Level reviews

"Love this one so much! Another level that I played with my kids, and the amount of discoveries (you know, the real “light bulb above the head” moments), regarding puzzles and secrets per square (lol) meter was unbeatable. Sadly! We could not bring the Horse to the Church, otherwise this level would be 12 out of 10. We had too much fun trying anyway! I love how each and every house and outside portion of the level is unique, no fillers, just pure excellence. NPCs strategically appear to make the town feel lived. The doggo, that we called “Tuzets” was an admirable addition to the atmosphere. WE love him since this level. Nicely packed level, perfect size and duration. 10/10 for me, top 5 Christmas levels, or very close." - MaxDeaconVR

"I personally didn't find myself invested into this level, for one reason or another, so I can't really say I enjoyed my stay. Even with José's walkthrough I found myself roaming lost at times, because the town layout can be confusing and there's a lot of running back and forth. Some of the new animations weren't quite the upgrade either, especially the 'landing' ones — backflipping off the ladder was an unnecessary nuisance and even if it was simple to remedy the extra momentum by rolling and grabbing the edge, I still found myself failing more times than I care to admit. Visually it's cute all around and the indoors are cozy, so there's that. 90 minutes, 9 secrets. 01/25" - Treeble

"Bugs/Functional Issues

• It can be easy for the horse to get stuck if you take it too far under the frozen lake - best to go as far on foot as you can so that you can climb back out with the horse later.
• The frozen river is kind of like an illegal slope and Lara can get stuck if she steps on it. This is a dead-end anyway, so just avoid landing on it.

Liked

• As with many advent levels, the gameplay is relaxed, but there are a few obstacles to overcome with platforming and a few different types of blocks to push around.
• The town is densely populated for a TR level, and there are a few heart-warming interactions as Lara progresses.
• Visually this does a good job at feeling like a legitimate town to explore, and the great use of lighting adds to the festive mood.

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Rating: 8.25/10 - Very Good" - JesseG

"Another brilliant snowy xmas level. Nice and calm atmosphere, no enemies /except rats/, snowing, riding a horse :D , jumping, some puzzles and seeking for secrets... and cute foxes, thats how I like it! Thanks, recommended." - Lioness_86

"How did I miss this? I must have been having a sabatical! There is only one title I could give this review and that is "Enchanting". A few tips to observe during this very complex yet beautiful and vast level - don't assume all doors are not for opening ;) Try them all just in case. There is a lot of backtracking but in such a breathtaking setting, this is not a problem for those who like Christmas/winter town levels. The musical accompaniments are delightful and festive and not in the least bit irritating even when on a loop in certain areas of the level. The use of objects is astounding and varied (I loved the whispy Willow trees!). There are no enemies here - just homeless people for whom Lara finds gifts and warmth for some. Nice recognisable Priest from TR4's Ireland levels here to be observed also. I would advise Raiders to save in a few spots after mounting the horse - the only reason I knocked one point off having failed to save and ergo getting stuck. Unfortunately, there is no reverse option so take the short ride very slowly as it is easy to get trapped on the lake or beyond it and difficult to dismount at the end of your ride if you go too fast, (lovely touch by the way). I now count this Level as a firm favourite although admittedly, being so vast, I required a lot of help from the walkthrough because this is a game to be savoured and taken time over. It's easy for one to forget where they are situated within the level when left for an evening or so. Astounding work by the builders and I truly hope they can release more like it with a festive theme. NOTE: There are video walkthroughs for this level on YouTube at the date of reviewing." - High Priestess

"The level design is beautiful, there are many places to visit and explore. There's a variety of items to collect and place in respective locations, or use them to make an action. I liked riding the horse, at the beginning is a little difficult but you get used to it. I like the friendly dogs and the other guys in the town, some look sad, while others are laughing and playing. There are some easy puzzles with movable crates, and the one near the end with the 12 jump switches, though you only need to pull like 6 or 3, because others are unreachables. A fun part with pushing frozen Winston to the fire. The secrets are very well hidden, while others not so much. I found 7 secret snowflakes and a shield which is also a secret, so I missed 1. Just like the last levels I've played, I almost always miss one... I congratulate the team for their effort in this awesome game, highly recommended." - alan

"Another Christmas level. A pleasant, snowy town? Check. Search through shops, houses and a chapel? Check. Robbing people in order to help other people? Check. At one moment we're required to visit a far location without being notified about it, but that's just a single confusion among many fairly solvable puzzles, of which getting the fire, using the torch and pulling jump levers in circle are particularly creative." - DJ Full

"Breathtaking, unique and charming. An excellent team effort. Lara sets off to accomplish tasks to freeze Winston and find a present so Christmas can start. Full of life and I had a great time. Well done, Team Christmas!" - Ryan

"This is another delightful Advent level, one that combines Jewish and Christian elements to make an interfaith raiding experience that I found to be a pure joy. I was a bit put off at the very beginning because of the required tasks in an unduly dark area (inducing me to manufacture unlimited flares that were not later needed), but this unpleasantness did not last long and the remainder of the level was played amidst bright, scenic surroundings. Amplifying a recent review of mine, this is a level that is best played with a walkthrough close at hand, so you can enjoy everything around you without stressing over what to do next. Ironically enough, the walkthrough in this case was provided by Jose. There is much backtracking required in this level, but the surroundings are so pleasing to the eye that I felt only minor annoyance as I returned to previously plowed areas many times. I took the time to go back for the sixth secret (as documented in the walkthrough), boosting my total playing time to well over two hours. In addition to the eye-catching appointments, there are some neat touches such as drapes blowing in the open air and tree limbs bobbing to and fro outside as the wind howls. There's a brief ride on the horse à la Grecian BtB, which was a welcome respite. 2015 has seen a bumper crop of Advent levels, and this is one of the most enjoyable of the bunch. Highest recommendations." - Phil

"This level offers lovely settings in a beautifully built snowy town. The visuals were amazing and I didn't spot any mistakes. All the people around the town give the game a very warm feeling of not being isolated and that's perfect since it's a Christmas level located in a town. The music was excellent as well, especially the track used in the house in the end. As for the gameplay - it's great and entertaining but if it wasn't for the walktrough I don't think I would've had the nerve to finish it. It's not exactly hard but more confusing especially in the beginning. The church looked amazing but the gameplay in it was minimal. It was still fun though. My favorite task was braking in one of the houses trough the window and then using the picklock to open a variety of doors. Found all of the secrets and the level took me 90 minutes but if I didn't use help the net gameplay would've been much longer. Still recommended though since there's a lot to explore." - misho98

"This is a fantastic and highly atmospheric level with many cute touches that are just too numerous to be listed here and nearly perfect visuals. Perhaps it's too obvious that there are several builders involved into building, as the construction is quite different in various areas and there are a few areas that are quite outstanding like the snowy village landscape and the church while others are a bit more simple in their design, but overall this works amazingly well together. Sounds, cameras and decorative objects are very professionally applied and there's a lot of eye candy on the whole. But yet again I'm not so fond of the gameplay style, which is often abound finding and using items (although often quite fun) and there's not so much in terms of other tasks, I especially missed some more serious puzzles and tasks and was rather disappointed by the jumpswitch one, where only the three easiest had to be used while all but one are accessible. Why not a few timed runs or more jump sequences? I don't understand why the Xmas label is often an excuse for not so inspired gameplay. At least there are good usages of the torch, some good exploration and a few quite unique object usages so it's still a quite enjoyable level overall, with nine nice, if mostly quite easy secrets to find and a lot of Cristmassy feelings guaranteed. 55 minutes." - manarch2

"Well, I really have a lot of appreciation for team efforts and I know how challenging they are to be put together especially within a single level. It helps a lot of course to have such a talented group of builders throwing their forces together and the result is a wonderfully looking and technically highly competent level. And indeed the atmosphere of it, the mood, the audio choices, the flybys and the little special moments gave me a warm and fuzzy seasonal Feeling... but - really - the gameplay was a mess for me and really spoiled the experience. Lots of running back and forth to the points that I then chose to go exactly by the walkthrough, a bit of an overdose on pushing things around - especially poor Winston at the end and despite very good camera guidance the whole cause and effect mechanisms were often rather obscure. So, I was glad when it ended after almost 90 minutes, which for me was about 45 minutes too late... sorry, I do not mean to discourage the team here and will very gladly play future team efforts of this Kind, as I think they are a great representation of this wonderful TR community. This specific one just did not work out for me..." - MichaelP

"Perfect lighting and textures. The curtains moving with a slight breeze - realistic and done so well. Loved seeing a Menorah used and in such a perfect way. Good to see a Jewish symbol in an Advent level....without Judaism there is no Christianity. Secrets were nicely placed although I missed a few and am looking forward to the walkthrough for explanations. Not sure what hens/chickens have to do with a golden apple (should have been a golden egg???) but that is really unimportant in such an engaging, fun level. Thanks to The Team for creating such a great Xmas gift for the Community. Recommended for all!" - Bene

"Nice levej. Excellent animations, cameras, atmosphere and Christmas spirit. The tasks are a bit simple for my taste. Anyway, recommended." - requiemsoul

"A beautiful blend of European architecture and fairytale cityscapes. This level is a concoction of many elements, there are varied puzzles and quests that keep the played entertained for more than an hour. Every area and interior were meticulously crafted and it shows that the team put effort into this level. I found some shortcuts in the jumpswitch puzzle (which saved some time) so I thought I'd mention that. Riding the horse was fun and so was sending letters via doves :). Kudos for introducing chickens!" - young Lara Croft

"And what a lovely town it is - large, snowy and decorated for Christmas (well, apart from the sewers of course - why does Lara always end up in the sewers?). There's plenty to do apart from all the exploring as the gameplay is varied and interesting with some good puzzles and a nicely different way of lighting a torch. I was kept thoroughly entertained for over two hours. Beautifully made and filled with wonderful objects/textures this really is a treat for the eye and another level to put us all in the most appropriate feel-good frame of mind for the time of year." - Jay

"Another lovely advent level here, this time from a team of builders working together. Set in a snowy festive snowy town. Texturing & lighting are excellent and the spaces are crafted Beautifully. There are some nice game-play features too (like the clockface-pull-lever puzzle) I did find myself stone-walled in a few places, (especially when I spent ages wandering around trying to figure out what to do with the music sheets!!!), but with a bit of perseverance and giving things a second look over I managed to keep going. Most of the progression is logical however and if you do push the edges of the space there's a good number of secrets hidden away. Some of the flyby camera work is excellent too. All in all I netted 2 hours 47 minutes from Another Town. Highly recommended, Stiggy :)" - TheStig

"Really an extraordinary design and perfect scenarios very well lightened and textured. I take my hat. Impressive work. Marvellous objects, nice musics, fantastic flybys... Even when there are a lot of cameras to help the player I only missed a camera to know where to use the lightened torch. There is also quite a bit backtracking 'cause there are huge areas to explore and sometimes you can mis something when exploring, but the gameplay is never boring. Some secrets are difficult to find, and there are variety of tasks and entertaining situations with a lot of new features and special effects. Sure several hours of fun; highly recommended. Thank you very much for your effort, team!" - Jose