Level reviews

"Here we have one of the most veteran and experienced builders of the entire cast of artists currently offering us their creations so we can enjoy a good time with their custom levels. In particular, Die Basis knows how to build accessible and entertaining levels for everyone, not just a few Tom Raider gurus; and this is one of them. While the architecture isn't exceptional, the texturing and lighting are quite good, as the gameplay. Although there is some backtracking in certain areas, the level isn't tedious and plays quite smoothly. It's entertaining (which is what really matters to me), and I didn't find it difficult. On the righ hand, there are constant help tips throughout the level, with on-screen text and appropriate cameras. The only things I missed were some interesting puzzles to solve, more enemies to battle, some more shotgun ammo, and some more music in certain areas. Even so, I enjoyed this hour and a half of a good, solid level. Recommended. Bravo, Die Basis!" - Jose

""wow, this is one of the best i've played so far, simple but effective at what it does. i liked the puzzles and the gameplay is admirable, lighting on point, but again due to the lack of scripting tricks the bosses were dull, but other than that i felt a sense of progress and the torch puzzle of the second part was very creative. otherwise a great raider level i can say, i highly recommend 1h10 minutes and 3/4 secrets."" - PedroCroft_

"Why did people appreciate it more than I did. Maybe for its integrity. But it comes with a price of feeling a bit sameish everywhere. Some hot and coldspots would do it really good, while shading warm with warm doesn't work for me as much as if the complementary colors were used more often. Possibly it's also best played in the middle of the batch, as it's heavily task-oriented and the pace doesn't change throughout - similar function as the Doria levels had in the middle of TR2: slow down and think. I would say it fulfills the classic "basic" feeling, but not really "beyond" for this edition. Still, most likely you will enjoy it." - DJ Full

"Another very player friendly adventure in this year's BtB. I had some trouble finding the right openings in the very first village area, but once I got past those the guidance with cameras and the hint system leaves only few doubts about what to do next at any given time. I thought the outside areas looked very convincing, but the inside rooms were often a bit bare and square. It is also quite a pedestrian level as you get sent around the larger areas a lot, but nothing too tedious and never too long a backtrack needed. I liked the skeleton moment, the jump pad, the target shooting with the pistols and the two torch puzzles. And you get two of the bosses to battle, but with enough space to move around they are not too much of a problem either. Good, clean fun to play and recommended. (110 min, 2/4 secrets)" - MichaelP

"Lara’s searching for the amulet of Bastet, which is said to bring health and fortune to those who wear it. While this is probably meant to be ‘good fortune’, I prefer to think that Lara, probably already part of the one percent, is looking to increase her wealth. She could always use a few more billions. So she travels to a long-forgotten Egyptian town, which weirdly looks nicer than some of the inhabited towns in this year’s competition (it’s even got a working fountain!). It’s a nice-looking level overall, although it is very brown, so it helps if, like me, you have some nostalgia for the seventh console generation. The second area looks especially nice, with a couple of large temples surrounded by water. It really makes you eager to explore. The gameplay doesn’t fare quite as well, unfortunately. It has a lot of busywork, or at least that’s what it feels like to me. A lot of switches that lead to doors that lead to switches that open new doors. Or you have to find keys. Lots of keys in this level. I just don’t think this is engaging gameplay. Here’s an example: at one point, you have to pour water onto a scale which unlocks a key (key 1). Picking up key 1 also opens up the way to the next area. After some gameplay, you find another key (key 2). Using key 2 unlocks a door which leads to a small room where you can use key 1, which rotates a switch for you to use. Why does key 1 exist in this scenario? It just adds an extra step. For that matter, you could have just skipped key 2 and put the switch in its place. It feels like a lot of doors are just there because the author designed the area first and only considered the gameplay after. Either that, or they were paid by the door. We may never know. Switches that require the pickaxe to activate, likewise, can only be reached after you’ve already picked up the pickaxe. They could have just been regular switches at that point? That probably sounds really nitpicky, but it’s a pattern that everything in this level requires extra steps. You can’t just pull a switch to open a door. Instead, you have to pull a switch to open another door, which leads to a switch which then opens the first door. To be fair, you do also get to do some platforming and puzzle-solving in this level, as well as face the (very) occasional enemy, and it’s all pretty fun, it’s just that you end up doing a lot more running back and forth than you end up doing more interesting things. The level has an in-built hint system, where you can approach tablets to find out what you need to do next. The level is very linear and usually shows you were to go next, so you’d have to try pretty hard to get stuck, but I actually didn’t realize that you can drop the torch in mid-air so the hints did help me out at one point. The level made a good first impression, but the gameplay didn’t live up to my expectations. That said, I still had a decent time with it for the 50 minutes or so it lasted, simply because it was so straightforward and sometimes it’s nice not to get stuck every few minutes. Plus it’s always nice to help the rich get richer." - Magnus

"Really fun raid to be had with this release! Gameplay while not all that challenging did what it set out to do very well and never got stale or irritating. If anything I'd say this is a very accessible level for players of all skill levels, which in my eyes is a big positive. The level like pretty much all the releases in this competition looked amazing and had no issues to report. All in all a very fun raid and couldn't recommend enough!" - Feats

"What I liked about the level: 1) Beautifully textured sand coloured rooms. 2) It’s a small thing but the nicely lit flower pot was a nice clue to the textured monkey swing above. 3) Beautiful outdoor atmosphere with delicate distance fog. 4) The camera shot of the slowly lowering gate with a stationary camera was nicely done. 5) Water texture animation looked smooth and realistic. 6) The pedestals with hieroglyphic tablets are a good way to give clues. 7) A perfect clue for the water scale puzzle and the consequence of not choosing the correct quantity was also very clever. 8) Appreciated the camera shot after a pickup to show where it goes. 9) Few enemies always gets high marks in my books. 10) I loved the sloped blocks as a way to get up to a higher ledge. 11) Loved the springboard. 12) Was nice to see the dual purpose of the small water hole to save health. 13) Very smart to disappear the torch after use. 14) Nice boss fights with health bars. What I didn’t like or thought could be improved: 1) Got a bit of lagging in the outdoor areas. 2) IF the shotgun is a necessary weapon, would have preferred a clue to its whereabouts. I also found it more worth it to drop down after the skeletons to get the shotgun than traverse the blade twice. 3) Just a wishlist but would have preferred a clue that there was a reach-in wall switch behind the pushblock. 4) Not fond of forced health loss when activating switches. Conclusion: This level is kind and considerate to the player. Providing clues and guiding the player without the feeling of being guided is the sign of a smart builder. I do enjoy more puzzle based gameplay but because this level is so kind to the player, it’s right up there. If you are fond of exploration levels not requiring a walkthrough, you will enjoy this one." - Lizard Queen

"The visuals are the highlight here; this is set in a sort of ancient city, and every area is full of lavish detail, great object use and excellent lighting and texturing. While the actual setting doesn't vary too much, the visuals are good enough to carry it through the relatively short duration and it has a distinct atmosphere from the city maps in the other entries.
It's notable that this is the one BTB 2024 map to get an "easy" difficulty rating on TRLE so far; while among the easiest I don't feel it's much below the other easier levels and even uses a couple of semi-obscure techniques, however, it's good at providing camera hints and general progression hints if you get stuck (including what those techniques are) so the flow is maintained throughout. This is another quite short entry, and while there are two maps the second is essentially a small boss fight level so it's another I treat more as a single map. There's a decent amount of things to do, but it goes by quite fast, and the ending feels pretty sudden despite a couple of bosses. A good map but one that's carried more by the visuals than the decent but not stand-out (albeit quite accessible) gameplay." - Mman

"Congratulations on this level! Thank you for making it public. The story is very simple, yet provides a classic raid. Progression is fairly simple and straightforward, even if there are open areas. Those sometimes get confusing; not here, though. The atmosphere is nice, but not stellar. Some objects and enemies were pretty unique to this BtB entry, which I liked. The level is very beginner/cozy-raider friendly. A very good level, no question, even if it doesn't shine in any particular field. Recommended for any raider!" - MigMarado

"In many ways this is my favorite level thus far in the 2024 BtB competition. The environs are nothing short of stunning, the lighting is such that a flare is never needed, and the progression is fairly easy to accomplish (once you've figured out what needs to be done, which is sometimes not so obvious). Enemies are rather few in number, and so are weapons and ammo (only a shotgun in addition to the pistols, and a rather small number of shell pickups). You need to dig up the two waterskins, and each requires a new shovel. And the torches just disappear after they've been used. Lots of innovations in this one, perhaps not as elaborate as some of the other entries, but definitely a fun and fulfilling raid." - Phil

"This level set features the most laconic story line ever and a title that seems to be missing an article. Again, a bright level with big open temple areas and a topical lighting that doesn’t hurt the eyes. We start off from a neat looking deserted village that‘s just slightly lagging and could have used some of the many NPCs and objects in the package to feel a little more lively.
The (one medium + one very short) levels mostly take place in in big, interconnected temple ruins with quite a bit of verticality that are as pleasing to explore as they are on the eye. While there are no enemies in the entire first half, the gameplay is simple and straightforward, consisting mostly of traversal puzzles of the form „activate lever at point A > find item at point B > return to slot at point A‘ to open door at point C“ etc. until you reach the next area. What could seem like rather unexciting gameplay, is made very diverting, as the tasks are either close by or hinted at (some very nice optional hint-pedestals and tracking shots with funky music). Often times there are return paths or shortcuts, which makes you effortlessly breeze through the architecture. While these are some of the aspects that make this level very accessible, the second torch puzzle seems to be an exception: Either I missed something or it requires an advanced move probably unknown to many casual players. – Aside from a few glitches, this level has exactly what you need to unwind from the hustle of the more demanding releases; and on top some standard boss fights with reduced HP for convenience and: the crawl-roll (yaaay!).
Conclusion: A well-designed level most suitable for beginners or as a short comfort-raid with low risk of frustration.
Duration: short medium (ca. 1.5 h) | Difficulty: eaasy | Rating: 8 / 7.5 / 8 / 8.5" - evinaru_2

"I really enjoyed the whole format of this lively level. The exploration involves beautiful, compact areas, avoiding the often rather frustrating experience of running around huge areas without much idea what to do. Here, the gameplay is logical and full of well devised shortcuts; this is a kindness in a builder from my perspective. It provides a good mix of gameplay – nothing too difficult to achieve, but always entertaining, with a suitable boss ending before Lara makes off with the titular amulet. Player friendly and great fun." - Jay

"Not as involved as some of the previous but that's not necessarily a bad thing. This is a rather calm and enjoyable raid, always with plenty to do and only few tricky parts. The gameplay sometimes feels too artificial, like the search for the two shovels and many levers to find and use new levers, but I liked the whole torch sequence and a few smaller puzzles in between. The second level is a bit underwhealming, though, and could've provided a more intense finale. The visual design is almost faultless and I liked the lighting here but the looks are a bit repetitive after a while, even if the scale is definately impressive the level lacked that certain something for me. Spent 45 minutes in here and found the four nice secrets (the last was a bit nasty ;))." - manarch2

"After an awkward start - not being able to find a well-hidden crawlspace - I soon hit my stride with this level. Good gameplay in level one, requiring all my concentration, but level 2 was somewhat under-powered, and maybe took away from the overall vibe. The texturing was clean and capable but the level - in common with a few others in this year's competition - appeared a bit low-contrast for my taste, due to the samey textures and ever present haze/dust. It's an authentic look, but not very beautiful." - Dick

"This will be among the top contenders for sure. It's not my personal favorite (and I think it's rather bold to even say that considering this is just the fifth entry I've played), but the environments themselves are so well crafted that everything else is a bonus. Gameplay generally flows well, always pushing you forward to the next objective, but I admit I took forever to spot the first crawlspace and then later on, sometimes you need to backtrack and the sheer scale of the place got me disoriented a couple of times. Having torches disappear when they're no longer needed is a godsend in disguise. Not many enemies and the bosses feel like bullet sponges, but there's a bit of joy to be had by shooting those ever annoying dragons to death. 85 minutes, 3 secrets. 07/24" - Treeble

"Neutral

• Compared to other entries, the gameplay is not as involved in this one, but it's still a decent raid. Lara will work her way between the different areas as she uses one key after another. Some nice simple tasks, such as pushing objects around or solving a trial-and-error scales puzzle, break up the exploration.
• The enemy encounters make for a nice ending to the adventure, but I would have liked more artillery to use against them.

Liked

• The Egyptian city and its adjacent ruins are well crafted and give plenty of areas to explore. Great use of lighting too.

Time: 1 hour 17 minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Rating: 7.75/10 - Good" - JesseG

"This is a rather short level with beautifully designed areas and rooms that is very easy to play. The tasks are varied and not really difficult. In general, the level of difficulty is not particularly high, so that even unexperienced players will find it quite easy to play. There are enough hints so that you shouldn't have any problems progressing. It's very player-friendly. A level that I liked very much and where everything fitted perfectly, also in terms of length. Highly recommended." - nad

"When I think of this level I think of the large open outside areas there was to explore with cloudy sunshine, lots of sand everywhere, and fun gameplay to find. It starts off quite simply making your way around the initial buildings, structures and pools looking for switches and items etc before moving on to water-skin measuring puzzle with a gas trap if you get it wrong. We then open up another gorgeous open area with similar tasks of unlocking more areas with either items or levers before we finally get to the meat of the gameplay where the climbing and platforming become more tricky or challenging and the tasks involve some fun aspects with nasty traps, spring boards, zip lines, swing poles and more puzzles involving torches and pushable items to keep us entertained. For enemies the first half of the level was very limited to just a harpy but the second part of the level we get a lot more! These invoke skeleton, black panther and crocodile attacks with a couple of big bosses to take down in the final underground section. Overall I thought this level was very enjoyable, i definitely appreciated the in game tips or hints and with the variety of gameplay and tasks it has to offer along with a gorgeous environment and intriguing layout what more could you ask for? Well apart from maybe some timed runs or a vehicle, but I’m just being picky! this was great fun." - John

"I'm probably repeating myself now, but this is yet another super quality entry into this BtB contest. I'm now at the halfway point, and this level boasts undoubtedly among the most gorgeous surroundings so far. The textures are colourful and vivid without being gaudy and the hazy hot Egyptian atmosphere is very well done, while music is well used. The gameplay is generally on the simpler side, and everything tends to flow rather easily with your next tasks always being rather close to hand. Shortcuts are also opened up along the way. The simplicity is no bad thing, but maybe a couple more puzzles wouldn't have gone amiss and it's not really one for those looking for a too difficult raid. Nonetheless, this would still be a perfect raid for all groups of players, as it's gorgeous to look at and still entertaining throughout. For those reasons, I recommend it strongly." - Ryan

"Visually the level is beautiful including great texturing, lighting, and architecture. Gameplay is linear and consists of typical jumps to perform, quests for switches and items, some battles, and few puzzles, such as a waterskin puzzle and push block puzzle. There is also an interesting torch puzzle which requires you to know a certain glitch, and in case you are not familiar with the glitch, the game offers a solution for the task. I got stuck only twice since I had hard time spotting a hidden crawlspace and a trapdoor, but other than that, the game is easy and beginner-friendly. There were moments when I wished that the game would have featured more unique ideas in terms of gameplay, since majority of the tasks are ordinary jumps and puzzles which are commonly seen in many custom levels. Nevertheless, it is a very good level and a great choice for players who are looking for easy gameplay and beautiful environments to explore." - Samu

"A very pleasant to the eye and engaging quite short level. The gameplay is solid and pretty straight-forward. The tasks are easy and not complex. The visuals are very nice and every area is properly taken care of. Very good atmosphere. Nothing more to say. It's very enjoyable and not very demanding. Perfect for everyone. Definitely recommended." - BlackWolfTR

"This game is a pleasure for the eyes. Design and lighting are so perfect! Surely it's one of the best designed game of the whole BtB24. The gameplay perhaps is a little too linear and predictable for my taste. It's always clear what you have to do, but this is not actually a fault and at the end I thought it was a relaxing and pleasant journey." - Teone

"an beautiful egypt level with an absolutly stunning leveldesign. one of the best egypt levels i played so far.10/10" - Raider278

"What a beautiful and player-friendly level! Quite an unusual combination that was10/ lol. I was impressed by the assets themselves of course, but the builder also made an extremely good use of them. I liked that there were optional hints which don't really spoil anything for the experienced player, but are quite helpful for a beginner. I also liked the excellent difficulty curve, which prepares even a beginner to perform the tasks the average TRLE play can easily perform. Another plus is that you always know what you have to do and just need to figure out how to do it. Texturing and especially lighting are top notch. A bit less than 3 hours for me with 2/4 secrets. Highly recommended to beginners and experienced raiders alike." - billie2001