Tomb Raider 8: Underworld

LEVEL 3: CROFT MANOR - PROTECTED BY THE DEAD

Available weapons: Pistols, shotgun and sticky grenades

Cinematic: Back at Croft Manor, Lara enlists Zip, Alister and her faithful manservant, Winston, to help carry gear down into the family crypt. Winston opens a secret panel, revealing a dark, cobwebby staircase. Lara carries the flashlight and leads the way down. Winston follows, and the two younger men bring up the rear, carrying a heavy box of equipment.

Lara locates her grandfather's tomb and begins examining it. She soon finds a concealed switch, flicks it, and the coffin slides to one side, revealing an opening.

TUNNELS:

The level begins in the rough tunnel beneath the crypt. Follow the tunnel forward. Climb down several ledges and up several more. Continue through a low-ceilinged section, followed by a couple of short drops. There are no forks or branches, though, so no way to get lost.

When you come to the wide gap before the well-lit opening with wooden supports, there's a brief cut scene showing the ahead. Take a running jump down to the ledge on the opposite side of the gap. Continue along the passageway to a second chasm, where there are wooden platforms jutting out from both sides of the tunnel. Before jumping across, look just outside the tunnel opening on the right to find the first treasure (1/7).

Now step out onto the wooden platform and hang from the right side (i.e., right when facing out across the gap). Climb to the right corner and drop to grab the plank wall below. Climb to the right and jump across the chasm to grab onto the planks nailed to the posts supporting the wooden platform on the other side. Climb around the corner to the right. Jump up to grab the next set of planks above. Climb around the next corner to the right. (Now the first platform, where you started, should be on Lara's right.) Climb up a little and then jump up to grab the top of the platform. Pull up but don't run forward; there's a gap in the floor just ahead. Turn right and move carefully into the tunnel.

CAVE WITH RUINS:

Follow the tunnel to a medium-sized cave with some partially excavated ruins. To reach the upper level, and ultimately the exit from this area, begin by backtracking a short distance along the tunnel. Where it forks, go through the circular opening on the right (the left fork is the way you came). Follow this narrower tunnel past a locked iron gate and on to an opening overlooking the ruins.

Jump from the opening onto the top of the nearest square column. Turn left and walk across the narrow beam to the top of the next column. Step to the edge and jump forward to grab the edge of one of the rectangular openings on the wall ahead (i.e., the higher of the two stacked rectangular openings). Climb to the right and jump straight up to grab the edge of the doorsill above.

If you don't want the next treasure, pull up and continue forward (skipping this paragraph and the next). To get the treasure, traverse along the doorsill to the right as far as Lara will go. Then drop and grab the ledge below. This will be the lower of the two stacked rectangular openings on the right side of the wall. Climb up so Lara is hanging from the higher of these openings. Then climb to the right and jump back to grab the edge of the square column behind Lara. Pull up, step to the left corner and jump from there to grab the edge of the ledge with the treasure (2/7). Pull up.

Once you have the treasure, jump back to the square column. From there, jump to grab the stacked rectangular openings, climb to the left and jump up to grab the doorsill once more. Pull up into the small room with lit candles in niches on the wall.

Go through this room and out the other side. Follow the passage to a wooden platform overlooking a pool.

LARGE ROOM WITH POOL AND WATERWHEEL:

Drop or dive into the water. Swim toward the far end of the pool and climb out of the water on the wooden ledge about three quarters of the way across on the left. Climb the wooden structure here as high as Lara will go (i.e., jump straight up three times). Then climb around the corner just a little bit, so Lara braces her feet against the support post. (Or, you can climb all the way to the right, next to the wall, so Lara braces her feet against the planks.) Then jump back to grab the wooden ledge behind and pull up.

Go to the end of this ledge, turn left and take a long running jump across the pool to the rough stone ledge with the vertical wooden post. Climb the post and jump to the right to grab the panel made of rough planks. Climb to the top and jump back to grab the ledge supported by the post you just climbed.

NOTE: The controls for the above section are extremely temperamental. When first making the jump across the pool, be sure to aim to the right of the vertical crack in the rock ledge. Otherwise, Lara may miss the grab and fall back into the pool. When grabbing onto the post, try easing Lara onto it using just the control stick. Jumping toward it can cause Lara to overshoot and leap off the ledge. Then, when making the jump from the top of the post to the planks, climb to the top, and just lightly tap the control stick to the right while pressing Jump to make her leap in that direction.

Once Lara is standing on the ledge above the wooden post, turn left to face out across the pool. Fire the grapple to snag one of the gears in the waterwheel mechanism on the other side of the room. Press (Z) to move the gear into its proper place. When you've done this correctly, a checkpoint will register.

Turn back to the right and walk forward to the curved stone wall. Step out onto the narrow ledge that runs along the rock wall at the same level as the wooden floor. Sidestep around to the other side. Then jump forward to grab the plank wall ahead. (The camera is fixed on Lara's right here, so you'll actually need to jump to the left.) Pull up and then jump forward (i.e., left) to grab the horizontal pole. Swing around the pole and jump to grab the wooden ledge ahead. Pull up.

Ignore the ladder on the wall and just grapple the metal ring on the ceiling above. Then jump straight up to hang from the cable. Hold (Z) and push up on the control stick to climb up the cable. Adjust Lara's angle left to right if necessary so she's facing the wooden ledge in the dark corner at the very top of the room. Swing over to it.

Press (Z) to target each of 4 small, square panels on the sluice gate ahead. (If you can't figure out where these are, don't worry. Just press Z and you'll see them outlined with red reticules.) Aim with the remote and shoot each panel to open the sluice gate and allow water to flow into the room. If you've pulled the gear into place earlier, the waterwheel will now begin to work, and you'll see a cut scene showing the exit from this area (which is the same as the entrance), followed by a checkpoint.

NOTE: If you don't see the waterwheel turning here and don't get a checkpoint, then you still need to move the gear on the waterwheel mechanism. You can reach it from several different angles, but the easiest is probably to dive into the water, climb out on the same ledge where you first climbed out of the water earlier. Climb and jump to the ledge above on the left, just as you did before. Then cross this ledge to the far end. Now, instead of jumping all the way across the pool to the ledge with the vertical post, face the right wall and climb the stone handholds to the ledge above. Here you'll find the gear that needs to be moved. Grapple and pull it upward until the waterwheel begins to work. Now the checkpoint should register, and you'll be ready to move on.

Jump into the pool and swim to the end below the entrance (i.e., opposite where the water is flowing in). Climb out on the low ledge, climb the rock ledges on the left and finally climb the wooden wall to reach the entrance high above. Follow the passageway back to the room with the candles in little niches.

CAVE WITH RUINS (again):

In the doorway overlooking the cave, you'll see a cut scene showing the tunnel leading down to the iron gate. The view shown in the cut scene is not the fastest way to the gate, though. Instead of hopping across the columns, just hang from the edge of the opening and drop down to the floor of the cave. Go through the tunnel on the other side of the cave (where you first entered). At the fork, go through the circular opening on the right, and continue to the gate. Go through and follow the tunnel to the end.

RUINED CHAPEL EXTERIOR:

Step out onto the scaffolding overlooking the ancient chapel. If you aren't interested in treasure hunting, you can use the bars of the scaffolding to drop down to the floor gradually then proceed from there. (Skip down to the section titled ENTERING THE CHAPEL, below.)

To get the next two treasures, first hop down to the lower scaffolding platform just ahead. Turn left and jump onto the narrow, metal beam ahead. Turn right, walk to the end of the beam and around the corner to the left. (If Lara won't walk past the corner, hang from the beam and traverse around the corner. Then pull up.) Turn to face the ledge with the treasure (3/7) and jump forward to grab the edge. Pull up and take the prize.

To get down, do not drop directly to the floor from here. It's too far and Lara will die. Do not try and jump from the ledge to the nearest metal beam; Lara will overshoot it and die. Instead, stand at the edge of the ledge and jump to the longer metal beam that's closer to the scaffolding platforms where you started. Drop down to the beam below and from there to the floor.

The next treasure is on the high ledge directly across the room from the one where you found the previous treasure. To reach it, climb the scaffolding on that side of the room. Walk or traverse along the upper beam to the end nearest the high stone ledge. Jump from the end of the beam to grab the ledge with the treasure (4/7). Pull up and take it. Again, don't try to drop directly to the floor, or Lara will be killed. Jump back to the scaffolding and then drop down gradually.

ENTERING THE CHAPEL:

At floor level directly opposite the entrance is a gear puzzle. Approach it and press Interact (-) to use it. Point the remote and hold (A) to pick up and move the two smaller gears onto the spindles between the two larger gears. When they are positioned correctly, with the smallest one at the top left and the medium one next to it, the gears turn and the gates on the left and right sides of the room open.

It doesn't matter whether you go left or right to start. They both lead to the same area. I flipped a coin and chose right. We'll explore the left side of the chapel shortly.

LOWER LEVEL CORRIDOR - RIGHT SIDE:

Go up the steps to the right of the gear puzzle and through one of the gates you just opened. Follow the hallway to the end and around the corner.

Ahead is a LARGE ROOM WITH STAINED GLASS WINDOWS high on one wall. You can't do anything useful there yet, so instead of going inside, turn right through the arched doorway that leads to a stairwell. Climb the stairs to emerge on the upper level.

UPPER LEVEL CORRIDOR - RIGHT SIDE:

Go forward along the hallway to the horizontal pole sticking out of the left wall. Jump up to grab it, climb in toward the wall and then jump straight up to squat on top of the pole. Press the control stick to make Lara face the wall and then jump straight up to grab the handhold above. Climb to the left or right and then up into a low-ceilinged alcove, where you'll find another treasure (5/7). Take it, drop down to the floor and continue to the end of this hallway.

Approach the puzzle panel on the left wall and press Interact to use it. This is like one of those children's puzzles where you slide the tiles around to form a picture. Except the goal is to match the portraits on the tiles with the corresponding portraits on the panel behind them. Naturally, there are a number of different ways to do this. Here's the quickest solution I found:

From left to right the four pictures are: #1 - crown and orange background, #2 - blond hair and green background, #3 - crown and yellow background, #4 - dark hair and red/pale green background. The sequence: Move #4 down then twice to the left. Move #3 down. Move #2 twice to the right, into the correct position. Move #1 twice to the right, into the correct position. Move #4 to the left and up, into the correct position. Move #3 to the left and up, into the correct position.

After you solve the puzzle, the golden turnstile behind Lara is now functional. With Lara's back is toward the tile puzzle, grab the handle and step back twice. This rotates the handle clockwise two notches, positioning the metal-cut outs below so the angel in the stained glass window on the right side of the chapel is illuminated.

Now, notice the two squat, broken columns near the edge of the walkway overlooking the room below. Go to the second one (i.e., the one closer to the stained glass angel) and climb on top of it. Jump forward off the edge, grapple the metal ring on the ceiling above the middle of the room and swing across to the opposite walkway.

NOTE: If you prefer, instead of grapple swinging, you can return along the walkway and down the stairs. Turn right at the bottom and go through the LARGE ROOM WITH STAINED GLASS WINDOWS and out the other side. After a few steps along this hallway, turn right, go through the arched doorway into another stairwell and climb the stairs.

UPPER LEVEL CORRIDOR - LEFT SIDE:

The setup here is the mirror image of the other side of the chapel. If you swung across using the grapple, first go to the right to the horizontal pole sticking out of the wall. (This pole will be just ahead on the right if you've taken the alternate path and come up the stairs.) Grab the pole, press jump to pull up onto it, turn and walk along the pole toward the wall and then jump up to grab the handhold above. Climb to the left or right and then up into the alcove with the treasure (6/7). Grab it, drop back down and continue along the hallway to the puzzle panel.

Here we have another tile puzzle. The portraits are, from left to right, #1 -yellow and red background, #2 -beard and mostly yellow background, #3 - green background, #4 - crown and yellow background. #2 is already in the correct position, but move it down for now. Move #3 and #4 down as well. Move #1 to the right 3 times, into the correct position. Move #2 back up into the correct position. Move #3 to the left twice, then up into the correct position. Move #4 to the left once, then up into the correct position.

When you solve the puzzle, the golden turnstile at the end of the hall is now functional. With Lara's back toward the open room, grab the handle and step back three times. This positions the metal-cut outs below so the angel in the stained glass window on the left side of the chapel is illuminated.

With both angels lit up, another turnstile rises out of the floor in the room below. Go down the stairs to the LARGE ROOM WITH STAINED GLASS WINDOWS and turn that handle 180 degrees to open the exit, high on the wall between the two illuminated windows.

Let go of the handle and go to the tall, square column opposite the exit. (It's in the middle of the wall made of iron bars and is the source of the light illuminating the angels.) There are handholds on both sides of this column, but if you climb the ones on the right, you can get on top of the column without having to climb all the way around to the other side. Once Lara is standing on top of the column, turn left, grapple the ring on the ceiling and swing across to the exit. Go through and up the stairs.

Cinematic: Lara approaches the desk at the center of the room and discovers a cassette recorder. She presses Play and hears her father's last message to her. He says that this room contains everything he recovered from the site at Bhogavati. Along with THOR'S RIGHT GAUNTLET, he's left the copy he made of the map showing the locations of the other artifacts needed to open the way to Avalon. He warns Lara to be especially careful with what he refers to as the "thralls" found guarding the gauntlet. She touches the artifact and, as before, the non-magical parts crumble away, leaving only a small device, which she attaches to her hand. In the background, we see the runes on a nearby column start to glow purple.

NOTE: If you have Training Text enabled in the options menu, a message appears on screen explaining how to fight the enemies that are about to appear. Thralls can't be killed with bullets alone. After subduing them, you must press (A) to stomp on the thralls' corpses to destroy them permanently. Maybe it's just a bug in my game, but I found that most of the time this technique didn't work. Although the training text doesn't say this, it helps to keep the thrall targeted by holding (Z) and then jump on it. Also, it worked more often if Lara was standing near the outstretched feet of the thrall before jumping. Then she'd occasionally do the proper flip-and-stomp maneuver. Fortunately you can also use grenades to finish them off.

RICHARD CROFT'S SECRET STUDY:

As soon as you regain control of Lara, the first of 2 tiger thralls bounds out from behind the column ahead on the left. Sometimes the second thrall doesn't appear until the first one is completely destroyed, but it may show up while you're still fighting the first. So stay alert.

These undead cats are pretty fast and, just like their living counterparts, they'll pounce on Lara and knock her down. Try to keep your distance, but watch out for the running along one side of the room. It's a long drop and Lara will die if she falls off the edge.

If you like, you can switch to the shotgun by pressing the (+) button without also pressing (Z). When you're holding (Z) to keep a target lock on an enemy, use (+) to throw a grenade. The shotgun is more powerful than pistols at close range, but it does make Lara a bit less maneuverable, and it takes quite a while to reload, making Lara vulnerable for a few moments while she fumbles with the shells. These are the only enemies you'll be facing in this level, though, so there's no need to conserve ammo or grenades.

When the first thrall falls down, stomp on it by pressing (A), as described above. Or, if that doesn't work, finish it off with a grenade. You don't have to shoot the thralls before throwing grenades at them, but if you nail one with a sticky grenade while it's still running around, it may carry the grenade right back to Lara.

When you've destroyed both thralls, head for the lever near the wall on the left (i.e., left when Lara's back is toward the entrance). Press Interact (-) to examine it. This brings up the multi-tool screen. Fire up the acetylene torch by holding (A) and direct the remote to cut through the metal bracket holding the lever in place. When you see an orange flame and sparks, you'll know you're cutting in the right spot. Pull the lever to open a secret drawer in the wall to the right. Inside you'll find the final treasure (7/7) in the level.

CLIMBING TO THE EXIT:

Now you're headed for the well-lit tunnel high on the wall just above the lever. To reach it, go to the movable pillar with the glowing purple runes, grab onto it and drag it across the floor. When Lara is pulling it, the camera shifts to an overhead vantage point. Move the pillar to the left then toward the bottom center of the screen, positioning it between the angled broken pillar and the high ledge in front of the exit tunnel.

Climb onto the narrow ledge running around the broken pillar. Jump to grab the edge of the movable pillar and pull up to stand on top of it. If you've positioned the pillar correctly, you can jump from there to grab the ledge in front of the exit. Pull up and go through.

A brief cut scene shows the power of the gauntlet fading away, as it did the last time.

Go through the short tunnel to re-enter CROFT MANOR only to be met with an earth-shaking explosion.

HOUSE ON FIRE:

This section is identical to the Croft Manor sequence in the PROLOGUE. Refer to that walkthrough if necessary. This time, after grapple swinging across the burning staircase and dropping down into the main hall, the action unfolds more fully.

Cinematic: Lara discovers Zip and Winston trying to leave via the front doors. As we saw earlier, Zip shoots at Lara and Winston tries to stop him. This time, Lara draws her own guns and orders Zip to drop his.

"What, so you can shoot me again?" Zip asks.

"It wasn't Lara," Winston insists. "Why would she set fire to her own home?"

Zip then explains how Lara—or someone who looked very much like her—barged in and opened the vault using the retinal scanner. Whoever she was then took the Wraith Stone that Lara obtained from Amanda (during the events of Tomb Raider: Legend).

Lara asks what happened to Alister, but neither of the other men knows. She tells them to wait outside while she takes a look at the security video. Winston then helps Zip out, leaving Lara to her mission.

The tech room is directly opposite the burning staircase, where you swung across earlier, but the doors won't open. You'll need to climb over the glass wall. Start at the right side of the fireplace. Grab onto the ledge above the fluted marble panel and pull up to stand on it. Jump straight up three times to reach the uppermost handhold. Climb around to the right and jump into the hallway.

Turn around and follow the balcony forward. Turn right and jump to grab the top of the glass wall. (You can reach it from here, so there's no need to use the pole.) Climb over the wall and drop down on the other side.

Cinematic: As Lara prepares to view the security recordings, she notices someone standing beyond the glass wall. She moves closer to the glass to get a better look, and the other figure moves in closer as well. With a shock, Lara realizes this is not just an ordinary intruder but a copy of herself. She draws a pistol, and the copy does the same. In fact, it mimics her every movement.

Alister staggers into the room, but before Lara can do anything to help him, the doppelganger shoots and Alister crumples to the floor. Lara quickly goes for the door switch, but the double is faster. She's on Lara in a flash, dodging her shots and disarming her before she knows what's happened. Then the doppelganger dashes out of the room. With super-human strength and agility, she leaps up the burning staircase and out through a hole in the roof.

Lara rushes to Alister's side, but she's too late to help her friend. With his last breath, Alister says he'll see her in Avalon.

The scene shifts to Zip and Winston waiting outside in the drive. They watch in amazement as the doppelganger drops out of the burning building and darts off into the night. Moments later the real Lara staggers out carrying Alister's body.

When Zip demands answers about the double, Lara explains that she's only seen something like it once before. Many years ago she encountered another double, one of Natla's creations and apparently an early prototype, since this new "Lara" is much more sophisticated. [Players of the original Tomb Raider or TR: Anniversary will remember the Atlantean flesh creature that mimicked Lara's movements.] Zip doesn't understand how Natla could have sent it, seeing as she is now Amanda's prisoner, but Lara takes a guess: the two must be working together. "Amanda and Natla, her pet Atlantean god," Lara says sarcastically.

Lara then announces her intention to follow the trail her father left, starting with a trip to southern Mexico to retrieve Thor's belt.

"What?!" Zip demands. "Alister's dead and it's just. . . business as usual?" But Lara knows she's going to need more than just guns and brains to deal with Natla.

"I need Thor's belt to get his hammer," she explains, "and I need the hammer to kill a god."

She then turns away, staring into the night as her home burns to the ground. We hear sirens in the distance as the scene fades to black.