Level reviews

"Those Madhouse objects and textures that I love so much have been very well employed in this fun, two part adventure. The streets and little squares with cafe tables enchant as always and the zoo is impressive (and dangerous of course, especially the tough, homicidal parrots). Basically, the atmosphere is wonderful. Part two presents a much darker, occasionally quite eerie, feel to the proceedings as Lara enters Sophia's domain and eventually deals with her in a suitably spectacular fashion. Also, I could be wrong, but this could be the only time Lara's had a hot air balloon to pick her up. Good fun." - Jay

"The first level was good for a relaxing night play, though gameplay was mostly simple keys and doors. The second level gave me a feeling of a proper remake, and I think if you're looking for such thing, you will enjoy. I would rather have something not so literal, but with a twist. I think the ultimate Madhouse level wasn't built yet." - DJ Full

"Really a couple of levels with a good design, the environments have a very good look with a great architecture; the builder knows how to take advantage of the spaces to generate many tasks in small areas. The pickups are enough, and there are no many enemies; the secrets are well hidden and the helping cameras well placed. But the gameplay is not very entertaining, based only about pull a lot of switches and look for too many keys to open innumerable doors. The second level is a bit better in this sense, incorporating some more traps and dangerous situations with deadly pits, but still without fresh ideas except the last part to defeat Sophia. Even so an adventure worth to play without many complications, but try to explore carefully every single area if you don't want to suffer backtracking." - Jose

"This is a sort of remake of the last levels of The Lost Artefact, with a Zoo and catacomb level. The visuals are generally on a bigger scale than the original, with some nice attempts to make the Zoo setting a little more realistic such as closed off habitats and features like toilets and food vans. I really liked the rainy evening/night atmosphere of the map in general, and there's something weirdly cozy about it. While the lighting is technically too bright for the sky I didn't actually mind it here, and it fit with the original map at least. The second map also uses the catacomb assets well, although it doesn't do anything especially notable with that theme. The gameplay for the first half is mostly exploration and a little platforming, with combat and other danger being relatively rare. There's a heavy key-hunt focus and while it seems a little much, there's a certain absurdity to their placement that I felt added an intentional comedy edge to the level when combined with the inherently somewhat silly Zoo theme. The catacombs in the second level are a bit more dangerous in terms of threats and traps-including a decent boss-but it's not especially difficult and goes by quite smoothly. A good set of levels but they don't really go too far beyond the original theme despite good execution." - Mman

"Quite an enjoyable return to the Madhouse, and I must disagree that there weren't enough changes, as I found this to be a hommage, yes, but basically quite different from the original. I thought the settings were pretty good (true, the night time is rather clear in the first level, but it didn't bother me), the textures looked excellent to my untrained-as- a-builder's eyes, and I particularly liked the second level, with its share of enemies (rabid dogs and fiery undead included), cool boulder runs, at least one timed set of traps, and the last fight against Sophia. The rubber boat was interestingly designed, even though maybe it could have been used a little more. And there's an ending with the hot air balloon and all! Great entry." - Jorge22

"A level that really deserves to be called "create a classic". A classic reimagined at TR4 engine that brings the author's touches throughout the design, which is very well made and built when it comes to detailing and geometry. As for gameplay, it's a linear level in some parts, in which most players will have peace of mind when playing, since there are no arduous tasks. It's about exploring, fetching keys and levers, defeating some enemies and moving on. The excessive search and use of keys went beyond the ideal, being repetitive and the author could have varied in terms of the tasks to be performed. But I understand the author's choice, although in this "revisit" to Madhouse the author could have "risked more". Textures are almost perfect, but lighting is a bit bright in some places. For a night level, the brightness in first level doesn't fit well with the atmosphere in my opinion, but, as i said, it's "my opinion", so each builder has the right to build the level as he sees fit. Maybe more dark areas in some rooms could be a good improvement in this sense, but it's not an aspect that harms gameplay, as brighter areas are better than a completely dark level that makes exploration impossible. Overall, a fun level, worthy of being called "classic" and well done by the author. Recommended to fans of "Tomb Raider 3 The Lost Artifact". I finished the level in 1 hour and 49 minutes and found only 2 secrets. My rating is 8/10/10/9." - Leoc1995

"This pair of levels is a great remix of the last two levels of The Lost Artifact: It's A Madhouse and Reunion. Lara starts in her TR3 boat, which comes in handy for reaching certain landings as well as making the travel a bit easier in this impressive coastline zoo. There is a nice variety of areas, including an aviary, foodcourt, and several cages dedicated to specific animals (for Lara to gun down, of course). After traveling to and fro between many (sometimes sneaky) switches, Lara will find the infamous hand in a safe and use it to access the next level, where she will have another encounter with Miss Leigh. The second level introduces some great use of varied lighting, and it also brings some more engaging gameplay elements, such as timed doors, boulders (of various sizes), hidden platforms, spikes, and of course Sophia herself. As usual, Lara won't combat her with gunfire, instead she must dodge her attacks while ascending the central chamber and blowing open some giant statue heads, before claiming the artifact again and making good time with her scheduled hot air balloon appointment. 1 hour 27 minutes." - JesseG

"This is an amazing Madhouse level. There's a good bit of key collecting, but I didn't mind it at all, it never felt tedious or like I was just collecting keys. I think I even enjoyed this a good bit more than the original Tomb Raider III Madhouse level, Highly recommended and a must play for fans of Tomb III Gold. Die Basis is a great builder and I'll be eagerly anticipating whatever he does next." - Lorax

"It's quite an underrated level to be honest. I think it is very good and should be praised a bit more.
Gameplay is created in a very classic TR-ish style, exploration, finding keys, pulling levers and so on. I think it's done pretty well maybe there's "a bit" too much of it yet still it's enjoyable. Difficulty is generally balanced there's not tricky jumps or extremely hard moments in puzzles and etc. There are some cleverly hidden passages, so I think people who likes exploration should enjoy it. I personally enjoyed that a lot. :)
We meet plenty of enemies here and they're pretty balanced I think, not too hard, not too easy. The author provided a lot of ammunition, so you're not able to lose your favorite weapons that easily hehehe, same goes to medipacks. :) Secrets are hidden very well, so you have to explore a bit of time to find them. There's proper usage of assets. All statics have own place and there's no feeling that something is out of place or that rooms are empty. Well done!
Whole environment is built well, it gives a nostalgic feeling and it's very atmospheric. Sounds are set correctly, no wrong pitched or missing ones :P Good amount of camera hints, so players shouldn't get lost that easily I think.
Texturing and Lighting is very polished and I'd say better than in original TR3 Gold. It's very well done. I'll repeat myself but it's an underrated level. It's great and I am looking forward to the next releases by this author. Recommended!" - Mahetus

"A nice level! It plays good and straightforward most of the time and it feels pretty classic. It offers quite classic tasks and a variation of environments.
I have to say, though, that gameplay could have been a bit better because often we get secret-alike paths that usually are not meant to be "main path" but in this level they do (jumping the fences, spotting the crack on the beach...). Beside these things the challenge in platforming and combat is nice, not too high and motivating.
Another thing that doesn't catch me is the lack of innovation and variation in the gameplay tasks: lot of levers and keys all the way. I'm a bit disappointed for the final battle, I expected a different ending than just using a lever to pull a rollingball down, and to use more this ultra super mega powerful MP5-Shotgun.
I can't highlight peak moments but the gameplay was overall fun and backtracking is nicely avoided.
Visually, unfortunately this level doesn't tell "atmosphere" to me. Although the asset alone speaks "TR3 gold", something is missing to make it atmospheric. Some lights are white, some areas have too many colors and not a dominant one to set the tone (asset's fault but lights too), some areas are too bright (underwater on the sea is so bright) and the rain is sometimes too strong, in places where it's not raining.
However, texturing is correct all the way.
I recommend this level anyway, that was a nice adventure.
The second level is better than the first one, in my opinion, both in gameplay and visuals." - dinne

"Another stellar entry for the recent CaC. Amazing stuff!

You go back for (Rath)more Sophia Leigh, and finally get rid of her. The zoo was an interesting level, yet the gameplay dragged on, especially because of the same mechanic (key to door) being used throughout, and of lack of hints in some points, as well as the use of at least one dodgy jump.

The second level was much more linear, yet it felt short and simple, with an easy to accomplish Sophia fight.

There are many highlights, especially how beautiful and atmospheric everything is, even with such a stark contrast between two completely different levels. You should play this, especially if you loved TR3 and its Gold levels! I found it easy to moderate, and completed it in 1h45min.

Thank you, Die Basis, for the great work you shared with us. Congratulations on giving us such an interesting new look at this adventure!" - MigMarado

"This two-parter is inspired by TR3 "The Lost Artifact", where Lara goes in an adventure to find the Hand of Rathmore and stop Sophia Leigh.

The first level "The Zoo" (6/8/7/9): it has a good start with Lara in a rubber boat sailing towards a French coast, but once you land on the beach you start what seems like an endless run between doors, switches and keys. That is basically the gameplay in this part, and sometimes you need to run for a long distance without doing anything else. With no puzzles, a few enemies and plenty of Uzi ammo and medipacks, there's no real challenge and you can easily get bored at this part. Sounds and atmosphere are not much better than the gameplay actually, the music most of the times feels out of place, the raining sound starts and stops suddenly in some places in a weird way.

The second level "Sophia's Hideout" (8/10/9/9): it's better and much more enjoyable and challenging than the first part. Gameplay, enemies, sounds and atmosphere are all done very well, there are many traps and an interesting boss fight. All of that makes this part leaves a better impression than the first one.

There are 6 secrets and they are hidden well in both parts. There's no cutscenes (maybe except the ending) and the cameras are always static. Visually, the author did a very good job in this whole custom level, everything looks nice, and the lighting is excellent.

Overall, it's an ambitious classic recreation with a good story. But, unfortunately, the two parts are not in the same level in many aspects. Final score: (7/9/8/9) " - Mouayad

"It's always a pleasant change to play a Madhouse-themed level as they're somewhat of a rarity, and this two-parter captures the essence of the original version very nicely. A couple of minor texturing glitches didn't spoil an otherwise solidly exquisite visual impression, and the jungle/zoo atmosphere is extremely well caught, with neat object placement and enjoyable enemy encounters. Gameplay is perhaps more on the simplistic side in the first half, mainly centered around exploration for various keys and switches, and a brief boat ride, but the adventure shifts gear once Lara enters the catacombs, with the traps getting a tad more challenging and the atmosphere getting somewhat spookier, but again there's nothing that should stump you for too long. This is maybe not the best fit for the puzzle aficionados out there, but it's a definite must-play for the atmosphere alone." - Ryan

"This builder was quite prolific during the second half of the first decade of this site, giving us a number of highly-rated levels before going into semi-hibernation, only to re- emerge a few years ago. Up until now he's been confining himself to the BtB competitions, but this two-part TR3-themed level submitted as a 2021 CaC entry carves out new territory. The weak spot, judging from the earlier reviews, appears to be in the gameplay category, but I thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of this two-hour romp, from negotiating the motorized raft to gain access to the zoo area, then descending to the bowels of the earth for an encounter with Sophia, and finally bringing it all full circle with a return to the zoo complex and a nice view of the surrounding ocean. Sure, progression may seem easy and obvious to most of us, but the real fun of playing this adventure is that burst of nostalgia that brings us back to the days when we were first enjoying the thrill of TR3 Gold (and I can't tell you how many times I replayed that game before discovering the wealth of material available on this site). The surroundings are remarkably faithful to that engine, and everything is so perfectly lighted that I can't recall a single occasion where I had to use a flare. In short, these are the kinds of levels that push my hot button, and I'd love to see more of them. High recommendations." - Phil

"A long draw-distance was selected by the builder to showcase the opulent beachfront at the start. I have to admit I was quite taken aback by this opening view. As the level progresses the visual quality remains high through the labyrinthine zoo, but then drops somewhat for the final level.
Gameplay was generally easy, the effort came in remembering where you were and where the next key went. There were perhaps too many keys and not enough puzzles, but I enjoyed my romp through here a great deal. It was a lot better than the original Madhouse levels that came with TR3:The Lost Artefact." - Dick

"The level starts with a nice flyby of a gorgeous beach area and after several (classic) tasks you reach the zoo. The gameplay in both areas is mostly exploration based, something I really like. In the second level you have to defeat Sophia and the gameplay consists of more action: some enemies, some platforming, traps but nothing too threatening. The gameplay in general is player-friendly and that's why that back-jump over the fence definitely didn't belong in an easy-difficulty level. (In fact I believe it doesn't belong anywhere. In an easy level it will be frustrating and in a challenging one it won't present a challenge lol). Texturing and lighting are well applied and create an excellent atmosphere. Found all secrets, some of them were well hidden. Took me a bit under 3 very enjoyable hours. Definitely recommended." - billie2001

"I really enjoyed the intro with Lara entering the seaside of the island; the zoo with all those cages was also nicely done. Exploration felt inspired at the start, but later on it was more and more a repetition of the same tasks and especially too many levers and items to use to open the door to the next item and so on, with very few puzzles, timed runs and platforming parts in between. The second level was a little more interesting but still didn't present any new things to the theme, as it's basically a straightforward romp with some minor jump sequences; admittedly the boss fight was rather fun. Enemies are decently placed, but actually quite few and I never had to use the Uzis at all. The atmosphere is very solid throughout and the contrast between the two levels is nicely implemented, also with a different kind of lighting. The texturing is overall clean too, but there are major problems at the top of the outside area in the first level with some translucent textures on the roofs through which you can see other parts of the level, which is a shame and should've been avoided in the testing phase. Anyway, this is an easy but - especially in the first level - not overly enjoyable game that took me 50 minutes to finish, with all six nicely hidden secrets found." - manarch2

"Excellent (double) level , accomplishing its goal as a classic. Die Basis has made a great job with the enemies and objects. Atmospherically wise it could not be any better. The game is rather player-friendly with often cameras and shortcuts and no difficult tasks to perform. I can't recall any timed door. The progression is fluent , granted that you need at times to look carefully around. A few details work less like those black textures in a couple of rooms but they are very minor details in a beautiful and harmonious scenery. Good fun with this adventure. 2 hours and 5/6 secrets found." - eRIC

"well,starting i need say it's soooo rare see a madhouse theme so i would say it was pure funny at all my playthrough! Gameplay & Puzzles: about gamemplay i really liked the fully exploration on this level with a very very less backtracking(which you need back to same places) but i it not break the immersion.... but i miss lack of puzzles on this levelset which is a pain because someone can should work good on them,desprite this gameplay was much well builded on my tast in both of two levels...i also loved how you kill the sophie...much average TR3 moment... Enemies, Objects & Secrets: levels in overall are very well decorated,and streets/beach don't feel empty.....overall i didn't found many secrets only 1 secret at some wood bridge on zoo,but about enemies i feel kinda miss of guards around the place,since we kill mostly of time tigers and small dino on level 1..but some guards around would be better on my tip....but on level 2 was balanced enough and i liked the torch of surreal guys can burn lara(was much funny at blind haha) Atmosphere, Sound & Cameras: the atmosphere of this levelset was spetacular,brilant and well builded..beach and streets,zoo,surreal levels was pure fun.... Lighting & Textures: the lighting of this project for me is fair enough but should be a bit more dark since it's a night ligh sure? but rest seen good,principally the level two with a amazing surral lighting....and textures seems very well applyed make level design being second strongest part of this project together with lighting and texturing... beside some stuff i didn't liked,im not gonna say here because it's only a personalt taste and i don't want place it here....btw i really enjoyed this project a lot...was much funny with a rare TR3 madhouse theme which is not much commom on nowdays...but i have sure you imma enjoy this custom..highly recommended!!!!!!,but not for beginners......2h20min...1 secret only found...." - PedroCroft_

"(6) Gameplay & Puzzles: This is an easy difficulty duo-level adventure that took me about 2 hours. I will divide the gameplay into 3 parts: part 1, the beach, before you get inside the zoo; part 2, the zoo; and part 3, the underworld. Part 1 is an interesting introduction, and part 3 isn't bad. I'm sorry to say that I do not think the progression of part 2 is very good. There's so much running back and forth inside the zoo, collecting keys and using switches, and I found myself losing interest. Besides this general feeling of repetitive/bloated tasks, I also feel like there is a potential for the player to be running around in circles, looking behind every object in the zoo, wondering if there's a key hidden there. This happened to me before I saw the on-screen hint regarding the fence. Speaking of the on-screen hint regarding the fence, the "backflip over the fence" task was very finicky for me, and I am no slouch. The gameplay as a whole, across all 3 parts, is really lacking in puzzles. (9) Enemies, Objects & Secrets: I have a mixed impression with regards to enemies. Sometimes, their placement is exciting and effective, such as when those mutant creatures pop out of the statues in level 2. I think the enemy engagements inside the zoo could be better. I found myself shooting down lots of animals that pose no threat to Lara (they are on a different elevation, or they won't leave their habitat so you can just shoot them from the doorway, etc.). There's a few traps in level 2, but nothing unique/thrilling in terms of their setups. In level 1, next to some bridges and some mini dinos, there are some spikes on a ledge, but Lara never needs to go near them, as you can just running jump from the bridge to the upper ledge. The object decor is phenomenal and really helped the builder's world come alive. (9) Atmosphere, Sound & Cameras: The architecture and immersion is excellent, especially in level 1. The beach and zoo areas are so authentic-looking and you can totally imagine tourists lining up to buy tickets at the zoo during the daytime. Music cues and static camera hints are very polished, however it's a shame that such a visually sophisticated level is lacking in flybys (I only recall one, at the beginning). While the eerie and suspenseful atmosphere is still very good in level 2, I did notice a couple of cavern areas where the base of the cavern looks boxy and inorganic. (10) Lighting & Textures: Both of these are so beautiful. I really enjoyed the builder's two different styles of lighting -- neutral lighting in level 1, above ground, and surreal lighting with blue, green and purple hues in level 2, underground. The texturing is very polished, although something minor I noticed is that sometimes in level 1, the builder uses a higher-resolution texture alongside lower-resolution textures, which looks weird to me. An example would be the higher-resolution reddish chevron tiles texture. There's also some minor wallpapering here and there. Despite these little issues, I still think this category deserves top marks. Overall, I truly appreciate the builder's effort and time, as it is clear this level is a labor of love. It's very memorable and interesting from a visual/architectural standpoint, however I am sorry to say that the gameplay did not work for me. 6/9/9/10." - nerdfury

"This level is stunningly gorgeous, i loved the bit near the beginning of the first level with the boat in the moonlit watery cove and beach with all the rain coming down, it was to die for! i also loved the setting in the zoo with all those bright colours and gorgeous visuals it just makes all the exploring around so pleasing. the zoo level is all about finding levers and keys mostly around the area and in and out of the animal enclosures with some tricky platforming especially that backwards jump over a fence with took me about 30 attempts, very frustrating but glad i got there in the end to carry on exploring around as visibly it was a joy i only wish there was some proper puzzles or some timed runs and traps as the gameplay was getting a bit stale with just the item and object finding but luckily for me the second level in this set had some of those. sophia's hideout is very different to the first level, its underground and full of jumpy traps and spooky intriguing areas to explore with a lot of emphasis on danger and mystery. the level set in general has been made with such care and attention thats its impossible not to enjoy exploring around i only wish the first level had some of the second level's gameplay because everything else about this adventure in general with it comes to visuals, music and atmosphere and was just fantastic" - John

"Pretty good entry in this CaC edition. For first I really like the fact that this level was set in Madhouse/Reunion TR3Gold vibes which are very rare in TRLE levels. About the gameplay; it was good, with some nice tasks but there was actually lack of any puzzles. I had also feeling that there was too big amount of keys which we had collected in first level in zoo part. It was still fun to explore this pretty big zoo. And for the plus is the ending battle with Sophia which was pretty clever and nicely done. About the looks of level; it was mostly good but it has some bad points. Both levels are very good decorated with much of statics and objects. I loved the look of the main area in first level, the geometry of buildings looked so damn good and with great choose and usage of textures. Altough I think first level was a bit too bright as for a night and it ruins atmosphere a bit. Same goes for some areas in second level. I think darker ambient of rooms and more shadows would make it looks better. But the texturization of both levels is practically perfect with very good usage of textures. The soundtracks are used in good spots and they add immersion to the game. Overally, it's pretty good level and it's really good to see more levels in Madhouse/Reunion style. I can recommend it!" - BlackWolfTR

"This TRLE doesn't want to reinvent the wheel but goes for pure TR3 gold nostalgia as part of the Create a Classic 2021 contest. I love this crazy zoo with its enclosures, display windows and aquariums. Little green dinos, parrots, snow leopards, tigers and piranhas are the enemies in the zoo, but there are other creatures to discover there. What always fascinates me is the variety of colors and the associated atmosphere of the zoo textures, which the author has handled perfectly. In many places the rain is embellished by typical music pieces from TR3. Exploration is clearly the focus, finding keys and levers and opening various doors alternates with the different but never really threatening enemies (you really find enough medipacks and ammo). Unlike in the original by Core Design, here you get the Hand of Rathmore only at the end of the first level, which is the entrance ticket for the second level. There you have to stop Sophia Leigh again and steal the meteorite artifact from her in the finale. Since there are no timed runs or unfairly difficult parts, this TRLE is suitable for beginners. You'll be busy for between 1 and 2 hours, plus there are 6 Secrets to find. This TR3 Gold reinterpretation of the last two levels from "The Lost Artifact" delivers classic gameplay, more animals in the zoo and compared to the TRLE "CAC2019 Sleeping with the Fishes" much less stress which should make this TRLE suitable for everyone. Definitely recommended!" - vandit