Levels listed...
TR5 - 33
TR4 - 3193
TR3 - 183
TR2 - 140
TR1 - 67
73976 reviews (20.4/level)
3605 (99.7%) walkthroughs
456 Hall of Fame levels
1264 levels rated >= 8
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release date: |
13-May-2011 |
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# of downloads: |
300 |
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average rating: |
9.21 |
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review count: |
31 |
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review this level |
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file size: |
67.49 MB |
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file type: |
TR4 |
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class: |
nc |
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| Reviewer's comments |
"This is a puzzle-heavy level with a good selection of enemies to combat. The most difficult
part is some of the really difficult jumps. And a lot of them have to be made in order to
succeed in the level. While this is a good level, I would suggest all to try this one out!" - g12STL (09-Jun-2022) |
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| "Texturing and architecture were a bit ugly to be honest, and didn't do the good idea justice. Some of the fancy objects clashed visually with the simple texturing. It looks too empty. The game play is a mix of parts that felt slightly too easy or too hard. The game ends very abruptly when you reach the boat. Generally OK to play, but nothing amazing at least by modern standards." - tuxraider (28-May-2022) |
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| "What a beautiful level. A credit and a wonder. I must admit to getting emotional whilst playing this thinking of Mugs and her now eternal rest. I hope she is raiding well. The level itself in my opinion was faultless. I had no real issues with this at all, yes even the curved jumps and the two shooting ranges. A few practice exercises to get things lined up and away we went. I had more trouble on that damn conveyor belt lol. Movable puzzle boxes that were not that hard to figure out. I loved the concept of what Lara was there for and how Mugs brought it off. This is true raiding in my opinion. The whole atmosphere was fantastic. I simply cannot praise this enough and hence it deserves a perfect score and it's Hall of Fame position." - Torry (25-Mar-2018) |
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| "Pat has created a wonderful recreation of the island of Alcatraz (although I've not actually seen the film this level is based on, so any other comparisons are pretty much pointless) and provided us with an enjoyable 2 hours worth of raiding. You start outside and have to work your way through the prison, the power plant and sewers to finally make your escape in a dinghy. There are a couple of tricky moments that are easily accomplished with a bit of practice, although I was stone-walled by a couple of banana jumps that had me reloading a few times, plus a ladder that, probably due to the limitations of the editor, seemed to take ages to grab. But those are minor gripes in an otherwise wonderful experience. Highly recommended." - Ryan (17-Feb-2016) |
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| "A great level here from Mugs. I must admit I've never seen the film that this is based upon but I having seen pictures of Alcatraz I think mugs has done a great job of trying to recreate it in the editor. Level structure is excellent. You start from the outside and slowly work you way through the outer buildings, power station before finally making your way into the prison itself. Lighting and texturing are excellent and music queues are well selected. A brief word of warning. While the time available for the timed sections is generous you might find yourself getting frustrated with the odd banana jump here or there. That said there's nothing here that should leave anyone stone-walled and the level's quality and presentation will want you to keep pressing on. Being set in a prison there's plenty of guys with guns to take care of with a few frantic fire-fights in places. All in all I netted 2 hours from Alcatraz. It's a great piece of work from Mugs and I look forward to playing more of their levels. Highly Recommended, Stiggy." - TheStig (26-Apr-2012) |
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| "Knowing the way Pat construct levels you can expect timed runs and jumping. Btw, whoever invented the banana jump must have some stock in the keyboard business. So Pat you owe me a keyboard, as this banana jump is the pits. Then I experienced two nasty bugs, one with a timed run that was not that bad, the timed run I mean and then another while time shooting targets and where Lara wouldn't grab a ladder. For me those were the killers in this quite adventures game. Also found some boxes floating above the ground. This is a real pity though as the story is a good one and this compound looked very interesting. Blowing up the missiles was quite rewarding but all in all not my cup of tea." - Gerty (12-Jan-2012) |
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| "This time, we discovered Lara near a small island transformed in prison.
Tis adventure is very well done with the little town around the prison and we can visit the entire island if we want.
The gameplay is not really hard but some object are very well hidden.
The new NG puzzle are also great specially in the third level and the second level with the amazing gliss sequence.
I never see the movie on this game is based (james bond is not my type of movies), so I don't know if the atmosphere respect the movie but I suppose ^^. But the idea of rebuilt an entire island is GREAT, and this island is perfect and awsome, I can imagine the nombers of rooms to built it.
The game is not too dark, I nerver used flares so it's a very good thing.
I also really like the wink to Stephen King novel, "Shawshank Redemption"^^ ... NICE IDEA Mugs.
So, a wonderful adventure to keep on your computer and playable by everyone.
Thanks Mugs for this game.
Highly recommended." - BigFoot (07-Dec-2011) |
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| "Alcatraz is a very good 3-level set based on the famous island prison of the same name. Lara's mission here is simple - take out the bad guys, find a truckload of TNT and blow stuff up - and that's always fun. The game plays comfortably through the realistically created outdoor island and buildings and then takes you deeper into the realms of the power plant and the prison cell blocks. There is a good balance of gameplay elements with some featured areas that include a wonderful conveyor belt sequence, a laser floor puzzle and some excellent timed target shooting sequences. There is good texture selection and application throughout on the well-constructed geometry. The levels are pleasantly bright, but always a good atmosphere is conveyed. There are a few trivial flaws with opening cell doors passing through beds in cells (not conveying realism), an incorrect lever animation (large switch instead of small electrical switch) and some strange switch setups which resulted in relevant trapdoors or ropes not being triggered if you jumped off trigger tiles too quickly. (Bah! why do parts of my reviews always end up like beta-testing reports? - sorry it's the builder in me not the player). There's good choices for enemies, their placement and intensity of attacks. In an area near the lava room enemy triggers were easily bypassed by hopping up on surrounding blocks. For me, the highlight of this game is the brilliantly constructed layout of the island level - Sally Port. It gives a real feeling of being at a true location. The end of the world views of a layout which is totally surrounded by ocean is mildly distracting, and is always problematic for a builder, but there is no easy solution for this particular layout. Gameplay is never too hard, so the game is recommended for players of all skill levels. I'll attribute the allocation of available medipacs to good planning by the builder. I tend to be a bit easy-going with losing a bit of life here and there, and although it makes me nervous when I'm down to 1-2 small medis in the inventory, it adds an extra element of tension to the gameplay and that was certainly the case in the later stages of the game. This ain't no treasure hunt - so no souvenirs on this mission (bar a note about fixing the loo's), but you will have the satisfaction and bragging rights to say that you broke into, infiltrated and took out a terrorist group, and escaped again from Alcatraz prison - all in a matter of a couple of hours - Excellent!!! Pat's building skills have really stepped up a notch here - it's a fun mission that should be high on your 'must play'list." - EssGee (16-Aug-2011) |
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| "A very good adventure in Alcatraz island. The only thing I didn't like was that nasty banana jump in the Power Plant area. Also, for some reason, I couldn't hear the background music in many areas. The first part was the best for me, with outside scenarios and variety of tasks; the prison area was tricky, a real labyrinth where you have to look carefully all corners if you don't want to get stuck. There are ingenious puzzles, action and danger; good ambience and no much backtracking. A ride with the boat at the end could be a fantastic final for this great adventure. Recommended." - Jose (27-Jul-2011) |
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| "This was a wonderful adventure to play. And I think its main strength is not the carefully selected textures and the well crafted environment, but more so the great sense of plot that this three level set has. All the time spent here (> 90 minutes in total), I always had a sense of purpose and felt like I was really there - a great accomplishment. It starts out a little badly with the wide open water space and invisible horizon walls, but then quickly takes you in with a few clever timed jumps. You explore the port and get to do a bit of target shooting, visit a nice little church and then quickly do a little detour into the power plant that just oozes atmosphere. Unfortunately it also has the biggest flaw of the game - an inappropriately tricky banana jump that took be something like 50 tries to master. The subsequent timed jumps were a piece of cake by comparison, even though that part is also challenging, but at least fairly doable. I loved the conveyor belts and wished there would have been more gameplay including them. Another slight gameplay flaw was the much too easy to miss keys on the table here. Back in the port you are treated to a nice little push object puzzle in the laundry before entering the heart of the adventure - the Prison itself. Obviously you will be encountering about two dozen guards and a few dogs here, but it really did not play as a shooter. Instead, it is all about cleverly finding your way through all the corridors and cells. A very enjoyable quest indeed. I loved the shower room and the sewer section, as well as the laser trap room, which was simple but very effective and just cool looking. The poster in the cell was a nice touch (even though kind of from the wrong movie - LOL). And then last but not least the two very fun timed target shooting passages near the end - another highlight. I almost felt a bit cheated that the escape route is not actually timed, but that is a minor gripe in an otherwise splendidly entertaining level set! Highly recommended!" - MichaelP (25-Jul-2011) |
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| "Excellent series of levels where Lara is sent to an island
to stop a terrorist order wanting to destroy San Francisco;
the mission will be special and full of action, considering
the levels that she's going to attend: the port, a power
plant and finally the prisons.
1) Sally Port. (8 8 10 10)
In this first level we find ourselves starting from an
island in the open air and Lara has to find a way to get
inside the power plant first and then in the prisons. The
gameplay is already quite addictive, whereas from the
beginning there is to face a time trial with some platforms
and beams and then shoot with revolver and lasersight while
standing on a timed platform. After passing another area and
moved a few blocks, Lara will come in the hub of the island
with watch towers: then she will shoot a good number of
guards and perform a series of actions to find a way to
enter a building and shoot at a target with revolver and
lasersight. The sequence of the first level ends temporarily
in a building, but at the end of the second level, Lara
comes back with a key, entering another building in which
several boxes have to be moved and some levers not so
visible to be pulled in order to end the level and enter the
prison; the only "wrong" thing is the fact that, coming back
from the power plant, the port seems to restart all over
again because the collected pickups and killed enemies
return. So most things don't focus on this first level, even
if we already find something interesting, both in terms of
gameplay and puzzles. We find a secret with which I
personally have had no difficulty in discovering. As enemies
we have guards, dogs and 2 sharks (they actually may not
attack if you avoid going to "open sea"). But let's speak
about the atmosphere, the setting: it is something
wonderful; even if there's no comparision because they are 2
different contests, it has reminded of Coastal Ruins of TR
last revelation, perhaps because of the wide range of lights
used. Great music, especially the one during the fight
against the surveillance is just suitable, a bit like in the
action movies with shootings. Also great lights-textures and
the grey color of the sky around the island seems to
indicate that there is nothing but the void: so distressing
gives a sense of exile (it's a positive point of view
because similiar to reality).
2) Power Plant. (9 8 9 9)
This second level itself is quite short and the main purpose
is to retrieve a key needed to open a door on the previous
level, the one that will lead to the prisons. Although it's
a small level, in terms of gameplay there are among the most
interesting parts: first, Lara has to pull a lever that
triggers some timed platforms (the proof is quite simple,
just not to fall in acid while jumping, but it is important
to wait a second, otherwise the time trial doesn't start);
after this Lara has to jump over a series of horizontal-
linear slopes as well hang a beam and choose where to land
on the way, so that when it comes to the end you are able to
jump-land on the right safe part and not in acid (I found
this challenge quite fun neither easy nor difficult, you
should only study where the jumps have to be made). After
finding a lever, after going over alternating fires while
crawling, Lara will go to the heart of the plant and, after
killing a few workers, the most difficult parts of the
entire series are going to arrive: in the first one, the
hardest one, Lara has to make a difficult curved banana
jump, then taking a run-up and land to the next one, as to
avoid the front wall (the first few times it took me several
attempts, then gradually it was becoming easier, but I'm
sure that if i did this part again, it would need further
training before getting on easily); once landed at last on
the next ledge, Lara will face another good time trial in
which she will use several beams, turn around and jump on a
slope, hoping that around the next beam there is no fire at
that very moment and jump on the latest platforms at once
(certainly easier than the curved jump, but this challenge
gives a hard time too!). After still using the revolver and
lasersight, shot at other guards and collected an object,
Lara has to return to the previous area to insert the object
and retrieve the so sweaty key; just go a little on to find
yourself at the beginning of this level and therefore where
we are going out. About the gameplay there is no doubt, it's
excellent, demonstrating that in a small level with a few
areas like this, you can make the game very dynamic! There
are not many puzzles, but they never miss. Another secret to
find, this is not difficult (between pickups we get the
shotgun); just look carefully, especially on your back!
Always a good number of enemies and objects: the workers and
armed men. Excellent atmosphere in this area inside; pretty
noisy as the background soundtrack, what a pity for the
absence of other soundtracks except for time trials.
Excellent light-texture, just somewhere a little dark but
not excessively.
3) Prison. (10 10 10 10)
Certainly the hardest level among the 3 ones, vast, various,
globally the richest of all elements necessary to get a good
result; surely the pearl of the level of the series playable
in about half an hour, once you know what to do (otherwise,
the duration can be much higher). The purpose of this level
is to find among the various sectors of cells 4 charges of
TNT necessary to destroy missiles aimed against the city;
not at all simple because Lara will need to unlock the
various cells, find hidden passages, find an object to
unlock the cells of another sector as the inherent lever
does not work, perform complex jumps, use blocks to reach a
jumpswitch, many more blocks to move close together in a
small room in order to free a passage, turn off a sentry
gun, shoot at many guards. But let's speak about the most
exciting and engaging parts! Lara has to jump into a room on
a floor covered with boxes of laser (graphically remarkable
among other things) but there are some of them where really
there are no lasers: the player has to understand which
boxes are safe. Another interesting part is the "Target
Practice" where we will face 2 challenges where we have to
shoot at targets: in the first room from the wall some boxes
with targets inside open and Lara will shoot all of them by
using revolver and lasersight (not always easy since the
targets appear to be in rather distant zones from each other
and Lara finds herself on a box where she cannot move
because the entrance is closed by a gate, while in the rest
of the room there is mortal water); in the second challenge,
very easier, Lara slips on a timed platform and she will
have to shoot 3 other targets, but the problem is not so
much to aim the targets but to escape once you have finished
the objective (Lara should hang on a ladder that lies above
the platform: but it seems that it is not so easy to catch
the ladder). Finally at the end of the game, after placing
the 4 charges of TNT, Lara will face the last time trial
which consists of escaping from the place that is going to
explode! Fronting the challenge means to jump on the void by
using a rope, landing on the slopes where you have to jump
at the right time to hang the ceiling from which to proceed
and fall into the water, where with a small motor boat, Lara
can move towards the end of the series. So we have a very
interesting gameplay, perfect, and even puzzles that are
repeated constantly, particularly the ones with the revolver
and lasersight, even if it has become a little repeatitive,
unless you expect, it has to be used several times. We find
another secret (Uzi), neither this complicated, but it's
certainly more than the previous ones as in the place where
it was put, the player's head is definitely drenched in what
ever has to do with at that time and hardly may come to his
own mind the presence of the secret itself at the first
time. Great number of enemies (guards and dogs), but as
weapons in addition to 2 pistols and revolver we can have
the shotgun and the Uzi if collected with the 2 last
secrets. Spectacular setting: the fact of being inside these
prisons, the cells seem so real! Excellent soundtracks,
especially in the room with the lasers and excellent lights-
textures.
In conclusion, a series of levels that no one should miss: a
masterpiece by Hall of Fame with no doubt. Not quite 100%
perfect for the presence of bugs related to the time trials
rather than blocks moving, but never mind, considering how
everything else was developed. Surely one of those series
that sticks in your head and that will be fun to be replayed
in the future! Big congratulations to the author! Hall of
Fame guaranted!" - Steven Svorticher (22-Jul-2011) |
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| "Very good Mugs !!! I have thought about trying a level myself, but don't have the patience... congratulations on an excellent creation !!! It was interesting, fun and challenging - I loved the target practice !!! I know you've been around since the "beginning", so it must be very rewarding to actually do some levels yourself - this was the best yet !!!" - Juno Jim (25-Jun-2011) |
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"Sally Port: Definitely the most visually interesting level in this game, with its green and grey colour scheme, and an interesting and very explorable outdoor area filled with buildings and trees and surrounded by the sea. I had some moments of confusion near the beginning, because I explored a long and tricky path at the edge of the water, but it led to a dead end. But on reloading an older save, I was back on track, and the level flowed fairly smoothly after that. The first time around in this level mostly involves finding buttons to shoot, but there's an interesting push-block puzzle during the second trip (unfortunately, it's easy to do the puzzle wrong and get completely stuck).
Power Plant: This level is fairly short, and mostly involves some complex jumps and timed runs. I especially enjoyed the room with the slides. The only negative point in this level is that some of the switches tend to blend too much with the walls.
Prison: This is undoubtedly the best level in this pack, with fantastic gameplay. There are some great traps and puzzles, like the laser floor room and the two-box puzzle. But my favourite bits are the two timed shooting challenges. The prison rooms look a little too grey and identical, but that's realistic enough (prisons are not meant to be pretty, after all!) I needed the walkthrough a couple of times, particularly for spotting a very hard to see crawlspace. The finale is great, though I wish I could have had a chance to use the rubber dinghy for more than just a second.
Overall: There are a lot of enemies in this game, but they are quite easy to tackle, as you get the revolver right at the beginning and plenty of ammo; and for some reason, the guards tend not to shoot until they are quite close to you.
The places in Mugs's levels invite exploration: the outdoor area in Sally Port reminds me of her Advent level 'Scrooge', though a prison yard is supposedly the diametric opposite of Christmas village! The only negative point is the end of the world in the sea, which is visible at the outset, and spoils the effect somewhat.
Even if, like me, you haven't seen the movie this levelset is based on, it is still very enjoyable. Definitely recommended." - Mytly (12-Jun-2011) |
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| "This release is definitely a quantum leap forward for Mugs, who must have labored long and hard on this one. My gameplay was interrupted by a week-long vacation, which is perhaps fortunate in that my break in the action came right after that banana jump. Those who have played the level know exactly what I'm talking about. I dislike banana jumps on general principles, because they're contrary to the natural physics of the game, but I can tolerate them in moderation. This one, however, proved impossible for me, for although I was able to get around the pillar with room to spare, Lara would consistently slide past the neighboring ledge instead of landing safely. I finally resorted to the posted savegame in order to continue. I imagine this jump proved a game stopper for many players, and for that reason it probably shouldn't have been there. A week at the beach cooled my temper and dimmed my memory to the extent that this review is much kinder and gentler than it otherwise would have been. The rest of the game presented a variety of puzzles and tasks that were challenging but doable with persistence. The enemies were rather standard fare--dogs and goons--but that's what you'd expect in a prison setting. Similarly, the interior environs, particularly the cellblock areas, had a certain blandness and sameness to them, but again that's inherent in the setting. The outdoor sequences more than made up for this. The walkthrough provided by Blue43 was of much help to me in navigating some of the less obvious aspects of the game, and in the end I felt a sense of satisfaction in having played a well-designed raid. High recommendations." - Phil (07-Jun-2011) |
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| "I loved every part of this level :). It is a joy for this
level to be my first review. There were a few timed runs and
alot of shooting , alot of it was very creative. I only
managed to find one secret in the first level. everything was
realistic and I loved the music. The textures were perfect ,
not one seemed out of place. Overall a fantastic level :D" - ChrissyDoc (31-May-2011) |
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| "Three distinct parts to this level: an area that feels like a Coastal wad, very three dimensional with lots of climbing up to walkways and up cliff paths, an industrial area, all rusty metal and rivets, and lastly a prison level with lots of guards. Every one of these is a joy to play, mainly I think, because they are so well made, not a texture out of place, no hint of an illegal slope, everything looks real and solid. The gameplay lives up to this high standard with timed runs, timed run that isn't a timed run (you see what I mean when you play) timed shoots, one or two tricky jumps, it's all good stuff. There are lots of baddies to dispose of with extreme prejudice and, unfortunately, in this prison, there are no prisoners to help you. There's varied and appropriate lighting throughout which always gives a good atmosphere. Definitely one to play." - Diz (30-May-2011) |
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| "Mugs has been stedily improving her building skills and I must congratulate her on that. This Alcatraz game is quite fun to play and the textures and settings, plus the music and sounds, look plain good to me. There are loads of guards around the place but what can you expect when someone is trying to escape from a high security jail like the one you see just there if you visit the San Francisco piers? There are also loads of traps and tasks to perform but it's all ratherr well done and not tiring at all. I liked the timed shooting sequences (as in TR5), the outdoor areas, the cell areas and, erm, all the rest, as always I didn't take any notes - but I'd certainly know if something had displeased me or pleased me less. So, all I can say is, based on The Rock or not, this is one of those games you should definitely play if you're in need of something nice, action and puzzle-packed, and still enjoyable by just any tomb raider. Cool!" - Jorge22 (28-May-2011) |
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| "The realism of this level series is incredible. I really had the impression that I was going through Alcatraz between the rocky shores, the tough guards, the claustrophobic cells, the laundry chute, the power room (is the lava a bunch of burnt coal to power up Alcatraz?) and the dingy showers. Despite the fact that Lara's coat and pants resembled the walls of the prison, she was still spotted. The next step was sometimes gently hidden in plain sight, and there were quite a few moments where I've told myself "Ha! So it was there all along. Why didn't I look there sooner?". This level series really makes the player think by making the player scour through an entire area and ensure that all the stones have been turned. There were also a few difficult passages that took quite a few attempts to complete. Whenever I completed challenging jumps (which required either leaping with a roll, good timing and positioning, diagonal jumps or everything all at once...) or shooting range sequences (now I see why the enemies were so tough...it is Alcatraz after all), I told myself "whew I've finally made it! I wonder what will be the next challenge lurking around the corner". In spite of several difficult moments, feelings of fulfillment come at the end and make the player forget some of the struggles earlier in the level. It felt great having Lara save the city of San Francisco from those goons." - Sakusha (25-May-2011) |
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| "Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant level!! A superb level has the ability to draw you in and never let you go. Right from the start, Mugs makes you use your noggin and your skilled gaming abilities to get through this tough task. Although there are a few challenges throughout, it is not so difficult that you give up altogether, not at all. I love how Mugs used all her substantial creativity when thinking up the puzzles. The shooting range was great, and a bit sadistic! The Alcatraz prison guards had it very rough..do it right or die a horrible death! Well, it was a prison full of the worst criminals of the time! Anyway, even though I thought the game was darn near perfect, I suppose it would have been nifty to see some cool cut scenes, but now I am just being greedy. If you are a bit more skilled than a beginner, you simply must play this level, you won't be a bit disappointed, at least not until it ends. :)" - Shandroid (22-May-2011) |
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"Nearly all players will have seen, in the meantime, the
movie "The Rock". Hence, we know how it looks on the island.
And one can copy this? There I am really curious, because
thus right away occur to me only few level builder who can
copy a real place very well. Clara is of course one of these
people. The footprints are big and I am curious whether Mugs
can fill them. On the other side this should be, actually,
no problem, because Mugs belongs, finally, to the
experienced level builders.
Sally Port: So awesome the sea also looks, it would have
been better anyway if Mugs had prevented that one can swim
up to the edge of the Map. Since thereby the illusion that
one is really in the bay of San Francisco is strongly
affected. The time run is good, indeed, it is not so good
that disappears Lara briefly in the ceiling. The inclined
player gets a really good view if he is outdoors on top on
the sorrounding walkway. This looks excellent. And of course
several terrorists are on the move to make life difficult to
Lara.
Power Plant: The flow of lava in the building looked a
little bit strange. Is the island maybe a half gone out
volcano? I know, that we are here in a seismic zone. But
volcanic activities? This would be new to me. However, it
looks anyway good. The time run is not so quite easy. The
time is sufficient, but the jump from the narrow grid way to
the sloping block is the problem. Either I have jumped too
far, or I was too far on the right and could not reach the
swing pole. But with a few attempts one can also master this
problem.
Prison: Only good that I never was in this jail, because the
cells are quite small. One notices quite in general, that
Alcatraz was closed long time ago (at least for
delinquents), because here already falls the plaster from
the walls. Some important ways are camouflaged partly a
little bit too good. Thus one can recognise the fragile wall
in a cell in block A only very hard. Quite obviously has
seen mugs the movie "Shawshank Redemption", because in a
cell there hangs one of the posters which also hung in the
movie in the cell.
Summary: Apart from a few little things is this an excellent
level. I have already appealed to the things in the first
level. Moreover, one or two important ways were difficult to
recognise. Furthermore I have missed a few camera hints.
Thus I had not noted, for example, at all that both small
solitary cells were open. The time runs were seldom a
problem. One had, actually, always enough time to solve the
duties. All together a level in which one can have a lot of
fun." - Scottie (21-May-2011) |
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| "Great game ! not easy sometimes but worth every minutes, new fresh ideas stunning action 10/10 well done !" - ersatz (21-May-2011) |
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| "Oh dear , I really wonder if this time of the season was the right time for an english raider girl to infiltrate the vast fortress of Alcatraz and finally launch four nuclear missiles . The CIA and all the rest of the local intelligence will be hot on Laras heels to investigate on Americas new Number One Enemy named Lara Croft hopefully without putting too much spotlight onto Mugs who has finally hit the TRLE charts with a Number One custom game !
I really enjoyed this almost perfectly worked out thriller on my PC screen from the cool beginning to the breathtaking end." - Ruben (21-May-2011) |
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"I must admit I've been looking forward for this game. I don't know why, I've been checking the thread occasionally. At last, I had a strange dreams of green plasma tubes in the last level. I had to check it. Finally, the game is released and here I am playing it. I started from reading the readme, and this line made me laugh: "Here, she must collect 4 wads of TNT".
SALLY PORT
An inconsequence in case of monkey swing - once, a texture can be grabbed, in the other place it can't, so it's a little bit confusing. LOL at the grenade rifle in wrong hands of terrorists! Re-reaching the outdoor part again, I had a strong coastal impression. Many things are made just for looks, but with extreme level of detail. It also relates to places visited for seconds like the prison chapel, or not visited at all, like one of guard towers. Great work. What a realism! But what really marks this level unique is gameplay. There is not much to do, and if You know the path it's rather easy - but the problem is "where to now?", as You need to be observant to find the next place You're supposed to go to. It's hard to believe the same author has built Scrooge - which was, honestly, really too easy for me. I got inside the dog cage, which appeared to be "a trap for those who check everything". I don't get such sense of humour. Some builders seem to like to annoy players - but as long as this is exactly what was intended, and this is exactly what was successfully achieved - just like in any other case like this one, I don't mind too much.
POWER PLANT
This level is so industrial that You can think BTB Steampunk has already been released. Timed runs require remaining on trigger squares for a while to work properly. I spotted this bug before, at first in Tower Block A, but I still don't know what causes it. Sliding floors confused me for a while before I figured out what it is all about in the place. For that medikit hidden in that alcove... What the... A "red herring"? I wasted nearly TWO HOURS trying to figure out the way to get it!!! Also, the fake room above the starting point, containing two doors and some switches made me SURE there is a way to flood the fire pit and take the item... so I wasted another hour. I understand mugs wants to convince players to not to care too much about pickups... but even if I know she's right - because, all in all, it's only a game - I'm the one who always, ALWAYS cares about "100%" statistics and I simply won't help it, because I can't. Dog cage from the 1st level is a nice trap, because it's easily resetted by save/load. But here, a player like me wastes a lot of time which could be spent on writing another epic review on another epic game... Yes, I still think this game is epic anyway. Especially for metal opacity room portals, which appear again in this part, in a rather large number. Also, a nice thing with flame emitters - I remember Sean Connery timing them in "The Rock". Shame there is no moving parts (present in the movie). The level can be stucky for many inexperienced players - a jump before 2nd timed run is so CRUEL I did not get I am supposed to do it at first. I kept seeking for some other way to the soldier's balcony for nearly 15 minutes. Fortunately, the power plant is not a large one, so I had not many opportunities to act a headless chicken and I found the right path soon. Now I feel obliged to thank You mugs for convincing me a double-click banana jump is possible. I always used to think it is not. Just like in case of Sally Port, the place - even if not filled with many puzzles - has some of them really creative and requires observation. I like making me think.
PRISON
The place is designed in a multi-level way. Even if all these storeys (cell blocks) resemble each other, all of them has its unique features, way out and in. To do it, You need to be at least as observant as a jail guard watching out for the prisoners not to escape. BTW: I do not agree with Jack&'s remark of "empty cells" at all. The plot is based on "The Rock", Alcatraz is not a real prison anymore, only a tourist attraction, so the cells are SUPPOSED to be empty (so this level is probably already underrated). Sewer part reminds me of Shawshank Redemption rather than The Rock, but I think it is intended. I was made certain about it when I saw the poster in one of cells. I love the movie, btw. Seems like Mugs couldn't decide where to place the tension theme, and she left it in both places. Realism continues in this last part of the game - switches control cell doors, there are metal passageways, and the prison even has a shower block! I tried to make the water pour out of every single shower. It's a shame it's not supposed to happen, but the place looks stunning even though completely dry. The only missing thing in the complex is Green Mile with another certain switch... heheh. SUMMARY: Errr....
WELCOME TO THE HALL OF FAME, MUGS! At last! I'm proud of You (says a guy who makes levels without a single lightbulb)." - DJ Full (20-May-2011) |
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| "I was lucky to be one of the beta testers and I also just wrote the walkthrough, so I have played this game several times from start to finish. Even after playing this multiple times, I am still impressed by the realism, flow and overall looks of this level. The game play is very fluent and pretty straightforward although it is possible to get stuck by not paying attention or missing a pickup. In general game play is not very difficult, but there are a couple nifty sequences, especially the demanding curved jump in the power plant can bring out a little bit of stress and frustration. All other sequences, as difficult as they might look initially, are actually not hard at all once you know how to time the jumps or where grab. There is also a fair amount of combat as expected since this level has a different goal than finding an artifact in a deserted tomb. I think the enemy placement is excellent and after Lara finds the second weapon, the shotgun, they are all easy to deal with without having to use all that precious revolver ammo. On the other hand, there are quite a couple of revolver ammo pickups and they are placed nicely. Mostly always before needed just to ensure a player doesn't run out because not only does Lara have to do some precision shooting in order to progress throughout the game, there are also two dedicated shooting challenges which I thought are an excellent add-on and I don't remember seeing anything like this in a custom level before. There are three secrets, one in each of the three sub levels, and all are well hidden but not extremely hard to find. From beginning to the end this level has a great atmosphere. From the title track to the mechanical sounds in the power plant and the ominous music when Lara enters the missile room for the first time, everything blends well together and adds to the incredibly realistic atmosphere this level creates. There are a few minor quirks, like the delayed triggers after pulling two switches, but in my opinion they don't really affect the level negatively, especially since none of the timed runs are tight and there is plenty of time for everything. Nevertheless, saving the game at the right time is recommended. A few additional camera hints or maybe a flyby here and there would have been perfect. Flawless texturing, great architecture, good placement of objects and well-applied lighting throughout complements the whole beauty and realistic atmosphere. I liked everything about this level and it has instantly made its way into my personal favorites. Great job Mugs! Highly recommended for intermediate to experienced players." - Blue43 (19-May-2011) |
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| "Movie-inspired here is created a wonderful adventure with various and elaborate gameplay full of new and refrishing ideas. A banana-jump in the 'power-plants' sub-level gives a 1st hint, that this adventure is not made for beginners. Some timed sequences at the end of the game are a bit challenging,the shooting-sequence to get the 4th TNT-wad is not that easy, but a few tries should do it for an experienced player. I missed some hints, some screenshots. The atmosphere of the movie this adventure is based on is convincingly transfered. I had very much fun playing this level, which is definitly the builders master-piece (up to now). Highly recommended, but not for beginners." - Christian (18-May-2011) |
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"The theme of infiltrating Alcatraz is quite unique and
portrayed well, with you starting in the waters outside and
working your way up to the Island itself (and then the
Prison). While it mostly looks good I thought some areas
felt a little flat, in particular the Prison itself seems
like it could do with a bit more visual variety. The real
Alcatraz is known for being a pretty creepy place, and,
while horror isn't a goal here, the prison areas are mostly
lit in whitish colours, and a bit more lighting contrast
would have helped the atmosphere and visuals. Object and
enemy use is great and fits the environment well (beyond
guards shooting grenades from a sniper rifle anyway).
Gameplay is pretty action-focused, with a lot of combat
(luckily you get plenty of Revolver ammo later on) and some
timed runs along with relatively linear design. It does a
good job being varied within that style, and there's quite a
few different things to do (including some slower-paced
exploration). A couple of enemies are placed in front of
railings and similar, where they can shoot at Lara and it's
hard to fight back (as the bars block Lara's bullets but not
the enemies), it's not too often, but it sticks out as a
frustration in such a combat-focused pack. While there's
probably nothing that could be done about it you also need
to wait at several switches a second or two after using them
for them to work, which can be confusing at first. Also,
there's a ladder after a shooting gallery section that's
really hard to grab; it felt like the area could have been
redesigned slightly to avoid that. The challenge level isn't
too high, but there are a couple of nasty jumps. A great
pack that's worth checking out." - Mman (17-May-2011) |
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| "I loved this game. For a start, there's a wonderful realism about the level that makes the whole experience really immersive. Nothing jars, so you can really soak up the great atmosphere. There are plenty of guards and dogs around the prison, but there's also lots of revolver ammo to be found. You will in fact be relying quite a bit on your trusty revolver for shooting more than enemies and there are some well hidden objects to find in that regard. Exploration requires a bit of cunning and there are some excellent and novel ideas along the way. I especially liked the 'Shawshank Redemption' moment in one of the prison cells. Timed elements (including target practise) are well crafted and highly enjoyable, nicely challenging without verging on the impossible, plus sliding walkways, I LOVE sliding walkways. The final timed run after Lara places the dynamite charges is a delightful masterpiece of misdirection and all round sneakiness. Bravo Pat." - Jay (16-May-2011) |
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| "Well, I think that the day has finally come for our dear Mugs to enter the Hall of Fame... I had so much fun playing this level, although I was so skeptical at the first moment, because The Rock is one of my favorite movies, and I had pretty high standards about a game inspired by this movie. However, I was more than pleased to see how greatly this game is built and developed, and my high expectations were more than satisfied. Architecture of these levels is excellent, both indoors and outdoors, maps are not too big, and everything seems as realistic as possible. There are four main locations, starting with the inner yard of the prison, the laundry room with ducts, the sewers with power plant and the prison, and each location is absolutely perfect. There is one downside, however, in the architecture. At the beginning, the sea should have been built differently, not with walls under water, but larger, and the builder should have used sinks to prevent Lara from going far away from the prison. When it comes to lighting and textures, I think a bit more dynamic lighting should have been applied (a bit darker ducts, for example), but that is just a minor flaw. Enemies are placed with a balance, not too many and not too few, with quite a nice supply of revolver and shotgun ammo to deal with them (and very scarce health supplies, so conserve health). There are also a lot of camera hints to help you with the gameplay, and in every moment you will know exactly where to go next. The gameplay itself is very dynamic and fluid, with a lot of action, climbing, sliding, swinging, pushing blocks, timed runs, sometimes spiced up with rather difficult jumps, but still, even when the game gets too hard, the player is so intoxicated with the overall atmosphere, that I believe that there is not a single person here who would give up on this game because of one or two difficult jumps... What I liked most here: the fantastic detail inspired by the movie The Shawshank Redemption (the poster in the cell), the sliding sequence down the ducts in the second level, the shooting practice in the third level, the escape and the clever ways the secrets are hidden. Also, The Rock being my favorite action movie, it is no wonder that I liked the music in this game, so, so much... This levelset definitely belongs to the Hall of Fame... Thank you, Mugs, for giving us this amazing level... You definitely made my day with it!" - Nina Croft (16-May-2011) |
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| "Sally Port, the first level, can be seen as a hub level,
even if you have to return only once to this level. It has a
great realistic setting, even if I disliked the end of world
factor at the very beginning, and the tasks you have to do
are simple, but great fun, as the timed sequence near the
start. Throughout the whole levels you have to be the
observant and always look for some sneakily hidden boxes to
shoot using the revolver or pistols. In this first level,
which rather could be considered a shooter level, you don't
spend much time, after getting up to the upper area only
getting through a little church, a vehicle maintenance and
few other rooms, but quickly get to Power Plant, the second
installment. This one has a very good atmosphere too with
its factory/base looks and the shabby varnish textures.
There is a quite hard-to-time banana jump and also a timed
run to master and more green boxes to find. Some levers
require waiting a second before doing anything else, but
since I knew the problem I got used to it and didn't find it
to be a big mistake. This level also wasn't really long and
soon you get back to Sally Port, where you have to get some
laundry to an lower floor to open the door to Prison, the
third and last level. This is the longest level, even longer
than the two other levels together, and it has much more
substantial gameplay. You have to carefully explore four
areas to find some crawlspaces, levers and shatterable
trapdoors, you get a short trip to the sewers with a very
interesting block puzzle where one block has to fill a gap
to push another block over it. There were even more timed
runs and I loved the target practise very much, also the
main task - the hunt for the four TNTs. The shower room, the
seedy prisons, all of them looked very very good and made
the player feel to be in a prison. I loved the rooms with
the deadly floor, they looked very futuristic and had good
gameplay elements in it. This levelpack during between 1,5
and 2 hours is a really fun level, with a nice storyline and
good implementation, it seemed very real, but I wished there
would've been a few more puzzles in it, because the ones
presented here were really fun. I considered till the end if
I give 8 or 9 to gameplay, but the 9 is really worth, it
would have been only because of the third level. Thanks for
this fantastic levelset, mugs!" - manarch2 (16-May-2011) |
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| "I just finished -with a little help - this very original game ....i mean the idea to make a game about Alkatraz prison ...also the prison outside is very well builded surrounded by sea just like the real Alkatraz ......once u progress inside the prison..... u met alot off guards and dogs .... but no prisoners ..cells are empty...?? !! ....also this game contain some fairy tight timeruns some off it combined with shoting obiects for some spice ...and some tough burner rooms and trapps to pass .......the graphics is very good . the atmosphere excellent .... but have some minnor buggs.... like enemyes respawning by return at first level also the levers and doors too .....and huge shortcut wich cut off half off the second level lenght .... iff u find the trick ...i will not deconspire it here but iff Mugs ask for it i will tell her to fix it ... all in all a very pleasant game with great moments and challenging moust off the time ... and without above mentionated minnor flaws could be even a Hall off Fame contender .... good game .." - Jack& (15-May-2011) |
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| "A happy combination of author and subject, to create an inspired background for Lara. This is a wonderful depiction of Alcatraz, or of a section of the prison, with somewhat demanding jump sequences and timed tasks. I tried to get through this without consulting the forum and almost made it, with seconds to go before the finish, when Pat couldn't resist throwing in a misdirection that tricked me. Well, it was late at night when I had to quit. From the start the scenery feels right, with the water entrance (plenty of sharks patrolling), and the puzzle of how to break in, and the power plant. One can see how this might be very loosely based on the movie The Rock. When Lara returns from the power plant, everything in the first island level is apparently reset with enemies and secrets, but I had Lara return with the laundry key and use it, having already spotted the keyhole, and never noticed anything like that. It was nice to begin with an open air area before Lara plunges into the prison itself. Players definitely need to keep their eyes open in these three levels; Lara has to repeatedly shoot a red light on junction boxes that are truly difficult to spot at times, though placements are always fair. Even jump switches and push blocks are cleverly concealed in plain sight. But the main challenges here are the jump sequences, often timed, and the target shooting skills. I don't think one needs to be an advanced player to enjoy these tasks. One can spend many happy hours with these levels. Excellent outdoor scenery to start, an atmospheric prison, well planned jumps and puzzles. The author has really outdone herself in producing these three levels. Highest recommendations." - dmdibl (15-May-2011) |
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