Level reviews

"An incredibly good horror Tomb Raider game, with a dark atmosphere and story, highly recommended 10/10" - Raider278

"Oh, wow. This is definitely among the best custom levels themed around survival horror I've seen. The mansion is a maze and a literal hell to navigate, even following G&D's thorough walkthrough there are so many narrow corridors and side passages it's easy to get lost (which is not a whole lot of fun, truth be told), and the author has created a solid and creepy atmosphere without resorting to darkness. It's gloomy, heavy, unsettling. Pitch perfect. The first handful of creature encounters are fun too, the author makes them "teleport" with clever use of triggers so you never feel really safe. Very cinematic approach with a few cutscenes along the way and plenty of journal pages scattered to further develop the storyline. 80 minutes, 4 secrets. 10/26" - Treeble

"This level is awesome - I enjoyed it wholeheartedly. Immediately one of my favourites of the horror genre. We come to explore a small city at the beginning and then later we move on to the mansion which is like 90% of the game. Very interesting gameplay is involved. Various puzzles are to be solved, there is lot of exploration and roaming around. And there is also a zillion of keys, so it's better to remember the placement of every keyhole :) I love the horror aspects of the gameplay such as numerous jumpscares and "creepy situations". Probably I would have reacted more vividly if I hadn't watched this level on youtube several years ago which had made me remember few situations. I bet people who are playing and seeing this the first time will jump on their chair several times. Atmosphere is spot-on - spooky, gloomy and often holds in tense. The story told via the diary entries adds a little backstory to the place and depth to it. Design is without major flaws - most of the areas look polished, well-lighted and decorated. Maybe some of the city areas look a bit empty but it's not a big part of the game. Music is well chosen - it adds to the atmosphere and holds in tense. By the way I'm proud to have collected all the secrets :) All in all, I think this is a great horror level with an immersive atmosphere and gameplay with interesting ideas. Definitely recommended!" - BlackWolfTR

"When it comes to story, atmosphere, music and visuals this mostly mansion level delivers superb quality with great cutscenes, a dark gloomy atmosphere which fits perfectly with the story and the music used which invokes sadness and then tension and stress later on with those truly terrifying enemy attacks and jump scares. Cameras were used very well for some flybys and fixed camera areas and the textures and visuals lacked in a lot of colour or brightness which obviously compliments the general theme. Gameplay wise there is a lot of running around and a lot of keys and items to find to progress which is to be expected in a mansion level but unfortunately the amount of this tips the balance too low with the other gameplay elements such as traps, push-able object puzzles, a torch task and and enemy attacks. The enemy attacks were done so well and was so scary because most of the level you don't have a weapon so you have to find other ways to escape these dreadful monsters clutches. Unusually for me (although i did enjoy a few parts in the mansion) i actually enjoyed and preferred the area in the town at the beginning with all the exploring, platforming and great use of the motorbike but undoubtedly if you put it altogether there is a good variety of fun tasks here in this level as a whole if you can get past the huge amount of time spent running around the mansion trying to find the next key and getting lost haha" - John

"This level was such a breeze and a rush of adrenaline. Most probably one of the best levels that have been crafted by the community.
First of all: it is horror themed, and that is not only rare, but a very difficult genre to build correctly in this engine. But to my astonishment, Dreamfall managed to succeed, bringing us this masterpiece.
It could be divided in two parts: the introduction, and the manor.
The former is very short, and let you explore this small foggy city with the help of a motorbike. The city is so atmospheric, and there were some jumpscares here and there(I was really afraid of that homeless guy that appeared for one single second walking an hallway!).
The latter instead is the manor: it is very big and it is really interesting to explore every single corner of it, solving many puzzles as you get chased by some supernatural monsters.
As an horror game, the most important thing in my opinion is the atmosphere, and this game really nailed it: great use of cameras, music, textures, lights, effects... but most importantly the Journal! It was an interesting touch I really wish that was implemented in more custom levels, as it gives depth to the story.

I don't really have much to say. This level has close to no flaws, and it was a source of great fun from the beginning to the end. Congratulations!

Recommended? Must-Play, especially if you love horror-themed levels. I recommend playing this level at night!

Difficulty? Medium.

Duration? Approx. 90-150 minutes." - TombExplorer

"This is definitely too ambitious, 20 kilometers through a manor is too much... probably the biggest problem in this level is that going from one major area to another often requires a passage through a rather unremarkable kitchen - it's like building a Croft manor and requiring a passage through the attic everytime you find a key... speaking of which, there are definitely too many keys and I would really like this level twice shorter. But I still wasn't too bored, mainly thanks to great storytelling, moments of anticipation and top notch atmosphere which works fine even with NG audio bug occasionally kicking in. The graphics could be less repetitive - better include less objects to create less patterns and more focus, both for the eyes and for the mind. The purple bedroom is an excellent example of a place which breaks such pattern, in fact it brings so much relief and looks so inviting I expected something major there - and that's where it should be. Simply put: include a major gameplay element anytime something major attracts players' eyes, and keep everything connected through major hub areas instead of through minor passages, and much less people will get confused. Still, I don't regret I played this level, it's very good to see the learning curve, and I'm sure it all goes in the correct direction. Good thing for a spooky, rainy evening." - DJ Full

"This is one of my favorite game that I've ever played, a chilling experience that starts with no horror actually and ends with it! The game starts in a city and then moves into a house and it's there that craziness starts! In the beginning we have to walk around a little into the town in order to cross the bridge and get to the other side. The gameplay is a little straightforward here and texturing is not that delightful too but it gets better as long as you proceed. Crossed the bridge we can finally get to this house that Lara is visiting ... I wonder what's the- "AHHHHH!" (EXPLOSION. Presses F5 on the keyboard and crosses his eyebrows as he struggles not to look annoyed, he breathe and then selects the right save), I was saying, Lara has to go there but the street has got a whole full hole in it! After it we finally get to this house right? (Expecting Lara to die by falling and exploding, Lara is still alive) All right we are here. Lara enters the house as it looks pretty weird and shortly after a scream greets the player to what this game is able to. From this point till the end, the game becomes less linear and surely more scary. Its non-linearity though is not a good point of it, because it's one of those games with lotsa' keys and so many places to look into. I enjoyed it anyways. Enemies ... well you won't encounter a lot of them ... usually they come with jump-scares ... oh look at that note ... how cute! Secrets are four, and I found them all to be honest, yet only one of them was very clever ... very, very clever and needed a little of backtracking after receiving an important object ... Objects ... there's a clever usage of some statics in order to prevent the player going in the collision box of the closed door, since there are loads of doors that aren't opened, but you can see them from the inside! In the end, this is a quite scary experience, sometimes it may become very scary, thank to the great usage of the soundtrack and the overall great texturing and atmosphere! Recommended to who enjoys scary games, as I do, actually! Wolfy Regards." - Wolf7

"With regards to its source material and the mood it tries to set, this level succeeds admirably. It also made me pity Winston and feel a bit guilty about all the times I locked him in the freezer. The whole atmosphere of the game is quite spooky and a little emotional seeing as Winston has passed on, and the music files and the cutscenes compliment the atmosphere really well. The textures are also very monotone, but in this setting they work rather well and I didn't mind so much. In terms of gameplay, what you have to do is actually pretty simple, but remembering where the various keyholes are can get pretty difficult, as the mansion is quite a sprawling place. You also have to avoid the enemies you encounter, at least to begin with, as Lara is weaponless. The backtracking was a bit repetitive for my liking, but the element puzzle was a nice addition and the boss battle was one of the most inventive I've seen in a while, although it takes a few tries to get everything right. For something a little different, this is definitely worth trying out." - Ryan

"I've started this level some weeks ago and I've finally decided to finish it, and it was worth it! I loved it so much, finally I've played something different from the usual. The gameplay was various and not too difficult, maybe you could've get stuck sometimes, but not a big deal, I loved the "panic" moments done in many ways while going foward to the adventure, they were perfect. Objects, textures and the lighting were really good too, same for the grey, spooky atmosphere on the outside, and the warm atmosphere on the inside. What to say, absolutely recommended! Keep your work up! I did 1h40 of game getting all the 4 secrets." - LoreRaider

"Months ago I was testing this level with Dutchy and Gerty before the releasing and now I replayed it for a second time. Even so my opinion is still the same: I've enjoyed the first outside areas with the bike to reach the mansion, but once inside the tasks are repetitive with a lot of keys to find and a lot of backtracking to use them. The few puzzles are not very clear, but sneaky to squeeze your brain. The best for me were the good atmosphere, the solid history and the cut scenes. Anyway a good work from a promised builder with better skills than the last year. Please, don't stop building." - Jose

"Hands up if the subject matter of this level made you feel bad about all those times you shut poor old Winston in the freezer. Oh OK, just me then! It's certainly an unusual idea for a level and it works really well. The sombre colour palette fits the subject matter perfectly, even if I did have to draw the blinds to shut out the unusually bright sunshine the UK has been having lately. Gameplay-wise, the most difficult aspect is trying to negotiate the huge mansion with ghosts and mutants lurking in the shadows and, initially, no pistols (I dare say Lara thought it might be bad etiquette to take them to a funeral). I did rather enjoy luring one mutant into a cage to blow it up, I must confess. The atmosphere is delightfully creepy, helped in no small part by the unsettling music/sound files. It's definitely something a bit different and, for lovers of spooky mansion levels, this is an absolute must-play." - Jay

"The description for this game really intrigued me to start playing and all I can say is that I am glad I did. You start the game in a town, mourning over Winston's death and trying to reach to his family's mansion to inform them of his death. However, when you finally arrive to the mansion you realize that something strange is going on and all the scary things start to show up and terrorize you. In order to understand what's going on, the designer has scattered some diary pages which you have to find and read in order to get a clear point of what's happening. The story itself is very interesting and it really encourages the player of continuing forward. The sounds and lightning used really help to built a very dark and scary atmosphere. Lara doesn't have guns until you reach half the game, which was a pretty good element because you are forced to run away all over the mansion and quickly jump stairs to avoid enemies. The highlight of all these is the moment where you have to face a scary creature with no guns and you have to lock him behind some doors in order to activate a switch and blow him up. It was one of my favorite puzzles of this game. After Lara finds some guns, you can easily get rid of some enemies and then deal with an amazing ending boss which you have to defeat within a time limit. The ending boss was the climax that this game deserved to further boost up its uniqueness as a fan-made level. Through the game, there are also some secrets which are not so difficult to find and give the player the feeling of achievement. Despite its perfectly built scary atmosphere and story there are still some drawbacks, which mostly concern of its gameplay and puzzles. In order to proceed forward in the level, you mostly need to find keys and remember the position of the door which they open. This can be proven very difficult since the mansion had a lot of pathways, halls and rooms with lots of different doors. There are some cameras to remind you of where to go when you find a key but they are not so helpful in most of the times. There is also some backtracking in order to reach those doors which is a bit frustrating. Although you may enjoy the searching of the mansion at the beginning, it eventually becomes a repetitive mission of "opening a door, finding a key and then opening a new door only to find a new key for a new door". However, there are a lot of other puzzles in the game which are all cleverly built to entertain you and make you think. Conclusion: Shattered Ties by Dreamfall is an unforgettable experience which none should miss due to its well designed atmosphere and story that combine pretty well with each other. If someone has patience and remembers the positions of some elements through the mansion, this level will be really enjoyable for him." - TRTheoP

"I have to say, similarly to DJ Full's "Cakeworld" (but for different reasons of course), this level REALLY hit the spot for me, it might be because of the Silent Hill- ish/Resident Evil-ish atmosphere to it (which admittedly I'm somewhat biased towards since I love both series), but, I had a great time with this level. I think the package succeeds on all categories, the puzzles are nice and even if they are very few of them, the custom assets felt very well implemented, the fact that you spend most of the level defenseless helped create some very tense moments, the camera shots added to already very creepy and suspenseful atmosphere, texturing and lighting were almost perfect in my opinion and the music choices was phenomenal. The builder also managed to implement the story very well with the gameplay. I think the verdict is very obvious, you should definitely play this." - SeniorBlitz

"This is one of those levels where I'm glad I waited for the walkthrough to become available before attempting to play it. The gameplay is quite sprawling and complex, and after you reach the mansion everything basically boils down to opening doors, finding keys and trying to remember where they're to be used. Along the way there are many refreshing touches, not to mention having to deal with nightmarish creatures without any weapons at your disposal. An extended elements puzzle is thrown in for good measure. I had some problems with the ending sequence, having dispatched the enemies with time to spare and having to sit around and wait for the exit door to open. And when I dashed outdoors, everything seemed to become frozen in place and I had to try pushing various keys to make Lara move and cause the level to end. The level is dark throughout, but it's not the annoying kind of dark that I experienced with Forgotten Island, where the player can't see what's going on around him. And this builder has provided ample flares, although I rarely felt the need to use one. Colors are almost nonexistent, as everything seems to be presented with a purplish tint. Still, it's evident that a tremendous amount of planning has gone into this release, and it's quite effective in setting the desired mood of spookiness. 2018 has been a good year for raiders, and we're not even halfway through." - Phil

"This level really reminded me of Resident Evil 1 and that's why i loved it, the scary ambience, the huge Mansion with a lot of locked doors, the intriguing story, the puzzles, really good! The textures were well chosen as the objects, the chases parts were awesome, i got really scared when the chaser first appears, really recommended!" - ameliacrofty

"The atmosphere is perfect for a horror/mistery level. Sometimes (many times) you have to goo back to many places to use a key/object and it can be really annoying. Also, I missed some more dialogue from Lara, but appart from that, is a good mistery level" - Danpls

"Through all pros and cons, the storyline and the horror atmosphere must really be mentioned as outstanding features of this game. Fans of the genre will definately enjoy this game for the nerve-wrecking scenes and I must really say that the builder did some great things with enemies, musics and cameras. Excellent! I also think that the builder made a good step in the right direction versus his debut level, as the overall quality of the environments is much better. There are some too simplistic parts, e.g. in the town at the start, and the texturing is not always clean, but some areas are quite believable too. I also enjoyed the gameplay to some extent, the motorbike path was fun and the first tasks in the manor as well (like the unique code puzzle). The exploration of the manor was also decent for some time, but eventually this turned into a very repetitive key hunt and tasks that only consisted of remembering where a certain keyhole was, opening the door and finding the next key item. It's not always like this and there are a few nicer puzzles along the way, the storyline and thrill also make things better, but a few more varied tasks could've really lifted this level into higher score ranges as the potential really was present. I found all four nicely hidden secrets in 1:05 hours and definately recommend this game but not for the faint of heart." - manarch2

"A very good made level that reminds in some aspects of silent hill, resident evil and some horror movies. After a nice and long intro Lara finds herself on the streets of something. A call it something because it doesn't look like a city, not even close. I did not had the feeling of being in a town, rather in a lifeless level editor room. The overall area needs more work, more light and more object decorations. Many objects had missing collision ( door frames, persons … ). After few easy tasks Lara gets to a river. I initially missed the motorbike, so I had to go back at one point. The part between the ˝town˝ and villa had some cliff environment that looked way too cubic and unnatural. I have to mention that the texturing is fine as long as there are no curvy parts. Whenever the wall needed to be more grinded to avoid stretched textures, the author missed to do that, instead left the stretched textures. Soon Lara enters the villa where she gets chased by a monster for a long period. The chasing reminds me of the movie the shining. Maybe it would be good to have a new monster made for the level and not something we seen a hundred times already. The villa was nicely designed. The light was monotone, but serves its purpose well, like in other TRLE horror levels. Few times a found the gameplay very hard to follow. Also, the gameplay includes too much key collecting. On the second chasing with the big guy I really wished I had pistols, as this is repeating the same thing from the villa. The overall gameplay was alright, but not to innovative or too interesting. Definitely the greatest thing about the level is the story, cutscenes, atmosphere, music and the overall execution of the author's idea. Will be rewarded in the rating. Level recommended, especially for horror fans !" - Gorty

"Still one more game whose exe gets eaten by Avast no matter what... oh well. I used Cakeworld Rebake's exe instead, I guess I'll keep an accepted exe available at all times just in case. Anyway, this was one huge step forward when you think of Rescue Hanna! I love it when builders do listen. Excellent. There are some easy to miss things in the game (crossing the pit near the start, for instance) and the whole area is enormous and pretty complicated if you don't have a fantastic visual memory. But I loved it globally. The atmosphere is good, the sounds are never annoying and the overall gameplay felt great in spite of a few minor glitches. The secrets are findable and highly rewarding and I really liked the grand finale. It takes a while because it's so hard to orient oneself but never boring, quite on the contrary. Recommended indeed." - Jorge22

"A well-paced level with excellent atmosphere. I loved the concept of a journal, as well as the way in which Lara defeats and escapes monsters without weapons of her own. The mansion is pretty well-polished, but I think that the atmospheric highlights of this level are the yard/forest and the church. This is just like TR5 Ireland and I LOVE IT. I also loved the little touches: the elegant font, the secret sound. However, I've also had my annoyances with this level. It's easy to get stuck in some objects, which is particularly irritating after the difficult motorbike jump or when Lara is being chased (fixed camera angles didn't help). There were some minor problems (glitching through a closed trapdoor or through a chain- link fence) which caused me to reload the game. The layout of the mansion is rather complex, so if you're like me and don't have excellent spatial memory, prepare for some more backtracking." - Mortensmor