Another Catacomb Walkthrough

Back to the Basics: Level 1

Level and walkthrough by Kevin Learwood (staticon)

There are 9 secrets in this level.

While exploring a cave system, Lara is following an interesting passage when, suddenly, a gate or grille closes behind her. There is no way back that way - looks like the only way to go is forward.

The passage appears to drop down quite a way vertically but, on closer inspection, she finds a ladder set into the wall. Fascinated, she descends and thus begins the adventure in 'Another Catacomb'.

Follow the passage to the larger caves. Though you may stop and have a look around if you wish, there is little to do here at the moment as this cave is mainly an access passage to the catacomb though it does contain one secret currently visible but inaccessible behind glass.

Continue downward until you find another ladder leading down to a sloping, tiled passage. This is the way to go so down you climb.

At the bottom of the ladder, drop into the passage and slide down the slope into a room with a single door which, at the moment, is closed. The first puzzle is to find out how to open it.

If you look around, you should see, near the bottom of the slope, an opening in the ceiling. To climb up into it, you will need to stand with Lara’s back to the slope, do a backward jump onto it then forward jump, grab and pull up into a room with a lever in one corner and two plinths. On one of these is a crowbar, which you will need later.

Operate the lever, collect the crowbar and then drop back onto the slope and back to the room with the door, which is now open.

Go through the door and into a room with three closed doors facing you. There are three puzzle holes mounted on the wall beside the doors and, at the southern end of the room, a large, wall mounted switch. Press this switch and the door to your left will open.

Follow this passage to a room with a pit and door ahead of you, a large opening to your left and a small opening in the wall to the right. Climb up into this opening first. Crawl through and drop into a room with a lever and some flares. Operate the lever and watch the floor rise in the pit outside. Pick up the flares then return to the previous room.

On the other side of the filled in pit, you will see a single darker tile. You need to slide something onto this to activate the double doors ahead and, in the large alcove, you find just the thing you need. Once the big pillar has been pulled from the alcove, you will see some smoke rising from an outlet in the floor. There is also a small medi-pack here. Pick it up and you have found secret #1.

Slide the pillar out and maneuver it onto the large grey tile. The double doors will open and a skeleton will rise from the floor. Run into the next room and, to the left of the closed door ahead; jump up onto the raised block to collect some shotgun ammo.

There is another raised block on the other side of the room. Run and jump to this to collect a shotgun.

As well as the closed door, there is a doorway into another room in the south wall. Inside this room is a water filled pit. With shotgun in hand, run into this room, jump over the water and do a roll. Wait for the pursuing skeleton to jump over the pit then shoot it into the water with the shotgun.

Jump into the water and swim west. Pull up into a small room that contains a plinth on top of which is a Pharos Knot. Take the knot and see the door in the skeleton room open. Head back this way and follow the passage up a slope to a large room with fires burning brightly.

The exit is high on the north wall and, at present, there is no way of getting up there. There are two skeletons laying on the floor but they will not bother you yet. Through the gratings in the floor, you can see two horseman's gems protected by bursts of flame and another is sitting on a raised block in the open part of the lower floor area. On the southern wall is a large carving of a face with a passage above it. This is too far away to reach at present.

Drop to the lower floor area and go into one of the alcoves with a gem. Get the timing right and you can collect the gem. Place it in one of the holders that are situated on the east and west walls then repeat the process in the other alcove. Once two gems have been placed, flames will burst from the block in the centre of the floor and from the carving's mouth. A moment after this, the flame on the top of the block will go out and you can collect the gem that previously resided in the flame.

Picking up this final gem will cause a platform to extend from the alcove in the south wall. By climbing back up to the floor you entered this room on, you can now run, jump and grab to the platform. Beware at the top of the ladder though. The skeletons will now get up and try to stop your progress. Deal with them however you wish and make your way to the alcove.

Run along the alcove to the door at the west end then follow the passage up a slope to door high in the south wall. Run and jump to the first of the rafters then run, jump and grab to the second. At the other end of this beam you can run, jump and grab to the exit in the north wall.

Follow this corridor. It may pay to light a flare in the darkest part of the passage or else you may not spot the small crawl space on your left which leads to secret #2, a Hathor Effigy in a small dark room. You must have this secret plus secret #3 to be able to collect secret #5.

Continue along the passage until you reach the end. You now enter a room where you must jump the slopes and work your way to a flat area at the western end of the room. When you get here, face the west wall and notice that some of the bricks look climbable. Climb up to near the point of the roof and do a backward jump. If you have positioned yourself correctly, you should land on the platform in the roof space. Here, you can pick up secret #3, the Ornate Handle.

Make your way back to the flat area below once more then follow the passage that leads off from here.

You, next, come to a deep room with four pillars with sloping tops. Jumping on these pillars now will not achieve anything as they will cause you to go round in endless circles. Instead, drop into the water and look for the underwater passage. Follow it and pull up into a domed room.

In here, there are two plinths with goodies on top, some six-shooter ammo and a laser sight. Take these items as they will come in useful later. There is also a lever switch. Operate this switch to rotate the top of one of the pillars. Drop back into the water and swim back to the pillar room. Climb onto the platform between two of the columns and climb the ladder. At the top, start jumping until you stand before the exit of this room. Follow the passage and slide down the ramp.

While sliding down, try to jump and grab the ladder in the ceiling opening and climb back up to the caves. Don't worry if you miss this time - you will be sliding down here again a bit later on. The room behind glass, which you saw in the caves when you arrived, is now open and you can collect secret #4, a trident. Make your way back to the ladder and continue down the slope back to the first room and on into the room with three doors.

Notice that the first door you went through has now closed. You may place the Pharos Knot now if you wish but it will not do anything yet. Go to the door at the north end of the room and place the Horseman's Gem. The door opens. follow the passage to the first room and stop. Six spike balls will roll into the room and drop into recesses in the floor. This will open the doors at the far end of the room but don't go rushing through just yet.

Explore the room with the spiked balls and, in one of the passageways, you will find a crawl space. Go into it and follow the passage to a room with a glass partition. In an alcove is a timed pad that opens the door. Run for it and, once inside, the door will remain open. In one corner is a glass cube containing a secret. To get it, combine secrets #2 and #3 to make a 'Portal Guardian' (if you haven't done this already) and place it in the receptacle on the raised platform. The glass cube disappears allowing you to collect secret #5, a grenade gun.

Make your way back to the spike ball room and exit through the new passage at the north end of the room.

You, next, enter a small room with four pads on the floor. only one is active at a time. Find one that lowers a section of the floor in one of the corners. Drop into the alcove and operate the switch. This activates the next pad in the sequence. One of the alcoves also contains a gold star on the wall. Use the crowbar to get it.

When the final floor section lowers, you will find a wall switch in the pit. This switch opens the door. Exit the room and follow the short passage to the next room.

This room is quite large with a very shiny floor and a series of raised sections. Of the two raised blocks nearest to the entrance, one has flames beneath it. This is a clue - do not jump onto blocks with flames beneath them. Note: the shiny floor is also lethal.

Jump down onto the left block. More flames appear beneath some of the other blocks. The exit to this room is to our right so you will have to do some block jumping to get there. I'm sure you can find your own way there. When you get near the exit door, note that there is a small statue on the block in the corner. You will need to get back here in a short while.

Enter the exit passage and climb the stairs. At the very top is a closed door that we have yet to open. One flight of stairs lower there is an alcove with a closed door and a receptacle for a gold star. Use it here and the door will open. This awakens a Mummy inside the room. If you got the grenade launcher, you can use it here - if not, then it's Mummy dodging time.

Have a look around. There are some pickup items behind glass and a couple of high alcoves with pots in them.

Light a flare and take a look at the dark corner of the room. You will find a crawlspace in the wall. Climb in and collect secret #6, a six-shooter. Combine this with the laser sight you found earlier then climb back out of the crawlspace.

Use the six-shooter to blast the pots in the alcove. This will release a pair of Wraiths, but it also activates a pad on the statue block in the room with the shiny floor, which removes the glass partition and allows access to the pickups. Run back down the stairs and get onto the block with the statue. Eventually, the Wraiths will explode and bother you no further.

Go back up the stairs to the room with the pickups. The glass should now be gone and you can collect the star and the Pharos Pillar. The latter will cause the door at the very top of the stairs to open. Go up the last flight of steps and along the passage to another slope. Slide down.

If you missed it the first time, have another go at getting into the cave to pick up secret #4.

Slide back to the first room one last time and go through to the room with three doors. They are all closed once more. Place the Pharos Pillar and, if you haven't already done so, the Pharos Knot. The centre door opens.

Follow a short passage to a room full of crystal passages. It is not too difficult to get through so I'll let you find your own way. There is one secret in this room - secret #7, six-shooter ammo - though you may not need it at this late stage. There is also a pick up in this room which you must have to finish the level. A fixed camera will give a hint of its position as you navigate the crystal corridors. As you pick up the Music Scroll, a camera shows a door opining up in a section you are just coming to.

Exit the crystal maze and enter a derelict chapel. There are some platforms on pillars that are currently barred from access, an altar, with a few bones on it, at the eastern end of the room, three skeletons laying on the floor and a secret.

In an excavated part of the floor in the northeastern corner is a gold token, secret #8.

At the northwestern end of the room, a pole stretches between ceiling and floor but the platforms are blocked by large slabs. To remove these, go to the altar and shoot the bones. This awakens the skeletons and you may deal with them as you wish. I enjoy using the six-shooter and laser sight to aim for their heads and blow them off. You could also use the grenade gun if you have it or just race them to the pole and climb.

From the pole, backflip to the platform or the top of the first column and make your way, via the column tops, to the room exit in the southern wall.

Follow the very short corridor and place the gold star in the receptacle to the left of the door. The door opens.

Enter a low, square room with a lava pit in the bottom and a device with raising and lowering arms in the centre. If the jump is timed correctly, you can jump onto an arm and run to the platform in the centre before the arm dips back into the lava. There is a closed door at the eastern end of the room and two alcoves on the north and south sides. These alcoves contain lever switches that must be operated to open the final door. That's all there is to it.

The final secret is accessed from this room as well. When standing on the platform at the centre, jump up. There, I've told you where it is, you can find your own way to secret #9, another gold token.

With the two lever switches activated, the eastern door opens. Go through this door and place the music scroll on its receptacle. An exit opens and you slide out of the level.

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