Level reviews

"I have played this excellent level but forgot to review back then . i had good and interesting time finding details and exploring . if i remember correct i had an issue with lever and the door in the kitchen . cant remember what was my ending though . it was difficult to find all the secrets i think also" - Petaludas

"If I only have to speak about the mansion part, I would say this would be one of my three favorites games. This part was amazing! I love all the riddles and traps. It was also absolutly artistic and with a lot of great ideas. That is the reason I give 10 in all categories. Also the idea of different finishes was very good. Now, the other parts, I understand many raiders prefer ability than thinking tricks. In certain moment I really think that the mobile circles were too much. The part where you must run and jump to get the correct speed was good and challenging, at the kind of islands, but the next time in those two rooms I didn't like too much. About the finish I got three, obvioulsy in the first one Lara Died and was eaten by demons. Then I went to look a little bit more and got a couple of objects that changed the history, again I went to Beatrice challenge and Lara lost, but now she was saved by the chaman woman. Then I tried the fight against Beatrice, my Lara lost and lost and lost. I decided to leave the game three days. I tried again and finally defeat Beatrice. Nice finish with the property of the mansion, but I couldn´t get the ring so I was not able to save the duck. Anyway, I really enjoyed this game. Thanks a lot." - Juan Carlos

"I would probably rank this level among my personal top 10 custom levels of all time. Klona has put a lot of thought to create an interesting story full of mysteries and taken the gameplay to whole new level with some of the most unique and thought-provoking puzzles that I have seen in custom levels. A central part of the gameplay involves collecting pages, which contain clues for solving complex riddles and performing various spells. Although I used the walkthrough couple of times, all the puzzles can be solved with logic if you put in the time to solve them. The game features also few otherworldly sections that are filled with challenging platforming and spectacular boss fights. Moreover, the environment is highly atmospheric including great visuals and use of audio tracks and sound effects. Even though the game can be quite challenging for players who prefer a more casual experience, it is a must-play for those players who enjoy demanding puzzles and tricky jumps. All in all, this is one of the most remarkable custom levels built so far." - Samu

"So as it is better to end on the positive note, I will start with the very few negatives I found on this TRLE. Cons: Difficulty of puzzles Sometimes you may find yourself stuck on a place for hour or longer and it is very hard to progress further, as you need to solve some puzzle which is not exactly easy. Sometimes confusing areas It is not like you are confused 100% of time by all the areas, it is always to get used to them, but after hour or two running around the HUB level, which is gigantic mansion, you are able to recall where is what room and get there easily. Pros: Atmosphere Levels and areas are very atmospheric, memorable and you feel immersed into the game, being Lara and living the adventure with her. Story and narration Narration of the story is amazing, well-written, smooth and absolutely perfect. Sometimes you ask yourself what the hell is happening, but it does not take long to reveal another part of the story and string them together to understand them as a whole. Gameplay, Enemies: As for this section, enemies are present, but this game is no shooting one. This game is 99% adventure story-based game with only few occasions for fight, furthermore you have no way to protect yourself maybe to the middle of the game. Objects and Pickups About the pickups, they are done decent way, not plenty of medipacks, not a little, custom made puzzle items and objects well suiting the theme of the map. Overall I was amazed by all the things happening, getting my way around the game and although I saw a bits of levels played by someone else before I started, I did not remember them so I was lost same as players before me. If you want something else, more adventure based, story based and puzzle based, this is the right thing for you. The cons I mentioned cannot ruin my experience. Ending I got were F and A 10/10" - DroneQuadcopter

"In hindsight, have all 10s. Same as with WotW - not my type of level, but a masterpiece regardless." - DJ Full

"Very well written story, incredibly well made puzzles and the voice acting was on point. Incredible level, definitely recommend for anybody who wants a challenge! hands down one of the best Halloween levels out there." - Troye

"Certainly an exhilarating and unique experience, but not always for the better. First and foremost, the sheer amount of time and effort that has gone into constructing this extensive adventure is worthy of applause in itself, the textures, lighting and atmosphere are absolutely sublime throughout, the custom spooky objects are charming touches and the thinking puzzles were a real highlight (if a bit difficult to work out at first). What somewhat dragged proceedings down was the long-winded nature of some of the gameplay, and a few overly tricky sequences. Firstly, while the mirror room was fascinatingly put together, the jumps and timed runs required to get through relied more on luck and blind jumping than any skill on the player's part and I wasn't fond of having to traverse back and forth either. The bubble swim was also more of an exercise in frustration than anything else, particularly when Lara's momentum when moving between bubbles often resulted in unnecessary deaths and reloads. Finally, the already mentioned multiple endings is undoubtedly an interesting idea on paper, but there isn't as much variety as you'd initially think (and the Beatrice fight was definitely over the top), so I logged out after trying the fight and the "timed run", which I felt was more than sufficient. Overall, recommended but bring some patience along." - Ryan

"An extraordinary adventure, that has so many different and unique things to offer! Inspired loosely by "Umineko no Naku Koro ni", the author provides the player an experience they will never forget. An intriguing story combined with puzzles and riddles, that really make the player think twice and demand to actually get familiar with the environment. That's a positive thing since the lovely environment and the excellent mystical atmosphere make it easy to get immersed. Nothing for players, who just casually "run through the level" without thinking. The enemies and objects were mostly unique and specifically made for this game. Supported by absolutely spectecular cutscenes with some great voice-acting, the game comes with multiple endings even, which increases the replayability factor immensely. It took me about six and a half hours to finish it on my first playthrough and about three hours for the other endings after knowing the game. Highly recommended and an instant classic to which I will come back to once in a while!" - MarlenaCrystal

"This is an extraordinary level: it has the story-driven nature of the choral mega-level of the AK 2021, it gives the sense of disorientation of A witch will be born (it also has a similar difficulty, which is really high) and inherits the atmospheres of The Room and other horror-themed levels. The gameplay is just extraordinary, and I must admit that being able to complete the all the ability tasks (jumps, timed runs and so on) without any help made me feel a proud Raider! Puzzles and exploration, I must admit, had me looking for help, but in my partial defense I can say that it was all very innovative and some actions are simply unique, never seen in any TR and/or custom level. Technically, it's impressive how everything works without a single bug, so kudos to the author :) Among the flaws, it must be said that some passages are really difficult, and I'm not talking about the skill degree they require: in order to proceed, you have to carry out the actions in a given order, so it can happen that you open a wardrobe or examine a room without finding anything, only to return to it at an unspecified moment, after having accomplished all the required tasks. It may be a little frustrating. Still, this is a really enjoyable level, one of the best ever played." - Nillc

"This is probably the most complicated custom level set I've ever played, and it's close to being the most challenging as well. I spent well over a week, with the builder's periodic help and encouragement, making my way through while attempting to write a comprehensive and intelligible walk, and others will have to judge whether or not I was successful in that endeavor. The global effort probably deserves 10s across the board, but I refrain from doing so for two reasons: (1) the lighting to me was so player-unfriendly that I boosted the gamma on my monitor 50% so I could see where I was going and what I was doing with reasonable confidence and (2) the tasks are so obscure and on occasion so difficult that I couldn't have progressed very far without the posted video walks. Even at that it was necessary for me to call upon the builder to document a few of the sections in the Basement of Wonders segment. Like Jorge, I was forced to rely on someone else's savegame a couple of times, but I have to admit that I didn't even attempt that bubble swim. The periodic game-stopping conversations between Lara and various personages was somewhat grating, especially since they had to be endured multiple times if you wanted to experience all eight endings. Speaking of which, I think the builder could have done us a favor by dispensing with those. I kept expecting to see something fresh and new as I fired up each one, only to be disappointed. Still, it amazes me how our video people were able to figure them all out, much less providing an analysis chart for them as one poster did. Enough bad-mouthing. I found this to be an engrossing, frustrating but ultimately rewarding investment of about six hours of playing time, and this release is surely destined for Hall of Fame honors." - Phil

"when i think of the best way to try and describe this mansion level, the words- Epic! challenging! and gorgeous! come to mind. I love mansion themed levels and so naturally when this level was teased earlier this year i couldnt wait to download and explore. I had no idea the manor and its grounds would be so enormous and detailed even sprawling into several mini sub levels. When it come to all aspects except gameplay i seriously take my hat off to such superb visuals, atmosphere, sounds, cutscenes and music, so much care and attention has been taken to try and make it perfect and it succeeds gloriously i was so impressed. You start off exploring outside at night following this cute little cat around who has taken a key you need for entry and 6 hours later you finish after a very challenging boss fight. Everything in between consists of a huge variety of both mental and physical puzzles, quests and tasks including riddles to solve, timed runs, teleportation paintings, timed swimming tasks, enemy attacks, challenging platforming and nasty traps and enemy attacks. The theme and story is spooky and dark but it never gets too scary or gory and there is also some comic relief here and there to enjoy. The negatives for me was the fact although there is a good variety of different tasks and areas to enjoy you'll still find yourself spending a lot of HOURS running up, down and around the house trying to find the next item or object to combine with another one or to insert somewhere just too often really which takes away your attention away from much more interesting puzzles and tasks the level has to offer. The other negatives were one of the sub levels where the challenging and timed jumps and platforming tasks were just becoming too long and tedious and then the end boss level with a timed target shooting task which i personally found really hard and annoying! but at the end of the day i think that's down to personal taste. Listen With over 6 hours of gameplay here, there is definitely something for everyone here with fantastic clever ideas, surprises and variety but for me i found it overwhelming and was disappointed with how much i had to use a walkthrough, but was it worth the effort in the end? hell yes! its just one of levels that is so well made and stands head and shoulders above the rest in just so many aspects, a must download!" - John

"Sorry that I just didn't have the patience for playing all the 8 endings, but I still managed to escape the nightmare, both dead and alive. I didn't save anyone except for myself (except that time I died), which was a feat. I had to use a couple of kindly provided saves (at the gazebo area, and at the swimming up labyrinth with lava below), and definitely take many looks at Dogget's video walkthrough. I wonder how I managed to defeat Beatrice in that ethereal island, not an easy task at all, always getting shot at and having to find and shoot those starry things, and switch the ammo just in time. And what about the cryptic puzzles for rocket scientists, great as they actually look? Let's be fair, Klona warned it wouldn't be an easy game. It is not, even in the "quiet" parts in the mansion, because even there it's so counterintuitive. Truth be told, when you look at it from the outside, that is after you somehow escaped the mansion (no, I didn't save anyone), it all looks excellently crafted, definitely too clever for its own sake, but excellent, especially where the settings and the general atmosphere are concerned. It's beautifully designed. I'll recommend it as a lengthy experience, if you don't mind using walkthroughs - and even so..." - Jorge22

"This amazing game is extremely heavy on story and mystery, with some smaller sub-levels dedicated towards physical challenges. Both parts are very challenging. An odd combination, and maybe this game isn't for everyone. Most of the game you will spend in the mansion or its garden, and run around and try to find clues. The game is so story-heavy, that it begins with a cut scene that lasts for no less than 5 minutes. There are more cut scenes throughout the game. I found hunting for clues often frustrating: when you finally solve something, you often get just another clue, and often the clues are somewhat cryptic (or outright riddles). The non-linearity of it makes it harder as well, and maybe more interesting. I would say don't be ashamed to get hints from the forum thread or the video walkthroughs. Be aware that you actually have to get and read the clues to make progress at all. (Also, sometimes finding a clue is mandatory, because without it, searching a specific cabinet will not reveal the item you're looking for. As a consequence, you may have to search the same place multiple times.) I often ended up running around aimlessly, wondering what the hell I was supposed to do next. Some of the sub-levels perform a genre shift, away from mystery and towards physical tasks. Most of them are hard. Gazebo Dimension (getting over disappearing platforms) was particularly hard and frustrating. I question whether this was a good idea: you have to like both mystery and physical gameplay to like the game. Players will stay for the mystery gameplay at first, and the change may seriously drive them away. Some of the fights were equally frustrating. Not as hard, but maybe even more frustrating and exhausting. For the "boss" fight, especially if you don't know when it ends, or whether you had all items to reach the ending you wanted. I'm not sure whether the 8 (!) endings contribute positively to the game. I was exhausted towards the end, with a much lower tolerance towards solving mysteries, and I didn't care about reaching all the endings. But clearly the game's intention is that you try harder again to reach the better endings. I'd say try to reach one ending regardless of what it is, then get enough hints to make it to ending A, then watch the remaining 6 endings in the walkthrough videos. I can forgive the game all these things, because it's so incredibly elaborate and well-designed. The unusual puzzles, the story-telling (even if I don't like cut scene interruptions), the visual side (nice mansion, and just look all these pictures on the wall and other individual art), the mystery items (and the complexity of the flow chart that threads them together), are all top-notch and amazing, and show how much effort must have been behind creating this game. In summary, it could have been easier (maybe with explicitly marked optional, tougher challenges?). But even if I often got stuck, and even if some of the physical challenges were almost too hard or frustrating, I really liked playing it, and everyone should at least give it a try." - tuxraider

"So many things to say about this level! I enjoyed and loved every bit of it (yes, even the most challenging parts of the game). The atmosphere, the music, the level design, the voice acting, the story...everything was beautifully done! The puzzles can be very challenging and time taking, but they are very satisfying. The combat is very balanced, with enemies that aren't overly OP. The 3D character models such as Lara's, Beatrice's and the others look stunning, props to the creators! Don't miss this beautiful adventure by Klona!" - Raq

"A masterpiece in so many ways, but in my opinion the gameplay falters extremely. Cut sequences, narration, voice acting, atmosphere, sounds, the variation of puzzles, the mansion, objects and more are top notch, congratulations. However, at the latest when you play it, you run around disoriented at some point and this repeated itself too often in my case, the size of the garden and the nested building unfortunately sometimes get in the way of the gameplay and that makes playing tedious to frustrating at several points. It is essential to find all the clues, letters and other pages for the diary, finding some keys or other items can sometimes become an ordeal, as you often stumble across them by chance. These moments alternate with the sense of achievement and the secrets of the adventure and they are really good to sensational. I think it's a shame that so much creativity and time was put into this fantastic adventure, but the accessibility and balance can't keep up with the rest. My highlights were the house with its many rooms with its countless story secrets, the (AOD) greenhouse and the section with the pumpkin enemies. The quests that you can do for some of the "residents" are also pretty damn cool, which is clearly another highlight. The more annoying rooms for me were the ones with the purple floating platforms, the two high mirror rooms with the high windows with the pools of water on the floor were unfortunately no fun. Why is there no readme file (?), I missed it at least. In conclusion I can say this is a very special adventure with many cool things that was something very special for Halloween, thanks for that Klona! Suitable for experts (but that's intentional I'm afraid) who love to sift through clues and search every corner, as a reward you can also do magic, so you feel really magical." - vandit

"A real masterpiece. Perhaps the custom level with the best riddles than I have played. Incredibly unique and creative. Very challenging but fair. My favorite one? I´can´t choose. The progression is fantastic with increasingly surprising tasks. I completed two endings (the good one and bad one..I think). Instant classic!" - requiemsoul