Level reviews

"I love how every corner of this small level seems to have been carefully crafted, the attention to details, and also the great quality objects. I don't think I'll ever be happy when animations are changed just because, in this case Lara's jumps have been nerfed almost into oblivion, but it's definitely something you get used to as you play. With that in mind the design favors smaller areas which helps the overall setting in my opinion. This might be my favorite entry from this lot. 25 minutes, 2 secrets. 01/26" - Treeble

"The author certainly packed a lot of raiding into this short adventure. Atmosphere was fantastic and there are new moves for Lara that I had never seen before. This centers around exploring and the added nuisance of the ice cold water that saps your health makes it more difficult than you expect. There are crawl spaces that you need to look out for and the flares hardly illuminate a square meter of territory so you need to explore carefully. I missed the whole first section for the shotgun as I simply did not see it. Also one devious timed run with a rotating blade in the middle of a pole swing was vexing. A raid that should take under 30 minutes actually takes a little more than an hour." - Torry

"What i liked the most in this level was the snowy environment and atmosphere, its just stunning and gorgeous and the textures, lighting and sounds used just fit perfectly with the setting, i just soaked it all up! As For the gameplay it was both challenging, fresh and fun because a lot of the challenges rely on lara's "new moves" i say new but but most of them like the ice jumping, swing poles and especially the water freeze task reminded a lot of tomb raider legend which was great! we have tight timed runs, boulders, spike traps and fire, challenging platforming, timed underwater swimming and a pushable object task as well as some vicious wolves to contend with so for quite a short level it certainly packs in a lot of varied gameplay and i just thought it was great and wanted it to last longer" - John

"This level creates a somewhat unique theme by combining snow with Greek ruins. Visually it's great, with lots of new objects and nice views. The original texture usage is also implemented well to fit together smoothly, and backed up by some great lighting as well. Within the limits the theme is done about as well as it can be. The gameplay is a decent mix of challenges and has some new moves, but this is another level that gives Lara worse standard jumping, which makes the controls feel worse for little reason. The heat meter from Tomb Raider 3 Antarctica is used here, and there's a bit of emphasis on it for sections, creating some tricky timed moments. The layout does mean that if you go the "wrong" way at the start you can end up doing some backtracking, but the level is small enough that it's not too bad. A good level with some great visuals, but I prefer when Lara's base capabilities are expanded rather than limited." - Mman

"This small adventure is full of eye candy and atmosphere. Set around what looks like a beautiful Greek temple with the wind (and wolves) howling, this adventure looks great with NG enhancements. It is short at around 30 minutes and I would like to see it expanded. No mistakes with lighting and textures." - Ryan

"First of all it's a very enjoyable game. Atmosphere is the biggest asset of this project. Very good lighting and texturing create specific aura. Gameplay is rather easy and regular without frustrating moments (even if some timeruns was a bit harder). What's the most important the game is fun and you can relax at playing. Unfortunatelly, there was some bugs - the worst, with buggy jump from the wall, what compelled me to use corner bug. Even of that, it's still the best from this contest and definitely recommended if you like some shorter adventure. I'm waiting for some full-sized project. Congratulations!" - MD

"The whole control system is revamped and while the "new" move of crawlspace rollout is already so useful it feels more weird if absent than if present, I have no idea how on Earth (or any other planet) it was enabled to enter a crawlspace located just two clicks above the ground. Somehow this move never existed in original TR while it's almost crucial in real life so I'm glad to see it here at last. That freshly skilled Lara is surrounded by alien environment which has caused her physics to change: snowy landscape of greater gravity with a pseudo-Greek things to see and collect, all modeled, textured and tinted with care to match a purple-blue horizon - the pastel isolation, as I call it, once existing in games of eRIC is now being ported into NG piece by piece with help of The Tiger and his artistic visions which call for a "this game contains graphic content" warning carved in every load bmp. The views are to a kill and literally, for you're more likely to DIEEEEE than to notice a single seam or crack. As in: if You don't clear the corridor with the shotgun in the first order, what is likely to happen, You are in big trouble, because while Lara feels heavier than always, the volwes somehow didn't get affected by different gravity, so they are twice as fast as her. Since they're also tougher than normally and attack in whole herds, no wonder my health bar was blinking after five minutes of gameplay. The author said something about "killing my experience", would that weapon work for the wolves as well? It seems to be a classic situation when a builder distracted by many additions applied doesn't notice a major inconsistency. While he's like "oh no, I destroyed my game, what the hell did I do, how could I", the players are like "oh, a bug - wow I found something extra, damn I'm so good" and enjoy playing further, immediately forgetting about the minor glitch, while in the same moment they pray for easier enemies or less deadly water... or is that liquid nitrogen to kill her that quickly? SUMMARY: Dennis has his own, instantly recognizable style which would be much more friendly if these levels were released as a full series so players could learn the new controls once and for all. Despite of that and other difficulties, the game defends itself with its unique, pleasant atmosphere (so why did I give a 10 for LT instead??) and generally plays good. You should step into this different world, one of many under one sky." - DJ Full

"Even when it's a short level, this could be the best from this contest, but the very tight timed run to get the crowbar ruined the gameplay. The danger is present through all the entire level, enemies, cold waters, traps... I really liked the design with nice environments and perfect texturization; the objects are really impressive and the gameplay is pretty good (except for that nasty timed run). A level with several professional touches which you'll enjoy if you're an experienced player." - Jose

"This short adventure is a visually high quality outing. The setting is very atmospheric and is impeccably textured and lit. Object quality is excellent and used well to enhance the level. There is some innovative experimentation with Lara's moves and sounds, and exploration of the environment is interesting. There are only a few enemies but there resistance to Lara's bullets is strong. The addition of icy cold water that quickly saps Lara's health is well used in the icy setting. All required camera clues are given, but returning control to Lara was not setup, so you have to click out of the fixed cameras. It's something the author should address in future levels. Would have happily spent more than the 40 minutes that I did playing this level. It's the lack of gameplay that goes with a short level that is the only limitation of this level. Don't get me wrong - the gameplay that is present is good, it's just there's not enough of it, which influences my gameplay score. Recommended for all skill levels." - EssGee

"Very impressive in terms of looks & features, although - as always - something new and different does not necessarily work for everybody as "better". Personally, I hated the reduced jumping animation, but really liked the getting in and out of medium height crawlspaces animation. Gameplay is pretty quick at less than 30 mins and not overly complex or inspired, but the two timed runs spice it up nicely. Enemies are only a bunch of wolves and two tin men at the end. So, what you will likely remember is the very professional atmosphere and fancy objects and animations that sure must have taken a lot of work to put together. Next time, bring them to life in a more comprehensive adventure and it will be a true winner!" - MichaelP

"A quite cold experience for Lar, as promised by the title of the game. Lara's jumping-abilities are reduced, new moves are implemented and we have interesting gameplay with a couple of times sequences. A run for a timed fire-emitter is quite enjoyable, another one for a timed rising-platform easily can be done. More challenging but doable is some diving through rather cold water; Lara should not waste any time there. The wolves can be dangerous enemies if not fought out of distance, a fight against some warriors marks the end of this game. Just one hour of interesting gameplay in a well created environment. Recommended." - Christian

"Very beautiful level with a good atmosphere. At first I thought it is made in Advent Calendar style. Perfect lighting and textures, new fresh-looking objects with new sounds, nice touches with Meta. New moves were also pleasant to see. This could be my favorite level, but the most of beautiful levels tend to be difficult to casual players. So my feelings were something between "Wow, such a beautiful ambience!" and "Arrgh, I can't make that timed jump/swim because turning Lara's butt takes ages!" Really, when I tried to swim through underwater tunnel first time I was sure that it was just a quick way to die (and that was). After dealing with hungry wolves (shotgun was found much later and appeared useless because of that) the game has stopped to seem as pleasant as before. Two bugs encountered - I stuck when forgot to use switch before taking the Omega symbol. And if you don't know that the button raising a small platform has to be timed then if you use it again you might run out of the map into horizon in that place where the raising platform is. Sometimes I missed about more camera hints (lol, thas's me). Besides of that lacking of medipacks was my curse. Fortunately the metal warriors didn't hurt Lara at all, because I finished the level with less than 5 percent of HP and with no medipacks. A survivor is born!" - A_De

"This is a fairly short but fun little level. Lara's moves in this level are somewhat limited, especially her jumping ability, just like in TheTiger's previous 20x20x20 level, but in this case, no explanation is provided. Perhaps this level too takes place on an alien world? Lara also has a few extra moves, including the ability to get into and out of waist-high crawlspaces (a move other builders would do well to adopt). Gameplay is mostly simple and straightforward, with a bit of jumping around, a couple of very easy puzzles, and some timed runs/swims. The timed run over two swingpoles is pretty challenging. Lara starts freezing very quickly if she gets into the water, so every swim, however short, is also a timed challenge.
There are very few enemies: just a handful of wolves and a couple of warriors. The wolves in the first secret area can be a bit tough to kill, but they can just be avoided. The warriors at the end can be killed easily if you remember to pick up the uzis before entering the final room.
I wish there had been some sort of story, so we could understand what this place is, and why it has a Greek theme. The Greek textures and objects in an icy cold setting do look surprisingly nice. The lighting is lovely - the level is full of various shades of pink, purple and blue. The space constraints of this challenge become obvious at times, with a lot of rooms and corridors being pretty cramped.
Overall: Short, sweet and with some nice eye candy. Recommended." - Mytly

"I started this one on my own and got hopelessly bogged down. Yet I was actually able to cover most of the game map without being able to open the various doors that would allow me to progress. My problem was that I misinterpreted the message associated with the pushblock near the beginning. I thought the message was warning the player not to place the block on the trapdoor, so I moved it around the room and tried in vain to jump to the upper ledge, assuming that was the key. Anyway, when Mytly provided a walkthrough things proceeded much more smoothly. In fact, I finished in less than 35 minutes, which means the level was of little more than demo length. Still, it was fun to play, although I didn't think much of Lara's diminished jumping ability. Lighting was good and uniform, so few flares were needed. I haven't played Backtracking to Nevada yet (patiently awaiting a walkthrough for that one as well), but so far this level for me comes in third out of the three current 20x20x20 releases. That's not a dig, it's a tribute to the high quality of this series." - Phil

"Brrrr, just the sound of the wind howling around the icy wastes made me shiver. It's not the only thing howling either - watch out for the wolves. At around 35 minutes, this is one of the shorter entries in the 20x20x20, but it's got plenty of action packed in, including a couple of really fun timed runs (fairly generously proportioned). Lara's much more agile getting in and out of crawlspaces, which is welcome, but she appears to have lost some muscle power in her legs when it comes to jumping. There are some fairly hair raising swimming sequences in deadly cold water, but enemies are sparse (at least until a couple of tin men at the end) so the available medipacks should more than suffice. The shotgun was certainly handy for killing wolves, but I didn't get a chance to use the Uzi. Lovely looking level and great fun." - Jay

"Yesterday I read an interesting old review about the smaller levels that said: Is it fair to rate these short levels with 9 and 10 equal to levels which are longer and maybe even better adventures just because they are perfect in their limitations? I took some consideration and I agree. So the quality of a level this size is good but I want to compare it better to real masterpieces which this isn't, because it's very small. Gameplay & Puzzles: The gameplay is okay but there was not much to do, enough for the size and enjoyable, but not enough for a full level. A very good game for me is complex, challenging and creative (three c's... hehe). This doesn't fit everything. It's a bit challenging and creative, the timed run is good and the puzzles also, but that's not much. And it's not complex at all. Enemies, Objects & Secrets: There are a few enemies which look nice as well as objects but there could be more diversity. The secrets are good to find. Atmosphere, Sound & Cameras: The atmosphere is good within the size, very professional in any respect, but there are really only two areas which are well done, so it's not as strong as some really classicals. Lighting & Textures: Very good textures here, they are perfectly chosen and there are no mistakes. The lighting is very good too, maybe a bit flat blue in the cave. But it's the best category and the small size doesn't effect much here. Total: 7,75/10, a good but indeed short and narrow level." - Rambo

"Well now, this level is simply superb. It's so small that whatever it misses in net gameplay, it makes up for in regular gameplay and atmosphere. There weren't many puzzles other than a simple box push. However, the gameplay makes up for it with a few timed runs. The enemies were alright although there weren't that many. Some objects seemed to collide with each other but other than that, everything else was alright. Secrets were relatively hidden well. Atmosphere is where this game shines with the wind blowing and the snow falling; that's really nice. It is a pretty small map though but with the restrictions, it definitely struts its stuff. The rooms are brightly lit and the caves are patterned with blue lights giving off a cold and harsh feeling which was really nice. I have nothing to say about texturing as it was just as good as the atmosphere. Overall, definitely a very good level by this author. Definitely recommended!" - Larabiker301

"I was sad when I firstly found that this level won't be a part of 20x20x20 challenge release, but I am glad it was released shortly after all others. For a level done in these dimensions, gameplay was really enjoyable and nicely done. I like the idea of changing gravity, it makes the level more realistic, but also, it is really clever because you can save up some space. However, I had some issues like instant jump to left while holding the action key near wall which caused me to reload few times (I got the answer, it was probably caused by changing gravity), but it's a minor thing and that didn't ruin the overall impression. The atmosphere is simply beautiful which blends really well with everything else. There were few enemies and I think it could be more, but well, the cold water was some kind of enemy as well! There are enough hints where to go, and they're not too obvious which means you can explore even more. This was yet another short level by this builder and I look forward to see more, but longer, because I always feel sad when these levels end so quickly." - Raider99

"As to be expected from this builder, this is a beautiful addition to the contest which certainly does the most to create a believable atmosphere, both texturing and lighting are exceptional. It's sadly the level where the restrictions are most noticable with a rather small area to explore and there could be even more spectacular sights in here. The gameplay has a few nice moments such as the timed run, a small block puzzle, the ice swims and a platforming sequence, yet feels a bit restricted and doesn't quite live to its potential. Everything (save for the quite tight swims and the timed run) is fairly easy to achieve with little thought required, although it's at least smoothly entertaining. The enemies are quite nice to fight but just as one of the secrets feel a bit like inserted as an afterthought (although the hideout of the second secret was really a surprise). The object design is luckily quite strong with a few nice things to admire, and very much supports the atmosphere. Sadly, the level ends way too quickly if you ask me, after only about 15 minutes it was already over. A very good effort but restrictions in size and also time are noticable." - manarch2

"After months of not playing a custom level, Expedition Deep Freeze was the perfect piece of Tomb Raider I craved to get back into the swing of things. It's a fairly easy level but it's also one of the most aesthetically pleasing levels out there. TheTiger for sure knows how to build an atmosphere that is both rewarding to explore and down-right beautiful to look at. Gameplay is short and sweet, Lara looks and animates beautifully, but unfortunately the enemies are a pain in the bottom - and loud (especially if you forget to kill one and have to endure his howls from afar). All in all there is not much else to say - I was sad that level ended, that's for sure. Great work all round as always!" - Baratheon

"Gameplay was not difficult, you have to explore all the areas and you will discover what to do, just be sure to look carefully at some points. The horizon, objects, enemies, lighting and textures are very well used. Very nice challenges. The level is short, but very beautiful and enjoyable. Took 30min to finish." - chromatic

"I really wanted to score gameplay higher,as there's never a dull moment in this 45 minute adventure;but there are actually very few puzzles (a couple of pushable blocks and two nifty timed runs).It's more to do with figuring out how to get from A to B;and The Tiger really makes this element challenging.For a start,Lara's jumping abilities appear to have been severely impaired by the cold weather,and places that would normally be a cinch to get to are now quite out of reach;necessitating the player to think somewhat laterally.Added to this some clever iceberg jumping;spike avoiding;crowbar searching;and a good selection of enemies,culminating in a decent little Finale.Texturing and lighting is first- class;cameras provide the player with plenty of clues for forward progression;while the freezing atmosphere is utterly convincing (even the water sounds cold!) This is a terrific and well-judged level. A great way to start a New Year." - Orbit Dream

"The level spanned an average of 20 minutes for me. TheTiger has shown remarkable abilities when it comes to designing levels. Gameplay is well scattered; you'll have to jump from icicle to icicle, swim in cold waters, avoid deadly falls. However, the lack of diversity in puzzles was disappointing to a minimum; but this, in fact, does not overshadow the other great elements in the level. The actual puzzles consisted of timed runs that are placed perfectly. The amount of hint cameras was fair. Although, there could've been more enemies to fill in at some parts of the game. Secrets are well hidden. Lara's new sounds are well-optimized. Lighting, textures, and objects blended so well together to produce a great, freezing atmosphere in this flawless Greek fantasy level." - Klona Croft

"Level short but very interesting. Dogs at the beginning are very resistant. I'm not a fan of new animations, especially the high jump, Lara jumps less high and it's embarrassing when we used to jump on the blocks. Apart from this, this level is very beautiful, there are beautiful objects. I found 2 secrets, I do not know how many there are. Excellent !" - Drakan