trle.net
Your host for most Tomb Raider Custom Levels ever released!

Levels listed...
TEN - 23
TR5 - 35
TR4 - 3212
TR3 - 186
TR2 - 149
TR1 - 77

75411 reviews (20.5/level)
3664 (99.5%) walkthroughs
477 Hall of Fame levels

TR Fan Site


The Lost City of Topaz by marcor

Cbl 7 9 7 6
DJ Full 7 9 8 7
Ryan 9 8 9 9
 
release date: 07-Sep-2025
# of downloads: 508

average rating: 7.92
review count: 3
 
review this level

file size: 358.00 MB
file type: TEN
class: nc
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
marco.ruggieri.ufs@gmail.com

Reviewer's comments
"Combining aesthetics from Greece, Atlantis, Tinnos, and scripts in Latin, Hebrew, and Cuneiform, this is a complicated adventure that I found challenging despite being a short game once you know where things go. The builder has poured particular time into both the story and background to creating the level (which comes as a nice PDF accompanying the download) as well as a fully written walkthrough - much appreciated! Customized enemy encounters and new moves are fun to see too, as is a completely different sort of setting: the colors stand out as quite different from most levels. The level could be improved through more texture transitions, more natural/organic/not so digital textures, and a greater sense of progression and variety in gameplay. While I usually enjoy custom textures, I found these to be so eclectic that they took me out of the atmosphere of the game. I would have preferred seeing textures drawn from real photographs or real cultural materials, like the Core and older Crystal Dynamics textures usually are. Dark black floors, applications of different textures that draw attention to rather than smoothing the grid-like layout (what DJ Full calls a "lack of material transition"), and occasionally wallpapered textures didn't look as good. Some tasks proved difficult because they were hard to predict: certain textures were climbable in some places but not others. Lara at once point has to traverse an invisible platform lit with flames, which I didn't anticipate. I prefer when levels have a sense of ramping difficulty, gradually introducing themes, concepts, or more difficult enemies over time. Early on, a few pushblock puzzles allow Lara to progress, but similar tasks show up again with longer times spent pushing, which I did not look forward to. Centaurs begin showing up early on, shortly after ninjas, and followed by Tinnos monsters. I wish there has been a greater sense of cohesion between them, perhaps through customizing their textures or meshes. Careful, sometimes unexpected enemies drop important items! The lighting is fine, but occasionally dark and monotonous - most of the color-work is accomplished through the textures. Sounds for Lara mix Legend and Chronicles well, and there are nice musical interludes (although they tend to start and end abruptly, similar to the transitions between textures). Switches usually provide camera hints: just like the provided walkthrough, the builder is clearly thinking about the player's experience which is nice. I look forward to more from the builder, but hope to see the textures improve!" - Cbl (13-Feb-2026)
"An issue researched now, this level can delete saves so use different slots frequently. This is a nicely themed level, you feel like it's about something even if you don't understand... well yeah this, seriously that Minotaur trigger was a tad too far don't you think, am I supposed to read hints in Latin now? 99% of people will need a walkthrough there. Also too many filler switches, plus the ones before the double mummy I could never know the purpose of - was I just to go through and pull things or was there an actual puzzle? Lastly I'd isolate pushblocks from wherever they're not meant to go as you can try the wrong tiles for too long, and you could even softlock if you try very hard. The soundtrack is okay yet sometimes overboard. The combat is rewarding and the final secret is clever unlike the usual stupid when you miss them. Visually the map needs polish, because the smooth TEN presets alone can't mask room boxiness and lack of material transition. Only when all of these are addressed, the series will stand strong." - DJ Full (07-Oct-2025)
"I found this to be a really engaging adventure, just the ideal length and one that clicked with me very well. The starting area was a bit crudely presented, but my initial impressions greatly improved afterwards. Some of the architecture inside the main temple really is stunning, with some very attractive texture music and lovely, non-intrusive audio files. The final room looked particularly beautiful with the Latin mosaics on the wall. Luckily the gameplay isn't neglected either. There are some sneaky puzzles to solve, some nice utilisation of Lara's ledge jumps and a couple of neat timed run sequences, interspersed with general exploration. A couple of the puzzles did seem a bit obscure at first (the ones that required you to read the room, as it were), so you may have to dip into the builder's helpful walkthrough at one point. The centaurs were a bit too overpowering too, although enough weaponry is provided. I did like, however, that you couldn't leave without claiming your prize (if you try to, you can even claim a secret before you finish). A great raid." - Ryan (21-Sep-2025)