The Hive

Rating: 2.5/5

STEP AWAY FROM THE ENEMY SPAWNING SWITCHES.

Feels like the previous level (and the other Atlantis ones in TR1) without any of the solid level design, platforming, and trap gauntlets. All that you're left with is never ending combat.

The worst TR1 and expansion level and it isn't even close. I kinda hated it, thanks.

Favorite moment: The room with a shit ton of boulders.

Atlantean Stronghold

Rating: 3/5

So you get effectively two separate experiences with this (and the following) level depending on whether you are playing with the new remaster or in the original release. Atlantean Stronghold and The Hive follow up directly after The Great Pyramid in Tomb Raider so naturally they would go first. Something with the original release of the expansion was mixed up and the Egypt levels went first. The thing with that is you get your stockpile of shit to carry into these combat heavy levels at the expense of cohesive flow. Playing with the remaster was my first time playing in the intended order which feels right but god it made it a lot harder.

I've always loved the expansion packs for TR1-3 as they feel like the level editor/engine fully unleashed in terms of complexity. All of the Unfinished Business levels see you returning to areas seen through the base game with massive changes to be found. This one sees us returning to the pyramid structure from the prior Atlantis levels in TR1 with some impressive scale involved. The jump from the upper ledge into the hole leading to a massive drop is one of my favorite jumps in the whole series.

Aesthetics are great as these type of levels always are. Platforming and puzzle design is fine if nothing particularly special compared to surrounding levels. The amount of switches that just send a bunch of enemies up your ass gets really old quickly.

If they cooled it a bit with the combat or if this is played in the unintended order, I could see this being a 3.5 on a good day. As intended and how I played it this time, it's def a 3.

Favorite moment: The jump and long fall into the pyramid structure.

Tomb of Qualopec

Rating: 3/5

Not bad so much as a bit uninspiring.

Well something had to be the worst level in TR1, I guess. With all things considered, a low point only being a 3 speaks to the strength and consistency of the game.

I have no delusions of this level being easier than Caves or City of Vilcabamba in the grander scheme of things but I struggle with how railroaded the level design and progression feels. No way for you to get lost or find your way through things blindly when it's gated off in such a fashion and it isn't like this makes up for it elsewhere with thrilling trap gauntlets, stunning vistas, or otherwise like other linear levels do.

I do like the spike pit secret which ends up being the first truly tricky secret in the game when going through the first time and learning the mechanics. Unfortunately, this is balanced by one of my least favorite secrets later on with the randomly appearing underwater cave outside near the valley that was absent before.

Favorite moment: The escape from the tomb as things come down is a rare moment of cinematic scale in TR1 which is something different.

Caves

Rating: 3.5/5

Only gets this score because there's bigger and better things to come with the more complex levels both in this game and elsewhere. I have no actual issues with this one.

An easy, tutorial feeling level but the introduction of mechanics feels natural (the secrets teaching you how to use slopes among other things) and it isn't a massive drag even when replaying this game for the Xth time.

The rope bridge section is one of the most aesthetically distinctive sections in the whole series for me.

Favorite moment:Bear pit.

The Great Pyramid

Rating: 3.5/5

Falling from the starting platform and getting three screams >>>

The mutant has such a gnarly design, it's too bad the actual boss fight (as was Natla's) was rancid as hell. It's too bad as TR1 had done solid or at least passable boss fights earlier in the game but it goes out with a whimper for these ones.

Honestly kinda feels like a come down after Atlantis as a whole. Outside of the aforementioned mutant fight which can go on for 84 years this is a brisk run as you get the hell out. Trap gauntlets are plenty though they feel less sophisticated than what had come just a level earlier which is unfortunate.

Makes up for some of the shortcomings by having one of my favorite secrets in the game. Doing the running jumps across to the breakaway tiles and then the secret chamber high above the pool that leads to the final boss and exit is exhilarating. The drop from either side into said pool is a series best swan dive spot.

The actual end of the level is kinda relaxed in the grand scheme of shit. Not sure if that was intentional or maybe they were running out of time?

Favorite moment: The leap of faith that leads into the final boss chamber.

Tomb of Tihocan

Rating: 3.5/5

Not bad but kinda middling given the levels that bookend it in TR1.

The first half or so of the level feeling like Cistern annexed (even though I love that level) is a bit of a bummer and feels a bit slight. I'll take any opportunity to shit on Anniversary that comes up but it does make sense that they combined the two levels given that.

Things kinda pick up in the back portion with the stunning cave and pool outside the titular tomb. Getting to finally ream Pierre for good is also a net positive since he's an annoying pest. The centaurs are nice but a sign of the increased combat that comes from here on out at times and I'm not as wild about that as a broader gameplay trend for this game.

Favorite moment: Entering the subterranean cave/pool.

City of Khamoon

Rating: 3.5/5

The introduction of mummies is the start of the combat in TR1 becoming more unbearable, I fear. It isn't enough to take away from the level design and sense of adventure but it still lingers of the Egypt (and later Atlantis) level blocks all the same.

Not really any major highlights to be found here but thankfully not any low points either. Good and serviceable but in context of how incredible the rest of the game can be, it's one of the worst from TR1. It lays a bit of a groundwork for what is to come with the rest of Egypt's levels (you return to part of this level to exit Obelisk of Khamoon) so it gets some credit there.

Favorite moment: Flooding the final chamber with sand to get to the level exit.

Venice

Rating: 3.5/5

Venice Violins >>>

With Tomb Raider II being the first video game I've ever played at 5 years old, a bulk of my memories of it come exclusively from this level. Spending a ton of time here while not being able to progress beyond to the later levels left a big mark. Playing it now, it comes across as a good but not great level though I can see why some love it so much.

So to address the elephant in the room, this is the introduction of human combatants (frequently armed with guns) as a base line enemy set for the game. I've previously struggled with the absolute prevalence of combat in 2 but when playing this level it wasn't as annoying as I had recalled. If you treat the combat as more of a puzzle or like you're playing a survival horror game and focus on maneuvering it's usually easy to get behind an enemy and kite them in a circle as they chase you unable to hit you while you blow them away. This probably won't work all the time and this is an early level so the combat was mild in general but we'll see how I feel about the later levels when the time comes, I guess.

With the boat we get our first big Tomb Raider vehicle (playable at least) moment. This controls better than some of the later examples that will show but the labyrinthine canals that you navigate to exit the level are a bit annoying, even with years of experience.

This is a level I wouldn't be surprised to see a massive improvement with in some of the fan made remakes/expansions in the Tomb Raider Level Editor.

Favorite moment: Driving the boat through the glassed walkway on the way to the exit.

Bartoli's Hideout

Rating: 3.5/5

One of the biggest aesthetic improvements in the remaster so far working sequentially. It looked absolutely wonderful.

This one has slipped under the radar for me in the past with it being bookended by Venice which has the boat and music going for it and Opera House just being a powerhouse of a level in general but i think this is my second fave of the three? Lots of satisfying platforming and exploration in this one with the best secrets of TR2 so far to boot.

The combat is increasing in intensity but it only got bad in the spot where you had two gun henchmen attacking at once in the garden outside.

Favorite moment: Climbing up the chandeliers.

St. Francis' Folly

Rating: 3.5/5

It's good that pretty much nobody is going to actually scroll and read this shit because I feel like this rating and resulting ranking placement will get my ass kicked. I'm sorry but I'm a bit of a hater or at least this isn't a far and away favorite. 😭

The main thing is that the central concept is wonderful but the actual execution is a bit lacking for me. Making your way to the tall central chamber and navigating up and down is a breathtaking experience. Finding out beyond that you have an assortment of challenge based rooms to navigate through seems even better. The problem is, most of said challenge rooms are bland and/or underdeveloped.

Out of the challenge rooms, I'd say Thor gets the best of it (mainly due to the novelty of the lightning trap) with Neptune getting the worst of it since it's literally just a deep pool you swim to the bottom of more or less.

There's two nice secrets that stood out to me here, at least. The first one with the slopes you use to make your way up to the top of the room with the sneaky breakaway tile trap feels like a nice escalation of the very first secret of the game. Elsewhere, I also like the timed run from the pressure pad in the upper portions of the central structure to the bottom to get through a secret door. Some of the best secrets from this game, for sure.

The only level in this game that i think saw an improvement in its Tomb Raider: Anniversary iteration which says a ton as I otherwise consider that remake a bastardization of TR1 at large.

Favorite moment: Entering the core chamber for the first time and looking down.

Natla's Mines

Rating: 4/5

This is an interesting one. I can see why many aren't into this even if I don't agree and have found it to be a minor favorite over the years. At the very least, the unconventional level structure and lack of combat outside of the three brief boss fights makes for a nice change of pace.

I really like the large, sprawling map with backtracking to find items, clear pathways, and gather up your stolen weapons. The gameplay flow here almost feels like it was Core trying to transplant survival horror's framework of the time to their own engine and gameplay. As a fan of both classic style TR and survival horror, I love it.

The three boss fights against Natla's henchmen feel like some of the only tolerable human based combat in the series, with the skateboard kid being one of the only likable boss fights. Tomb Raider II will later go on to overdo it with the combat whereas III will do experimentation of its own with boss fights of various kinds but working within the constraints of the first game, it's very solid.

Favorite moment: Skateboard kid boss fight.

Colosseum

Rating: 4/5

One of the levels that benefits from aesthetics a bit more than gameplay but I like it a lot.

Joins St. Francis' Folly (and the following Greece levels) in being a powerhouse of visual scale. Stepping foot inside the titular Colosseum for the first time is breathtaking, especially if playing in one of the versions with more limited draw distance. Sometimes working with less can turn out to be more.

This isn't too unlike St. Francis' Folly in that you have the core central chamber/area that branches out into smaller rooms. Said rooms aren't the best part of the level but I do find that they have more to offer than the worst in the aforementioned level, thankfully. The one section leads off to a secret that requires you to do some timely jumps, side flips, and backflips to climb to the top of a room and get through a timed door which I like a lot.

Reaching the balcony (either when earlier in the level or on the way out) and looking back out at the places you moved through gives a sense of cohesion to the flow of environments vs segmented hallways or something of the sort which is always a plus in my book.

Favorite moment: Crocodile pit.

Temple of the Cat

Rating: 4/5

Tons of nice moments in this one. Another great exterior outside the pyramid, an underwater maze, massive cat statue chamber, and so forth. Even the larger amount of combat isn't as big of an issue as elsewhere in the series because most of the encounters can be mitigated by shooting from a safe place.

Some of the stuff like the trap room with the killer floor, steps that turn into a slope into said floor, and two mummies are really gnarly. Definitely things that only make sense to be found in an expansion pack as a "you want more? have this." thing.

I know some people aren't into pushing block puzzles but I love the final secret lmao.

Favorite moment: Scaling the cat statue.

Sanctuary of the Scion

Rating: 4/5

A level more or less carried by two sections but said sections are so incredible that this ends up being a minor favorite in spite of the more middling surroundings. The room with the big staircase filled with the mutants would do a lot of damage to a level without these highs.

The sense of scale in the room with the sphinx is incredible and some of the best across the whole series. Entering the chamber for the first time at the top is absolutely breathtaking as the space of it all sinks in. Climbing the rocks in the bordering portions of the room to get to the connecting chambers is some incredibly satisfying platforming as well, including one of my favorite secrets in TR1 with the invisible Uzis platform.

Beyond the sphinx chamber, I'm also absolutely in love with the large flooded cavern with the statues. Finding the levers underwater to drain the water so you can navigate through the statues before getting flushed out back to where you started the level is a great loop around. It almost feels reminiscent of how natural flowing through the maps in survival horror games works and it really scratches that itch for me.

Favorite moment: Flooded statue chamber.

The Great Wall

Rating: 4/5

Tomb Raider II (with III and The Last Revelation after it) were definitely operating under the assumption that you were coming into them having played the previous games. The Great Wall slaps you with a trap gauntlet that makes some of the toughest parts of Tomb Raider I look mild. It might not overtake what that game had to offer in full but the relentlessness of the traps back to back as an onslaught definitely sets itself apart.

A few great visual moments to be found here. Stepping out on to the wall for the first time from the caverns is absolutely stunning and not one but two T-Rexes in the valley are a gag.

I guess what keeps this from getting a higher rating than it does is the simplicity of it all outside of the trap gauntlet. Outside of that there's some simple platforming, introduction to some new movement options, and that's about it. I like it a lot but it isn't absolute favorites material.

Favorite moment: Stepping out onto the wall or the big trap gauntlet.

The Lost Valley

Rating: 4/5

If you talk to someone about Tomb Raider and they know anything beyond Lara Croft herself (or the newer games) it has a high chance of being something from this level and I can see why. The appearance of raptors and the T-Rex could feel like a shark jump moment but in context of the series it blends in easily when thinking about what else it throws at you.

This is more or less the first time TR1 lets the training wheels off with the harder enemies (with what could be thought of as the series' first boss battle), the first actual puzzle, and overall larger level design. Exploring the level is an absolute joy whether it's down in the valley (dark skybox or death <3) or working your way upstream to replace the missing cogs.

I do think some elements of this level are reused (in both better and worse ways) in TR3's Crash Site but I'll talk about that in that one's entry.

Favorite moment: T-Rex coming out of the darkness, or alternatively maybe finding the cave behind the waterfall for a less obvious choice?

Opera House

Rating: 4/5

Probably the first truly difficult level in Tomb Raider II for me but it also feels like one of the first sprawling ones across the full series. Spent so much time getting lost when playing this in my childhood (having to use the switch outside of the elevator before getting into it was especially baffling for me at the time) when I wasn't getting reamed by the harder combat encounters. Playing it today, I find this clearly the best of the first couple levels in the game.

The Opera House and surrounding areas are an absolutely stunning as a setting, especially in the remaster. Tons of highlights like the stage, the domed roof outside, a quick glimpse of the distant cityscape when boarding the seaplane, and so forth. TR2 as a whole is turning out to be a more impressive remaster visually than the first. Wouldn't be surprised if it ended up being the best in the end with I being solid and III having less to it.

Seeing the end cutscene in the remaster is literally the first time i actually understood the dialogue thanks to the subtitles lmao.

Favorite moment: Shootout around the domed roof.

City of Vilcabamba

Rating: 4/5

One of the biggest sleeper hits in the whole series, honestly. This used to be a lesser fave but something really clicked upon this replay and I now consider myself a massive fan.
Another easier level with gameplay mechanics still being introduced fully. This one steps it up enough to where it has more of a lasting impact than Caves.

I'm of two minds about what kind of Tomb Raider level is my favorite. On the one hand you have sprawling, labyrinthine levels filled with traps/hazards, enemies, and set pieces that push your abilities to their limits. This is nice of course but too much of anything can eventually overdo it. Thankfully, on the other hand you also have some more lowkey, atmospheric affairs like this one.

At a glance there's not a ton here (surely nothing as out there as elsewhere in this game or the rest of the series) but this kinda creeps up on you. Exploring the city and surrounding areas without interruptions from anything other than the animals inhabiting them gives this an almost serene feeling in its isolation. This level is one of the best in the series in terms of having a sense of time and place in regards to traces of what was there before.

There's also some interesting stuff going on with symmetry in this level which I find satisfying in its own sense. You've got the the main village, two underwater passages, the entrance to the temple, the pool rooms within the temple itself, and even the final chamber before the exit all offering some amount. I think it's pretty neat.

Favorite moment: Climbing the room with the pool as the main theme plays.

Obelisk of Khamoon

Rating: 4/5

Incredible level design flow. Returning to the central obelisk to lower bridges and get the remaining items is incredibly satisfying and among my favorite design in the game behind only the Cistern perhaps. Tons of great usage of the varied moveset here.

Speaking of the obelisk, there's two secrets tied to that area (one at the very top, and one you can reach from there) that involves wonderful platforming for some of the series bests.

Mummies are still prevalent but less of an ordeal to deal with on a moment to moment basis compared to the last level in most cases. Usually there's a spot where you can safely dispatch of them without risking a reaming, thankfully.

Favorite moment: Returning to parts of City of Khamoon with the items to exit the level.

Atlantis

Rating: 4.5/5

So yes, the combat kinda jumps the shark here in terms of quantity and intensity. Everything else is just so incredible that it barely registers when thinking about it outside of the heat of the moment when playing it.

Aesthetically my favorite level in TR1. The sudden shift into the hellish surroundings with the fleshy walls, horrific heartbeat in the background, and incubating eggs is enough to give one whiplash. I find Tomb Raider a frequently scary game, usually because of the sudden breaks of silence from enemies, animals, traps, or even just stings of music but very rarely does it approach full on horror feeling territory like this.

An absolute behemoth of a level. Every TR game has at least one, II has Temple of Xian, III has Madubu Gorge (and Aldwych... and Lost City of Tinnos) and so on. There's so much to do and see here that it almost feels like the grid system and overall engine were being pushed to their absolute limit. That didn't end up being the case but it doesn't take away from this, still.

Favorite moment: Reaching the top of the central chasm where the Scion is.

Return to Egypt

Rating: 4.5/5

Finally something nice in this expansion. Return to Egypt sees a return to now flooded sections in Khamoon along with some great new locations of its own. Combat is still heavy but dealing with crocodiles, panthers, and mummies are all endlessly preferable to the atlantean creatures any day.

The expansion packs for the TR series have always been a favorite of mine as they double down on some of the platforming and level design intensity. This one is a fantastic example as even though it came from a second team after TR2 and 3 had already released it makes the absolute most of TR1's gameplay. Stuff like the extended shimmy over the rope bridge chamber might have been ladder/wall climbing in 2 or monkey swinging in 3 instead but it's impressive that they worked it in with the smaller moveset.

At the end of the level you step outside of the chambers you were raiding into a sprawling desert with a beautiful skybox and some great opportunities for exploration. Finding out what parts of the sand are (arbitrarily honestly) safe to navigate leading off to the secret section behind the level exit is one of the best hidden spots of the whole series.

Favorite moment: Exploring outside.

Palace Midas

Rating: 5/5

Navigating the fire trap room in a single fluid chain of jumps on the first attempt is literally the most satisfying thing I've encountered in gaming, even after all of these years.

This is really when things start to get into the cream of the crop when working through TR1 for me. Right off the bat this one pleases with the swim into the pretty dolphin pool room that leads off into a handful of directions you can go and no further direction. I've praised sprawling open-ended levels elsewhere in the series, or even more specifically with The Lost Valley for this game specifically and this just feels like a more complex attempt at that framework.

One great moment after another in this one. The aqueduct, large room with switches that open the doors leading outwards, gardens, collapsible pillar that fills the room above with sand, turning the lead bars to gold, or otherwise. I love it all.

Favorite moment: Stepping onto the Midas statue, of course.

Cistern

Rating: 5/5

Potential for a softlock is always a bummer but as someone who has played this many times over and isn't at risk of experiencing it myself, this is my favorite TR1 level.

Some of the best environmental puzzling in not only the series but gaming as a medium at large. Entering the gigantic chamber as the main theme makes a reappearance gives such a sense of adventure. Raising and lowering the water level while working outwards to the other areas is absolutely wonderful. This ends up being really distinct for a TR1 level visually which is nice as parts of the Greece, Egypt, and Atlantis levels can blend together in terms of settings after awhile.

There's this one pickup (it's magnum clips or if you haven't picked up magnums elsewhere by now it will be those) that isn't even a secret but requires such a tricky bit of platforming using the game's mechanics. There's a series of ledges receding into a wall going vertically, one of them has the clips but it isn't level with the platform you jump from. You have to make use of distance to either backflip and land in it without grabbing the ledge above or bonking your head and falling to your probable death. It isn't a massive thing in the grand scheme of things but it just goes to further exemplify the stellar level design and power of the grid based movement mechanics.

Favorite moment: Stepping into the main chamber for the first time.