[Paul182]

Tomb Raider: Beneath The Ashes

I’ve just finished Tomb Raider Beneath the Ashes. I really enjoyed it-I don’t want to spoil anything for people who have not played it so I won’t mention anything to do with the plot.

First off I have to say its incredibly short- way less than an hour of game play and that’s with looking for Artefacts 40 Mins tops. The puzzles in the game are quite smart although I doubt an infant would struggle to solve any of them.

Its not all that expensive but for how long it lasts I would say it should be half the price, maybe 500MP at a push- considering the quality of the new Grand Theft Auto DLC it really shows the lack of time spent on Beneath The Ashes.

Another thing that is kind of weird is that Beneath The Ashes does not appear in the Treasure Hunt mode so if you missed and Treasures or the Artefact you pretty much have to start from scratch (there is a small chance I’m wrong there and there is some way of loading previous games; but I’ve not found it yet).

The Achievements for Lara’s Shadow are also included in Beneath The Ashes. They are:
(DON’T READ- if you don’t want to know them!)

Treasure Hunter: Find all the treasures in Lara’s Shadow- 10G

Relic Hunter: Find the Relic in Lara’s Shadow- 10G

Master Reward Hunter: Find the Relic and all the treasures in Lara’s Shadow- 25G

Lara’s Shadow: Complete the Lara’s Shadow Mission- 50G

Refinery Speed Run: Complete a timed speed run from the first slope in the refinery to the back platform without saving- 10G

Right of Passage: After destroying the Transformer, beat a timed speed run through the unstable passages without saving- 10G

Shadow Combat Master: Complete the combat tutorial in Lara’s Shadow- 10G

Paul

[traider]

Nice review, thanks, Paul182! Sounds very short - even shorter than some of the online reviews would have it - did you get all the treasures?

[Paul182]

I found all the Treasures- still searching for the relic. None of the treasures are particularly hidden, although if anyone is missing 1 or 2 I would be able to guess which one's your missing. The level is very short, but it is good.

Another weird point: you get something like six new outfits 4 of which are skimpy bikinis. What is the point in that? Why do we want Lara running around with basically no clothes on? (Remember it’s a GAME)

Paul

[traider]

Yep - posted them here - see what you mean - there are a coupla good points about them though...

[Paul182]

Found all the treasures/ relics (secrets)! Anyone needs a hand just ask. Some of the outfits are quite good I like the red dry suit came out before christmas with one of the free downloads.

Paul

[tener]

Found all the treasures/ relics (secrets)! Anyone needs a hand just ask. Some of the outfits are quite good I like the red dry suit came out before christmas with one of the free downloads.

Paul

hi paul,i,m lovein this game. bit stuck on the 2 gates that go up when u pull the 2 leavers tho
can,t seam to get over the gates when they are down,any help would be cool cheeers.

[Mikeyy]

Okay guys, I have completed BTA and I can honestly say it was fantastic.

Although a little unbelievable how a huge medieval dungeon could be underneath her mansion, the game itself is really good. The majority of enemies are thralls, but you don't see them that often and when you do they can sometimes pop out and even make you jump!

The camera has now been fixed TO AN EXTENT, so most of the time you won't have a problem with it. Also, sometimes when you climb up onto beams you automatically stand up now, instead of being crouched.

The puzzles are really nice to do and it does leave some room for some exploration. The actual traps in the dungeon itself aren't as deadly as made out to be. They really are quite easy to get around. Treasures are very simple to find, (24/28 on my first play) and going to find the relic in my second play.

The level itself has a mixture of lots of levels from Legend, Anniversary and Underworld. It's kind of a mix of The Cistern, The Lost Valley and Croft Manor. The surroundings are nicely detailed and you get some new outfits which are nice. Apart from the slightly ridiculous bikinis, which if you really were Lara, would be a horrendous choice of clothing to go exploring in.

Another minor thing I really liked was the headset with Zip talking to you occasionally, it's something I really loved in Legend and sadly didn't appear in Anniversary or Underworld.

Overall, I'd give this game an 8/10. This is because for one thing, the price was 800 points and it was quite short. Also, the final cutscene was obviously chopped from the game as it's almost as if at the end of it it's paused before she is about to say something else. It does however, make me look forward to Lara's Shadow.

[traider]

How would you compare it to TRU itself? General gameplay and stuff?

[Mikeyy]

BTA was so much better than Underworld because it had more exploration to it.

In Underworld it was a case of, 'I'm now going to Mexico to find Xibalba then find gloves then kill spiders', whereas in BTA it was, 'I'm going into a creepy medieval dungeon.. crap!'

I can't really explain it, just things like Zip on the headset and the exploration and traps, it just took Legend and Anniversary but made it slightly better.

[traider]

Sounds cool - I think the environment makes soooo much difference, especially with TR. Should be round my mate's sometime next week - I'll play it then. I'll have to get an X-Box I s'pose - how long did it actually take you first play with that many secrets? I've heard that the relic is quite hard to find too?

[Mikeyy]

Yeah, it was quite a mysterious and spooky environment which is what Tomb Raider should be all about, going to untouched places which haven't been seen in centuries.

When I replay for the treasures and relics it'll probably take an hour or two, but on your first play it took me around 4-5 hours simply because I spent a lot of time with the puzzles.

[skolapper]

Crystal Dynamics has done an exceptional job with the Tomb Raider franchise. TR: Legend and Anniversary are excellent games and I thought they both were well worth the money I paid for it. I have no doubt that Underground will be a great game.