Learn what jump is good for what. The tutorial helps a bit on this, but you need to play a while before you can gauge distances well. Jumping distance goes in this order (from shortest to longest): back flip, standing jump, side jump, running jump. There are some ledges you can only reach with a side jump, oddly enough. If you jump onto a sloped surface and hit the jump key right when you make contact, you'll bounce off of the surface and get a lot higher than you would with a normal jump. You will always go perpendicular to the surface, so it doesn't matter what the original angle was. Thanks to Paul Potiki of New Zealand for reminding me that holding action while jumping will increase the length of your jump whether or not you try to grab a ledge. I ran a little test jumping off a ledge onto a gridded floor. I got an extra foot's length by holding down action. Never give a ledge a long run-up. It doesn't help and it messes up your timing. Just walk to the edge, hop back, run and jump. Works perfectly every time.
General Advice
I know it's fun to start a game
right away, but TAKE THE TUTORIAL. Use the roll button to turn 180 degrees.
Turning around on foot is too slow. By the way, did you know you could
roll by pressing forwards and backwards really quickly on the keyboard?
I sure didn't. Thanks to Jarrod Selsmark of Australia I do now. You can
never screw up and get stuck somewhere. If you're alive, there's a way
to finish the level. (Okay, someone found one exception. Don't drop into
the room with the spikes when the water isn't raised in the Cistern.) Be
conservative with your health early on. There is all sorts of medic kits
laying around these levels. Later in the game, you'll have so many health
packs that you can be much more bold. If you're coming to the very end
of a level, don't waste medicine by healing yourself. You're automatically
healed at the end of the level. If you're stuck, it's usually because you
didn't look around enough. Revisit all rooms you have access to and give
them a good staring down. You'll notice on my controls page that I set
up one of my gamepad buttons as a save button. Man, I love that button.
Special Moves
There are two really cool moves in the game. Most people know about the first one:
Swan Dive/Roll - Jump+Walk+Forward. This looks so cool. My saved games page has a really cool example of a chance to dive several stories. When you do it on the ground, you roll out of it.
Hand Stand - While hanging, Action+Walk+Forward (hold). I read this on somebody's page and tried it right away. I think it's the coolest thing Lara does. She does a hand stand, then pulls her legs over one at a time. Once her first leg goes down, the one that is still up bobs to the center to let her keep her balance. I was very impressed.
Swimming
Always keep track of where you were so you can head back to a surface you know of. Many times it is better to stay in one place and pivot to pick a direction rather than to keep swimming. Pick a "stuck direction" for when you get stuck in a corner. For example, decide to always turn left if you get stuck. That way, you can turn out of tight spots without losing your orientation. Don't try to get around much on the surface. Underwater swimming is several times faster.You can be shot while in the water, but cannot use your own weapons. Alligators do a lot of damage, but they are fairly easy to avoid. Most of the time, it's a head-on situation. Swim high in the water then dart down suddenly right before you meet. He doesn't change directions very quickly. Remember, sharp turns. If you want to do something really funny (I did this but I had to because I got lost like an idiot), let your air run out and see how long your health packs will keep you alive. You may have to burn several of them, but it can save your life. It takes good timing to use one every few seconds and keep swimming.
If you're already looking for help,
you're in for some big headaches later on. Better find that receipt and
call your friend with the shrink wrap machine. :) If you find yourself
in the room with the old fire rings and bamboo door, don't spend time looking
for a way to open the door. It's not going to open. Falling off the bridges
won't kill you, but it will set you back a little bit. You want to be up
there. Towards the end there's a hallway with a large stone door at the
end and lots of darts. You'll notice when you come down to the floor level
there's no way to climb up to the other side. If only there were a place
to jump across the top.
Level 2: City
of Vilcabamba
Ahhh.. remember this from the demo? This is what sold you on the game. Ever notice that there are screen captures of this level all over the game box, but it shows people and animals that aren't there? Weird.You don't really NEED to do hardly anything on the first half of this level. It's a good idea to practice swimming now that it really can kill you. It's also good to start your stockpile of health, since there is a lot of it laying around. If the first bear is giving you problems, fine someplace high to climb on. You make think you're trapped in the room that you jumped into. Remember that bit in the manual about pushing stones? Once you've gotten into the large building and worked your way up, you really can get down on the outside. It's not as far as you think. Do your first dive from the platform up there. It's really cool. Swinging blades don't mean you can't make it through. They mean you need to watch your timing. :) When you're inside the building, make sure to swim everywhere and really check things out. You may think you put that Incan god thinger in the hole, but the program probably forgot you did it, like it did to me.
This is the first of the really
cool levels. After seeing the level, I was completely sold on the game.
If you fall into the river, don't
struggle. Just make sure you're under water. I learned this after cracking
my head a few times. :) Remember the feeling of getting the shotgun in
Doom? You can relive the feeling right here in Tomb Raider if you head
upstream first. I wonder who that was. That machine won't work no matter
how many places you tug at it. It's missing some parts. Don't waste a lot
of time trying to swim or get to the waterfall. You just can't do it (well,
for now, anyways). Ok, so you climbed out of the water and into the large
hole in the cliff. You've got to kill a bunch of wolves and hop all around.
Do you really think you did that just for a clip of ammo you can't use
for another 4 levels? Keep an eye up. If you haven't seen the dinosaurs,
you haven't seen half of the level. Keep track of landmarks. It's easy
to get turned around in the lost valley. A raptor goes down with one shotgun
blast at close range. It even does a cool little dance of death. The valley
is an area where you do want to run around with your weapons in hand, even
right at the beginning. I suppose you could stand there and fight the T-Rex.
You could also run around and keep away from it forever. If you can pull
either of these off, you're my new hero. (Ok, Daniel CZH and John are my
new heros) Update - I went back and did it, too. :) The easiest way is
to find a nice place to hide out. You know there has to be something worthwhile
in that temple. Don't leave without it. You knew you'd have to jump across
that broken bridge up there sooner or later. Finding the entrance isn't
that hard because it glows a little. You can make that jump. I don't care
if you tried it a million times. Try some more. Use the skills you learned
in the tutorial about run-up jumping and grabbing. Use look to line yourself
up and the keyboard to run if you're afraid of getting off-course. You
have 2 of the 3 gears now. The last one isn't on the valley floor, but
don't leave dino land without it. It's in the cave that ends in a pool
(complete with a raptor), but the tricky bit is that it's not on the ground.
Now go give those gears a home. Save when crossing the river, if you're
into saving time. You probably knew what that machine was going to do all
along, didn't you? The way out of the level was in front of your nose all
along. It isn't up there.
Remember you run faster forwards than you can hop backwards. Wall decorations are a good way to hide a lever, don't you think? Be ready for a surprise as soon as you pull the lever. This part nearly gave me a heart attack. This is the first real exercise in block pushing. Remember what a fall-away floor looks like? Keep an eye out for them. It's kind of a sad way to go. The fall-away floor by the next switch isn't a big deal. Just a little fall. The sliding pillar room is interesting. When you get down on the floor and up the stairs, get out onto the pillar and look all around you. That should set you up for the rest of this room. You'll have to move one pillar more than once. Jumping at an angle takes an extra touch of skill, but you'll need to do it. One last raptor. Sadly enough, that's the last one of the game. I was watching the skeleton guy the whole time I was grabbing that scion piece. Turns out I didn't need to psych myself out so badly. :) You've been everywhere in the tomb. Leave. You're just getting shot in the water, get out of there. You can even go explore most of last level if you want to. Just keep firing. Make sure both arms are being used. Enjoy the animation. You earned it!
* See the block right
at the start? I wonder if a lion knows how to jump that high...
* You can tell you
need to move that blocks in their grooves to get anywhere.
* You also knew you'd
have to get up on those pillars. Line up the block to the shortest column
and start from there. No, really, that's how you do it. Seriously, go try
it again. Now hop up the pillars to the ledge on the top of the wall.
* Whatever happened
to those peaceful swims? If only there were some place to hop onto a ledge
and shoot at the alligator.
* You thought you
knew your jumping skills. Welcome to hopping hades. Explore each story
thoroughly, but don't expect a lever on every level. Expect to do some
backtracking. Also make sure you remember where the named rooms are.
* The rooms themselves
are pretty easy. Take some time to look around. Don't worry about a little
jolt in Thor's room, it can't be avoided. You don't want to be standing
still when the hammer falls.
* You might want to
do Neptune's room in two swims.
* Towards the bottom
the level the baddies will reappear even once you've been there. Look before
you leap.
* The beginning of
this level is pretty straight forward. Look for entrances all around the
colosseum.
*Ahhh.. the famed alligator pit.
Many a raider has gotten stuck here. You're going to have to do some ledge
hanging and shimmying to get across. Still, you might end up stuck on the
other end because you can't pull yourself up. If that happens, consider
the possibility that you chose the wrong side to cross over.
* You can kill most of the animals
in the colosseum before you even get on the floor.
* The rooms on the
far end are very unfriendly. Have weapons handy.
* When you're in the
large hole, you can jump up and fire at the lions on the ground above you
while you're in the air.
* Man, those doors
close fast. You're probably doing everything right, you've just got to
be faster. :) Back into that first plate that opens the door. That will
save you some time. You might also be interested to know that the big metal
door out there isn't on a timer. That's not where you're racing to get
to, in case you haven't been listening to sounds.
* When you get up
on all the rocks, there are some goodies. Where you are headed isn't hidden
somewhere. Those rocks over there just LOOK like they're too far away.
* Well, you've opened
that door clear over there. You know how to get down and get back over
there. You came that way.
* Hop, hop, hop. A
standing jump will do the trick.
* You probably learned
from level 4 that a ramp might mean a boulder is coming your way. Trust
your instincts.
* Wow, the mercenary
guy. Give him a couple of shots and he'll go away The lion is a little
more persistant.
* More classic hopping
around. Got the key? Yeah, you have to redo all that stuff to get back
up there.
* Swim like the dickens
and don't look back.
This is another really cool level. It's also one of the bigger ones. I started it off by just running around mindlessly shooting things (there's a lot to shoot. Midas had a thing for apes). I got amazingly far that way.
* There are a lot of
places you can run into to. There are also a lot of places you can't get
to until much later, even though you can easily see them. I wasted a lot
of time trying to get to places you can't get to. You can't climb your
way up the rocks in the hall with the pillars. You can't climb up the to
the ledges in the garden room. There's something else you can climb up
on in that room, though. You can't climb up Midas's legs.
* The real stuff happens
when you get into the room on top of the large stone staircase.
* Notice those pillars,
how the ones on your right are smaller, then they get gradually larger
until they reach the level of the platform up there? I'm sure that doesn't
mean anything.
* I don't know greek,
but some of those symbols above the four doors in that room point up and
some point down. Funny that there's five of them, too.
* I've gotten letters
about the room with flames and rats. The secret is that there is no secret.
It's just the most annoying thing you'll do in the whole game. Kill the
rats first (duh). Try to line up with the first 3 pillars by jumping at
an angle. Don't jump from the edge of the platform, as you will have to
hop back twice before getting to the end (your jumps are a little bit longer
than the distance from pillar to pillar). You'll have to take a step back
and swivel on the 3rd pillar. By the time you're on the fourth, the flames
will relight. Stay towards the edge of the pillar and take your time lining
up for the last jump. Yes, you're getting burned and you will have to heal
yourself at least once, but take it slow. Be sure not to jump into the
center of the last flame. Jump right to the side of it. A final note...
don't give up on it. I had to try it a bizillion times before I made it.
I've also been told you can hold down run and jump the whole time and aim
just right. Who knows.
* The gold room is
one of the coolest puzzles I've seen. It'll through you off because it
takes soooo long to get the next bar.
* Just look at the
mess you made, junior. You might have noticed that you can jump off of
a slope and catch a lot of air. That broken pillar is pretty high up there.
* The alligator won't
come out until he has a reason to. It's not like you have to stay in the
water, though.
* Do you think you
did all that climbing, swimming and rock hopping to get some health? Go
back out to those long corridors with the water chutes and look around.
Find a spot to land and let gravity do the rest.
* That health pack
on that ledge over there LOOKS soooo far away. There's another large jump
coming up soon. DO NOT climb down to the ground level.
* Ahhhh.. That's what
all the ledges were for. By now, you know you're looking for a lead bar.
Don't get down until you find one.
* The third room is
a matter of jumping properly. You don't need anybody's help there.
* Now you have 3 lead
bars, but Lara doesn't want to put them in the holes in the 4th room. Hmm.
Maybe because they don't look like the picture on the top. Wrong color
or something. Think about the legend of Midas.
* You owe it to the
programmers to save the game and jump onto Midas's hand. They did something
really cool that everyone should see. :)
This level really impressed me because it's big but it's mostly one room.It takes quite a game engine to handle something like that. I had to go back and replay the level recently to remember things. Now it's all coming back to me. Here's a little map of the main room so these hints make sense.
* Push, don't pull.
* There's nothing
you can do up there... yet. Take a dive.
* There's a lot of
things to grab just by looking around in the water. There's no way to get
up to that level with the rat on top for now, so quit trying.
* Looking for that
first rusty key? You'll need to get up to the second floor. The way up
is near the ramp.
* All that hand over
hand for that? Ughh.
* Don't go down to
the ground. That first rusty door is full of adventures. :)
* Apes and mercenaries,
oh my. The falls are worse, so make sure you're using the proper jumps.
* Yes, you can get
to the magnums (hooray! you finally figured out why you've been gathering
all of those clips) by a jump from that top platform. I'll give you three
clues: it doesn't have anything to do with grabbing the edge, you don't
want to stand right next to the edge before you jump and it's a jump you
haven't had to use to pass a level yet.
* If you hang off
of the ledge, the crocodiles will come out of hiding. You don't actually
need to go down to the floor but if you do watch those dark areas.
* Look before you
hop into that trench.
* The switch to that
door is up. You'll need to backtrack a bit to get down.
* That guy won't die,
trust me. Just get out of there.
* Time to get up again.
This time towards the east end of the room.
* Don't fall into
the water before you find the switch.
* Rat fights and hopping.
You'll need to do a hand over hand to get out of there. Yeah, another rusty
key.
* Things sure look
different now. Where'd that 'gator come from, anyways?
* Good thing you're
entering rusty door #2 wet. Be careful swimming around.
* Time for some deep-water
diving. Notice it's a pull-down lever and not a sliding one.
* With both silver
doors open, you're almost done. You'll have to do some looking around for
that golden keyhole.
* You got that last
door open and you're still not done. Jeez. Don't stand too long in any
one spot on the ground. In fact, I don't recommend being on the ground
towards the end of the room until you've taken care of the lions.
* You could go into
the next room, get up and get some stuff. The exit isn't over there, though.
It's right under your nose. You may need to move some things, though. If
you haven't heard Lara scream by now, you're in for a treat.
This is the first level I got stuck on. It was something really obvious andI missed it over and over. Don't let it happen to you.
* Remember that you
can't use the sliding levers under water. Try to find the pull lever to
do a little draining. In other words, if you find a level that doesn't
move when you press action, you've found the wrong one.
* Climb, climb, climb.
That's all you seem to do anymore. Those darts just mean you're on the
right path. You'll need to do some jumping at a slight angle. Once you
yank that lever, you'll be able to swim up to a ledge at water level.
* Yes, that underwater
tunnel is long. You'll have a little help getting through it, though. If
you need to switch the direction of the water flow, there's a lever not
too far away from the end of the tunnel.
* Cool, more climbing.
Once you get up to the top, there's two exits from the room you're in.
I suggest you use the one by the swinging blade.
* Shimmy.
* There's no way you
can fall that far without damage. It'd be nice to have some water in there.
* To see how good
you really are, try picking up all of the items with the alligator chasing
you around. Watch out for the mercenary if you decide to leave via the
stairs. The truth is that you don't have to go that way at all.
* That opening at
water level is the key to the rest of the level. No need to turn back from
there. (That's where I screwed up)
* I thought that underwater
section was very artistic. Don't worry about finding items in it, though.
* Make sure to find
and pull a switch before leaving the ground level.
* Those spikes on
the ground can only mean one thing: you'll be jumping over them. Figure
out a way to get up there. Looking at the ledge under the doorway will
tell you exactly where you need to jump. Grab the key and head back down
to the ground floor.
* Look for an opening
by the blocks you used to climb up to the second floor. I hope you know
what to do with a key by now. :)
* Hippidy hoppidy.
* When you begin pushing
the block around, remember that apes and rats can't climb onto blocks like
you can. These doors are pretty simple, and there are only two of them
that have the stuff that matters (the keys).
* Use the two keys
to open the door to the coolest slide in the game.
* Welcome to the olympic
size swimming pool. You're looking for an opening at water lever. Find
your way to the lever them head out through the water exit at the bottom
of the cliff.
* Once you've found
the exit, look for another entrance way back underneath the platform with
the door and statues.
* Holy Macarena, that
thing is nasty. It is a lot of fun standing there fighting them, but you
might also notice that they won't follow you inside of the door. You might
want the practice because you'll run into those guys at much closer quarters
later on.
* Pierre is a wuss.
Be sure to pick up the things that he drops when he dies. Find the key
hole.
* Enjoy the animations.
You might not understand it quite yet, but the animation that begins with
Lara combining the Scion pieces summarizes the whole plot of the game.
* Welcome to Egypt.
Did you know you could slide a block over another block? I thought this
part was particularly clever.
* What was that thing
down there that you killed? Don't worry, you'll get a much closer view
later on.
* Looking for the
key to that golden door? Get up there and ask the Sphinx. I bet she knows.
* Looking for the
items that go into that obelisk? You're not going to find them on this
level.
* There really is
a lever at the end of the water tunnel. It's just hard to spot.
* You can move those
blocks up there around corners.
* Yup, all of that
was to get the floor to open beneath the cat-looking idol. Do not go into
either opening that leads down. You can survive it, but it won't get you
anything.
* You can't make that
jump (coming this way). Clear the ground then get down.
* Once you've made
it up and you're in the narrow, twisting hallway, have your favorite weapon
drawed. You'll need them.
* Cool cave-in, eh?
You can still get around just fine.
* The way out isn't
the way you came in. Believe me, I tried hopping up there dozens of times.
Look around for another way out (head for the sandy area).
This is was a pretty cool level. I've recently ran through it again so my advice could actually be worth something.
* Approach each of
the tunnels in the block room with caution (ie. draw your guns).
* There's really only
one important area behind a block. Don't leave the water room without a
key. It's in one of those cubby areas.
* Once you use the
key, don't go through the door that just opened. Get up to the door that
opened in your electronic mind's eye. There's a switch up there to lower
the first drawbridge. Then you can come back down.
* Time to do some
serious climbing.
* You don't have to
go down into the dark sliding area half way up, but you paid for an adventure
game, right?
* Once you're up at
the top, finding the second drawbridge switch is a simple matter.
* Look around for
a nice hole to fall into. Once you're at the bottom, look around for a
switch but careful with those back areas.
* Wow, that slide
turned into stairs. There's a nifty opening under the stairs. You'll find
another switch out there, but it's not a drawbridge switch. It's one of
those magical switches that turns
slides into stairs.
* From the top of
the stairs, a little jumping and hand over hand action will get you to
the last slide-to-stair switch.
* If you want to be
really sneaky, you can jump up out of the opening and fire at the mummy.
* There's two switches
up there. Three down, one to go.
* Head to that doorway
near the second slide-to-stairs switch.
* You don't have to
go down to the floor. You do have to shimmy along three different ledges.
If you decide to head down to the floor, have your weapons handy. The last
switch is in there.
* Time time pick up
the items around the obelisk. Make sure you have all four items before
you go swimming.
* You cannot get all
of the items in the side caverns and still make it out. Don't try to do
both in one swim.
* That mummy is nasty,
but he can only be on one side of the pool at a time.
* Wow, remember this
place? You know what to do. Actually, you really thought you were going
to have to do it on the City of Khamoon level.
Level 12: Sanctuary of the Scion
* Welcome to the advanced
levels. What were those things, anyways?
* That is one big
room out there, and one cool Sphinx. Good thing those beasts are noisy.
You can easily get up to safety.
* You can't get up
to the high ledge above the Sphinx's rear from his back. Don't waste your
time trying.
* A lot of hopping
will get you up the rocks to the Sphinx's right. That flying thing is pretty
creepy.
* There's a lot of
good climbing to do on the rocks to the sphinx's front and right. Have
fun and watch for another flying beast.
* Do not go to ground
level. Head for that door that opened from the first switch. I hope you
paid attention to where it was.
* Once you have the
artifact, head to the second door that you opened.
* Keep sliding into
the water? When you're at the top of the slide have a careful look at the
right side of the chute at the bottom.
* A nice hop at the
end of your slide will get you where you want to be on the second slide,
but you'll just want to get wet the first time around.
* Sliding while you
fire is a good way to avoid those fireballs on the bridge. It's much more
fun to rush him.
* You know there had
to be a way up to the top. You could go there right now if you'd like.
* Yippy! You opened
the door to the Sphinx. Get ready for the coolest swim so far.
* You're looking for
a shiny door with a very hard-to-spot pull-down lever in all of that water.
* Up, up, up you go.
When you get back out, I hope your remembered where that one sliding lever
was. I think the guy on the right knows.
* Here are some of
the worst enemies of the game all right in a row. Use a weapon with plenty
of ammo and make sure you bring lots of health to the party.
* You came out one
of the tunnels you saw at the beginning. Do you suppose the other goes
anywhere?
* The mercenary is
a wuss. Enjoy the animation. (Now why can't we ride the bike in the game?)
As you might know from reading my front page, I had a hard time with this level. Don't let it happen to you. :) There are some bugs in this level, but they only really show if you do things out of order.
* Yes, that is a block
in that mound of dirt back there.
* The water fall is
hiding half of the level.
* That block by the
barred-up house is movable. There's no other way up there.
* That boat makes
a handy way to get around. Wow, there's a lot of crates in there. Do you
really think you went in there for just a clip?
* The ramp room with
two lava boulders is a bit tricky. The upper boulder only rolls if you
cross a certain point *on the ground*. The lower one isn't hiding anything.
* Yahoo! The mining
drill moved. There are two kinds of movable blocks in the game: one that's
there to be in your way and one that you need to get somewhere. The block
behind the drilling machine happens to be both.
* Get that fuse and
get out of there (Go back). If you try to go on, you'll share my sad fate
of being lost and confused for hours. If you run into the cowboy, just
run away.
* The conveyor belt
fuse is yours for the taking, with a little more work.
* There's something
in that house you lowered. It's your good old trusty buddies.
* Now it's time to
go back to where you got that third fuse. Ahhh, so refreshing to fight
again. :) Now you get those magnums you lept so hard to get in the first
place.
* There's gotta be
a way up to that lever. Try looking down.
* Getting across the
lava requires some long jumps and some hand over hand scaling. You'll have
to jump at an angle to grab the lower ledge rather than the upper one.
* Hop, hop, hop. Pay
attention to which rocks have sloped tops and which ones you can stand
on.
* Push fast! That
block can't stay there, though. There are two holes up there. Check them
both out.
* Yeah, the shotgun.
You might not ever use it again, but it's nice to know it's there.
* Just like the Natla
crates, there is one that is a slightly different color.
* There is no way
to jump up to that lighted area. I tried it a million times. It cannot
be done, with or without that TNT box. There's another way around and you
don't need to backtrack to find it.
*Some diagonal jumping will get
you over the lava pits just fine. You might want to wait a while between
jumps, though.
* That lever makes
things go BOOM. Do NOT jump back to the cowboy area.
* Skateboard man is
pretty cool. He's a good way to practice tracking enemies.
* Getting up all of
those ramps, dodging lava biulders and climbing cliffs should remind you
of several of the old levels. There's nothing tricky to it.
* Don't get stumped
by immovable blocks. Find ways around them. This part just takes a little
exploring. There's one jump over a block you think you can't make, but
you can.
* Ok, ok, you're still
stumped on the blocks. The trick is that the first block you see needs
to be pushed further and further back until you see an opening. The third
block you come across is in its path, so it will need to be pulled out
of the way. Then go back and push the first block. The rest is switches
and levers. You know the routine.
* Another mercenary.
He wasn't that tough after all.
* Some parts of the
pyramid can be climbed and others are slippery. You'll need to make use
of both types of surfaces.
*A few levels and doors and you're
done.
This level really isn't terribly complex. It is lengthy and there are a lotof enemies, but there aren't many places where you can get stuck.
* Kill, kill, kill,
find the door that opens for you and kill, and kill some more.
* Besides having a
cool mesh floor, the 2nd level is a good place to find a couple of switches.
I understand that they're very difficult to see on the PlayStation, so
check out the northeast and northwest corners. Never thought you'd use
that compass, eh? Just get inside the little area in each of the corners,
center yourself on one of the walls in hit action. If nothing happens,
try another wall.
*Who knew that you could let go
of one ledge and catch the one below it? I had never done before that for
some reason.
* Boy do I love the scene where
you jump the bridge and you see the flying creature hatch below you and
start to swoop around in circles above the lava while you are pulling yourself
up. I think that was the single most impressive visual of the whole game.
* The water room gives
some people problems. Figure out what each switch does and keep in mind
that they are timed. The real exit is the one on the left, if that helps.
* Swim, run around,
kill, all that good stuff. I liked that room where the three things popped
out so much that I made a save of it. Nothing tricky until....
* The room with the
narrow, roller coastering path in the center takes a little bit of time.
No, you can't get over those humps on the 1st or the 20th attempt at jumping
over them. That ledge to your left as you come in comes in handy.
* Remember: pink,
throbby stuff good, lava bad.
* More good old fashion
running around. The paths are narrow enough to walk you through the sequence.
Whoa, you're getting way up there.
* The muscle person
thing is hilarious. I'll bite my tongue and try not say anything to give
it away. Let's just say that the first time I met it I was kicking its
butt and it was kicking mine. I just about died laughing when I figured
it out (my wife thought it was creepy). You know you have to get rid of
it sooner or later, unfortunately. They pull one of those forced camera
angles to show you what to do. You just have to be speedy.
* Yes, you have to
stop that lava boulder from blocking your path. (Or was that earlier? I
need to write these things sooner. :) )
* Yeah, yeah, touch
the scion. I dare you.
* Finally, you get
to find out what this game is all about. Looks like Natla is one old villian.
At this point, you probably don't need much help. There's only one part that's a little tricky and the rest is timing moves.
* That's a big thing.
A really big thing. Put enough holes in anything and it will die. Just
keep trying. Do yourself a favor and let it catch you at least once to
see the most gruesome death scene there is. Hmm. does that say something
about me?
* Just a bit of block-pushing
and running around will get you where you want to go. Do not stand in front
of the sliding metal gates to set up your timing. It's not the end of the
world, but it will make things more difficult fpr you.
* Once you get the
block underneath the closed door, you might wonder where the switch is.
If so, you're just as blind as I am. If it were a snake it would have bitten
you, as they say.
* Do your normal swimming,
hopping and running around. Nothing remarkable here. Whoa, now this looks
familar.
* Ok, so your weapons
mislead you on that evil Lara thing. Right now, they're telling you to
do the right thing. Don't worry, there is no real timer on the destruction
of the pyramid.
* Remember this room
with the bridge? There's rock down there, though. If I were doing a walkthrough
I couldn't even tell you what I did with the levers to make that hole in
the rocks appear. Just experiment.
* The next part of
the level is all of the timing puzzles you love to hate. Boulders, axes
and spikes oh my. Keep those weapons in their holsters. Thank your lucky
stars that the flaming pillars are nothing like the Palace Midas ones.
*shudder*
* That's quite a fall.
Wouldn't a dive look so much better?
* The final dual is
cool, but it's hard to spot her sometimes. I did a lot of backwards hopping.
Where was she hiding those things, anyways?
** Here's the cheat
that nobody mentions: turn completely around it will bring your enemy back
to life. Marvelous!
* Hop, climb and jump
your way to the top.
* Slide, slide, slippity
slide, you're done, baby. Good job. Sit back and enjoy the animation (short
though it may be).