Level 15

The Hall of Seasons

Very important to read the prologue for this level

You enter this level, which has 4 parts or phases to complete this level and to obtain The 4 crystals representing the 4 elements of Water, Fire, Earth and Air.

The Hall of Seasons has a circle in the middle of the room with 4 quarters for each Element. Stepping on one opens three doors across the way. You have to pull a lever in the room that has the corresponding symbol INSIDE THE DOORWAY, NEAR THE LEVER!! NOT OUTSIDE!! This will open a gated door where you will exit to enter a phase of your journey.

Pulling the wrong lever in the wrong room is not a good idea. Pulling the wrong lever drops you into the basement of traps where you have to find a rope elevator past a smashing stone and past two blade traps to get back to the Hall of Seasons.

Hope you trimmed your skills up to this point because they will be tested for certain. This is an extremely long series of levels.

Bottom line is to get the four crystals and place them in their holders and turn the four valves in the furnace room. You can take any path as long as you get the four crystals or follow mine.

The four phases or levels we will be encountering are:

                                 *SYMBOL DESCRIPTIONS

1. Neptune's Hall                WATER: 3 wavy lines

2. The Wrath of the Beast        EARTH: Stone shaped glyph with a line under it

3. The Sanctuary of Flame        FIRE: A sunburst shaped glyph

4. The Breathe of Hades          AIR: 3 lines ending with hooks

Neptune's Hall

This is a lovely water level, by the time you complete it will make you an expert at manoeuvring Lara underwater.

Not a very easy level to say the least, but whose knows maybe you are an expert already or will have some luck. The bottom line is to get the water crystal because if you don't you aren't leaving this level!

We enter this level in a room with a fireball throwing knight ahead of us is a large hole, do not fall in yet as it will only mean instant death. Jump across the circle or make your way around it and head for the water hole on the other side. If you get torched by the knight this will douse the flames.

Make your way down through the holes and find a bladed doorway. Inside is a switch we need to pull that will fill the hole we jumped over with water. After pulling the lever make your way back to the room with the knight and run and jump into the hole that is now filled with water. After diving in come up for air and take a look see around.

Below you will see a circular grating this is a door mechanism let's for a moment explains the door mechanism, as it's probably the most the important area of this level.

When we reach this area you'll have to dive down to a brown round pillar and on top is the water crystal, which we absolutely need, and below that is a switch that opens a doorway above the gargoyle head containing a goodie. If you absolutely want to get the goodie, Remember this.

Now that we know what that circle thing is below us look for a doorway with a gargoyle head. Below it and to the right surround by underwater foliage is a small pathway to a switch. Enter throw the switch and surface. This switch spills out more water into the chamber and it makes it so you can get out of the water and onto the ledges giving you access to the doorways some of which contain goodies but are dead ends except for one.

Now look for an archway with an orange tint to it and inside you'll find a hole in the floor. Save game point here, as it gets difficult. This is the part I mentioned earlier that you'll make Lara a great swimmer! Jump in the water's fine and head down a corridor along the way you see arched windows that are the same we saw outside nearby here is a large Health pack. Continue forward and you'll enter a shaft make your way down and dive again by this point you'll be saying I NEED AIR!!!!

Look for a round grating and swim through and surface for a small pocket of air. This is also a great save point as you will be encountering a series of blades if you pass the blades and make it through the grates there is a place on the other side for another pocket of air. When you have your breath back, dive down and keep Lara low and hug the right side of the wall and make it through the first open grating And proceed forward the final set of spikes is less forgiving so time it right to pass through another grating.

Turn right and up for a pocket of air. Get your breath! Dive down and continue through the passageway, we enter below the area of the circle that's a door mechanism. Continue downward and right on top of the brown pillar is the water crystal. This may automatically open the circle above, if not use the switch, so surface and get some needed air. The door beneath the gargoyles head is now open and our means of exit from this exciting place.

Dive down through the opened doorway under the gargoyles head. This area should be familiar we are back Where we pulled the switch with the bladed door at the beginning of this level. Make your way up the holes again to the surface and head back to the doorway we entered at the beginning of this level but wait!!! By the large hole on the floor to the left is a goodie grab it before we leave and exit through the door and dry Lara off. Completing this part of The Hall of Seasons and Neptune's Hall.

The Wrath of the Beast

You stepped on the earth symbol didn't you! That was the stoned shape one with a line under it by the way. Our goal is to find the earth crystal and return to the hall for the next phase of the journey. You enter this room with a statue on the opposite end (Cut Scene) show the statue crumbling and taking the majority of the floor with it. When we get control of Lara when you take a step forward the floor in Front of you collapses as well giving you a subtle hint of what we are in store for.

To the left is safe to walk on for the moment, walk the path of green rock until you see an area where you can turn right leading to a ramp with a gap. Do a running jump across the gap to the opposite wall. From here look for a ledge sticking out of the rock face Lara can safely walk with her back to the wall to the opposite side.

Once there the ledge crumbled behind you (nice place to save since we can't go back) once we approach the edge of the walkway here the walkway begins to crumble and moves you toward the orange pylons in front of you.

You have two choices here if you look from where we are standing now across the way is the orange pylon and to the right of that a grey one and another next to it. That last one does not crumble. So that being said our options are to move forwards and jump onto the orange pylon, which crumbles in seconds you, have to turn right and jump to the next, which crumbles, and to the next, which does not. You can bypass the orange pylon by taking a daring leap to the grey stone and then to the stable stone instead. Ahead of you is a jump position yourself to the point of this slab and look ahead to the set of stairs the floor section before the stairs is a stable one and the one before is not.

Jump for the stone walkway before the steps and pull up and position yourself at the edge of the steps. Good place to save here. Two jumps to safety and both platforms crumble so jump and jump again forward until you reach the stable last grey platform. Save here. Turn right and jump to the next Platform this is unstable also but if you're quick you can climb to the next one and be OK. From there position yourself for the orange platform in front of you. Once you have your feet safely planted turn around and look at the walkway leading to a door.

It would be nice if we could just walk to the door but it won't be easy. As you get off the first step the walkway starts to crumble. It'll take 2 timely jumps to reach the steps to the door where you'll see a scene of things crumbling behind you. Pick up the goodies on the floor, on the door is the earth crystal, grab it. This activates a chain reaction in the room transforming it to another challenge that will test our resolve.

Two cascades of water are flowing from the ceilings at each end and that's because these Knights have swords and throw balls of fire. The object here is to throw the switches on each side of the room and both are in the middle. Once both switches are pulled it opens a door on the opposite end where we run like the wind and exit feeling warm all over. These Knights are tough, you may want to stun them with a weapon to give you a second or two to throw a switch. If you Lara lights up like a torch run to one of the water spots and douse the flames preferably the nearest one.

You may also have to pause and use a health pack at some point to survive. Even inside the water the Knight keep pummelling you with fire forcing you out of the safe zone of water and draining your energy from you. Once both switches are pulled the door opens run to it and that will bring us back into the Hall of Seasons.

The Sanctuary of Flame

Once again we re-enter the Hall of Seasons with Mr. Knight who never takes a break is waiting in the wings to get Lara. Hit the piece of pie that looks like a sunburst on the floor and go through the door with the corresponding symbol.

A cut scene ensues as you enter and the doorway closes behind you. Lara's shorts would have been nice here as this room is way too hot! The honeycomb blocks on the floor start to crumble and flames spew All over the place setting up our obstacle before us. The bottom line here is to get the fire crystal.

After the honeycomb platforms have cooled down a bit make your way towards a pathway in the centre as Far as you can go at this point. Once on that platform a few platforms sink into the lava behind us. Lara can get hit with some of the lava spurts decreasing her health so watch your meter. Take a leap and land on the 2nd honeycomb platform ahead of you and another jump to the next.

Angle yourself and jump to another. Turn right to another set and one last jump to the stairs and get the fire crystal! That was easy wasn't it? Wait until we have to make our way back! Save your game here.

Make your way back to the honeycombed platforms and look for a short jump to the one on the right and another and pull up to a floating one and jump from there to another floating platform and turn left. Ahead another floating platform when landing on it raises a pathway for us. Follow it to the left and look for a few floating platforms there, jump over there and this raises a few more platforms for us. Take a jump there and get onto the walkway and make your way back to the door we entered to exit this level and cool off!

The Breath of Hades

We enter this room to find tall platforms that look like trees that were cut before their prime. The object here is a simple one to get the air crystal on the other side of the room. Proceed forward and turn right along the area we can safely walk on. The wall needs to be pushed in as a block would and inside is a switch we need to throw.

This starts the wind blowing.

Leave this area back to where you were and start hopping. The jumps require judgement and precision as you make your way to the other side of the room where your Air crystal is you'll find the wind blowing moving Lara and the tall platforms making it hard for you to decide when to jump.

Jump to the right using very other pillar until you reach the other side. No need to tell you what happens if you miss a jump! Save your game at your discretion. Once on the other side get the air crystal from the door and make your way back.

Jump on the rest of the remaining platforms until you reach the doorway where we began this level and exit back to the Hall of Seasons. Once there place your crystals in the holders and watch all the bolts withdraw!

After a quick run round, you find that there is no exit!! We have to go to the circle and step on any symbol and actually go through a wrong door and pull the lever having us fall to the area known as the: Basement of Traps, but lets get some goodies from the basement first!

The Basement Of Traps

Stand on the Wind segment, pull a wrong lever, get the large medi-pack, out the door, turn left to elevator, pull the chain, turn round get the goodies, pull chain again and back to the main Hall. Water has nothing; so do not stand on that segment! Earth has bullets making your way back through the traps to the main Hall. Sun has more bullets.

Use the trusty camera and angle it above Lara to see exactly where those blades are and safely walk around them. Two more lava pits to jump and look for a door on the right and opens it. If you encounter the big rock, when it is in the down position get Lara up tight to it running, then jump her through as soon as you can!!

Work your through the traps until you find a door, open and head down the spiral stairs and open the level at the bottom that opens another door and more stairs.

Once at the bottom we are in The Furnace Area

In the furnace area are valves we have to turn and they are located near a sign that has a symbol like we had on the doorways in the Hall of Seasons. To the left walk along and turn left to find a valve to turn. Turn around and walk back along the walkway to the ladder, do not go down as there is another Knight waiting to hurt you. Instead look forward and see a big dark beam jutting out, do a running jump over to find a ladder up. You have to do a back flip to the platform behind you from the ladder, you then another ladder up again to the second valve.

After you have turned the valve, put Lara back on the ladder and get her off again on the platform the other side of it, DO NOT GO DOWN THE LADDER!

Turn Lara round so she is facing the central furnace and do a standing jump to the upper central platform. From here find a chain (very faint and hard to see) to jump up to and go across to the other side to the left is a ladder and across from it is another valve turn it. This valve starts things going a bit but we have one more valve to open.

Let's climb down and get back across the chain to the central platform, the last valve is on the lower central platform. To get there we need to do a hanging drop to the lower central platform, making sure that there is not obstacles in Lara's way when you drop her, otherwise she will not grab the platform. Once there find the now open valve and turn it.

Turning the valve starts a series of blades turning all around you above and below. From where you are you can take a leap across to the curved platform and climb the ladder and exit out the door we came in. This door was locked until you turned all your valves. Climb the stair and pull the switch one again and head to the Basement of Traps and turn right and make your way to a smashing stone. Be careful or Lara becomes a pancake. Best thing to do is jump and when you land wait until the stone is down and move Lara against it. Hold your forward button so Lara will run as soon as the stone rises. Once you pass it proceed past two sets of blades ahead.

To your left is an elevator, pull the lever to the first level and collect some goodies inside the small alcove. Pull the lever again and you are back on the floor of the Hall of Seasons. Enter the room where the knight is waiting for us and climb the rubble he won't get you from there and jump to the nearest pillar that has risen in the middle floor where our symbols buttons were. Jump to the higher pillar as each once gets to it lowest point until you reach the last one. Climb up to the catwalk above and find the only path you can walk down to the railing and climb over. Start running right as we have some knights that'll be busting out to get us, and head up a flight of stairs.

On this landing, behind the closed door is a wall That Lara needs to push to get some strength for her next obstacle. To open the door we need to get Lara to pull a switch, which is at the end of this landing, so run until you get to a gap. To the left is a climbable wall. Climb up and to the right and drop to the ledge where there is a switch pull it and the door opens.

Climb down and return to the door, (be careful the knights are close, if needed run down the stairs and wait until the knights are close the dash upstairs to push in the wall, this will give Lara more time) Make sure you push the wall twice then Lara will say I feel stronger now! Inside you'll find a Health Pack and when you leave there is a goodie on the floor to your right.

By now the knights are close by or already there. Return to the switch area again dodging the knights (just jump over them) Once you've climb the wall and reach the switch area Lara now has the strength to make the big climb.

This is a two-part climb and shimmy. Climb up the wall to the top and once on top turn Lara around and Look left for a tiny ledge and let Lara go there to regain her strength. (Save point here) This part will, most likely take you several tries to get through. Look above at the ceiling you see grooves that look like a path for Lara to follow along the ceiling. You have zero time for a single pause or mistake here. Jump and grab the ceiling it looks like brown stone with grooves follow it forward to the end and left to the edge.

Lara will then turn around and pulls herself up and climb to the top. As you are running out of energy on your left will be a place to shimmy left and get off. Phew! That was tough. Turn left to a doorway that opens and make your way down.

This is where we encounter a ghost called Brother Obscura. He cannot get you in the crawl position as he sweeps over you. Also a nice tip to disable him briefly as you cannot kill a ghost is to shoot him enough times to slow him down for a few seconds. This also makes it easy to get the item you need before you can exit this room. We need the Obscura Painting number one.

We enter this room and (cut scene) Lara approaches an alter, with Latin and reads it aloud on an inscription on a sarcophagus. It says through the spirit of the keeper hold the truth. After that you have control of Lara, get her into the crawl position straight away. Crawl along the room the ghost can't get you and pick up the entire boodle on the floor. Once you've got your goodies when the Ghost makes a pass get up and draw your weapon and crouch down again.

Lara will be able to aim from a kneeling position. Once the ghost or Brother Abscura floats still run to the blue-lit statue and press action to get the painting. You'll see it in the statues hands, (get as close as you can to the statue with the painting before you start shooting). Once you have it exit through the door we came in it opens for you automatically. Crawl down the stairs just to play it safe!

The stairs are partially filled with water. Proceed forward and they will fill completely. Now don't panic!!! Straight ahead and above is the exit have Lara swim upward through the hole and through to the next room. Now though you can't see it all the way to the top to the left centre is a hole. Enter it and get some Air also some bandages. Save point option here.

Down slightly below and up is our exit taking it all the way and you end up back at the archaeological dig. Look for a crate and a tall mesh gate. Climb the Crate and climb over the fence and exit through the double doors. Congratulations on a job well done!

The Hall of Hell, I mean Hall of Seasons is complete and now we head back to the Louvre Galleries and they are under siege.

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