Level reviews

"It begins very inviting with simple yet cute scenery and nice colors. Then you get the first red flag in the multiple switch room and the corner wall switch, almost invisible. Then... it becomes ordinary with catacombs, pushblocks, and an underwater maze. When you think the middle will be the lowest point as always, then you get a final puzzle which makes it hard to believe it could be approved even by the builder himself. Of course I'm gonna take a median of all those chapters but just please dooooon't design a level which is a constant downhill - what's the point?" - DJ Full

"Here's a level split into two parts which can be rather confusing with all the running back and forth between them, so following the walkthrough down to the last period is your best bet to reach the end. I liked the torch segment near the beginning, plus climbing the pyramid and the timed run sections were also fun, but on the downside I think there was way too much padding, especially towards the end when the author sends you a number of times through an underwater passage and back to surface again, each time opening a new underwater door a bit further. Aesthetically this was rather pleasing to the eye, but funnily enough that final area looked rather bland to me as well – perhaps the gameplay at that point had made me too sour to truly enjoy it... 100 minutes, 3 secrets. 06/20" - Treeble

"Despite a few inconveniences and gameplay sequences I could have done without, overall I found this to be an engaging adventure that had me occupied for over two full hours of net gaming time. Plenty of variation in the gameplay to keep you entertained, with quite a lot of timed runs (some even in succession), raising block sequences, pushable puzzles, trigger tiles and a few flipmaps and I thought it was exactly to my taste. There were a few parts where I believed it over-reached itself: mainly due to the fact that a few tasks have to be repeated quite a few times (particularly the underwater lever puzzle) and the mazes were too much on the tedious side, while enemy usage was a bit unimaginative. However, those aside I had a lot of fun in this one. Enjoyable raiding in a good looking setting." - Ryan

"Again very surprised by the very high ratings. This couple of levels are very hard to play, and the jumps between levels only increase the confusion 'cause many times you don't know where to go or what door opened and you need to explore again huge areas. The "problem" with this level is that the author forces the players to repeat the same tasks many times, and I got bored and tired. Already in the first outside area, I missed the trapdoor and the artifact, so I was forced to go underground and outside at least three times. There is no fun for me exploring a nasty underwater maze only to pull some switches. In the room with the many timed trapdoors, the timed switch only works once (reload). Further, more nasty mazes inside the pyramid only to look for marked tiles. After complete all series of timed runs in the area with the bars doors, I was forced to repeat almost all the timed runs again after defeat the demigods. And to complete the chore, all that numerous swims in the room with blue rays always in and out of the pool until I got totally exhausted to repeat again and again the same task. Of course, not recommended." - Jose

"I've been going back and playing some of the older and more highly rated levels that I'd missed in my early raiding days for one reason or another, and this one is a real diamond in the rough. It hasn't been reviewed for more than seven years, which is a crying shame, because you'll find more gameplay packed into this modest download than you'll encounter in many of the recent levels. It's a two-parter, but it plays as a single adventure, and even with Gerty's walkthrough it took me more than two hours to complete. Who knows how long it must have taken her to map everything out and write it all down (except the underwater maze, for which I will certainly forgive her). There are some elaborate puzzles here, particularly at the end where you have to swim ad nauseum along connected tunnels locating and pulling down ceiling levers, then going back to step onto tiles scattered throughout the central room, until you finally get the second piece of an artifact you never get to use. Still, it's loads of fun and everyone should give it a try. There's a singular timed run over rising platforms that will leave you stuck if you don't realize that getting across the deadly water and picking up your artifact is only half the trip. The only game-stopping moment I encountered was a monkey swing segment in a dark room. It seemed to me that the monkey bars weren't properly connected so as to allow smooth travel to the required destination, so I enabled the flycheat in order to move along. Later on there's a connected timed run with trigger tiles beyond closing gates, that had me pulling out my hair, and I finally flew along the corridors to gain the necessary extra speed. There's one more extended timed run of note, where you run across three burner tiles en route to the Hathor Effigy before it catches fire again. It's all good stuff, and I'm sorry there's not a Part 2." - Phil

"Having played the first level made by Lumi and having a hard time getting through that game as was not so eager to play his next level. But afterwards I can say I had a jolly good time and I even made a walkthrough (don't ask). This level was big every time when I thought: this will be the end there was still a way to go. Going back and forwards through the two levels itself was a great idea and for me this time not confusing at all. Places I dislike are the mazes and there were a few. I always seem to get lost big time and it will take me quite a long time to do what has to be done. There are some hard and some not so hard timed runs and the puzzles were great although in the end all that swimming that was a bit over the top. 07-05-2003" - Gerty

"A great set of levels. It starts off a small area with sand around and moving blocks plus there are some cleverly hidden trapdoors perfectly covered. I am afraid I might forget to mention some of the traps or puzzles but let's see. You need gems and the portal guardian the Eye of Horus and you get to visit both parts of the level to find them. The textures could have been better though but this is definitely challenging I could have done with more ammo or at least health if not ammo and guns as the demigods took all I got soon though I restored the lost health. The enemies are wraiths and a few baddies here and there but nothing more so I guess that's the reason for the lack of ammo. Going through mazes three if I remember correctly two of them being underwater a lot of switches and underwater levers to open trapdoors or gates. Passing through rooms with safe water that turns toxic after a task and the opposite but most of the level has blocks raising and lowering and some ropes. This is a level worth playing and although an Egyptian one it's interesting and not ordinary the only thing I found a little boring was the repetition of the symbols puzzle but this time combined with underwater switches and gates too time consuming and a little confusing. The timed runs weren't hard at all and I enjoyed all of them not a very common thing for me one timed run I didn't have the patience to complete was to pick up the Hathor Effigy. The raised block was too high for Lara to jump on so she had to grab and climb plus grab and climb the actual block that had the item so every time Lara was getting burned before she jumps off the block but having picked up the head so I ran to the water using a few medipacks. All in all a very good adventure and worth playing I had two hours and forty five minutes of fun but only found three out of four secrets. Waiting for the second part." - Kristina

"The puzzles in this set of gorgeous levels will make you think and even have you reloading a few times with the traps deadly water spikes fire tiles and difficult timed runs. There's some good exploring to do as well for a couple of gems a Pharaoh's Pillar a torch eye pieces the Portal Guardian and a number of underwater switches. Don't expect a lot of enemies but do expect to spend a couple of hours in the secret temples." - RaiderGirl

"The Hidden Pyramid (9/7/7/7 40+30 min. 1 secret): Right up my alley this level as far as gameplay is concerned. You start outside in a desert kind of setting and right from the start Lumi keeps you busy with a great variety of puzzles. Watch out for well-hidden trap doors in the ground. There are movable rocks puzzles massive use of raising blocks in all kinds of ways a nice explosion opening up the way further a timed run across fires underwater levers an alternating fires field to cross and the room with the big rotating blades with the added challenge of some spikes. All this and the pillar and the timeless sands get you to your first gem ('diamond of passage') and with this you change levels. When you come back later you have a pyramid to climb and two small mazes inside to master plus a series of timed runs that is great fun. Enemis are only a few ninjas and demigods the setting is a bit bleak with its rather uniform Egyptian texturing and there is definitely a lack of sound and music but the gameplay is highly entertaining and it never gets boring. The Temple of Keys (8/8/7/7 45+40 min. 1 secret): The second part fits nicely into the overall puzzle oriented gameplay but while the Catacomb inspired setting continues to be a little bleak there are some gameplay elements which are a little tedious as some of the pushable objects need to be pushed too long some of the climb/shimmy/monkey passages are too long and in order to get to that portal guardian handle you have to go up and down that waterhole no less than 7 times. Still the multiple trap door timed run for one of the two halves of the eye piece is great the underwater maze for the other half not too bad and when you get your second gem and make it back to part 1 you kind of look forward to coming back here later and sure you do for some more timed runs especially a long one for the head of the portal guardian and aforementioned complex puzzle with the to and fro in the waterhole and outside. All in all fabulous entertainment in a not overly inspiring setting but if you are into TR for the gameplay like I am then this is just right for you." - Michael

"I don't know about this adventure. Some parts are really interesting with many puzzles (some are inventive) to solve in only a few rooms but there are serious flaws in the puzzles in my view and that spoils a bit the gameplay and the pleasure. Some puzzles are predictable and offer no great surprises. Then the timed run above the red deadly water is not that good as Lara can be stuck there in the middle of this sequence without dying. Lara can also be ridiculous with this lever she can pull up and pull down again with no effects. It would not have been worse to place a button to press instead of a useless switch. And all those people asking for a savegame on forums give me the feeling that the level of difficulty is suspicious. The puzzle with the 2 pushable objects and the 6 levers has also a mistake because people can be stuck forever if they do not solve this puzzle in the right way and of course this puzzle can't be reinitialized. There are also series of actions a little too much repetitious the fight with the 4 Cleopal guardians you kill one by one was boring and the timed runs became only routine and business as usual for Lara. The last room has good puzzles and a great timed run but the quest for finding the ornate handle was maybe too long as you have to dive 6 times to pull the 6 underwater switches. Some of the enemies were not well used in my opinion: the fire wraiths were used to dissuade the player to solve a puzzle in a wrong way and once where Lara is too busy with a burning tiles puzzles to be anxious about their presence so where is the challenge? I have enjoyed the battle with the 2 harpies though. There is no atmosphere to speak of but the texturing is quite good (even if the outside areas at the beginning do not seem realistic). A lot of criticism here but I think the author needs more feedback to improve his next levels than a high rating. I am sure he can turn out a top level one of these days as there are some good things and ideas in his work. My time : 2 h 40 and 4 secrets found." - eRIC

"This level blindfolds players so much. Levers switches floor-trapdoors are put on confusing textures or geometries. I've often got stuck around. So I've been very glad to find a solution to each. More hard actions are needed somewhere. (e.g. the room with many timed trapdoors) So after finishing this level I am satisfied so much. Very cool level!" - Vinci

"Two very good levels partly very difficult. Here skill counts and much patience as Lara has to master also a few timed sequences e.g. cross firetraps diagonally much diving pulling levers monkey swinging... The riddles however are well thought through I needed several attempts at some places. The textures and illumination was good. The opponents were not all that many among them baddies. One can master the four demigods also well. Found all 4 Secrets among them the crossbow and the revolver. The revolver one can even find twice so keep your eyes open. Altogether the level has a good atmosphere I would recommend it to everybody but it partly has difficult puzzles." - Engelchen Lara

"This is a ripcorker of a level. Very well done and very large. I spent 3 1/2 hours on this and have to admit to having a load of help from Mommyster in the US of A. It was a bit slow starting but once it got going I started to enjoy it a lot. There were quite a few unique touches here and there and some of the timed runs needed several attempts to finish. I was going to give it very high marks but I was a bit disappointed by the severity of one timed task (the fire foom and back out) and I was left wondering a couple of times what to do next. This is quite a difficult game but well worth playing. I look forward to the next part." - Doug E

"And again a demonstration what a good level can be built with standard things. An absolutely top game from Lumi split in two levels which you will change sometimes during gameplay. Nice puzzles sometimes very long ones but well thought out. There are a lot of timed actions for beginners a really hard task. The game balance was very well mostly after difficult situations the gameplay gets easier for a while but never boring. Enemies are some baddys and demigods. The gods I had to kill with the regular pistols 4 in a row because I couldn't find the crossbow only 50 explosive ammos. I think the 4th secret which I missed could have been the crossbow. Also a lot of levers in this level some are very well hidden some only bring death. Play this 3 hours adventure it's a really good one." - Freeman Porter

"At first I was really disappointed cause after Lumi's fairly original Base/Lab debut a bout of obvious block pushing in a distinctively Egyptian environment (complete with the compulsory maze) seemed like a total anti climax to me. Little did I know that great things were lying in wait. This just gets better and better and right when I thought I had reached the end (after two hours or so) I plummeted back into an earlier part of the level and had to search for a new opening to a whole different area. I'm a sucker for timed runs and here you get no less than 10 (I think) including a jumping sequence over deadly water that is right up there with the very best I've ever encountered. At times Lumi drags it a bit out; if I had to have a spirited guess I would estimate that you have to pull close to 20 underwater levers (thankfully they are ceiling levers in the maze like areas so you know which one you've already pulled). There is an interesting raising block/movable pillar puzzle a thrilling hop over burning tiles that fluctuate on and off the monkey swing is put to good use and you even get a bit of target shooting at then end. I won't mention the boulder traps or rope swings; after all you get them everywhere and the Secret Temple has so much more to offer. I dimly remember a bunch of demigods and the occasional wraith but enemies don't play a big part in this cleverly mapped out adventure. It's all about puzzles and getting Lara to move in the right way. I'll even forgive the mazes that crop up in between. The textures are rather plain though and the lightning doesn't do much to create a special atmosphere. Don't get me wrong it's all professionally done and good solid work; it's just no match for the excellent and challenging gameplay. If the author gives a bit more attention to the environment and makes some of the tasks a little less repetitive he's going to come up with a real classic next time. I was going to say 'a top 50 level'. But seeing as other reviewers might not be that prissy as far as the setting is concerned I don't want to make a fool of myself should this level make it into the top 50. Inventive as it is it certainly deserves a lot of recognition." - Dimpfelmoser

"Thought I'd pick something easy after Celtic Folly. Boy was I ever wrong. This is one heavyweight of a 2-part level. You venture back and forth a couple of times between 'The Secret Pyramid' and 'The Temple of the Keys'. There are a lot of puzzles in this level and be prepared for some reasonably arduous timed-runs. Not an over-abundance of enemies but there is one part which has you facing four demigods but thank goodness not all at once. There are not many pickups and I could have used an extra medipak or two when I was contemplating just setting myself on fire to get the head of the portal guardian rather than try the timed fire steps one more time. But alas I had to do it inasmuch as I only had 2 small medipaks. There is a really tangled swimming puzzle near the end of this and pay particular watchfulness to pictures when you get to it. After a couple of failures you'll get my meaning. I originally was going to give a '9' for gameplay and puzzles unquestionably the puzzles deserve a 9 or maybe even a 10 but I knocked some off due to some uncommonly difficult to see switches in the beginning of the level. They became more visible as you went along or I'd still be playing. As it was I spent 3 and ½ hours in this really pleasurable level. Already got my game saved ready for installment #2." - Momster

"This level gradually got better and better the more you progressed. Plenty of puzzles. Seemingly difficult timed runs which aren't so bad when you find you can split them. The action moved several times between 2 levels to eventually find a Portal Guardian which presumably will be used in a future level. Definitely an FG type level." - Fairy Godfather

"This first part is composed of two inter-connected levels: 'The Hidden Pyramid' and 'The Temple of the Keys' which one will regard as a whole because you will pass by again on several occasions from one level to another there to carry out enigmas puzzles or to find items hidden well. The two levels are very pleasant but far from being easy the decorations textured very well and the author also worked with personalized textures and wads. This level can be regarded as a very beautiful success because you will have to combine observation intelligence dexterity and speed to come to the end. I put approximately 3:30 hours to finish it with the 4 secrets. Good job Lumi! He works already on the continuation! I didn't notice any bug during my test." - Roylion 15