Level reviews

"It's been a hot minute since I've last played a train level. These are usually nice, short and straight to the point (almost literally). This one doesn't change things up, you start in the back wagon and work your way to the front and then back again, gunning down quite a few baddies on your way. There are some new moves though, such as pulling into waist high crawlspaces and wall jumping, which I have to admit works better than I'd expected. 20 minutes, 3 secrets. 02/26" - Treeble

"Here's a train level with some creative differences from the classic desert railroad: the train cars are quite high this time, with some extra platforming and at least one new move involved to explore them. There's also a vehicle transport car which sounds fun, given the reveal of Jeep keys, but unfortunately picking them up triggers the end of the level. While this is primarily a shooter with a plethora of ninjas and gunmen, they tend to drop lots of medipacks so combat is never insurmountable. My playthrough had several glitches the ambiance never triggered rendering the train ride silent, despite the audio being present in the folder, and (as others have noted) the loading screen caused a visual glitch throughout that meant I had black bars and save slots covered by them. Some ninjas also died inside objects, meaning the ammo they dropped became inaccessible. Despite these flaws and the fairly basic lighting, textures, and objects, there are enough unique elements to this train to make me want to see more (and curious to see how the new wall jump could be implemented with additional gameplay). it's nice to see a builder return again after a long span of time. This level came out in 2017 after a previous level in 2009, so I hope it's the right time for the author to give building another shot and expand on the ideas promised here." - Cbl

"A really good looking train level with promising beginning which soon turns into a regular ninja massacre and switch fest. New moves are great but the readme doesn't even mention them so I wouldn't progress without finding the wall jump by accident, and there is also a softlock possibility which cost me 40 minutes because I didn't bother to approach an automatic door which never opened from the other side to let me back in. The most severe disappointment is despite of building up towards a jeep ride the game ends just before entering the vehicle so again I blame it on the demo and hope the full version will include that part. Meanwhile I still enjoyed the top notch atmosphere and the three varied secrets despite of them forcing two extra passages through the map." - DJ Full

"I generally enjoy train levels and this, as short as it was, was no exception. You go through the same motions as you would in others of its kind: shoot lots of ninjas, travel back and forth between carriages and collect keys, but there's also a tricky new move to make use of and an enjoyable side trip to collect three rose secrets. Despite the confined gameplay, I never found myself getting bored. Worth a look, and the final flyby promises more to come..." - Ryan

"What I really didn't like is that the screen of the save/reload gave me only ten slots, the rest disappeared and I couldn't read and/or reload. The load.bmp was way too big but that I could alter to normal proportions. For the rest it is a train level, so back and fro you go. Lots of enemies to kill; never a big fan of that. The end is quite abrupt." - Gerty

"I do enjoy train levels and this demo was not altogether difficult because I found I had just enough shotgun ammo to deal with some of the more difficult customers - mostly either sword or gun-touting ninjas. Never had to use a large medpack - just a few small ones. I also learned a new wall trick thanks to the written walkthrough otherwise I would not have been able to ascend to the open hatch near a hatch-operated fuse box in one of the carriages. I'd certainly not turn down the chance to play the full version. Recommended for train level enthusiasts." - High Priestess

"The level has a good atmosphere, design and somehow overall feeling, but it's completely destroyed by the gameplay. The texturing was good and light was ok. The environment looked also very good. Nothing too special or too bad. An enjoyable view through the level. The gameplay consists mostly ( if not only ) in shooting millions of enemies and doing backtracking. That's it actually. I couldn't enjoy the level, not even for a bit. Its gets very boring and repetitive after just few minutes of gameplay when I realized that I will be constantly shooting enemies. Another big disappointment was the final backtracking to the beginning of the level. The game ends in a nice looking flyby sequence. It's obvious that the enemies were placed in such a horde to prolong the duration of the level. Otherwise it would last for 5 minutes. It is supposed to be a demo, but probably won't be ever a whole game as most demos never get their full version released. Overall, a good job in the technical part of building and designing rooms, but a huge disappointment in creating some gameplay for the players." - Gorty

"This is a train level, and there's only so much you can do with a train level, but the builder has done a pretty good job of providing an entertaining raid. There are perhaps a few too many enemies, but many of them drop something of value when they expire. You can finish the level without any secrets in less than 20 minutes, but if you take the time to gather all three roses you'll spend about a half hour here. Just be sure not to grab those keys before killing that final assassin and using his hard-to-see key to begin your quest for the secrets. Use of the wall jump is essential, but it's not difficult to master. Good looking, well lighted and enjoyable." - Phil

"I always look forward to 'Train' levels such as this, and the main reason for enjoying them is because I always know where I'm at, and where I'm going. I prefer linear gaming to non linear to be honest. The main focus of this 20 minute demo is to get to the opposite end of the train to lower a block, then get back to the beginning to collect a set of keys for the vehicles stored near the other end. To be honest, I'd have liked to have driven the cars but I guess that'll be in the full version, which i'm looking forward to by the way. The texturing and lighting are the highlight of the game, and are very professionally done, it has the feel of the classic TR4 train level but with a way better atmosphere. There are plenty of bad guys to keep you entertained, I like how some of them jump out at you, that's quite well done. There's some 'new' animations like the wall jump and climb into low crawlspace, that makes unique. Maybe, the only negative thing is some of the doors flicker when they open. Anyway, this is pretty good overall, well done!" - sonnyd83

"I've written it before and I'll write it again: there is only so much you can do with a train level.Everyone who has ever played one will know the form:run from carriage to carriage;climb up;shimmy along the sloping bits on the side of some of the wagons;pull a lever which opens a door back in the first carriage;shoot baddies who attack at every opportunity. The only difference here is a slightly annoying new(ish) jumping move,which took me a few attempts to get right. The combat sequences were rather fun,as you needed to work out a suitable strategy in order to conserve health and ammo;and the three secrets were enjoyable to acquire (and quite sequentially easy,once you'd located the first).The technical and creative side of things has been handled most proficiently;but,although the level ends before it becomes too repetitious,the finish trigger still feels a little abrupt.Not bad,though,for a half-hour action- packed blast." - Orbit Dream

"Not agree with the manarch2's review. Of course, I'm agree with him on certain aspects, 'cause the gameplay doesn't offer to the players any new ideas or interesting puzzles, but even so the level for me was entertaining and worth to play. I only missed some more ammo for the shotgun and an extra weapon to deal with the numerous enemies, but everybody can notice a very solid level with a very good design, a very good work with the texturization and the architecture; I only missed some more cameras, musics and flybys (and the ammo, of course). Apart from this, this level has nothing to envy the original one from TR4. Take a try, 'cause for me was enjoyable. Good work." - Jose

"I tend to be quite fond of train levels, although this one is fairly derivative apart from a couple of new moves. Shooting ninjas soon became tiresome, but overall I enjoyed exploring the train. Apart from the general carnage, it's all about throwing switches, but there is a tantalising glimpse of something more interesting as Lara retrieves the jeep keys - just in time for the level to end! It's always hard to rate a demo that lasts less than twenty minutes, but if the finished product does fulfil the more promising look of the end scene then it could be well worth playing, especially if you like the genre." - Jay

"I have to agree that the gameplay was bad. You shoot some enemies, pull a switch and repeat (until to a part where you have to make use of a new move). The shaking became quite annoying. I don't remember if it was that bad in TR4 too but i don't think so. Lara's Outfit and the level itself looked good though. Not a fan of the font. For the full release, many gameplay changes should be made if possible." - Mert

"Even for a train level, there's surprisingly little to almost no gameplay at all provided here as you simply cross the train without much hazzle (okay, except of two dozens or so enemies on the way) and then return back to the start. There's only one small deviation from the extremely linear progression, which is the small jump sequence with a new move, but that's all. Of more interest are the three secrets, which are well hidden and brought at least a bit of fun. Otherwise, it's a decently designed but really nowhere interesting demo level that simply doesn't work well as a standalone. 12 minutes." - manarch2

"Serving as a sort of appetizer for his currently-in-development Temple of the Forgotten Sands project, John's return to building after nearly eight years leaves a cautiously optimistic impression. Sure, this train level doesn't really do anything too amazing nor does it take too long to complete(18 minutes without collecting secrets). But what's on offer here is very solid in terms of overall design. Gameplay can be at-times nervously tense as you deal with an army of ninjas and hired mercenaries that could pop out around any potential corner, carefully making sure to not fall off the train somehow yourself. Texturing, atmosphere, object utilization and overall lighting effects are also up to the quality standard which should be expected out of most levels like this(if not slightly moreso in some areas). If you know what you're doing however and understand when to properly use your medipacks and shotgun ammunition, this level isn't very taxing on the average player. And with a lack of any real puzzles, this isn't gonna be a release that you'll find yourself going back to replay often. Regardless of said predicaments and the odd humorous situation involving some enemies moving or climbing continuously into something they shouldn't, this demo succeeds in what it sets out to do(even if it does end a tad anticlimactically). And ultimately, I'm looking forward to seeing what Tombraiderfreak has planned come the full eventual release." - Ceamonks890