The Crystals of Amun by Dennis Götz (dennis16) Release Date:    May 2006 Size:                 81.53 Mb File Type:          TR4 No of Levels       6 Platform            PC Only (Patched Exe)

Level Report by Selene

Levels:

Level 1- The PSA Research Centre(2 Secrets)
Level 2- The Caves Of Sobek(4 Secrets)
Level 3- The Ruins Of Crocodilopolis(2 Secrets)
Level 4- Underwater Excavates(2 Secrets)
Level 5- The Oasis Fayyum(3 Secrets)
Level 6- The Temple Of Osiris(2 Secrets)

Story

About 2000 years ago, five Egyptian Gods reigned over the cities in which their temples and sanctuaries were built: Amun, Sobek, Osiris, Thoth and Hathor. Thoth reigned in Hermopolis and owned the Crystal of Time, which is today owned by the American research company PSA. Scientists had found it during an expedition into the ruins of the sanctuary of Thoth in Hermopolis and now they take care of it in the museum of an institute in Fayyum (Egypt). Underground, below this building researchers found a way to a cave. This cave shall be a way to the mystical ruins of the town Crocodilopolis, where the crystal of Amun is still hidden. Sobek, the King of Crocodilopolis was the owner of this crystal. In an oasis should be the crystal of vegetation, which was owned by Osiris. About the last two crystals, the crystal of wealth and the crystal of power there is not known very much. Today they’re no longer in the temples in Dendera.

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Dennis is a relatively new name within the level building community, but it already shines through that this is one builder we can count on to bring us more exciting adventures in the future. The two first levels of this game were released already in October 2005, then under the name of Crystals Of Amun 1+ 2. The mentioned levels have been slightly modified in this final version: the gameplay is pretty much the same, but with some minor changes such as added enemies and the likes.

Level 1- The PSA Research Centre:

Most games feature an easy start and this is no exception to the rule. Lara slides down into the duct system of the PSA Research Centre and so the quest for three of the legendary Crystals starts. Being a base level most of the action takes place inside the building, but there’s also time for a quick peek outside.

The setting is typical for its kind and here you follow Lara through lounges and hallways bringing back fond memories from the VCI levels in Tomb Raider Chronicles, foggy storerooms filled to the brim with crates to push and pull, murky sewers and a network of ducts that can make anyone feel a slight tinge of claustrophobia. A bit slow with enemies to begin with, but this absolutely picks up during the run: here you’ll encounter everything from workers and armed guards to rats and crocodiles and of course a nice little array of traps that comes along with it:

The whole thing culminates in a show-down inside a museum area, where Lara finally acquires the first out of three crystals: The Crystal Of Time and locates the entrance to the caves.

Level 2- The Caves Of Sobek:

At this point Lara has entered a huge and at times nearly maze-like network of caves. The main objective here is to locate the Excavation Key so you can enter the dig site and finally work your way through to the entrance of Crocodilopolis.

In Egyptian mythology Sobek was the ancient Crocodile God, one known for his ferocity and rapid movements, and revered as the Lord of Fayyum and his realm was the water. It is evident in this level that Dennis has studied his homework well, because these elements are very visible in every aspect of the second level. Here rocky cliffs and immense caverns are not all you get to see, but also massive pools and nearly overwhelming waterfall caves. You will of course meet plenty of Sobek’s minions throughout the search for the city entrance and also cranky engineers working at the dig site.

This level might seem a bit overwhelming at first as it covers a lot of ground and the areas you’ll be visiting look almost exactly the same so it’s easy to get lost or at least very confused. This is only an illusion though, as the path is pretty much laid out in front of you at all times and you will always find your way out somehow.

However, at some point during this level the path splits in two and it’s up to the player which route to choose. Both routes contain a small and not too difficult timed run (although one is more difficult than the other), but you will miss a pickup if you choose the second route over the first one. Both ways are equal in difficulty and should not pose as too much of a challenge.

There are of course some traps here too and a few nifty puzzles, but for most parts it consists in finding hidden switches, keys, buttons and doorways.

Level 3- The Ruins Of Crocodilopolis:

So now Lara has finally found the city of Crocodilopolis, or rather: what’s left of it. What is left of it would be brightly lit rooms, golden obelisks, inviting pools and of course plenty of traps

There are two main goals: one is to find the four element keys to enter the bowels of the ruins and the other one is to retrieve the second crystal and open the gate to the next part.

To find these four keys the player must go through a set of four element-like rooms with action under fire, traps galore, a long swim in underwater caves and showing off those green thumbs in a beautiful garden.

Here there’s a small twist: you actually get a Flame Key instead of a Fire Key, a Plant Key instead of an Earth Key and it’s not called the Air or Wind Key, but the Trap Key. These names tell a little bit about what exactly you can expect to go through in order to retrieve them.

  

Once you have found these the main focus is to locate the crystal and find a way to open the exit gate. Of course this isn’t set to be easy either, the challenge definitely increases as you go along. The enemies are pretty much the same as in the previous level (minus the engineers that is), but now you’ll also get to battle tough demigods on top of it all.

This level is among the longest ones in the adventure and you’ll definitely get a feeling of immense satisfaction as you pick up the Crystal Of Water from its pedestal and finally make your way to the exit gate.

Level 4- Underwater Excavates:

The level continues in a smooth transition from where the last one ended. I almost felt a bit discouraged at the sight in front of me: a dark, dreary and partially submerged cave. And it looked enormous too. I remember thinking ”There has just got to be some fish or crocodiles or something like it in that water”. Luckily I was wrong about the crocodile part. Not so much on the fish part though, because there were plenty of it and it’s not salmon or herring we’re talking about here. These fish are fast and nasty, with lots of sharp teeth and a huge appetite for meat.

Upon encountering a hungry barracuda already at the very beginning and after being dragged along with the current into a death trap over and over again within the first minutes I nearly felt like giving up. Underwater levels have never been for me anyways. But I am so glad I continued, because this soon became one of my favourites of the lot. Sure it begins under water and you’ll be spending lots of time in the wet element, but that’s far from everything to this level.

You will also get to see a lovely lagoon with some fabulous lighting (a bit dark in places though) and loads of atmosphere, before trying to outswim a bunch of piranhas during the search for an underwater base.

The base itself was nothing at all like the one in the beginning, this gave me more of the sensation of being a passenger on a submarine. Seeing the bottom of the sea out through the windows took my breath away, it just looked and felt perfect. Also in the base there are some items to find, such as an Acid Sample, a Battery and a Notebook to mention some.

You’ll even get to battle some aliens, before diving down to the ruins of a sunken temple and a perfect conclusion to a fabulous adventure under water.

Level 5- The Oasis Fayyum:

As much as I enjoyed the previous level it was almost a relief to be allowed to see the light of day once more. Being a great fan of jungle levels I was holding my breath in anticipation as I ran up the ramp to the entrance of the oasis and was immediately greeted by two wild boars. And so another afternoon passed, in tranquil harmony and without anything that left permanent scars.

There were enemies, but none too overwhelming (apart from an abundance of ninjas near the end) and the traps were not so bad that they couldn’t be overcome. It is also possible to go on a shortcut here, which results in missing out on most of the fun and the secrets in addition, so I faithfully stuck to the long route.

The highlight of this little trek through a part jungle, part temple setting was a rather short, but very satisfying jeep ride. In a way it felt as if the level would come to an end right there and then, but surprisingly enough I was soon thrown into a hunt for some missing keys and I felt quite baffled with a level that had all of a sudden unfolded itself as something way longer than I had expected it to be.

But of course it had to end at some point and that it did as I, on the edge of my seat in excitement, had Lara slide down the slope to the entrance of the Temple of Osiris and the dangers awaiting in the darkness below.

Level 6- The Temple Of Osiris:

And so Lara finally arrives at her last destination. This was a very exciting little venture, as I was halfway expecting traps and enemies around every corner. I soon found out that this wasn’t to be, but I never had a single boring moment.

Armed to the teeth and with the trusty pistols constantly drawn Lara made her way through a setting surprisingly similar to that of the previous level.

There were keys and jewels to find here and in the middle of the dense jungle I got a shock as a giant mutant, well-known to those who have ventured through the Antarctica levels of Tomb Raider 3, all of a sudden came stomping down the clearing. Sends shivers down my spine only writing about the experience of it. Otherwise the level wasn’t overly challenging (not as much as I would have liked in fact), but thoroughly enjoyable.

There are some really gorgeous outdoor sceneries to behold and the exchange between the interior and the exterior was smooth and pleasant.

Most memorable of all is the area where Lara obtains the last of the three crystals: The Crystal Of Vegetation.

This is an area that is discovered already early in the level, but it definitely will take thorough searching and all your raiding skills to reach it in the end and conclude a terrific adventure under the desert sun.

Conclusion

Whenever a new level taking place in Egypt is released I’m usually among the last ones to download it. I’ve been to Egypt myself and totally loved it, but for some reason I just can’t make myself sit down and play these levels. There is just something about going through hours and hours shooting my way through pitch black catacombs, dodging an endless line of traps and mummies in some tomb and trudging through scorching desert sand that doesn’t appeal to me. However, as soon as I saw the preview of this level in the Levelbase Tribune I just knew that if I was to go through any Egyptian adventure on this side of the new year this would be it. And I can safely say that it was a good decision. This is without a doubt the best Egyptian adventure I’ve played so far.

What I love the most about it is that it seems so smooth all the way: the transition between the levels, the straightforward gameplay and last, but not least: the red thread going through the entire adventure from beginning to end without ever dissolving in front of your very eyes. The atmosphere is also wonderful and very realistic and the balance between the different settings, the vast selection of enemies and a lovely and well-chosen soundtrack makes this an adventure you should not miss out on. According to the storyline the Crystals Of Wealth and Power are still not recovered, so maybe we will once more get to join Lara on her trip to Egypt in search of those that remain?

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