Level: BtB2014 - The Eternal Springs of Yasovarman I back home search
Author(s): rufierto
total rating:7.98 Gameplay &
Objects &
Sound &
Lighting &
Christian 7 7 7 8
DJ Full 8 9 9 8
Drakan 8 9 8 9
eRIC 7 7 7 6
EssGee 8 8 8 8
janachorider 8 8 9 9
Jay 8 8 8 9
Jose 7 8 7 7
Josey 8 9 7 7
m.julien 8 9 9 9
manarch2 6 7 8 7
MichaelP 8 9 9 8
Mman 8 9 8 8
Mytly 7 7 7 7
Nina Croft 8 9 8 8
OverRaider 6 8 8 7
Phil 9 9 9 8
Relic Hunter 8 8 8 8
Ryan 8 7 8 8
SlyRaider 9 9 10 10
Taras 8 8 8 8
Treeble 8 8 7 8
category averages
(22 reviews)
7.73 8.18 8.05 7.95

Reviewer's comments

"One of those which don't use enough colors and might feel a bit random but are straightforward, troubleless and chillout instead. I think I enjoyed it now more than when I played it ages ago, and it seems to apply to the entire package - probably I just matured as a player, so it's good I waited with reviewing all of it. I would shorten the final block puzzle twice, and the same applies to the naga jumpswitches." - DJ Full (04-Jul-2019)

"A relaxing and easy entry in the competition. This one should be accessible to all raiders, bar a naga fight near the end. Some nice pole swings and a few quests for items and secrets complete this game. Nicely done." - Ryan (01-Feb-2016)

"Interesting level full of action and surprises. A bit dark, I missed some flares in the first areas; also I missed some more weapons and ammo, even finding 4 of 5 secrets, 'cause there are many enemies to shoot. There is an interesting five switches puzzle, but the remaining tasks are easy if you explore a carefully the environment. There are some texture defects, also the rain in the underground, and I missed some more cameras when pulling certain switches (ex: the switch in the dark cave after the monkeyswing, but generally the appearance is good and the level is worth to play. Good work." - Jose (01-Feb-2015)

"The gameplay of this level is really enjoyable and it would be more if the interiors were more enlightened. Unfortunately this defect together with that of the lack of cameras ruin a little the game. The textures are well drawn and the main external environment is built well. The enemies are few but effective. It is a short level, recommended to those who have a spare half hour." - Taras (08-Oct-2014)

"Good level with mostly a greyish impression. The texturing is a bit rudimentary. In the first part , some openings need to be spotted , in the middle part , exploration around a pyramidal structure with a bit of swimming , and more action in the end while dealing with some big enemies. I really appreciate the fact that dealing with the Naga was not too deadly. In a couple of places there was no camera to show what happened. A satisfying level globally." - eRIC (04-Oct-2014)

"This is a mostly outside level with various nice looking Jungle environments and an interesting ziggurat structure as a centrepiece. There's lots of nice tree object use and the outside parts look very good. The inside parts feel a bit cubic at times, but, intentionally or not, the cold light blue and green colours create a sterile atmosphere that contrasts well with the lush outdoor areas. Gameplay here is exploration based for the most part and generally about finding hidden entrances and similar, it's enjoyable and there are a couple of puzzles, but some of the bigger rooms feel a little empty of gameplay, and the boss fight ending set-piece is nicely structured (with you going to areas around it) but lacks a climax as you just take the artefact and leave. A good level but a relatively straightforward one when you know what to do." - Mman (04-Oct-2014)

"A solid level with some good exploration. It's a little blocky in it's surrounding environmental geometry but is enhanced with good use of objects. The temple structures are good. As this is a competition I have to judge technical aspects, and there are a few things that may have been done better. There is a poor light transition where a door is opened and changes colours because of non-smooth light transition. Some pickups were very hard to see, even though they were in clear view. Textures were generally well applied but it felt somewhat patchy in some of the outdoor areas. Audio cues suited where they were used. This level has quite a few enemies, and I felt it could have done with more medipacs, as I'm not one of those players that conserves every bit of my health. I expect to be able to take damage, and trust the author will look after me with extra health when needed. Possibly the one unfair thing in the level happens in the opening seconds with Lara immediately under fire from some unseen sniping mercenaries. Technical criticisms aside, the gameplay flows rather well with not too much backtracking or overly hard tasks. Good job." - EssGee (15-Sep-2014)

"This is a rather immersive level of just under one hour. The areas are very well designed and you need to be observant to find the tasks you have to accomplish to progress, but it is never too sneaky. You will encounter a series of tougher enemies to battle in between, which gives a nice change of pace between exploration and fighting. There is not much puzzle solving to do though, it is mostly about finding your way from one larger area to the next. The hydra dragon is well used here, as it does keep throwing its fire balls at you for quite some time, but you always do have a fair chance to avoid them. Found 4 of the 5 secrets and still wondering whether the bow and explosive bolts are not rather required to be find in order to progress in the level." - MichaelP (13-Sep-2014)

"Lara begins this level being shot at - which left me feeling not very kindly disposed towards it (question for builders: Why start a level on such a negative note?). However, the two mercenaries at the beginning are the only human enemies in the level, and the other enemies are a bit more judiciously used, apart from at the end (see below).
The gameplay is very easy - a little too easy, I think. The puzzles can be solved by trial and error, such as the 5-lever puzzle for the wooden cog, which I solved at first try, apparently just by luck. Apart from a bit of confusion around the pyramid area (mostly due to lack of camera clues), the level flows fairly smoothly. The end is a bit of an anticlimax: You enter a room with a giant snake (unkillable), whose fireballs you have to avoid while climbing around the room - so far, so good. But that tension is frittered away as you have to wander off into side quests, two of which involve doing identical tasks and fighting identical enemies in two identical areas. It's a very dull ending to the level.
The indoor areas are a little too dark for my taste. The outdoor ones look ok, but they would have looked much better if the lighting had some more colour and contrast. The texturing is a little sloppy in places. There is not much by the way of eye candy in this level, but the pyramid area does look quite nice (though I'm a bit puzzled as to how a typically Central-American style pyramid wound up in South-East Asia). The architecture is not bad - I especially liked the room with the two bells, though the space could have been put to much better use.
Overall: A decent and straightforward level, but unfortunately, there isn't anything particularly exciting or unique about it." - Mytly (13-Sep-2014)

"Here's another satisfying BtB level that required just over an hour for me to complete. There are some interesting traps to conquer along the way, including swinging hammers that push you into spikes if you're not nimble, a dragon that distracts you in a room where much needs to be done, and a spike ball with a delayed fuse that would have caught me quite by surprise had it not been for the warning in Dutchy's walkthrough. You're provided sufficient firepower to deal with all the enemies you encounter, and the puzzles are well conceived. It's also much darker throughout than I like. Sure, you get plenty of flare pickups along the way, but why not just provide decent lighting in the first place? I would better be able to see what you spent so much time creating, and I would have a much more enjoyable time on top of that. Anyway, this is a solid entry in this year's competition, its relatively lower scores notwithstanding." - Phil (07-Sep-2014)

"since im playing the levels from the low to the high raiting, this is an improvement from the others.the architecture is flawless and the desing is amazing. specially, the water temple. great work" - janachorider (04-Sep-2014)

"Very immersive level where the huge central pyramid reminds me south american civilisations. The gameplay is engaging and the level architecture is really good. This level is calm and soothing. I didn't have significant difficulties. 8/9/9/9" - m.julien (01-Sep-2014)

"Although not as visually impressive as the previous entry I'd played, this level still held a few surprises to me. I particularly loved the pyramid bit and the descending springs where you get a part of the cogwheel puzzle. On the other hand, I must say I could have done with a lot more camera clues. Most of the time I wasn't sure where I was supposed to go next, despite the fact the level is pretty linear once you get the hang of what you're expected to do. Ah, yes, I also thought the way push blocks were used to reveal underwater passages was pretty clever. The area in which the artifact is hidden felt somewhat underused, but that may have been just me. 60 minutes, 4 secrets. 08/14" - Treeble (01-Sep-2014)

"A very interesting level, rich in variety of enemies and actions. Here Lara's fighting abilities are tested to the limit; in fact, she begins her adventure under unmerciful enemy fire. First, we have soldiers (and I must say that I didn't enjoy the new bombing expertise of these guys); later, crocodiles, monsters, ice spirits, shivas, normal and mutant tigers, and finally an immortal dragon. But don't panic, there is always a smart way of dealing with almost all those, and here is the main beauty of the game. I appreciated in particular the placing of the necessary items to deal with the monsters in their own cave. Very creative! As to gameplay, it is exact and to the point; no bugs, no nonsense. Even those unreliable swing poles work without a hitch. But the lighting is not good in the majority of the relevant action places, and this is the main fault of the game, at least in my opinion; and I also would like to have seen more camera hints. There is a particular wheel-switch inside a dark cave, at the beginning of the game, that Lara uses and has no hint of what was accomplished. In fact, she opened some bars at a nearby area... a thing that was not obvious at all. The same happened a little later, when she opened an underwater trapdoor, and I ask: is it fair? But all in all, a good job and a recommended game, especially if you would like to improve your fighting and sneaking skills." - Josey (28-Aug-2014)

"Even though the level does begin with Lara being shot at, this entry is actually a fairly relaxing level with a big focus on exploration throughout well-crafted environments. The level has a smooth progression to it as the compact environments hide the necessary passages just enough without being obscure, and do entertain with the occasional shooting or platforming segment. There is also a lot of swimming involved, but never overbearingly so. Once the way is opened up to the large pyramid-shaped waterfall shrine some pole swinging is introduced while the level continues its trend of exploring to locate switches and the occasional puzzle item, sometimes having to solve a puzzle or two. While the sequence of lowering blocks to get to the bridge at the beginning of the level was engaging, and the fiery lion head puzzle had a good concept, the puzzles die down in the final bit of the level as the final two pushing puzzles are literally the same and they felt like an uninspired way to pad the level's length a bit. The rain and somewhat darkened sky do well in enhancing the atmosphere and watery feeling due to the abundant rivers, lakes, and streams in the level, and the sound cues are all used appropriately. There could have been a few more cameras as sometimes it's not always obvious what a switch does. On the lighting and texturing front everything does look quite solid, though the lighting in the level is rather samey throughout each room and area. The architecture remains quite good throughout though and there is good entertainment to be had here as the rarely- used Naga monster makes an appearance, and there are a few Shivas and two-headed tigers to kill. I enjoyed my time here, the level provides solid entertainment in just under an hour." - Relic Hunter (25-Aug-2014)

"Again a cool level of this BtB 2014, but I found something miss at the game, less interesting than "Shambala's Pathfinder" which was better built." - SlyRaider (23-Aug-2014)

"I wasn`t impressed by this level very much as the tasks here are rather boring but there are some good ones like making a way to the bridge at the beginning or especially I personally liked the 5 floor lever puzzle to estinguish 4 flames to get the artifact. Despite these tasks are all other mostly just using a switch. Many rooms contain only few things to do like for example picking up the artifact which triggers raising block so you have access to monkeyswing or two rooms in a area with dragon are absolutely the same killing the enemy pushing two blocks, nothing really creative. Atmosphere in this level is good but I can`t say same for the lighting/textures as there are several not well textures applied and especialy lighting in some areas doesn`t make sense but there are some areas which look quite good in these terms. Music are mostly well chosen and enemies placements are not annoying. Some secrets are quite sneakily hidden and the only secret I missed here was that big medipack in a pyramid-like area with water pool all around the place as I have no idea how to get in the opened alcove. Playtime 40 minutes and have found 4/5 secrets. 6/8/8/7" - OverRaider (23-Aug-2014)

"This takes no prisoners right from the start. Enemies are fairly frequent and definitely on the fierce side and you will need to use good strategy to minimise health loss as medipacks are few and far between. It's effectively done, if a bit brutal, but there are also plenty of interesting tricks, traps and puzzles so it's far from being and out and out shooter." - Jay (20-Aug-2014)

"Although the gameplay in this level is linear, it is still very interesting and balanced. Lara will have to beat some tough enemies along the way, but the builder provided enough good ammo and health supplies to help you along the way. The puzzles are very clever and the player will definitely have to spend some time thinking how to solve them. But still, the game is fluent and despite the elaborated puzzles, it is very unlikely for you to get stuck while solving them. There are no hard jumps or climbing sequences, and it is obvious that the builder was lacking time to elaborate the game further. Lara has some fancy new moves, and the builder has not used these moves at all, which is really regretful. There are no hard moments in this game, no timed runs, no torch used, no challenging climbing/jumping sequences, which all add to the fluency of the gameplay. The overall architecture and geometry is very good, especially the open area with pyramid. The use of objects is also nice, the level is well decorated and the objects properly placed. The best part of this level, apart from good action, are extremely cleverly hidden secrets. I recommend collecting them all, as they will be useful against many enemies. The grand finale (the room with the dragon) is a bit forced, obviously due to the lack of time given for building. If the builder had had more time, it would have been much better realized. The overall atmosphere is nice, although some more camera hints would have been better. Fixed cameras and flybys should have been used here to add the quality. Lighting is pretty nice, and textures are decently applied, although there are cracks and walls incorrectly divided into sectors. A nice little adventure which can be played by beginners as a decent challenge, and by experienced raiders as a break from those insanely hard levels involving pixel precise jumps and milisecond precise timed runs." - Nina Croft (18-Aug-2014)

"Lara is not heartly welcomed here, she starts the level under fire and soon has to deal with some crocs. But it's mot a shooter waiting for us, some wraithes can be annoying, they are not that easy to extinguish, a funny skeleton is part of the gameplay; a shiva statue gives Access to nice floor lever puzzle and a Dragon experience combined with some jump switsches rounds gameplay up that becomes more and more fluent during the game. Gameplay could be a bit more creative, the Environment is not that convincing, lightnig is correct." - Christian (18-Aug-2014)

"You'll get shot at right from the start in this level, but this is actually not a shooter. The gameplay revolves a lot around exploration which is not unappealing, and there are some nice tasks (like the usage of blocks underwater and lowering pillars to be able to climb on a bridge), but overall the gameplay feels too easy, there are no really challenging tasks and even the five lever puzzle has a fairly dull solution. There's a nice use of the dragon near the end, but even this room is done quickly and without having to think much, which applies as a general comment of this level, unfortunately. The atmosphere of this level is rather convincing, the setting is quite attractive and the architecture is fine. The problem here is that the lighting is pretty much the same in the whole level, only getting darker and less friendly in the last section, and is fairly flat throughout (missing suns). Admittedly, the texturing is fairly clean, with only a few walls having a wallpaper feeling, and the plenty of waterfalls throughout the level are quite nice. This level lacks any clear highlight though, and ends pretty soon after not even 30 minutes, so overall it might not be the most memorable, but certainly another solid level in this contest." - manarch2 (17-Aug-2014)

"Level with very large and very beautiful spaces to explore. Lack of cameras sometimes showing the action of a lever. The gameplay is correct. Very good ideas, but a shame that the final piece is not got a mystery to solve! Congratulations!" - Drakan (05-Aug-2014)
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