Tomb Raider Ex Oblivione (TRLE): - PC
Completed August 24th 2026
10th August 2026
The first level (or prologue) of the game starts out quite familiar as, impressively, the level layout is a lot like the beginning of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - which is (apart from Tomb Raider) one of my favourite games of all time.
So far I have been very impressed by the sheer size of the level layout - it is very fun to platform and make discoveries in the beautiful environments that have been created.
At this point I have completed 2 levels and I am on the 3rd level.
16th August 2026
At this point I am on a level called the Enchanted Forest and I continue to be surprised at how vast the levels have been. I have been having a great time just exploring the environments.
However, there was one point in the level that I found rather frustrating and that was a timed part - it involved breaking a window and running towards and jumping up on a box to climb into the window. It is not the fact that the section is timed that frustrates me but I think the timer is not quite long enough. I just made that particular timed section and I am not even sure how I achieved it.
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| EX Oblivione has a nice moving title screen similar to TR 4 and Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb |
In this level there has been timed sections, but none of the earlier ones felt as unfair. That is one thing that does frustrate me with some Tomb Raider level editors - some authors put in timed sections that feel too strict and some would benefit with even just a couple more seconds added. As Lara does have a slight delay in her jumping actions (which is fine 9 times out of 10) I think the timed sections are designed for those that have expertise in speed running the classic Tomb Raider games.
To end the Enchanted Forest level you have to find a motorcycle and drive for the last 10 percent and I found that to be quite fun. The problem I had was finding the motorcycle - it is easily missed so the player may not even realise that they need a motorcycle to complete the level. It was by watching a walkthrough that I knew about the motorcycle.
You have to do some platform manoeuvring to reach the area where the motorcycle is located - this would have been fine for a secret, but not for requiring a key item that is essential for completing the level. I could envision that a number of people may give up on the whole game in frustration. The motorcycle should have been placed in a more easily findable location.
Anyway, despite my issue with the location of the motorcycle I highly enjoyed the level.
18th August 2026
At this point I have started on a level that resembles the Kayak levels seen in Tomb Raider III. It is a short level (at least for this level set), but I find it fun to explore.
I briefly started the next level and it looked to be an on foot exploration level, but quite quickly I discovered a bike and the areas look large and so the bike is very much welcomed. I am looking forward to further discovering the level the next time I play the game.
20th August 2026
I finally finished a very long and open level called Celephais. I mostly enjoyed the level, but I found that there were some frustrating parts when solving some puzzles. Sometimes I would have to pull a lever or jump on certain titles to open a door that could be anywhere in the level and at times it seemed like there was no indication of where the door may be - that was the downside of the vast size of the level meaning too much wandering around looking for an obscure area.
At one point, strangely, I could only open a gate by using my scope and I had to shoot something hidden off in the distance - I only found this out by searching YouTube to see if somebody had found away past the part I was stuck at. I found a YouTube video of someone streaming the level and his chat told him what to look for - even he seemed puzzled by the design choice. This seemed like something you would have to do to find an obscure secret and not a required action to continue the story.
Despite some of my issues with puzzle design choices of the level I really enjoyed exploring the vastness of the level - the scale was quite impressive comparatively to other TRLE's that I have played in the past.
24th August 2026
On this day I completed Ex Oblivione - and overall I really enjoyed my time with the title. It has some frustrating moments, but overall I would say it is one of the best TRLEs that I have played.
It had elements from all the classic Tomb Raider games and two choices at the end which was a nice surprise.