place again in Antarctica, nicely wrapping the plot in a full circle. The RX ship is totally buried in ice except from the name sticking out, so it's been a long time. Here we fight two nicely customized enemies, but what to do with the remaining tons of bullets? SUMMARY: Ten minutes of test levels, the rest is up to your imagination." - DJ Full

"For a nice change of pace, I found myself going through test levels that feel more like an excuse for the builder to show off his skills, rather than serving as anything particularly beneficial or enlightening, as far as future generations of level designers go. While most of the incredibly short levels included within this package aren't anything particularly noteworthy at the end of the day however, I do have to admit to finding the inclusion of two custom opponents while having Lara run around in a Santa Claus outfit in the last level to be quite refreshing(even if they can both be taken down with relatively few problems on your part.) Not really something that I'd classify as a must-play though." - Ceamonks890

"There are five odd parts to this odd little level. I say 'little' level because it's so short. I'm not used to completing a part of a level and for the stats to read in seconds rather than hours and minutes. It's all rather hit and miss with ideas being tried out that either don't work that well or work but a lot of effort will be needed to make it playable or enjoyable. Baddies include a retextured Shiva, lots of rats and a strange green stick-man." - Diz

"This is a series of vignettes comprising a few of the early TR settings, i.e. Antarctica, the Great Wall (which looks nothing like the Great Wall), a couple of trips to the mansion (during the second part of which Lara acquires a double face and looks remarkably like something I remember from an episode of the X Files) and a final snow filled section with Lara in a Santa outfit, briefly riding a snowmobile and killing a couple of unusual enemies. Quite interesting as far as test levels go." - Jay

"A short adventure of five levels, most of them with few enemies and all with an end trigger, with some interesting, but some sloppy parts - only look at the two mansion levels. The mantis and the big monster at the end looked quite good, and it was very innovative. Surely the highlight of an else rather uneventful levelpack." - manarch2

"This has to be shortest level-set ever built! Level One - Antarctica 2: One small icy area to explore,and a couple of doors to open.Wallpaper'd textures and no lighting. Level Two - The Great wall of China revisited: This bears no resemblance whatsoever to the Tr2 level,and seems to be a Base of some kind.There's actually a degree of gamplay here;with a couple of jumps,interesting barbed-wire trap,and a baddy to shoot.The textures are wallpaper'd and there's no lighting. Level Three - Mansion.This is well textured,and you get to shoot Winston;but that's absolutely all. Level Four - Small House. There ought to be music playing when Lara pushes the button by the Stereo,but everything remains quiet.Not that you'd notice,as you'll be too distracted by the double-headed Lara Mutant to care too much. Nothing else to report. Level Five - Christmas Horror. This is actually rather fun for the 3 minutes it lasts. Ride a Snowmobile;crawl through spikes;shoot a Praying Mantis,and slaughter a giant Ice Warrior for a fast-moving showdown.The textures are wallpaper'd and there's no lighting - and I have a strange sense of deja-vu. It's difficult (not to say a little unfair) to review test levels;but as the builder never progressed to the genuine article,this miniscule offering will have to do." - Orbit Dream

"Five short connected levels. The first two play kind of ok, but the two mansion levels seem out of place and unnecessary. In the last one, Lara features a cute outfit and you get to kill two interesting custom enemies. It's all over in only a few minutes." - MichaelP

"Five small test levels. The start is promising, a nice little Antarctica scene with a good pickup, but that is all there is--the level is over after barely a minute. The next level loads automatically, and Lara keeps her pickup, so maybe this will be okay. But four of these levels aren't much longer than the first level. Among the highlights were a bird squawking, then seeing it dead on its back in a pool, without Lara firing a shot. In "Xmas Horror" there is a large bright green preying mantis, and an alien shiva. In "Small House," Lara has two faces, which might be glitch. In the end, this feels a bit like one of those TV commercials with lots of fast cuts, where you're not sure what product is being featured." - dmdibl