Level reviews

"Ah - Maria Doria setting, always very welcome. But despite being relatively short at around 40 minutes, it is very easy to get lost here in all the hallways if you are not paying attention. At the start there is some clever use of push blocks and a lot of exploration and running around. Moving further in, I liked the idea of providing the player with hints for the puzzles on the walls or floors - hence providing some necessary guidance. Only a few enemies here - a few tough cowboy guys to kill, some Atlantean horses and plenty of rats, as you would expect. The library entry moment is nice and I did not mind the various timed sequences, as they nicely spiced things up between what otherwise is a search for rather too many switches overall. Still, a promising demo, looking forward to playing the next parts of the series." - MichaelP

"A very competent level that has you exploring a wrecked ship. The demo includes a full level that lasts about 45-60 minutes. The overall ambiance combined with texture work is spot on...in most areas. The bigger rooms with targeted aesthetics look great, but the passages leading to those rooms look very bland in comparison, almost as if the ship's rooms are connected by a series of caves rather than hallways. The level involves a LOT of timed switches, some of which require tight platforming and timing. It approached excessive levels as I started wondering if every switch I came across was timed while hurrying to the object that it activated. Not much to see in the way of enemies. A few Natla's goons and centaurs, but the level gives plenty of ammo and weaponry to deal with anything that might stand in your way. The level is mostly focused on traversal, puzzles and trap rooms, some of which were quite unique and very fun to go through. Worth a play, but I don't see why you would bother with this release since the full version of this map pack is already out. Perhaps to see all the minor changes? Regardless, recommended for completionists. Everyone else should play the full release." - LuxQSD

"Demo with a duration of a full scale level. Compared to the wreck level of the full adventure, there is a few minor differences , i prefer the different scary looking enemies who fit better in the full aventure. The gameplay is very diversified with timed runs even swims for trapdoors or doors or sliding blocks. They are tight but doable after a few attempts only , so that is perfect. Also some puzzles with writings on walls or pushables and of course a few traps. Atmospherically this is good even if we are not always sure where we are sometimes , still in the wreck or not but that does not decrease the fun." - eRIC

"A very well-made level all-round that offers some satisfying exploration amongst a ship wreck with some clever puzzles and interesting gameplay scenarios to overcome (with overall aesthetics and ambiance coming off very convincing). Could have done with maybe a few more medipacks and ammunition for the shotgun and dual magnums to better accommodate the all too frequent difficulty spikes when encountering stronger enemy types such as the Atlantean centaurs or the cowboys, but I suppose that's something the builder will hopefully look into addressing, come the full version being released at some point at time of writing. All in all, highly recommended!" - Ceamonks890

"And here, yet another marvelous TR1-level (even if it's just a Demo) taking place in a beautifully designed shipwreck. The many corridors that come up at the beginning at once and the overall design of the level made the environment look very realistic to me... well, except for nearly nothing being sunken here. But then again, it's a Tomb raider level. There are some good new puzzles to do and of course: Lara isn't alone. I had a little trouble fighting against those two centaurs with no healing left in my inventory, so better handle your stuff decently.
Took me more than one hour. Found 2/3 secrets." - Nuri

"Awesome level, very good puzzles and nice storyline, There were some confusing door texture everywhere, the texture overall is good and matches the theme of the place, Highly recopmmend it. I give it 8/10" - p1kaa

"This is one of the best TR1 custom levels I've ever played. It keeps you busy and entertaining from the start to the very end. Perhaps abuse a bit of the timed runs, but the gameplay is fluid enough so you don't need a walkthrough. The environments are very well builded and textured, there are hints in the walls to solve the puzzles and the tasks are not too hard. Missed a secret, and only an advice: don't waste medipacks! There are enough extra guns and ammo but few medipacks (few enemies too). The old musics in appropriate places give a nice touch, and the cameras are well placed to guide the player. Sure a small jewell for al those TR1 lovers. Highly recommended." - Jose

"Recently I played an entire bunch of demos which are better than full levels and this is one of them. Once more, ship happens when we're thrown in a vessel together with a blend of assets somewhat crossing the line of randomness, but far from an uncanny way. The structure of level is a bigger problem - it's another amoeba-like shape spreading its tentacles in every direction, so it feels more like a cave, adding unnecessary ordeal to remember what is where. But fortunately in terms of quantity there wasn't too much of anything, so even my short memory could cope. Recommended." - DJ Full

"Now here's a combination I never thought I'd see: a Maria Doria ship setting inside the TR1 engine, and very enjoyable it was too. Admittedly there is only so much you can do within the restrictions of the TR1 engine, but the builder has managed to construct a very decent piece of work here. The technical side of things has been handled very proficiently, with competent texturing, lighting, camera and audio usage and a few rooms manage to instill a sense of grandeur, such as the huge library with the chandeliers or the room with the giant spike pit and the Mona Lisa paintings. Timed runs are a bit of a regular occurrence, but are nicely pitched to challenge the player rather than elicit frustration. Object placement is very nicely done, although the enemy placement is a little on the overly tricky side. Overall though, a very enjoyable adventure in a pleasing setting." - Ryan

"It's amazing how much our builders can make with an engine as limited as the one used in TR1. This is a massive level that will have you searching high and low for four levers at first and then quite a handful of other activities as you proceed to locate an underground temple entrance. There is an underwater maze easily navigated by following the clues left by the author, and generally while gameplay seems to be a slow burner it flows rather well. It's quite unusual seeing all the TR2 textures and objects under the crude lighting and color palette, but TR1 always has this bonus eerie atmosphere that subsequent games seemed to lose (or it's maybe just nostalgia speaking louder). Either way, this is definitely worth your time. 60 minutes, 3 secrets. 09/20" - Treeble

"A pair of TR1 levels themed after the TR2 shipwreck levels. Not a combination you see every day! Brace yourself though, because there are a large number of timed runs in this level. There are a good number of switches to find and I estimate that 75% of them are timed. There are also a pleasant amount of puzzles to solve, traps to dodge, and a variety of enemies to defeat to build up your arsenal. The textures and lighting are good, although some areas have a strong wallpaper effect. I would recommend this to any raider that doesn't find timed runs to be too stressful. I'll end this with a technical tip: If you have trouble setting your own controls, try copying the .dll files over from another TR1 game (I used Nordic Adventure)." - JesseG

"I believe in giving credit where credit is due and this hour long romp through the Maria Doria in the TR1 engine is absolutely fantastic. There are a couple of tight timed runs, two puzzles that you need to think about and a veritable labyrinth inside the ship to negotiate and it is easy to get turned around. Took me a long time to find the final switch to get the doors open for that first key. The human enemies are difficult to dispatch but the only other nasties you will encounter are the mutant rats and a couple of those centaurs (although how they found there way on to the sunken ship from Atlantis is a mystery). Playing through the tombati.exe rendered exceptional graphics and the whole hour spent here was a joy. I hope Leoc1995 continues on and completes the level as this was issued as a demo." - Torry

"A great TR1 custom level. This level is a crossover between Tr1 and Tr2 very well designed by the author. A beautiful map, which shows that the author took good care of the details. The gameplay is very good, with traps, timed races, some enemies and very interesting puzzles, especially those using the compass. The lighting and textures are nice, and i didn't find any bugs at all level, considering the TR1 engine. My score is compared to the other custom TR1 levels (as should always be done, compare levels of the same type), in which case I consider this one of the best custom TR1 levels ever made. A very interesting and highly recommended demo. Waiting for more levels of this author. 50 minutes with two secrets." - Mister-B

"I saw a couple of updates from the builder's social media and I was really interested in looking at this level, playing it I didn't regret what I was thinking about. We dive into a Maria Doria styled level which is something I never saw on a TR1 level. The gameplay, despite TR1 engine limitations, it's various, faithful to the original game and intriguing enough; I was impressed by the length of this level (in a good way) and I loved some of the elements such as fighting with the centaurs, the platforming and the timeruns (even if maybe some were too tight but it wasn't a problem at all for me). Though I had an issue with the underwater switches puzzle which I didn't understand, so I had to check a walkthrough for that. Visually the level is really good, the lighting it's really well made and the textures make their own job giving the level the right colors, also none of the rooms felt too empty or filled with too many things. I wish though many of the sounds issues will be fixed on the final release, such as door and trapdoor sounds working just sometimes. Last but not least I would've customized the outfit a little to fit the style of the level even more, but that's just a self preference I guess. Totally recommended! 45 mins, one secret." - LoreRaider

"Even if it's "only" a demo, this is the builder's best effort until now in my opinion, using a TR 2 ship setting in the TR 1 engine. Gameplaywise diverse and entertaining with several (not excessively) challenging timed runs, platforming and traps; at the end there were even some interesting direction puzzles. Everything is put together carefully and the looks are rather clean. Standard sounds are used decently while cameras are generally helpful in progression. Architecture is sometimes more functional than realistic but there are rather nicely designed areas like the library or the kind of theatre towards the end. It all ended after 35 interesting minutes and I hope to see more soon (though I don't feel the need of replaying this level again, which is always something I dislike in demos). Found the three nice secrets." - manarch2

"without doubt is a great demo! I particularly liked the game in general, it was well designed and the gameplay was fast and there were many places to explore. About the atmosphere and puzzles, The water puzzle wasn't very balanced, I almost drowned lara but I thought it was clever, as well as the puzzle of the compass and a little more confusing but was quite smart. So in general it was satisfactory, I felt a lack of traps l(logically speaking within the limits of TR1) and there are also doors with and without sound during gameplay. Enemies, objects and secrets- in relation to the enemies, I found it balanced to a shipwreck level and they are also not difficult and you can kill them without worrying about their blood and calm, in relation to secrets, I found them well hidden, I found 2/3 and it also has pretty decent items in my honest opinion. The objects are few but by the limit are well placed. Mow about Atmosphere, sound & cameras- I found the level architect well designed, I didn't see any mistakes in relation to the atmosphere of the game, Some moments were creative like the crooked chandelier for example. The sounds of the game are amazing with the beautiful soundtrack of the original TR1. and finally textures & lighting, I found it very well textured, with the presence of new textures like wood and also broken wood, which is smart, I realized how careful the author was when it came to choose textures, about lighting I found a little weak (I know the limitations of TR1) but it is a little clearer than it should be the author should have attention in the rooms a little darker but finally a good demo and I want to revise well level by level .... it took me a 1h 45min ... 2/3 secrets... i recommend it." - Larysuh13