trle.net
Your host for all Tomb Raider Custom Levels ever released!

Levels listed...
TR5 - 33
TR4 - 3185
TR3 - 181
TR2 - 139
TR1 - 66

73793 reviews (20.4/level)
3593 (99.7%) walkthroughs
457 Hall of Fame levels
1258 levels rated >= 8

TR Fan Site

 


Tomb Raider Secret Agent by Terra Forever

Adrian 10 10 10 10
Christian 8 9 10 10
DJ Full 7 10 9 9
dmdibl 9 10 10 10
Dutchy 10 10 10 10
eTux 8 9 10 9
Fridge Raider 10 9 10 10
Jack& 10 10 10 10
Jay 10 10 10 10
JesseG 9 6 10 10
Jorge22 9 10 10 10
Jose 9 10 10 10
jtrim 10 10 10 10
Juno Jim 10 9 10 10
manarch2 9 9 10 10
McRaider 10 10 10 10
MedievalMetal 9 9 10 10
MigMarado 10 10 10 10
Minaru 10 9 10 9
Mister-B 10 10 10 10
Mman 9 10 10 10
Moonliteshadow 7 8 10 9
mugs 10 10 10 10
Mytly 8 9 10 10
Nomad 9 9 10 10
Obig 9 9 10 10
okuhtfesq 10 9 10 10
OverRaider 10 7 10 10
Phil 10 9 10 10
requiemsoul 9 9 10 10
Ryan 9 9 10 10
Sakusha 9 9 10 10
Shandroid 10 10 10 10
Steven Svorticher 10 10 10 10
TheStig 9 10 10 10
Valdive 10 10 10 10
Zhyttya 10 10 10 10
 
release date: 27-Apr-2012
# of downloads: 259

average rating: 9.64
review count: 37
 
review this level

file size: 298.75 MB
file type: TR4
class: City
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
rombaut.alexis@gmail.com

Reviewer's comments
"Beautiful, unique, exquisite game. This is the first game I attribute the 10/10 points on all categories, however, I don't consider it to be my favorite game so far. From a critical standpoint, it is not fair to take points in this game because of the hard maneuver of the bike, the easy enemies fight, or the really big areas that put aside the linear gameplay for a few hours. All of the rest compensates tremendously for the small flaws. The way this game was crafted, was brilliant. Even though we can consider it an open game, since you can freely roam around all areas, it is not confusing to go around. Although it might fool you, the non-linear areas are crafted in a way that requires almost no backtracking at all. If you keep a good eye out for details, you finish one area before going to the next one. Heck, I even dare to say the free roam between areas is only necessary because of the bike. Truly a masterpiece. The author uses elements that are rarely seen in custom levels, so they can easily be missed. I admit I used the walkthrough more than I wanted, just because I couldn't know the bike would take down a certain type of fence. Nonetheless, the way the mechanics are used in the puzzles and gameplay are undeniably unique. Such amazing creativity, not to mention the breathtaking decoration of the areas. Like I said above, although I do not consider this my favorite custom game so far (storytelling is a bit lacking, cathedral-style areas are too dark for my own taste, glitchy bike, no secrets(?)) I believe this craftmanship is worthy of its title. It is worth 10/10 and, most importantly, it is worth your time. 10/10 Recommend, do not miss this one." - Zhyttya (22-Jun-2022)
"One of the reasons I love certain levels is because I can play them over and over again. This is one such level. I loved the lighting, the attention to detail, and the intro dialogue with the helicopter. I have a weakness for city atmospheres and chess games. Imagine the sound of my heart breaking when I went to see if the level builder had released any more levels, and this was the only one they'd released! I was looking forward to playing other levels that the builder may have released, I would love to have seen more. Overall, it was a stunning level and I would definitely play it again!" - MedievalMetal (04-Feb-2022)
"This is a realistic depiction of part of the most beautiful portion of Ghent, a very immersive, visually rich and fairly chill level. I truly loved it! There are moments where there should be a camera hint, yet overall it is a joy to explore the city and finding the many items to complete the journey and save the day. The story is pretty simple and very much delivered on! I had immense joy playing this, and I have no question it will be a game I come back to, from time to time. It is the closest thing to an open-world city I've played, and it puts TR6's Paris and TR4's Cairo to shame. Congratulations on this master piece, Terra Forever! You must love Ghent, and it seems you did it justice. Wonderful! Thank you so much. This adventured is suited to everyone but the very beginners. Subjective score: 10/10" - MigMarado (01-Sep-2021)
"Awesome game! I loved going to different parts of the city in order to obtain crosses. All of the posters, the parking lot, and the police made it seem like a real city atmosphere." - jtrim (15-Feb-2018)
"Exquisitely constructed and definitely one of the most high quality debut products around. The individual surroundings of each level are extremely attractive (the opera house in particular is a sight for sore eyes) and the lighting and texturing is very on point. Regarding the gameplay, the back and forth progressive between the levels might get a little wearying at times, but the otherwise inventive gameplay concepts like the timed runs and bike rides, and the enjoyable puzzles like the scale puzzle and moving the truck to gain access to further portions of the level. If I have one negative, it's the bike collision mentioned by other reviewers. Although I get why it was included, it still meant that manoeuvring the motorbike was a bit more difficult than I'd like. Apart from that and a few frame rate drops in the larger vistas, I really enjoyed myself here and highly recommend it." - Ryan (10-Jan-2018)
"What a game. You know this whole adventure would not look out of place if it was put as a part of an official tr game and named belgium levels or something like that, and it would be among the bests too! I was stuck a couple of times, one in the beginning and one in the opera house. I generally don't like looking at walkthroughs but will give up after an hour or so in a custom level, if I spend more than three hours to solve puzzles on my own as I have done in this one then it means the game has sucked me into it. The levels are actually pretty linear and not that hard but the largeness of the maps and the fact that they are interconnected make them seem more non-linear and tougher than they actually are, and the radio-guy tells you where you should go next anyway. So it is doable without a walkthrough if you got the time and intention, this is also the primary feature what a good level must have, nothing too obscure or anything like that. Besides, getting stuck is an excuse to wander around in a perfectly designed city as well - I have never seen a city that was convincing as this one. It feels very real and I may even say I know something about the city of Ghent if the topic comes up lol. The pinnacle of the levels is the wonderful level the Operahouse. Atmospheric, realistic as hell, full of amazing textures like the rest of the levels. The live crowd is an excellent addition. A true masterpiece overall. Of course as all do, there are downsides to the levels. First, no secrets in an extra large area like this? Half of the game I felt like I was missing parts of the game but as I progressed I understood there were no secrets, I may suck at finding secrets but I can't be that bad after all. A lot of repeating puzzles, I was tempted to give gameplay a perfect 10 but could not because of this reason. The bike getting stuck when it is passing a mile away from an object, very annoying. Lastly, I can't say I liked the running animation of Lara, also the animation of underwater pick-ups. Well, a near perfect game overall, definitely give it a try." - Nomad (12-Aug-2017)
"This is one of the most beautiful and atmospheric city levels I have ever played. Unfortunately, it can also be one of the most confusing. There are 6 levels (7, if you count the short prologue, which features the same area as in Riverside), and you need to go back and forth among all of them dozens of times through the course of the game. The artefacts you are hunting for are scattered all over these levels, all of which look very similar (except for The Opera House, which is admittedly unique). Not to mention that you need to take the motorbike with you in most of the places, as it is required for gameplay. So keeping in mind where you have been, where you need to go and how to get there can get pretty overwhelming at times. The most egregious example: Using two artefacts in Riverside drains a pool at another end of the same level - but to get there, you need to travel through three other levels! I started playing this game when it was released 2 years ago, but after getting stuck or lost constantly, I put it on hold, and finally came back to it only a short while ago (in an attempt to finish levels that I had left incomplete for too long). This time I consulted the walkthrough often, but even so there was plenty of confusion.
Still, there is plenty to love about this game. There are some clever puzzles, such as a very impressive one in Riverside in which you have to use both the motorbike and the motorboat as weights on pressure plates; or raising and lowering water in locks in the canals to get the motorboat to different places. The tram puzzle in Kouter Square is good too, and the simple but cute chess puzzle in the same level is memorable. I enjoyed jumping around on the chandeliers in Saint-Barbara's Cathedral, but found the gameplay in the exterior of the cathedral to be tiresomely repetitive (so many tight-ropes!). On the whole, gameplay mostly involves exploration and artefact hunts, apart from the above-mentioned puzzles, as well as a few jumping challenges and some generously timed runs.
The setting is obviously close to the builder's heart, as it is his hometown (Ghent, Belgium). Nearly all the levels are named after the unique setpiece they feature: Kouter Square after a beautiful central square, featuring fountains, a life-size chess board, and an underground parking garage; Gardens of Ghent after a number of lovely gardens and courtyards; Saint-Barbara's Cathedral after an amazing cathedral; The Opera House after ... well, the Opera House. The amount of loving detail lavished on the locations is nothing short of spectacular. The most impressive is The Opera House, which features an ongoing performance (of 'Aida', as advertised in posters all around town) as well as a packed audience. The rest of the city features all the paraphernalia of a city, such as road signs (the word 'uitgezonderd' is now burnt into my brain ;) ), posters and billboards, vehicles, statues, fountains, benches, etc. The only odd absence is the lack of humans apart from the few terrorists and police who attack Lara, but perhaps the story explains the absence of ordinary citizens from the streets.
The huge number of objects and the vast spaces help create a realistic setting, but they also have a flip side: the framerate drops drastically every now and then, especially in The Opera House and Saint-Barbara's Cathedral. The motorbike also tends to get stuck in objects: there were several instances in which I had to reload an older savegame to continue because the motorbike was irretrievably stuck in some object - especially in Riverside, where the narrow paths along the river are particularly nightmarish.
I love the colourful lighting - it's pretty unrealistic, and can occasionally get monotonous because it's the same in all the levels, but it's beautiful nonetheless. The textures are an odd mixture of old, low-res ones (mainly building textures from TR5's Rome levels) and ultra-high-res ones (mainly paintings and other decorative textures). Still, the overall effect is great. I also love the paintings and mosaics found all over the city. I don't know if the real Ghent looks like this (probably not), but this game made me want to visit it. (The Ghent tourism board should seriously consider using this game in their promotional campaign. ;) )
Overall: A unique and memorable game, despite certain shortcomings. Highly recommended." - Mytly (14-Sep-2014)
"So, which superlatives so should I use to describe TR Secret Agent? Lets just summarise it by saying, Elegant, Massive, Epic, Immersing, Atmospheric & totally Engaging. Lighting, texturing, music, cameras, structure...all spot on. From the beautifully created squares, to the Massive opera house with it's animated audience, this really is an outstanding piece of work from Terra Forever. What staggers me more than anything is this is the author's first level! This truly is a labour of love & it pays off in terms of what you get here. From a gameplay standpoint, you main obstacle is the sheer size of what you need to tackle. Indeed I found myself having to revisit locations a couple of times to spot everything I needed, but I'm struggling to honestly remember the last time I played a level that took this much exploring! Outside of that, there's the usual assortment of switches, water levers & objects to place. The motor boat sections were fun, as was jumping the draw-bridge on the bike! Any negatives? Well due to the scale the gameplay can feel a little unfocused at times, but in all honesty I didn't mind that as I genuinely felt like I'd explored the level & found something (rather than the usual feeling that you're following a rigid route). All in all I netted just 6 hours 17 min from TR secret Agent. I'm sure it's possible to finish quicker, but I took my time, explored every corner of the map I could & soaked up the fantastic visuals. Would I recommend this...absolutely unquestionably. Highly recommended! Stiggy :)" - TheStig (24-Jun-2014)
"The plot took me through several district of very convincingly built European city. There was everything a person living in a city should need: public transport system, chillout gardens, crucial sewers, a city market, a church, a law court and an opera, all set around a riverside boulevard - all really immersive, especially with help of lots of audio tracks extracted from other games and movies. Flyby work and author's narration strengthened an impression of being on a special mission, however absence of some ordinary people in the streets and extensive usage of psychedelic colors made it all feel surreal. I know many people were in the opera in the meantime, but it's very unlikely the other parts of the city are totally empty. Well, not quite - there was a lot of backstreet lockups filled with pickups which might be treated as secrets, however none was marked as such so I always had a feeling I'm missing something. Often the content was wrong for me because after getting HK53 in the second level I couldn't force myself to draw uzis anymore than twice in the whole game. I'll now be seen as one of those cruel haters, but no matter how hard I tried, with total appreciation to the enormous effort the levelbuilder made, the only levels I could properly enjoy were Opera House and Gardens of Ghent - read the only two lacking the motorbike. Really - among all awesome improvements allowed by TRNG, the motorbike collision is a crappy adjustment that should never be used, especially on massive scale, and this game is a ride through fatal consequences of neglecting that rule. I know the readme tells players to be careful while driving, but it actually doesn't solve anything - no matter how I cared, I always ended up doing the save/load pattern. Add to that multiple backtracking in all the levels and I got at least twice as much runtime as I would without the above implemented. All the time I had a feeling my time is constantly wasted. Collecting monotonous objects didn't help at all - in a game as long as this, the majority of pickups being swords, orbs, arrows and fuses eventually became boring. I don't say there weren't any exceptions - the initial car park ticket combo and the concluding cathedral relics brought nice variety, the Essence of Justice formed one of the most creative riddles I've ever seen in trle - but the problem lies everywhere inbetween. I mean anyone can make a good start and a good ending, and a nice break somewhere, but I can't appreciate sugar or lemon without any tea solution. Returning to the riddle talk, I like the rail vehicles so I particularly liked the tram puzzle. But there's one I found especially brilliant: opening the final gates of the Riverside crypt. This conclusion is so groundbreaking I would even risk a statement no-one will ever dare to repeat it. Apparently it's also a double-edged sword - if a level in the middle of the game contains such a discovery, all following levels cry for some equally brilliant finale and any subsequent weaker conclusion feels not matching! This unfortunately happens to Gardens of Ghent. Don't You think this purely explorational, peaceful level would be better to start the game with instead of using it to separate the Riverside finale from the grand grand finale of the whole adventure? Other levels are arranged properly. A final word will be about my single best moment - the opera control. I loved to see Lara being thrown into the backstage regardless from her will and without any preparation, but still somehow succeed to handle the show on the scene. SUMMARY: A city game with with several revolutionary moments that MUST be seen, but with too much useless collecting, lots of backtracking and especially the annoying bike collision. I'd recommend players to take it on but not care about the uzi pickups to minimize the time required for playing. And to the author, I'd advise to make another building attempt, but enclosing in one or two levels filled with dense creativity he's surely capable of." - DJ Full (01-Feb-2014)
"There are four important factors what Tomb Raider game must contain: 1. logical puzzles in storyline gameplay 2. atmospheric areas of real (or surreal) world 3. ambience sounds and soundtracks 4. secrets and secret system. In this custom game there are no secrets and what is Tomb Raider without secrets? I personally don`t like this idea and because of this i could`t give full ten. Everything else is great i really enjoyed this adventure i like city type levels. In this game there are lot of clever puzzles i especially liked "parking zone puzzle", very realistic atmosphere, excelent music choise but it is really sad you cannot find any secret and for secret hunters it`s a minus. Secrets are optional, something what you don`t need for progressing levels, something what you can collect through gameplay and if you couldn`t find all then you have big motivation for replaying game. It`s sad you can`t do it here!!! But overall this is amazing adventure you can`t miss. Even if there aren`t any hidden secrets i think i will replay it someday but not so soon. Very recommended. 10/7/10/10" - OverRaider (24-Dec-2012)
"I enjoyed this game but possibly because I can't just keep going and often might not play for a couple of weeks I found myself totally lost at times. I generally try to get through a level without any assistance from walkthroughs but I actually had to print the walkthrough out with this one which kind of spoiled the adventure for me. I was also very frustrated that I had to use a motorbike most of the time and found it frustrating that many times I had to reload the level from the last save as my bike just wouldn't move - it had got stuck. I sometimes found the music a bit frustrating - especially in the opera house where I seemed to get stuck for ages and had to listen to the same opera over and over. I actually took my earphones out in the end :) I found the "set" for the level really impressive and the lighting and textures were also good. A good level that has obviously taken heaps and heaps of time and work. Congratulations to the builder." - Moonliteshadow (31-Oct-2012)
"I think everything that is positive and negative about this level has been said. I just want to contribute my thoughts for a moment. I realize there are aspects to the level that are not perfect, ie, the motorcycle and backtracking, however, this just wasn't enough for me to not give this outstanding level a perfect 10. The place looked incredible and the author did a great job making gameplay as realistic as possible. Every time I turned around there was another innovation which kept gameplay quite fresh. Don't even get me started with the amazing music choices!! It is obvious that this adventure took many months to complete and I had a wonderful time playing it. Can't wait to see what is next for this fine new builder!" - Shandroid (21-Aug-2012)
"The first word that comes to mind to describe this: beautiful. The surroundings are huge, rich, very detailed and softly lighted. The level took almost 10 years to build and that can be seen. Many of its locations reminded me of Roma levels in TRC. The puzzles are mostly complex enough, however the endlessly growing amount of arrows, tridents and essence of justice jars started to get tiring at some point. But searching and finding them was always fun. I liked the completely dark river, it was an excellent atmosphere spice. Extra points for putting the boats for use in puzzles and timed runs. Builder has put a big amount of work for every area in the level - the Garage and Opera House are huge and there's lots of room to drive around with the motorbike. The motorbike, however, got easily stuck in the fences, objects and walls. That's maybe the biggest technical problem and almost cost one point for my 'gameplay & puzzles' grade... But other benefits pretty much make up for it, like excellent music choices and massive paintings on the walls. I enjoyed every minute of this and highly recommend it to You." - Valdive (06-Jul-2012)
"The City of Ghent was quite a labyrinth to navigate through, but its landmarks are certainly beautiful. I was amazed at the use of moving performers and audience at the Opera House. The parking lot really looked like a parking lot too. The tight-rope sequences were really engaging, and when there were enemies, they came in groups, and they wouldn't be easy to beat, but they certainly added a dramatic flair to the adventure. The canals were gorgeous, the Palace of Justice was grand, and Saint Barbara's Cathedral was beautifully designed. Lara's outfit was perfect for her secret agent role, and while her motorbike was sleek, it bumped into a lot of things, including invisible walls and gates. The timed runs were tight, but exciting, especially with the thundering music during the final seconds of the run. I really felt like I was playing a Dan Brown thriller of some kind. I'm impressed by the amount of effort and time the author put into this game..." - Sakusha (07-Jun-2012)
"Very nice game !!! There once was a man from Ghent... no, that's another story... Anyway, I gave it a 9, because I was wondering what to do with all the ammo at the end - I expected some kind of horrendous battle... Lots of work in this one, liked Lara's outfit. Unbelievable detail, and huge levels !!! Thanks to Terra and everyone that contributed !!!" - Juno Jim (28-May-2012)
"What an outstanding debut level! I have to say, other than some minor annoyances, I enjoyed every second of this genius, fun, and complex level set. The gameplay and clever puzzles are superb; even though the game is like one big level and the gameplay is extremely non-linear (with many tasks and even parts of different levels being able to be done in any order) it is usually no problem to figure out what to do. The puzzles are brilliant, often utilizing objects and flipmaps in interesting and creative ways. There is also some really fun platforming, although there is a sequence break in the platforming sequence in St. Barbara's Cathedral that is so blatantly obvious and easy I have no idea how anyone missed it, and it did cause me some confusion. The atmosphere, music, and texturing are superb; coupled with the realistic and plentiful objects, this feels like a real city experience at many points. There is even an opera filled with moving spectators and actors, adding to the realism of the levels. Unfortunately, despite the many positives, there are a few flaws that really drag these levels down. There are many points with absolutely obvious and terrible looking end of the world views, and attempts to block them off with water sinks or police barricades do little to help. Also, places the builder did not intend for players to access are often blocked off by invisible walls; many of these places would otherwise be reachable, leading to many avoidable deaths by experimenting and trying to reach them. Some are even as ridiculous as random invisible walls that prohibit Lara from standing next to fences or next to small static objects when there is clearly plenty of space next to/around them. Some objects and puzzles can be rather unintuitive to use or solve: one puzzle in particular, involving a statue in front of the Palace of Justice, made me wonder how anybody was supposed to solve it. Finally, the motorcycle is quite buggy and tends to get stuck often on static objects, although this did not cause me much trouble personally. Altogether, though the flaws cannot be ignored, this is a masterfully built level set, and I can't bring myself to score it less than a 9.75. Enjoy!" - okuhtfesq (28-May-2012)
"This is a debut pack that has the rare distinction of also being a heavily anticipated release as well. The pack takes place in the city of Ghent, and it does a great job with the city atmosphere, including a lot of well-used custom textures and tons of new meshes and models. There's also a lot of variety and each level has it's own atmosphere while still being part of the same whole. There are also nice attempts to add some life to the setting, such as the police and terrorists moving around in cars at some points. Note that this a very intensive pack by TRLE standards, with open areas full of details, and older systems will choke a lot (or outright not be able to run it for some). Some of the new object animations look at little odd, but there's enough attention to detail elsewhere for it to not affect my ratings.
Gameplay is quite open and complex, although there is a somewhat linear main path you are intended to follow. Mostly the pack is challenging and full of engaging sequences, unfortunately the amount of new (and creative) object usages leads to some very obtuse progression at times, and this is the main area the gameplay suffers. It can generally be solved fine but you'll probably need the walkthrough ready for some points. There's also an overuse of invisible walls, and while the spaces you can explore are more open than most sets, using invisible walls to block out anything not "intended" is still an easy way out and, in some cases, makes things more obtuse than they need to be. There's a bit of backtracking that feels like it could have been cut down with one or two more shortcuts. Finally, mesh objects are made solid, unlike in most packs, which can lead to a lot of awkward moments while driving around on the bike. Those are the main problems but it's well-designed past that and those problems are mostly minor; in fact, it's probably one of the most well-interlinked packs ever made in TRLE. This is a set that's pretty inevitably going to be a new classic, and a must play." - Mman (26-May-2012)
"This one definitely belongs to the selecr group of the best Tomb Raidere levels ever built. Still, why the 9 in gameplay and puzzles? It's also one of those games that clearly invite you to check on the walkthrough once too often - as I had to. A little less complexity would have been welcome. I even entered Saint Barbara's Cathedral too soon and didn't know how to get out even though there was a way of getting out indeed (if you remembered the old one step back technique of opening drawers). The same thing for the Opera House - if you remember maybe you can stop the cut scene by using the look button you're fine - otherwise, you'll be looking at that thing for half an hour and wondering what on earth is going on in there. Other than that, great (sometimes complicated and taking lots of tasks) puzzles, good music, good textures and settings, good use of objects and vehicles, nice atmosphere. Recommended, of course, and I'm not contradicting myself." - Jorge22 (19-May-2012)
"A custom level of substance; the application, talent and time that went into the design of this class game shows. It was a pleasure to play. I got stumped for a long while at the beginning, stuck in the car park, unsure whether I had played it correctly. There's a lot of ground to move around in the well realized, huge city spaces... However, thanks to a little patience and help from forum posters, got into the flow of the game... and there's a bike and boat to get around on :)) ...Yeah the bike annoyingly got stuck into objects if Lara rode reckless or when camera shifted - so make a point of saving before riding, (more adroitly), to avoid getting literally stuck and not being able to proceed any further... Following my initial failure to notice where to put the car park exit card, the puzzles and game-play were an enjoyable challenge level and balance throughout. No really impossible jumps and timed runs, to frustrate the flow. Lots of guns and other pickups - the gangs of thugs were cool. The mirror puzzle was spectacularly elegant. Things are nicely lit, convincing architecture and city features. Good voice-over and music not neglected - it really creates atmosphere and excitement. A great ending ...with a proper animation which satisfyingly concluded her mission. Thank you Terra and all assistance credited for creating it and having the tenacity to complete such a class job." - Fridge Raider (16-May-2012)
"This is indeed an impressive release that, because of its closely interlocking parts, plays as one long (for me, nearly five hours) continuous game. It is also remarkably complex, so I'm glad I waited for the walkthrough to become available before downloading and playing. The action takes place at night in a downtown setting, but I never had a problem with the lighting and could see everything just fine. That's important, as the surroundings are detailed and stunning. The looping music started getting on my nerves, however, especially during the Opera House segment, so I just turned it off at that point for the remainder of the game and enjoyed the peace and quiet with just the basic TR sound effects. I didn't experience any real problems with a "stuck" motorbike, but late in the game when Lara was running along the roof of the cathedral, she became imbedded in the infrastructure and I had to reload to keep on playing. The enemies here are pretty standard fare, but you get armament galore when they die. Some nice use of the boat in the docks and the canal areas, too. Hopefully we'll see more from this talented builder. High recommendations." - Phil (16-May-2012)
"When I started to playing this level, you could have knocked me down with a feather. Beautifully designed levels, with excellent textures. Our goal is catch the terrorist. Because of that we have to roaming in a quarter. Actually, there are some levels connected together. The level isn’t linear, we have to go back to the quarters. In the game we have to find 6 crosses on easier and harder places. I haven’t found any secrets. I really liked the chess puzzle with the fool’s mate. Unfortunately I can’t tell so much good things about the gameplay. The bike got stucked on many places, and we can’t pull off, except by a latest savegame. There are a lot of bugs. Save the game frequently! Before the opera house for sure. A lot of people died of starvation because of the elevator door couldn’t open :) Enemies are policemans with machine guns and gangsters weaponed by bludgeons. And of course there are some dogs and bats too. The pickable stuff aren’t well hidden, but because of the size of the levels sometimes very hard to find them. Many times there aren’t preview cameras. Unadvisable to miss the bike, if we don’t want to walk a lot. While playing, I played by mixed feelings. From this levelset the author could bring out more. Maybe the author should spend more time for fixings, and then it really would have been one of the best levelset. Overall, it’s one of the best level, I can only suggest for everyone. ou can find a Hungarian videowalkthrough, and savegames here: http://treditor.hu/trle/treditor/12/secret_agent.htm" - Obig (12-May-2012)
"Well, it's a debut. I never understood why this should be a criterion for reviewing. It's only the question, in which development-stage one publishes or decides to still let it grow. The author obviously was sovereign enough to work it out perfectly. As told in the the forum, it took him several years to build this game - and the result is 'hall of fame'-stuff. There's great environment created in every level of the game, atmosphere is nearly perfect. A convincing concept, the best game released in 2012 up to now. Creating this world, the author lost sight of gameplay a bit. Running to and fro in very large areas can be annoying, puzzles were not that creative. The greatest challenge was to keep an overview between level-changes and non-linearity of gameplay. Timed runs were easy, there was not a single demand on Lara's agility. All in all: What a game!" - Christian (08-May-2012)
"What a level set this is. An expansive adventure to search for 6 holy crosses to stop a band of terrorists (the question is how did THEY get under the chapel? But that's a different story). The gameplay is engaging right from the start, throwing Lara into a chess match for her to win, and it doesn't stop there. Expect to study your roman numerals and get your fingers ready for those timed runs. It was also great to see my monkey to overhead ladder was used for one occasion. I feel honored. The one drawback here is that Lara will spontaneously combust in random places if the author felt you weren't supposed to go there - a cheap "quick fix" if I may say so. There is also the mysterious right-side of the cathedral level that doesn't seem to lead anywhere and only wastes time. The atmosphere is perfect - camera cues are used effectively and there is a good amount of work put into the flyby sequences. The texturing is varied and flawless, and the lighting is superb - I just love how colorful it is. Okay, on to the weakest aspect of the level: the objects. First off there are way, way too many invisible walls used. There is no way to differentiate which roofs you can reach in the city, and which ones you cannot. This may lead you to miss some important areas, or it may cause you to die as you bounce off an unexpected wall and fall to your death. My philosophy is, if it looks like you can reach an area then you should be able to reach it (with as much consistency as possible). The second big flaw in this category is the motorbike, which has very awful collision. If you happen to snatch it on a rail, a car, or some other object, you might as well reload because you are stuck for good. Don't even try to go in reverse because somehow it gets you even more stuck, as the motorbike plants itself more and more into the object. This is very bad news given the amount of custom objects used in the environments, and given that you are forced to bring the bike to almost every area. In addition, the bike causes a few objects to react strangely upon collision, such as puzzle holes popping out of the walls or gates moving back away from the bike - although the latter is quite useful in making shortcuts. There are other potential disasters within the objects, such as elevators whose doors may stop opening and closing, or a truck in the cathedral level that decides to back up through a crate as if it weren't there - and somehow render the area in front itself as solid until it decides to move forward (and become collision-less) in a vicious cycle. Thankfully I was at least able to get an idea of what the truck was supposed to be used for so that I could continue. Overall, while I was sad at how aggravating the objects can be, this is still a top-notch level and every raider should put this on their to-do list. Finished in exactly 4 hours." - SSJ6Wolf (06-May-2012)
"Judging from my previous experiences with levels remodeling real-life locations into the land of cubes and other rigid geometry that is the level editor, it's always fun to make comparisons between the two. My only experience in Belgium so far being a bus ride at the age 7, the duration of which I embarrassingly slept through (riddle me this, Batman: if you've been to Belgium, but were not conscious of it at the time, does it still count as having been there?) - I can't pride in any recollection of the country, let alone any cities in particular, Ghent as in the case of this level, to make the necessary comparison. But having just spent 4 and 3/4 hours of net gaming raiding through its virtual counterpart, I found the experience to be believable in its various details, and probably the most expansive city map I've ever played in a Tomb Raider level. Looking back at it now - the non-linearity of the map and possibilities to do the tasks in any number of sequences is right out of my most terrifying nightmares, but possibly due to some smart design choices by the author, the game is very manageable despite its non-linearity, and overall I have to say I loved how the areas interconnected and the adventure unfolded. In a sense it reminded me of the structure of the TR4's Cairo levels, though the 6-level map is far more interconnected in Terra Forever's Ghent. The attention to details is impressive - for example if the cathedral is supposed to be in the vicinity of Lara's current location in other (!!!) levels - its belfry will still be visible in the skyline of those levels, not to mention stuff like city maps, posters for upcoming shows in the opera, traffic signs and advertisement stands in the street selling the atmosphere quite admirably (that said, if I never hear that mechanical sound when the ad changes again, it will be too soon :P). Those concerned with the difficulty can rest assured that it is not very hard. Occasionally throughout the game you are given voice-over hints where you could try looking for the next of the crucial objects, the camera clues are consistent, timed runs pretty easy when you figure out the most efficient path to complete them, you do get ganged upon by the terrorists and policemen (Was there a 'corrupt policemen in cahoots with the terrorists' subplot I never picked up upon?) in rather big packs - but you are constantly exposed to such cornucopia of arms and ammo (did the fair people of Ghent plan an armed revolt sometime soon?) that about 30 minutes into the game you could potentially abandon your pistols for good in favor of the better firearms for the rest of the game and still end with surplus goodies. Figuring out the layout of the area will probably be tough at first, but fairly intuitive when you get the hang of it (though I would recommend going through in as few sittings as possible to still have good memory of the map when you play it), and the toughest part is probably navigating the bike among the awkward object collision with the added insult of the abominable reverse gear for it in this engine - but as long as you're conscious about it, you're good to go. Among the level's better moments are the excellent introductory and ending flybys, the bit unorthodox but good use of music, jumping over a bridge with a bike, scaling the cathedral, the sluice gate puzzle as a cool throwback to TR2's Venice, and the moments when you see the anarchists breaking down gates, ambushing Lara or the police rushing in to apprehend her - I think the author could've easily went for a full-blown martial law/ mayhem scenario here and added more content along those lines (though that would've made the night out at the opera hard to reconcile with it). All that said - while I truly enjoyed this massive urban venture in a myriad of ways - I'm not sure if I can join in on the 'perfect score bandwagon' because it does have some objective flaws. For looks - the author uses colourful lighting rather liberally, so its effects are somewhat mitigated - but it is noticeable that there's a lack of sun-bulbs throughout the game, and when out of a streetlight's way Lara can end up looking flat. There are some annoying, but perfectly understandable lagging issues in the opera level (the performers and the audience must be the culprits) and the area surrounding the cathedral. Overall the author handles the cut-off streets and channels very well with fixed cameras, policemen enclosures and the like - so it is all the more perplexing to sometimes run into invisible walls and blackness as his design of choice on some occasions, as are the inconsistencies when scaling the rooftops (some of them look like a simple jump could take you there, but then Lara smashes her forehead into an invisible wall and hurls down screaming into an alley). It also detracts from the overall professional feel of the levels to constantly run into 'door bugs' (particularly around the "Palace of Justice") where everything else is reasonably polished. Conceptually - as said I was a bit baffled with the hitherto unexplained terrorist-policemen connection, and how sending an archeologist to search the city at a leisurely pace for religious artifacts is of any aid in a terrorist threat (I'm looking forward to the day when the government or secret police consider my meditations on Daoist texts and art an asset in solving (inter)national crises), but I suppose all of that is negligible and could be shrugged off if the game is fun for its own sake. But the gameplay is exactly where my biggest love/hate relationship with this game lies. Some ideas, particularly where you have to use the bike and boat to open a double gate are inspired, and the timed runs are always fun even if the route to take them on isn't immediately clear - and as said, what I loved the most about the game were the connections and interactions of things on the big scale - but there's just no squaring this circle that a lot of the individual tasks feel terribly contrived and unfocused. There are different levels of contrivance - so I suppose it's quite reasonable to occasionally suspend your disbelief when the task is obviously built with your enjoyment as a player in mind - the set of climbable walls, chandeliers and tightropes so you can ascend to the top of the cathedral, the opera set changing mid-performance so you can complete a particular puzzle, the intricate bike track, switches operating timed runs on the other bank of the river in order to give you the most exciting course are all nice examples of this. But how about piano sheets opening doors in a building? Switches operating trams willy-nilly so you can reveal hidden trapdoors? A whole SWAT team lurking in on Lara's progress in a puzzle and deciding to barge in on her if she's doing it wrong - or even weirder than that - deem her worthy of their respect if she completes it and decide not to use the perfect opportunity to ambush her after all? Parts of statues actually being switches? I can rationalize lots of mind boggling stuff, but I was at my wits end on occasion here. And the problem isn't necessarily their outlandishness - but whether a player could come up with the solution on their own through pure logical reasoning - and in that aspect this game is a mixed bag. There's also the issue that sometimes puzzle items just lie around there in proximity to their receptacles. Not that every single trident, golden ball and arrow should be sending Lara on a daredevil quest of its own - but there could've at least been some pattern to their placement (swords and arrows as part of wall paintings/decorations, etc.), because otherwise it comes off as somewhat 'lazy' gameplay. All that said - I was still in awe far more often than I care to count in this massive undertaking of a game and would recommend any serious player to devote a series of afternoons to it. If my criticism section seems lengthy - I hope it's understood that, as counter intuitive as it may sound, I criticize precisely because I such tremendous respect for the effort put into a game and either want it to help the author make even better games in the future or see why I wasn't a 100% enamoured by the game in question. No secrets here, though some locations could've easily counted as such. Highly recommended, so download right away and be prepared for hours of fun as you explore the districts of Ghent in all their glory." - eTux (06-May-2012)
"I must say this was a very enjoyable game. As it has storyline you seem to be doing things with a purpose, which is important to get hooked (I am not sure if this is the verb) by the game. At first I thought some of the objects were a little bit misplaced or that there were some bugs that got you out of the game. Nevertheless, as the game developed I soon forgot these facts. The different areas are pretty entertaining, and the puzzles found in them are original (my favourite one was the one in which you had to fill in pots using a big and a small water bottle). I like the whole picture of the city with different parts, with a river which you can sail, beutiful parks and avenues, roads that you can ride by with your motorbike... Instead of beeing just levels connected they really appeared as one same thing divided. And that was good, specially as you have to switch around them to do some tasks. I loved all the music that you used. However, sometimes it was played as too dramatic for the moment while Lara was just walking into a room or something. The lack of secrets in the level (supposing there weren't) made me surprised, but I did not think it was a bad thing. The amount of ammo and weapons provided was a little too abusive. I spent so many time picking them up, it was not that difficult, so collecting so many guns was somehow unnecessary. As a whole it was a masterpiece of imagination, and I congratulate you for your good job. Please, keep going. You are amazing!" - Minaru (05-May-2012)
"Excellent work carried out after many years, the author brings us a masterpiece with very good puzzles and effects.The game is entertaining and recommended in all its aspects, a great job..." - McRaider (05-May-2012)
"At first it seemed it would be a complex adventure, which would have to jump between levels often to advance, but I was very surprised in that regard. Usually the author does not leave you much progress until you've done the work you should do in each level before proceeding to the next. Furthermore, each of the levels, the items you need to keep playing are not too far from the places where they should be used. Impress the new objects, impeccable high-resolution textures, lighting, architecture and environment and very well worked scenarios. I also have really enjoyed the music, vehicles, enemies, not too tight timed runs, the large amount of weapons and ammunition... Truly a spectacular debut. All I can criticize is that the motorcycle was stuck from time to time with the objects and sometimes I had to do much maneuvering, it was not easy to handle. Also the game crashed three or four times, maybe because my computer is already obsolete and scenarios are enormous, but without major problems. Sure this adventure will not disappoint any fan. Thank you very much for all your huge work all last years." - Jose (03-May-2012)
"This is the ultimate result of a decade of work that shows in a really fantastic levelset with six (or actually seven) fully interconnected levels: It all starts with one of the best introductory flybys I have seen that follows a helicopter bringing Lara to Ghent where she serves as the last hope of the people to stop the terrorists. The storyline is great, also having topical touches which I found very nice. In my opinion most of the game flowed very well with nothing but huge areas to explore, but there always were enough hints and/or so many things to do you cannot get stuck at all. There were some unique gameplay elements such as the tram puzzle and the car park in Kouter Square, the raising bridges and the motorbike/boat actions in Palace of Justice, the truck and the fantastic boat puzzles in Riverside (sorry Dave but this one was even better than the one in "The Quest" and thus being the best I have seen so far) and add to these the tons of nicely hinted timed runs with the boat and on foot. But I somehow felt some parts were rather dull in comparison to the fantastic parts, e.g. there were too many of the same items to find again and again as the justice essence, tridents, golden balls, swords and arrows were pretty much the only items apart from the crosses (and there were many items to find), a little diversity in key items would be better, and the actually worse thing is that many of them were so easily hidden (some pairs of them in two symmetrical pools in one room) that I think it would have been better to reduce the amount of key items instead. The Gardens of Ghent level was in my opinion the least enjoyable of the whole set and the game wouldn't have suffered to be released without it, because the gameplay is a bit uninspired mostly only being about exploring the map and some accessible roofs with no perception (that thus confuse the player who found out how to get up there). Also found some lags with the objects, such as invisible blocks in front of doors, too many objects so that some parts (especially in the magnificent opera) were nearly unplayable due to the slow framerate, and some objects having a strange collison that makes progressing with the bike very painful as it easily can get stuck forever, I only remember the annoyingly narrow passages in Riverside or the car park with too large boxes around the cars so that driving here with rather annoying. Even if the first two categories are the only ones where I reduce points for the mentioned reasons, I wouldn't call any of the categories anywhere near perfect. The sound usage is magnificent and chosen with an incredible devotion to detail, from classic music to more or less modern audio tracks, there were camera hints for (I think) every door that opened and every action that happened even if at nearby locations, but there were a few avoidable end-of-world moments near the leveljumps (forgivable due to the cameras though) and especially in the rivers because of black walls at the end of the map - it would have been so much better to place another warp trigger there (the boat could thus be used in both levels where one is required which would have been cool). The textures being a mix from TR 3 (+ TR 3 Gold), TR 5 and even some AoD ones was very much fitting to the setting and even if there was the occasional misplaced one there is overall nothing big to fault about them, and only to strengthen this the lighting is absolutely superb throughout - while never being a bit dark it was absolutely realistic. So bottomline this is a highly professional debut(!) level that seemingly has grown near perfect over the many, many production years and my complaints are really so small in comparison to the huge amount of imagination and creativity that has gone into this epic. Highly recommended - a must-play for everyone!" - manarch2 (03-May-2012)
"It's wonderful to play this set of 7 levels built in about 10 years, where we've one of the best graphic ever seen.. the realization of entire cities with a central river (Paris Ghetto style and Street of Rome of Chronicles textures), rather than the creation of palaces, the one of justice, of the gardens, but over all the Cathedral is something super! I feel like staying in a real North European city, starting from the 1st level with trams, spot cartels, the parking car etc... I think this author has been one of the best ones able to reflect reality in the game. Excellent musics with inherent theme.. for example in the 4th level, the opera house, we listen to lyrical musics and Lara has to solve several enigms by visiting the theatre at 360 degrees.. if you know how a theatreis built, Lara won't visit only the stage and the main room where there's the public assisting the show, but also the auditorium - the balconies developed in 4-5 floors, till reaching the chandeliers at the top of the ceiling. We could do a thousand examples: the concept is simply the player interacts with every part of the city in every level. Lara won't only walk on streets, but she'll also climb roofs; in the reality if you leaves your car in a parking car, you'll need a ticket and money in order to go out - here's the reality, mirrored by using a great puzzle! Also for the cathedral, Lara won't simply enter the church, but she'll climb it reaching roofs and the central cupole at the top and having the possibility to jump on the roofs of the other palaces. Just amazing! In the 3rd level, Riverside, the one where I found more difficulty, Lara interacts with 2 riversides eheh, connected by the river. The level has a double difficulty: to understand which riverside to reach by foot and which one by using the motorbike and this last one is harder because in order to reach the other riverside, without crossing by water, it's necessary to cross more levels (the system is similiar to the connected Cairo levels in TR4.. example: city of the dead, trenches etc.). An other thing I appreciated is that the player has to use the motorbike very often.. usually it's a way necessary for a few actions.. usually it needs to front ramps-slopes and to jump above a pit.. in this case instead Lara is gonna use it in all levels, needing to leave it in the penultimate level. So gameplay always keep funny, amusing, considering you often drive the motorbike and 2 boats in 2 levels.. besidess both the kinds of transport way are needed in order to solve a good puzzle. We also find some time trials with the timer which can be seen by the player.. all of them very simple (only in the 1st level there's a difficult time trial if you don't want to search 2 golden orbs)... maybe the author was going to create a dynamic gameplay, but at the same time to make it accessible for all kinds of player. In fact I think this serie of 7 levels is suitable for anybody.. the enigms and the complex of the global map makes the entire game difficult. There's only one thing getting annoying: crossing the horizontal ropes was quite tricky for me. Let's speak about enigms: the portant enigm is to explore the entire areas in the levels.. infinite areas.. the player has to keep in mind what he explores.. it's like to go to a great metropoly (great city) like Milan.. anybody would be confused and needs a lot of time to recognize streets.. the same thing here :) In other cases enigms are quite simple, except for some contests; in fact in most of cases you've to find 4 or 5 objects in near zones to their keyholes. Anybody could think: it's too easy.. No, I don't agree: if the author had put an object in a part of the city and the keyhole in the opposite one, it would have been frustrating to play and it would have been needed months and months to finish! So I think it's right this way. I say some enigm I liked: the one with chess pieces, even if it was easy for me, considering I've been playing chess since I was 4 years old... the one with the 2 waterskins to combine.. the association between a visible number and the roman language and its mechanism where you've to put objects in the right order according to roman letters or lots of guard are gonna assalt you! The most hidden element? The jumpswitch in the court of the palace of justice. There are a few kinds of enemies: terrorists, police men and other people not attaching you, but to kill anyway because they can realease an important object. There are lots of objects, both static and dynamic ones used as decoration in a fantastic way. We've got a lot of weapons, among which the HK, making everything more easy and funny.. a lot of ammo, letting you never to find yourslef in trouble. There are no secrets. I'm not to repeat what I think about Atmosphere, Sound & Cameras. So many flyby, realized very well and excellent the starting and final presentation of the story. Excellent lights-textures. Sorry if I talk too much, I know, but I think this work is one at the top since when Level Editor levels were born. A complete-excellent masterpiece, remaing in mind like other masterpieces like Hymalayan Mysteries, Coyote Creek etc. It was very delightful to play it! My best compliments to the author and I say thanks for his precious help-assistance in the forum:)" - Steven Svorticher (02-May-2012)
"Levels that are filled with superlatives and beauty, and which provide an unforgettable Tomb Raider experience, but.... I can see why many are in awe here; the author says these levels took years to produce and the effort shows. There are things like trams that move, drawbridges that go up and down, elevators with working doors used differently in levels. I particularly enjoyed texturing based on ancient mosaics and paintings, all of it evocative and fitting, a counterpoint to modern city with underground garages. It is interesting to think how far Tomb Raider has come from the deserted, barren Opera House of TR2, to this new Opera House crowded with rows of spectators and five soaring levels of balconies: not only do performers on stage move, but an audience that fills most of the seats will stir, enthusiastically clap, or fold its arms. Of course Lara will be up near the ceiling, balancing on an unsteady tightrope over seats below. There is a majestic cathedral of Saint Barbara, with Lara up on slanted roof or buttress, with a view of the city below. There are plenty of excellent objects used throughout, such as billboards that change displays. But that comes to what I felt was a problem. The billboard advertisement was a novelty, but lost its charm after it appears all over the place, just as real advertising can be amusing the first couple of times, but then is repeated to death. Is the city square about good stuff like elevators, drawbridges, or timed runs, or is it about cramming an underground garage full of cars in almost every slot, or cramming the square with ringing trees every couple of meters? If every single tree were removed I'm not sure that it would detract from the square, and those trees are certainly in Lara's face when she is trying to look around. The overkill of objects made my computer lag. Playing this first square reminded me of a writers' group I once belonged to. A young woman who worked as an editor spoke of finding a submitted manuscript of rich prose that left her envious, thinking, "If only I could write like that." She took it to the head editor of her publishing house, he read two pages, shook his head, and said, "Overwritten." Things that are overwritten are done to impress, rather than to communicate. I feel that I am in the position of the grumpy editor, saying that places in these levels are the equivalent of overwritten. Right from the first square the gameplay takes second place to the visuals. Lara finds yellow plugs or fuses, but all the receptacles are for blue plugs. There are lots of invisible blocks around in front of gates, which seems odd for levels where other details are precise. If Lara spots a sphere it looks to be an easy jump across roofs, but invisible walls block the way. In every level there are exciting visuals and good play, but then something happens so Lara wastes at least half an hour on fruitless searches. A statue turns out to be a concealed jump switch, which is a fantastic idea, but surely other players also wasted time here. On the cathedral roof, Lara went all around trying to make sense of tightropes and roof shimmies and jumps, which turned out to be a completely unnecessary route when she had already done what was important. A walkthrough will help reduce frustrations. I was thrilled to play these levels, there are many amazing ideas implemented by the author, places like Riverside, the Opera House, and Saint-Barbara's Cathedral were all stunning and fascinating. Must play levels for all." - dmdibl (01-May-2012)
"well another serious contender for the best debut game so far ........this is even not a game - is a movie with u the principal movie star !! ... 7 brilliant builded levels .. moustly the Opera House was stunning .with all that peoples aplause with great music wich fits perfect..... the arhitecture off the Opera was Breathtaking .... further the city split in many sectors also stunning !! ........ and the Catherdral Georgeous with great sound too ! ..... i cannot belive that someone could make such a masterpiece from first shot !!! only minnor drawback was at the end when need to place 4 orbs at the bottom off the poseidon statue to make possible the timerun to place the trident ...... iff u try without puting the orbs u cannot make the timerun but also the lever wich activate the scene won't work again so u need to restart from another save . but this cannot overshadow a brilliant game wich i think take alot off time and much passion to build it . for me is 10 in the line and another Hall off Fame game greetings .... Highly recomanded !!" - Jack& (01-May-2012)
"This game was indeed a magnus opus and all the countless hours put in to it over the years have paid off for us raiders who get to marvel at the stunning cityscape Terra Forever created. The objects, artwork and detail was amazing and looked fantastic on a 1920 x 1080 screen in 32 bit colour. If for nothing else but to encourage more great levels from this talented builder, I would say there might be (as always) room for a little improvement. The minor quibbles I had were technical ones (end of the world reached once, in the Cathedral level you can jump on to a roof and get dumped back to the load screen) and gameplay ones (secrets would have been a nice additional challenge, and for me, putting an object so close to its final placement so often made it a tad easier than I wanted at times). But overall these shouldn't detract significantly from a wonderful achievement. Bravo!" - Adrian (01-May-2012)
"This may be a debut level, but you could be forgiven for thinking it the work of an experienced and sophisticated builder - it has apparently been many years in the making and it shows. It has everything one could wish for really - an interesting storyline, ravishingly beautiful scenery, gorgeous lighting, believable and appropriate enemies, clever puzzles, a variety of agility tests plus a motorbike and speedboat to have great fun with. The vehicles are imaginatively used, both for timed runs and puzzles. The custom objects and animations are fabulous and the excellent choice of music sets the whole thing off to perfection. There is a great boss ending and, despite the game consisting of seven levels, it felt as though it ended all too soon." - Jay (01-May-2012)
"Best level of 2012. Palace of Justice, Riverside and Kouter Square are very inventive and enjoyable, although The rest are a bit less inspired. I found many "invisible walls". Thanks for this awesome work." - requiemsoul (30-Apr-2012)
"Straight tens, of course! Another awesome debut level (this surely can't be Alexis' first build ?? and it better not be his last!) From a builder's standpoint, this game takes all the complexities involved and makes it look easy. Those non-builders out there need to know it wasn't easy: The level jumps, the sheer enormity of the set design and preventing crashes because of that, the flybys, the object triggering, the texture selections, the sound files, the lighting. From a player's standpoint, this is manna from heaven! The gameplay is varied, challenging, but never difficult, fun (make that FUN!), thought-provoking, but never tedious, and breathtaking. So, you have been sent to Ghent to find the six crosses from St. Barbara's Cathedral and restore them to their rightful place. You will encounter many enemies along the way, but you will find the means to address them. Your adventure will take you through the parking garage at Kouter Square where you will need to apply some mechanical skills to get that super-cool bike out of the garage. Next stop is the Palace of Justice. Start limbering up for some fun gymnastics here. The opera house is one of the natural "show-stopper's" of this game. You will have a blast obtaining the cross in this venue. Our Lara has no qualms about joining the cast of Aida in order to move freely around the opera house. It has some wonderful brain-teasing moments and agility tests. I loved it! St. Barbara's Cathedral is another "show-stopper"! It is truly a magnificent church and I actually felt pangs of guilt for raiding the altar for the chalices. Lara does use them for "good" so I felt better later. While you're here you will have the best time moving a truck to get you to where you need to go. What a creative use of an object! I know I didn't cover everything, but I think you get the main idea - this is a fabulous game - beautifully designed and masterfully executed! BRAVO! More please!!" - Mugs (29-Apr-2012)
"A debut level? I can hardly believe it. This is a mammoth epic. One can only guess at the thousands of hours that must have been spent creating this masterpiece. The sheer hugeness of the levels and the complexity. This keeps the player on the edge of the seat guessing what to do next and where to go. There was just the right amount of hardness so that gameplay always remained enjoyable. There is absolutely everything in this level. Must-Play." - Mister-B (29-Apr-2012)
"Then let me be the first? A, in my eyes, magnificent game, a lot of variety, beautiful scenery and great atmosphere. A huge levelset, very well put together and of course you could get lost a couple of times, but if you play with eyes open and take note of the hints it isn't that hard. As I was part of testing I played the game several times and saw it progressing to what it is now and I think it is great. I was never bored, even after the third time (or was it 4) I played through. When you think of the fact that this level is a v49 Prj (small, low res. Textures), it looks great and it never bothered me. You'll be on an adventure through the city of Ghent while a European Summit is ongoing, 6 Holy Crosses have to be found in order defuse a bomb planted under the Catherdral by terrorists. Nothing but straight 10's from me." - Dutchy (28-Apr-2012)