Level reviews

"For this level Lara comes back down to planet earth, exploring some homes and pool areas. I didn't find the setting as immersive as the previous level, but it's still pretty well built. The colorful lighting is generally reserved for color-based puzzles, which I liked, although a few I failed to understand and ended up getting past through trial and error. Other tasks include searching a library for three switches (with inconsistently marked climbable surfaces getting in the way), dodging boulders, swinging over lava pits, and lighting candles with a torch, along with combat against demigods, dogs and giant scorpions. The usual issues of backtracking and lack of camera cues are still present here, but the more humble layout of the level makes this less of an issue than in some of the previous levels, so I had a pretty good time here overall. 1 hour 12 minutes." - JesseG

"I could pretty much repost my review from the previous entry in the series, I guess. Again, I took a rather long pause between one installment and the other, so I had to resort to saves from other people (bless this community) to start the level with all inventory items I should have up to that point and, again, I chose to play by the walkthrough to make sure I'd reach the finish trigger. Even following the walkthrough, which kept me from roaming off aimlessly, I felt there was a lot of backtracking here, but granted a fair share of that are for secrets alone. The environments are still very beautiful, as usual, so this is definitely worth your time, but maybe keep the walkthrough at hand to optimize your time. 90 minutes, 3 secrets. 09/20" - Treeble

"A re-visit to the second level of the series, only here we find more new areas and puzzles. There's a lot of backtracking and looking for many items. I didn't like some fixed cameras that didn't let me see correctly, but textures and lighting are quite good. Let's see what happens in the final level." - alan

"Right, well we are back in familiar territory, the second level and to be honest, I didn't enjoy it as much as previously, maybe because of having to backtrack too many times for my liking, but oh well." - Ryan

"If this game became about time travel, it's done right as we explore a heavy alteration of Edfou and happily discover we don't need to investigate many known places, so it was a good choice I play the series in order as I can experience this difference. If familiar places are revisited, it happens a different way, the best, both surprising and instantly clear execution being of the water-surrounded house we enter the way which was visible yet inaccessible at previous attempt. It could be the author recognized the flaws of original map and remastered it with great results brought apart from casual fixes like the removal of nasty static camera at the arched entrance. I can see why this is rated lower than the adjacent episodes, and if I was the builder I would at least slightly change lighting to indicate a different time of day or night, but the approach is still well executed and much desired to occur from time to time, at least for me. I also appreciate the final star secret, I like when there is something more to them. Because of another ladder texture inconsistency I found the burner hint much after solving the puzzle related, but even now I still don't get what the hint was really about, nor which color puzzle it was for - so it seems I'll need a post-play walkthru check :)" - DJ Full

"This is a partial return to the second level; most of the areas are changed enough to have almost unrecognisable design, almost like this is some sort of alternative universe version, but some caved-in areas suggest a more earthly reason for the changes. Given how wildly the pack has diverged from the start I think bringing things back around is a nice way to centre it. Unfortunately the visual difference between the early and later stuff sticks out a lot, to the point it's almost like two levels in one in terms of style; there are some tweaks to bring the older stuff up to the later standards a little, but not enough to make the quality difference not stick out. The fully original parts are great looking, and carry on the grand style of the last level (except more grounded).
The gameplay is probably the most consistently strong so far; it gets better as it goes, but obtuse moments and padding are less present, and it carries on the interlinked style of the last map to minimise backtracking. There's a heavy focus on colour puzzles, and while some were fine, the logic of the more fatal ones seemed to elude me, thankfully however it's pretty easy to trial and error through them if you can't work it out. There's also an extended section if you want to get the last secret star, and it seems like the end would be pretty anti-climatic without them (especially as it seemingly just ends and you don't even get a bad ending or something). Another great map, although it loses some effect due to the swerve the last map provided." - Mman

"Although this may be my least favorite level in the series, there are still some things that I like about this level. I like the dark and stormy atmosphere throughout the level. I was sure that Apophis was near by, causing a storm. I liked how the author colored some animals red, as it gave them a demonic look. The lighting and textures could have been better, but it was acceptable. In my opinion, the gameplay was a little weak. This level got much easier after the previous level. There were a multiple times where I had to backtrack, and I hate backtracking. :( I also ran into this weird bug when I pulled both switches in the rope room with lava and the door didn't open for some reason... but after reloading a couple of times, the door finally opened. I enjoyed the challenging puzzles throughout the level though. A couple of things could have been better, but this is still a good level, so I still recommend this level. I was able to find all 8 golden stars, so now it's time fight against Apophis! :)" - MegaGamer

"After a surreal side trip through an alien vessel and desert surroundings in the 11th segment, we return to a more familiar setting. I've gone ahead and replayed the bonus level as well since then, so the details of Search for Apophis are already becoming dim in my memory, but I recall having a jolly good time without being overwhelmed with warm fuzzies. The standard set by the earlier levels is so high that it would have taken something truly spectacular to stand out in my mind, and that just didn't happen. But there's enough here to occupy the most avid raider, both from the perspective of manual dexterity and the ability to solve intricate puzzles. Most of all, I had this sense of exhileration replaying a classic series that has withstood the ravages of time quite well. I wish the builder would come out of his too-long retirement. High recommendations." - Phil

"After the thrilling and multicoloured extravaganza of The Hidden Experiment, this level feels positively colourless - both literally and figuratively - in comparison. It doesn't help that a large chunk of the level takes place in the same location as the second level of the game, which feels like the builder was running out of ideas, and so decided to reuse geometry wholesale from a previous level. Add to that some thoroughly tedious tasks that you have to do over and over again - for example, shimmying and jumping to a crawlspace to go back and forth between two pools - and the gameplay feels pretty boring for about half the level. Fortunately, things pick up in the second half, with lots of platforming challenges, traps and puzzles, most of which involve colour clues, so the dreary colour scheme gets taken care of too. The room with the 3 ropes and lava, and the mirror room are particularly memorable. At the end, there's a 'bonus' section, which you can do if you want all the secrets. There's a nice variety of enemies, and the giant scorpions especially are quite scary.
Overall: Not a bad level as such, with plenty of good bits, but it feels like an anti-climax, coming as it does after so many brilliant levels." - Mytly

"You travel back to Egypt and the build up is still there. Only complaint I would have is that the pushables you have to use are colour coordinated and the colours are a bit on the pale side. You can easily miss a part of the level so keep your eyes open. I had some strange sounds happening here, made by the giant scorpions, it made me laugh though so not points deducted for that. Still lots of back and fro and do remember where you have seen a door or a gate or even a receptacle." - Gerty

"This is the best of the levels of the serie I've played. You begin in a familiar place but you'll visit a lot of new areas. As usual, good architecture, puzzles and ambience; only some details to comment: what's the hint for the small rooms with the moveable pieces where Lara burns if she place them over a wrong tile? In the library I didn't need to go through the slope and small lava room to get one of the switches. Opposite the niche where I placed the white gem there's a small alcove with no way out (reload). A very long and complex level but, as I said, the best I liked from the serie. Good work." - Jose

"Back to Edfou, my least favorite level of the first four, this time it looks much better though, because of the new areas. Gamplay is just tooo easy after level11. It's a nice level, but nothing spectacular. Those nasty fixed camears are back. I liked the library room, the lava room with the jumps, not really challenging, but entertaining. A new interpretation of secret within secret, as we find the last secret Golden Star by using an item from a previous secret, well done. I found the Colors of Edfou at the very end, so it didn't help, but I'm not sure it would anyway. So all in all a fair level, but as Magnus said: something missing. On to the final level." - Akcy

"This installment of the Rescue series takes place just after the adventure in space and we have a nice flyby of this return in the beginning of the level. As for the setting, you are back to the previous Edfou level, but you get to explore more areas, such as the underground Temple Von Croy looked at in the title flyby, which I liked! The only downside was that I missed the library part first and could finish the level without it ; I discovered it only to get the secret Stars. So, another great level for the Rescue series making a great transition between the space level and the bonus level." - Thibault

"Oh what to say? Um... The texturing was great and so was the gameplay and atmosphere. Seeing as how I said that I had always liked The Rescue for its Egyptian feel in my review for the previous level I probably shouldn't complain now when it has gone back to its roots. There is something missing though. I don't know what - there are a lot of great ideas in this level - but something is definitely missing. That said I still loved the level. The texturing is as I said good and the lighting as well at least in most cases. There are some challenging jumps that have to be executed and there are quite a few big scorpions. Speaking of scorpions - there is a bug that crashes the level when to many enemies are triggered at the same time. The author mentions this in the Readme-file and it is to be taken seriously. I had to backtrack quite a bit when I had missed a dog. The pace is rather good throughout the level except in some parts where it slows down dramatically. After around fifty-five minutes it ends and it really feels like a job well done. That's all I can think of really. The level is good and I recommend it but there is something missing. If only I knew what..." - Magnus

"Lara has zoomed through a vortex from space and splash lands into the water back at Edfou. Things are looking a little dull at the start after that extraterrestrial experience with all those grey walls and storms abrewin'. Never mind off we go. Having raised that grid ledge and crawled through that crawlspace and done the shimmycrack thing I felt a right idiot when I got to the door opposite the crawlspace. I spent forever trying to locate a switch a lever something but all it needed was a bullet! I went through that crawlspace so often I was heartily sick of it. In one building there is the first of the pushable thingies I just call them Senet pieces (because they look like the senat game in the original game remember?). Pay attention to the coloured lights. Another building is the library what a great place great jump here over spikes pull cool looking switches (Lara's action is not perfect at these) hop to a lava room below and come back and get the torch. I liked the huge lava room with the rope swinging and run from the boulder. Further on there is a great mirror room to get one of the stones of Apophis. Now don't forget that eighth star. In this room look in the mirror for the hole in the floor. Below is another Senet pushing puzzle (look at the lights) to get the diamond of Nil (or is that Nile?) bring this stone to the house with the fireplace and that gem receptacle I'm sure you saw earlier. Now you can get the star from the fireplace. I totally missed all this first time round and had to go back and get it. Luckily it's fairly near the end of the level. Ok so it wasn't a brain splitting extravaganza like the other levels and it's back in Edfou which annoyed some people big deal still it did have good gameplay puzzles hidden switches (and the star) and good jumps (that lava room with all those sloped jumps to get a golden key) etc. As a stand alone level it would be classed as excellent. And the end is a quick dip in water to the bonus level. Hey I've just thought of something. Remember that purple sky earlier on then Lara went to space and donned a purple outfit. Well now the sky is grey and Lara is back in her little back and white number. Is there some significance! Nevermind just a thought." - CC

"In Level 12 Lara is back in a town. Many things are different though - There is kind of a library two fire places (in on of which you can turn the fire off and collect the 8th star once you managed to find the white crystal way back which is well hidden). The puzzles are very diverse. You need to look out for colour hints a lot. Graphics and architecture are done with the usual care - especially the colours :) Lara needs to find various artifacts (red crystals pyramid keys snake amulets and more keys). One red crystal is needed to end the level. Sound and cameras were suitably added. My Lara found 4 Secrets. The atmosphere was again ingenious. It is simply a very impressive level series which I recommend to everybody. And now for the bonus level... :)))" - Navi

"A very impressive flyby at the start brings you back to good old Egypt and the coastal textures style architecture we all remember from Edfou. This level is a bit easier than previous levels of the series as it revolves mainly around finding a sequence of switches and some are quite well hidden (jumpswitches underwater levers). Cameras are mostly very helpful too. Colourful lighting plays an important role throughout in order to push objects to the right tile and pull the right switches however I only realized this after the fact as all those puzzles can easily be mastered by trial and error as well. A few good and tricky jumps in between some lava pits some boulders spikes and a mirror room keep you entertained. Enemies are mainly red harpies red bats scary dogs and giant scorpions with a few red locusts two wraiths and two demigods added as well. You will need to find four Scarab Talismans several keys and three red jewels. Now this is where my review would end claiming I had completed the level in 1:30 hours of net gaming time. Of course not having the crucial 8th star I had to go back and found out I had totally missed a big part of the level. So I went back and found the diamond of the nile and subsequently the star and I also found the library area and the 'colours of Edfou' which added another 40 minutes of net gaming which are really easy to miss so watch out and make sure you cover everything - it's definitely worth it!" - Michael

"Is this another case of Serpentine Gorge Syndrome? Well Serpentine Gorge isn't really a case of the Serpentine Gorge Syndrome in the first place as it is currently very high up the Top 50 list. Now the 12th installment of the Rescue series seems to fall a bit short after the critically acclaimed Hidden Experiment as it didn't make it in the Top 50. Does it mean it's a big disappointment?? Not at all I think it's down to the fact that we had so many excellent levels in recent months and only a few disappeared into the hall of fame so you'll now find some really excellent and brilliant levels in the lower half of the Top Hundred. And this is certainly one of them. Gameplaywise this is one of the best from Pascal I think as it is flowing smoothly from beginning to end with lots of traditional raiding a cleverly constructed environment a few neat jump combinations some smart puzzles and a cast of well placed enemies. The setting supports the action quite well but it has to be said that it is nothing too spectacular and it might be that we have been spoiled by the more awesome scenarios of the past (including the ones by Pascal himself) that we expect every new level by the Masters to push it a bit further. Now I enjoyed this immensely and I recommend it without reservation. Gameplaywise my only complaint concerns the few booby traps but they are not overdone so it's not that annoying." - Dimpfelmoser

"We all know by now that when we load up one of Pascal's levels we can expect a great adventure in a well built and realistic environment so it won't be a surprise when I tell you how great this one is. Lara's back from space and is on earth once again searching for a number of keys gems etc while dodging giant scorpions dogs demigods bats banshees and elementals. There's a number of tricky moves and tricky traps as well. My favorite thing about this level though was that parts of it were from an earlier part of the Rescue series and it was great to see them again. The first four levels of this series were my absolute favorite - they had their difficult moments but they weren't nearly as confusing as the later levels. This level Search for Apophis reminded me of those first four levels and was a lot of fun to play." - RaiderGirl

"Beautiful level. Good textures and lighting. At the beginning it looks like 'Edfou Kingdom of Horus' but it's quite different. This level has ingenious puzzles tricky jumps spike traps and it's very entertaining. I really enjoyed this new level of The Rescue series but I prefer the previous ones. However it is a great job. Highly recommended." - Cuqui

"I was expecting this level to pick up where the previous left off meaning the alien ships etc. but I discovered starting it that it was very similar to a level I had already played from the same author of course. There are two pools as you start and the initial actions are very much like in 'Edfou Kingdom of Horus'. It's not the same though as you go further it changes but there is no connection to the setting in 'The Hidden Expirement' you get back to the classic Tomb Raiding here but in an outside area and kind of neutral no Egyptian pyramid or so. The player has to search for talismans keys a guardian key and gems. All of those items are hidden in rooms with sloped blocks and lava down underground areas a mirror room there are boulders coming down spikes and switches levers to pull. The enemies are not many only a couple of bats dogs and big scorpions. One particular key the one at the room with the slopes made me get stuck for a long time. A nasty trick that one was hiding it behind those slopes. Anyway it is a pleasant level and I have to confess I prefer these kind of levels from the ones that are full of organic textures and alien stuff. Make sure you play this one." - Kristina

"Once I started Search for Apophis I had a feeling of dejà vu: Lara is in areas which recalls the nice outside architecture of Edfou Kingdom of Horus with grey coastal buildings and swimming pools. What a pleasure for me! Then I enjoyed this new offering from Magplus with fresh ideas! I like soooooo much the fluent gameplay of this level. It is not difficult if one explores and observes carefully. The game balance is very good between the enemies and the puzzles. I arrived at the end of the level rather quickly and I thought that the traps where a bit illogical solved only by trial and error: it was because I did not solve completely the puzzles in the big library so I did not have the Apophis hint about the colours. The player can backtrack at any time and eventually I could understand the meaning of the colours for some puzzles and traps. Finally I ended with 4 secrets. A very good time with this level exploring in good-looking areas with fountains rooms with marble and ornate ceilings. The fluency of the progression is amazing and offers a change from the hard levels. The only criticism would be about some annoying cameras views but it is a minor point." - eRIC

"What a breath of fresh air. This was easily the most playable of all the series for me as I never had to resort to the forum for help countless times as I did with all the others this also then made it a much more enjoyable experience. Returning back from the alien jaunt in outer space you find yourself in a very familiar environment actually it's one of the earlier levels in the series with a few changes and many new areas. Apart from a whole lot of great puzzles of all different kinds usually involving some colour effects you also get a fair amount of enemies more than the usual I think making it feel like a really well rounded level. I only have two complaints the first is that at one point you have to collect two scarab keys and I found if I collected the one involving rope swings before I found the other involving giant scorpions then my game crashed but collecting them in the other order was fine and secondly there are a lot of trial and error deaths okay yes as Freeman said you do get a colour code thingy but I could not make heads nor tails of it as it just looked like a painter's palette with colours everywhere so I chose to trial and error it. This in the end is a very satisfyingly fun 110 minutes level with a lot of diversity but also not too demanding just don't leave without that star! Pascal make the rest of the series more player friendly like this please." - Sash

"Now a good and entertaining level to be sure but not up to Pascal's previous efforts. Although Rescue 11 was far from my favorite of the series it far surpassed #12 and I personally prefer the early Rescue levels although I haven't reviewed them. Plenty of action enemies puzzles and traps and it kept me thinking but I cannot help a slight feeling of disappointment when I compare to the previous installments." - Momster

"This is another great level from Pascal. The textures are first class and very atmospheric. There are lots of keys and things to find and this involves a lot of running about between areas. There are a few sneaky hidden switches which is a typical trademark from this author. I liked the way you had to use the torch in different rooms to light lamps. This is a long level and a very enjoyable hour or so playing time." - Doug E

"A new level of our friend Pascal Ducey. This one is carried out in splendid external spaces with a superb flyby at the beginning! Textures are very well applied and the difficulty is high what makes the level still better! ^^ and two hours of play! Cheers to the author." - Neso

"Although this is a beautiful level I don't think it lives up to the standard when it comes to gameplay of the previous level. There are just too many levers in the beginning but it does get better towards the end with a lot of puzzles. Lara is back in Egypt and trying to find her way out of the labyrinth like surroundings. I don't mean that it is a labyrinth but I get the feeling that you don't move around in a very big area but you have to find your way to every corner of that area. You can see areas behind walls and slopes but the question is how to get there. Overall a highly recommended level and I'm looking forward to the next one! :)" - G.Croft

"For me without a doubt one of the best levels from the Rescue-Series and the whole series one of the best TR-Games ever. Challenging puzzles beautiful graphics good sound and well placed various enemies for all players who like perfect quality. Lara is back from space and searching the way to get out of here. Many tasks to do like swimming climbing searching for entrances and levers. But the main part of the game is the puzzles. After some flare puzzles Lara finds an artifact which shows the color hints for the next puzzles which prevents Lara from dying. So it's not try and error like another previous reviewer said. Take the colors shown with the artifact and you will survive. Pascal worked a lot with color lights in this level which give a lot of nice atmosphere to the game. I have rarely seen a so perfect lighted level like this one. Also the textures and objects are very good. Enemies are mixed demigods fire and ice wraiths evil dogs red bats giant scorpions and poisoning harpies. Always challenging but not too hard because of the weaponry of the previous levels. Also there are timed traps with spikes also rolling balls and very well hidden levers. The hunt for the star is brilliant it's like a bonus level. Absolutely recommended raiding at its best I hardly can wait for the next level." - Freeman Porter

"After the extremely beautiful and eventful Rescue 8 - 10 and the totally unique & fabulous Rescue 11 I thought that the Rescue series would only get better and better so I was a bit disappointed with this part. The start that I presume shows how Lara gets back here from the strange setting of The Hidden Experiment was inventive but there were a lot of things that made this level the crash of the series for me. It's not a bad level in general but this is only a variation of Edfou The kingdom of Horus and the gameplay mainly revolves on flipping switches and finding keys. There is a lot more to do than that - you get 2 torch puzzles movable block puzzles a mirror room a timed sequence and quite a lot of fun traps so you might not be bored through the level but there were some trial and error puzzles which I think were rather tedious and the mix of all this together didn't keep me interested through the time I played the level. The textures were not applied too interestingly and the lighting was quite monotonous (without counting the few puzzles including the colourful lights) so it was not too interesting to look at too. I liked the traps in the room with the ropes and the way the guardian key appeared though. The Hidden Experiment deserved it's number one spot in August 2002 well and would've deserved to be there for a few more months but this one didn't fulfill my expectations of what a worthy sequel for that level would be. I still hope that the Rescue series will go on and am eagerly expecting the next adventure in this wonderful series so please carry on Pascal ;-) (despite my low ratings lolol)" - eTux

"It's a top level I especially liked the puzzles a lot very diverse - but the real tension did not occur for me. Textures and lighting was beautiful throughout the level. The individual play with colour was ingenious. Lara did not have an easy task here you had to think a lot - orientation required by those colours. There were also numerous tricky jumps and well placed enemies. Also you can marvel at new objects I especially liked the snakes. The overall design is just great and you see Pascal has put a lot of effort and heart into it :-) Looking forward to the next part! ;-)" - Engelchen Lara

"Still excellent level by Pascal this level is long and will require quite a lot of research and of observation to end it and find the 3 secrets of the level which are hidden well. Numerous puzzles and enigmas to realize. 2 hours of active gameplay at least will be necessary to end it but it's easier than the previous opus from Pascal." - Luc