Level reviews

"Technically I shouldn't have been able to play this level as it's a reward for those who've located special items along the previous journey, one which I started well over a decade ago and only now have reached the end, and I have only been enabled to do so thanks to the great walkthroughs as well as some savegames shared by the community. At first, I fell in love with the first side room with the opposing pushblock puzzles, having to line them up to form different murals on both sides and I was ready to deem these as the best pushblock puzzles ever (and truth be told, they still might be). However, when I had to this over, and over, and over again, by the time I finished the last pushblock puzzle I hoped I'd never have to see anything similar in a custom level ever again. The good thing is that each room has a different setup and as such requires a different combination, relying on all visible sides of the pushblocks, so even though there was plenty of variety, Lara's slow animations eventually took their toll over me. But otherwise, this was very good looking and quite atmospheric, and I think this may have been the first time I ever saw the dragon enemy to stand still thanks to a weird interaction between two active baddies. The ending came a bit too abruptly, as Phil stated in the walkthrough, but otherwise this series really is one for the books. 70 minutes, 2 secrets. 09/20" - Treeble

"Well, this concluded quite abruptly, I was expecting a final flyby or at least a track. But overall I liked playing it. The puzzles with the moveable blocks were creative. Textures and lighting are great, as always. Was Apophis the big serpent that Von Croy turned into? Anyway, we never got to fight with it, only avoiding it. The red locusts were very annoying, but I had more than enough medipacks. A brief ride on a jeep at the end, and then pulling some final levers to release Jean-Yves. All Lara had to do to rescue him! What did he get himself into? Lol. Recommended." - alan

"A perfect fitting bonus level to end the series. I simply loved this level, even the creative block puzzles. Normally I would find them tedious, but I didn't mind here. The textures were beautifully used as was the lighting. Shame that the ending was so abrupt. Overall, a great series." - Ryan

"After solving the first twin pushable and running straight into another of a kind my feelings for this level were like 5/6/7/9 and I forced myself to play further. When I understood what's going on, that I will need to put together all these pictures, I switched my heart off but had life support on - I moved the blocks mechanically, trying not to think about numerous passing minutes while a quite cool action movie was running in the background to entertain me instead. This is really no stuff for a final level - even with a genious idea behind, the insane number of elements blows riddle and action unforgivably out of proportion, and since the duration of the title fight is just good, the only fix would be to diminish the pushable. Desperately looking for some relief, I found it in much better later parts of the level though many of them bear little flaws which often disperse the mood: the spiky climb is inventive but it requires trial and error; local secrets are subpar to every other episode though I still added a point for the whole level being a huge bonus; the pit drop is nicely figured out but also forces intense health loss; the rope swing leads to the high sequence door faster than the ladders do but doubling the path, even if unintended, still adds to unclarity; jumping the temple rooftops is neat as always but it gets interrupted with absurdally located ignition keys; the jeep is a great getaway but it includes a potential stuck point in the pool; of two subtly contrasting endings of good and evil none is accessible without stars and if I failed I should have the right to die; if we somehow manage to reach the good ending the final climax lacks victory element to compensate for the undefeated enemy, there's no reward, no cutscene, not even a proper tune of relief, and as a result the conclusion of the series appears dangerously weak what should never occur in any storyline. Multiple atmosphere touches which come to rescue fight against disimmersion as well, let's take for example outstanding temple architecture, second only to Saqqarah from the same series and one of few in this set which match graphic quality of the original TR4, but this brilliant place is followed by an outside canyon which lacks any lighting and basic rotations, just like if this part has been built by a completely different builder and why exactly. But in the end I found some flawless design, like boss fight foreshadowing via excellent usage of statics, puzzle items and minor guardian enemies; or the waterskin puzzle prevented from premature solution by adding one more scale than you would be able to fill if you carried the water from the previous level. Of course I tried and when I got so simply and effectively outsmarted, that was the point when I really enjoyed this level. Slowly and surely, the care involved shows and manages to counter the initial bad impression. About the whole series I can say all of its unusual experiments are worth witnessing even though some of them are tough or partially failed. I have seen some of these in later adventures but more complex and polished and since I played them earlier now I sometimes felt in The Rescue as like in domain of eRIC, QRS, TC14 or Titak. It might indicate the masters of second era have learnt a valuable lesson from this pioneer discovery and researched it to evolve into the whole improved generation of building - so in the end it appears MagPlus has made more than one Egyptian tutorial. Getting aware he's obviously a better builder than a player whenever you walk a suspiciously odd path would be the final global tip to deal with unplanned access zones of this game. Since the initial levels are the best to get used to them, I strongly suggest to play this adventure in order for more clue and less confusion." - DJ Full

"The theme here is quite unique; it's Egyptian on a base level (and like the previous map it feels like it's bringing it full-circle in some ways as a lot of the texturing is similar to the first map), but there are some Arabic elements along with a more surreal textures, it comes together to create a coherent mix of traditional and new. The lighting and objects are also great. I'm not sure it tops The Hidden Experiment but it's one of the best looking levels in the set. The gameplay is also the most well-paced and intuitive so far, although it's got a heavy block puzzle focus; the base concept of them is actually really unique, but it still ends up being a little much. It actually probably one of the easier levels of the latter half, but the boss encounter and final vehicle sequence make it feel climatic (although the lack of much of an ending is disappointing). One of the best maps in the set and great way to end it, and very obviously isn't a bonus level in terms story importance." - Mman

"WOW!!!! This was a very exciting level. Probably my second favorite level in this series. You need 8 golden stars to play this fantastic bonus level. Okay, the puzzles got very challenging in this level, and I was required to use my brain a lot of times. The gameplay was intense and hard. I just loved every puzzle and every bit of gameplay in this level! The enemies, objects, and secrets were perfectly used and well placed. The backround music was epic and creepy at the same time. The music reminded me of Mortal Kombat. The atmosphere, sound and cameras were great, and once again, I loved the dark and creepy atmosphere in this level, especially with the backround music. The lighting and textures were perfect. Players should really find the time to find all golden stars to play this level, because it is well worth it. Then there was the actual fight with Apophis. I'll just say that Apophis is really cute looking :) The cobra was sure angry and fierce, as it blew a bunch of fireballs at Lara. That was sure epic! Overall, this level is great! This level is highly recommended! Nice job MagPlus! I might play this series again, that is how fun this custom level was!" - MegaGamer

"I don't have to stumble bumble my way through this one, as the details are still fresh in my mind. The bonus level is a fitting conclusion to a magnificent series. Much of it involves an extended block pushing puzzle to put out fires and grab needed artifacts along the way in order to progress. The grand finale involves a dragon restructured to resemble a giant cobra, which gave Lara fits until she unleashed an ahmet to tame its fireballs and red locusts. There's a concluding ride on the Jeep (all too short, alas), leading to an ending that's almost anticlimactic. There's a open door with this casually dressed dude waiting outside, and everyone knows this is the guy that Lara has spent 13 levels trying to locate and rescue, and when she approaches him the whole thing comes to a screeching halt. Should have been a salacious cut scene at the very least. Anyway, it was a pleasure waltzing down Memory Lane replaying this wonderful adventure, and everyone should experience it at least once." - Phil

"First of all, why is this a bonus level? Surely it's more suitable as an integral part of The Rescue, since it has a boss fight, and some sort of resolution to Lara's quest. Certainly, it makes a far better finale than the previous level. So why did the builder decide to make this level inaccessible to players who miss out on any of the 8 secret stars? Fortunately I got them all, and was therefore able to play this fantastic level.
The gameplay is very enjoyable, and mostly less obscure than in the previous levels, as the tasks are usually clear cut. The 'jigsaw puzzles' pushables are a really unique touch - generally, I dislike overly long pushable puzzles, and here there are not just one or two, but five in succession! Yet they are so imaginative that I readily forgive any tedium or cramped fingers caused by long pushing/pulling. The climbable wall with spike traps is another unique idea. The short jeep ride at the end was great fun too, as well as facing off against the giant snake - not to mention the great way of dealing with the snake. My sole grouse relates to the long drop that causes Lara to lose most of her health.
The looks of this level are great: lovely, colourful textures, nice lighting, and great architecture. The huge room with the sequence puzzle is particularly memorable. The atmosphere is great, with a slightly spooky ambient track causing a great sense of foreboding.
(Before I end my review, I'd just like to comment on the full game: It's a great experience, in spite of the less than stellar levels at the beginning, because the later ones more than make up for them. The only problem is that gameplay is quite illogical at times, and occasionally unfair, so a walkthrough is a necessary accessory.)
Overall: And so ends this fantastic game, with a very enjoyable and memorable level." - Mytly

"I was very glad to have found all the Golden Star so I could delve myself into the last level of the series. There is a far bit of pushing to do and I am glad that the solution how to do it, kept me from being bored. I loved meeting the giant statue of von Croy, you better have a save before encountering him though, as it is a sure death for Lara. Finally you can use all the artefacts you gathered throughout the series and even then, you have to find more. The jeep ride was nasty, but I hate vehicles anyway but I made it in the end. I did spot some textures that could use attention throughout the game though. Nice ending of this mini game." - Gerty

"I had to download a savegame with the eight golden stars, of course, but I couldn't miss the final result of this serie after play all the other levels. I thought I should have to deal with a big boss at the end, but Aphopis didn't appear. Even so, this last level was very good for me 'cause the excelent puzzles and a fluid gameplay; I only get stucked in the deep pit with the fog looking for something to open the trapdoor. As usual, a fantastic architecture with a nice environment and some good surprises. A worthy culmination for this complete amateur serie you can't miss." - Jose

"What a marvelous conclusion to the series. Imaginitive pushy cube puzzles, I liked those very much. Puzzles aren't hard anyway, except maybe the climbable wall; the safe way matches the color code of the door that leads there. Very good atmosphere and sound, and retextured enemies, textures in general are just perfect too. Gameplay also, it's been a long time since I had use two large medpacks on one level, as did here. Final stats: 29 hours, 50 secrets for the whole series, it was a great adventure." - Akcy

"This closes the Rescue series in a magnificent way! A wonderful setting and marvellous gameplay in all the way, including sequence switch and drawing puzzles with moveable blocks, which was never seen before in a custom level and great! And there's even a boss sequence with Apophis, so what more could we expect for the end of this series? Nothing else than this four-tenner for me, or maybe more Rescue levels..." - Thibault

"And so it ends. Finally one could say but of course I won't. It's always sad when something good ends and now when we don't have the next Tarragona or Rescue level to look forward to what are we supposed to do? Well of course I'm being a little melodramatic since there are a lot of other great levels to play. Anyway this is a great ending and it's good to see the saga end like this. Unlike in the previous level there's nothing missing here - it's a great level in every way. Except for the block-puzzles of course. The first time it was okay but after that it got tedious. I probably spent more than twenty minutes pushing and pulling blocks. The rest of the level is worth it though. And since I don't want to give anything away I'll move on to the textures. They were good. Not excellent but very nice. The lighting was also good. The remade enemies were a nice addition too. That's all I've got to say. I've used other people's savegames so I can't give you the final statistics for these thirteen levels but at least I can tell you that it takes around 65 minutes to finish this level. Give or take a few minutes - it depends on how fast you can get the blocks to their correct places." - Magnus

"What a fabulous level! Top quality! As usual in the whole game The Rescue the bonus level is a masterpiece. A genuine jewel made with precision. Textures and lighting are perfect. The Atmosphere is indescribable. Great sound and nice colours. The huge room is beautifully designed. There are traps boulders ingenious moving blocks puzzles unexpected and new enemies and finally a short and fun ride in a Jeep. Vraiment superbe et vachement beau Pascal!" - Cuqui

"Now we've come to the bonus level I'd just like to say that this whole series is a mindboggling masterpiece of construction texturing and lighting. How Pascal and very nice fellow he is too sustained the level of gameplay throughout is nothing short of amazing never mind the retexturing jobs on enemies the objects the beauty the landscapes - even the Egyptian ones are so different from the usual. Almost every room has multiple tasks in them levels run so smoothly from one to the other that you're only aware of it by the load screen. The downside is some areas are confusing and without Tombaholic's walkthrough a lot of players like me would never have reached this stage. So all praise to him too. After going back to get that 8th star I can now start this level properly. It's like a superb indoor swimming pool and you know at one time you've got to get up on top of all those walkways above and also way down into that pit. Just for a little diversion before you place the 8 stars run up that stairs beside them and hop over to meet Von Croy and a little flyby. You won't survive but it's an unusual little diversion. The only door that opened shows a switch two doors behind which are great looking retextured guards these give more diamonds of Nil (Nile?). Further in is a lovely staircase room with a colour puzzle to do. That is to say you push coloured buttons to open different doors. The second one is great I LOVED it. The setting is a huge Egyptian room big entrances up high and a pink stone below with two giant snakes either side breathing fire on the stone. Surprise surprise you have to turn it off. And here starts that terrific puzzle of pushing blocks into those long entrances to make a giant picture on each side. I loved the extra blocks you have to lower down with switches. I don't care if people think I'm raving mad I just loved it. Further on again is another block pushing puzzle. There's a waterskin/scales to use in a room with a gigantic snake statue (I have a feeling that you need to read the walkthrough again to do this puzzle) that you jump into it's mouth and end up with... WOW! A retextured dragon as a snake. Great Pascal. Of course his lordship Von Croy is standing there like a spare and I got up beside him and told him what I thought of him. Ha ha no seriously you use one switch in this room to release a mutant and it dives into the neck (neck!) of the snake and holds it quiet for you to explore in peace. Actually now that it's quiet the snake looks kind of cute. Loved the boulder run-up. Lara gets the jeep keys high up in the swimming pool room like I said before and gets outside to the desert and takes another terrific jeep ride to a pool room where after a few switches we see up there waiting for us to come out our old friend Jean Yves. I have this burned on CD and I'm keeping it safe for another look in the future. 24:54 hours after the level 8 savegame. I'm sad now that it's finished. Don't leave us too long Pascal without another taste of your genius." - CC

"The bonus level was the icing on the cake - an absolute masterpiece :). Pascal threw in all his knowledge and skill. The puzzles were again very diverse and with many new ideas. Lara needs to put together puzzle pieces in a way that a picture is formed. Also some trademark traps and I found two secrets making for a total of 50 :). The cobra scene was well done. Lara needs to pull a few levers and then the snake will be calmed down and Lara can make her way into the open. There the jeep awaits and at the end of the ride a friend awaits her. The atmosphere was full of tension - too bad that it ended. Pascal is definitely one of the best builders out there :)" - Navi

"As the French proverb says: Without the eighth star you won't go far! For the last level of an awesome series the author gives us a great finale where we see Lara meeting the poor VonCroy who is always possessed. The author has managed to reserve some very good surprises: innovative movable blocks puzzles the return of the scales puzzles with subtle hints for the amount of water a very good atmosphere (even if I don't personally like the new background sound) and new enemies: the mutants of the Rx-Tech mines! The pace of the gameplay is rather slow in most parts of the level (except when Lara meets the giant cobra spitting balls of fire great fun) so the player has time to concentrate on the puzzles. All the genius of the author is to keep us busy with plenty to wonder and plenty to do in only a few rooms. Thanks a lot Mister (Mag)Plus. le niveau Bonus: c'est rien que du bonheur!" - eRIC

"One of the best levels I ever had the pleasure to play :-) Pascal proves at the end of the series that he can still through everything into a level: puzzles objects fabulous enemies (modified horsemen). If you continue like this my Lara might ask you to marry her (just kidding ;-) ) Ok let's talk about the puzzles. They are actually not that hard and Pascal is giving many clues you just have to look for them. Sometimes you need patience and your brain especially with the block moving puzzles. Also the puzzles with the giant snake was great and Lara had to sacrifice a few medipacks. Lara needs to find 6 diamonds and 4 gems but the enemies leave a few nice presents. The sound was great especially the ambience and also warnings in dangerous corners. Textures are perfectly applied and the lighting throughout the level is remarkable. Atmosphere was simply overwhelming. Really everything in harmony. The ending was great too as Lara is picked up by a friend. Therefore a well deserved 4x10. My Lara desperately waits for the start of your next level series Pascal. Perfect! Thanks a lot for this one. :-)" - Engelchen Lara

"Some people would say that 13 is an unlucky number. Well for this game the opposite is true. This is a technically brilliant level. There are some mini gods that look great. There are one or two booby traps that don't do Lara's health any good at all. The best parts were the block puzzles on two levels. Solve the pictures and some flames will go out allowing you to pick up red gems. There is an unusual climbing wall with spikes that come out and there is only one safe route to take. In another room there is a wonderful fire spitting serpent to harass Lara in her quest to push switches. Towards the end there is a short ride in a Jeep which leads nicely to the end of the level. This one is well worth playing." - Doug E

"A classic ending to a wonderful series and definitely worth looking for all those stars. Of course I forgot to keep my save from the last level so I really appreciate tersvenn sending me a save from the end of the previous level. Typical of Pascal's levels this is full of clever puzzles and is fun to explore with it great environment and well done rooms. The enemies are great too and include snake headed tin men that drop gems when you kill them - what else can a girl ask for?" - RaiderGirl

"Wow! What a great ending of this Rescue series! Definitely one of the best parts. Great moving blocks puzzles where you have to create an image of different blocks. (Reminds me of a puzzle with cubes and different pictures of Pippi Longstockings on the sides that I had as a kid). Great new enemies and one area where Von Croy is being possessed by a giant snake spitting fireballs at Lara while she has to pull several switches. You have to find the jeep keys so that Lara can take a short ride with the jeep and to finally open a door out into the open where a dear friend awaits her! A worthy ending of such a marvelous series." - G.Croft

"At last we saw that bonus level we were waiting for for so long. Unfortunately that also means that this series has come to an end but I am sure Pascal will start building his next soon I hope so anyway. At first I thought all we will do is to push blocks around but the idea of making puzzle pictures with them was great even though Lara's back hurts now from all that pushing it was worth it. I have to mention though that if you don't have all the stars the level ends almost immediately with Lara bursting into flames near the possessed Von Croy. If you do have all the stars then the level is much longer. Red gems white gems are what you will be looking for in rooms with very nice and colourful textures among spike traps the dragon and Von Croy present beasts and new enemies. Everything is nicely done and progression is good unless you have some blind moments as I had lol but generally speaking it's not easy to get stuck. I won't say anything more about it as it is a bonus level so play it if you want to know what this is all about. Thank you Pascal for keeping us entertained for a very long time and for all your hard work. We will be waiting for your next project with much interest." - Kristina

"What a bonus indeed - Pascal returns to old strength and offers an absolutely fabulous two hours long finale to the Rescue series that has kept us all entertained now for such a long time. There are simply too many things in here to mention them all just go and see for yourself and enjoy the rather fluent but always diverse and entertaining gameplay. Yes ok it is a bit tedious to put four blocks into their right place and that five times in total but the rewarding pictures make it worth it. The 'new' enemies are very cool (tinmen of a different kind poisonous thugs and a few wasps). There are many many pick-ups to collect and place (ten gems and eight stars collected in the previous levels of the series) and the cut scenes with Von Croy nicely bring the storyline to its end. Excellent use of a few architectural objects a tough area with the snake/dragon boulder traps a short jeep ride and two secrets. It just goes on and on. I did have an issue with the waterskins as Lara kept burning up even though I placed the right amount of water so I might have done something in the wrong order there. Also I had an issue when I removed one of the blocks after I had already placed it in its correct slot so better don't do that. But overall this level will just grab you and not let go until you are finished. Thanks Pascal for a fantastic series and I can't wait what your brilliant mind will come up with next." - Michael

"If you just like me was confused thorough the series what Lara was searching for and part 12 confused you even more it'll all make sense now. Lara traveled through Egypt to find which curse was put on Von Croy and at the end of level 10 accidentally found something larger than she imagined and which showed Lara the right way - back to Edfou so she did what she could in the revisit and found what she was looking for at least that's how I'd interpret it. Too bad this is a bonus level and maybe not accessible for all since I doubt that everyone found the 8 stars necessary to complete the level it's such a great one! It returns some of the old puzzles from the last revelation again like the sequence switch puzzle from 'Underneath the Sphinx' and the well known waterskin puzzles. There is also a great sequence where you have to stop Von Croy who is possessed by Apophis (a snake God in Egyptian mythology if I remember correctly) while he fires fireballs and locusts at Lara a neat way how he's calmed down. There were just a few things I didn't find so good but since they won't change anything now I won't mention them. At the end of this level and this series I think Lara meets an old friend. The Rescue series is a really fantastic one and levels like this and The Hidden Experiment (or whatever was the favorite for the other players) will for sure stay in the memory of players for a long long time. My final statistics of the series (just to bore you a little bit :P): 20 21 hours; 126122 m traveled; 16386 ammo used; 38 health packs used and 38 secrets found." - eTux

"To begin this level you must have obtained at least 4 golden stars in the previous levels but it will allow you only to play a short moment and to obtain the 'bad' end of this adventure. If you gathered all 8 golden stars you can enter in the bonus level strictly speaking. This level bonus of the rescue is certainly one of the best levels which I was able to play. It will ask you for quite a lot of research and observation to progress because numerous enigmas and puzzles are to be realized. Don't refuse the fight with your monstrous enemies because they often carry necessary objects to progress. You will also have to face one Huge snake which spits fireballs not very easy .... At the end of the level after a small trip in a Jeep Lara finds the open air and her friend Jean Yves." - Luc