TRLE: 10/TEN - PC
This is an interesting Tomb Raider Level Set - it is a compilation of 9 levels (not 10) that have been made in the newer Tomb Raider Level Editor called Tomb Engine (or TEN).
I very much appreciate the extra mile that has been taken to present these level sets to look like it has been given an official release. A PDF manual has been provided to give a little more detail about each level and the menu of the game has a nice classic Tomb Raider ring menu highlighting each game as a virtual DVD box with their own custom front and back artwork along with the title on the spine.
The following levels are listed in order of playthrough and not in chronological order.
1. Caves Revisited
The first level I played was Caves Revisited which seems to have taken inspiration from the very first Caves level in the first Tomb Raider game and an attempt to merge elements of the reimagined Tomb Raider Anniversary Caves level.
It was fun, but I was a little disappointed as it seemed to branch out and be too different to both levels. I did enjoy that the level started outside in the snow like Tomb Raider Anniversary, where as it is a (memorable) cutscene in the original game.
Score: 7/10
2. Secrets of Croft Manor
Secrets of Croft Manor is a level set in Lara's Mansion and is all about solving puzzles and there is no combat. The level seems to have been inspired by the Legend era of her mansion.
If I had to grade the game solely on graphics then I would give the level a 9 out of 10, but overall I was a little disappointed by the level. It has its moments and it is fun to explore the author's take on the mansion, but it only took me around 20 minutes to complete.
I was expecting it to be a little longer as you can see outside, so I was expecting to explore the garden area. The look and design of the mansion is beautiful, but I just wish there had been more areas to wander.
Score: 6.5/10
3. The Sanctuary of Aton
The level looks to be inspired by the exploration of Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation. It does a good job of showcasing new actions that Tomb Engine allows - for instance, I pushed a block over the edge to make a surface on water to solve an environmental puzzle (which is an action that is not available in the original classic engine).
You can also go through crawl spaces with new animations that Lara would not be able to do in the classic games. Also, a timed section displayed a countdown which was helpful to know how long I had (although I did not love this part as it involved platforming upwards, which is not the best when dealing with tank controls on the game's grid based design during timed segments whilst going upwards).
Score: 8/10
4. The Sunken Temple of Bastet
The start of the level sees Lara plunged into the depths of a massive underwater temple and my first thoughts were that this area looked incredible and I was excited to explore the huge temple.
Then, I became a little frustrated as the whole area seemed to take place underwater, which meant that I had a limited time to explore the temple as I would just run out of air.
I gave it a little more time and I discovered that the water level can be slowly lowered by opening 2 levers beside massive doors on different levels. If I opened the 2 levers on each floor and swam back up for air and then swam back down to each door to lower the water level I found out I enjoyed the level much more.
Each time the water is lowered a giant cat statue (the Ancient Egyptian cat deity, Bastet) picture is shown on the upper right of the screen and depicts the water level. It is quite an interesting approach to playing through a traditional Tomb Raider level.
As the water lowers you can explore the level on foot - in some ways the level reminded my of St Francis Folly from Tomb Raider 1, but with more water.
The chrome solider type of enemies appear in the game that make an appearance in Tomb Raider 4 - I forgot they were not invincible to the standard pistols (except when their backs are turned), so for a part of the level I was panic running around trying to pull switches, and not take too much damage, with around 6 of them pursing me at once before I realised I could actually defeat them!
Overall, I very much enjoyed my time with the level despite being frustrated at the start for a brief time.
5. Night in the Flooded Forest
Night in the Flooded Forest is set in India and the level screams Tomb Raider III. It is a fun little level, which involves a lot of climbing and thinking where to go to next.
Lara starts the level without her iconic pistols, so it is up to the player to find out where they are, Natla Mines style. There are certain sections where text is displayed in certain rooms describing some historical information - I am guessing that this is a new feature in the Tomb Engine.
I find classic Tomb Raider is at its best when you are trying to figure out where and how to platform to reach the next area and Night in the Flooded Forest does not disappoint in this regard.
Score: 8/10
6. The Cave
This level was a strange one. Its starts off in a cave and you discover a huge looking ancient underground temple, but it is over before you know it. It is the second level on this compilation that took only around 20 minutes for me to complete.
The area you explore is absolutely incredible and is a visual feast for the eyes. I had fun climbing my way around the bridge (in the picture above) to reach the other side and the breaking walkway is pretty fun, but I just wish there had been more to do in the level.
This level seemed like a perfect start to a bigger adventure with more levels - maybe that is the plan from the creator because I would love to see other levels that they may create in the future.
Score: 7/10
7. Ultima
The level Ultima starts of really well, I think the creator has gone above and beyond, as it is just not a Tomb Raider custom level for Lara to run around in, but it feels like a new game in itself.
You do have Lara's moves, but you are not playing as Lara instead you play as a hooded individual (as shown above) and the environment feels very much like a Prince of Persia game (which besides Tomb Raider is another game franchise that I am a fan).
It is quite a short level, but is interesting - there is even a rope swing that feels more like Samus in the Metroid games than the slow rope swing of Lara in Tomb Raider 4. Although, there was a timed area where the rope mechanic had to be used, which felt very cumbersome on the grid based system of the classic Tomb Raider games - I think if this part had not been timed that it would have been more enjoyable.
There is an interesting boss battle at the end that I think went on for to long. The final phase was rather frustrating and it involved using the zoom function of the Crossbow to hit objects that were swinging around very fast and the zoom function is the same as Tomb Raider 4, which can be slow and is inverted - I never had a problem with this function in Tomb Raider 4 as there is not really a time to use it when you are under so much pressure.
Overall, I thought it was a fun level, but I could have done without the final frustrating boss phase.
Score: 7/10
8. Alien
In this level Lara somehow finds herself in the world of the Alien franchise. Visually, this level was quite a surprise to me as it really looks the environment could be from an official game that has been created in the universe of Ellen Ripley and the Weyland-Yutani Corporation.
The level starts of with a convincing cutscene of space craft flying through space remanence of the Nostromo ship of the first movie. I am a fan of the first two Alien films, although not a hardcore fan of the franchise, and I very much appreciated the dedication that has been put into making the environment look like I could be playing Alien: Isolation.
I was surprised to encounter an Alien that convincingly looked like the Xenomorph from the films - as this was a Tomb Raider Level Editor game, I was expecting a creature that looked Alien and not one that actually looked like the real deal.
Overall, I enjoyed my experience - I did at times feel slightly frustrated with fighting the Xenomorphs as they seemed to quick for Lara's animations to deal with.
Score: 8.5/10
9. Sweet Raider MACADAM
The start of this game is rather deceiving - you start as a Lara Croft outside a door and a voice over plays. The Lara model looks nice as well and you can see a good amount of work has been put into her wardrobe that gives her personality outside of the other games. There is even an interesting surprise for you if you decide to explore before entering the door.
I say the level is rather deceiving because Lara starts off like she is ready to explore in the traditional Tomb Raider way, but when you enter the door Lara happens to be on a giant pinball table!
This level is very creative and sees you running around as Lara but it is as if Lara is the pinball trying to achieve the goals of the level.
Now, I am not a huge pinball fan, so I did not love this level, but I could see other players absolutely loving the level.
It felt creative, but kind of frustrating at times - the level was just not for me.
Score: 6/10
Link to the level
set.
Overall I enjoyed more than I disliked of the game and would recommend it to other Tomb Raider fans.
Overall Score: 8.5/10
