TIMES EXCLUSIVE LEVEL
Updated: 5/5/19(†)
This stand-alone level was produced by Core Design in partnership with the Times of London. It was released in December 1999 as part of a celebration honoring Howard Carter's discovery of the pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb in the early 1920s, which was financed in part by The Times. The 1999 feature included some real-life background info and a Tomb Raider short story, as well as the playable level download. The Times has since closed these pages, but the level is still available in my downloads section. It's for Windows PC only but does not require the full TR4 game to run.
Starting Inventory: Pistols (unlimited ammo), binoculars, 3 flares, 3 small medipacks, 1 large medipack
Kills: 14 (20)* Items: 15 plus Shotgun, Crossbow, Revolver, Laser Sight, and Gold Mask Secrets: 2
*The 6 mummies in this level can't be killed using the available weapons. If you cheat and unlock explosives, you can destroy them for a maximum of 20 kills.
Cutscene: Lara enters the offices of Peter Stothard, then the Times' editor-in-chief. A newspaper spread across his desk reads, "The Tomb of the King Contract Given to 'The Times'."
A transcript of their dialogue appears below. The upshot is that the paper's Egyptian correspondent has found new tunnels, presumably leading to an undiscovered tomb near that of Tutankhamun. Stothard talks Lara into taking a look. But first he points her to the Times' archives, where she'll be able to review reports from Carter's expedition.
Lara follows a hallway to the newspaper's morgue. The camera dollies past shelves of archived papers and we see Lara poring over a volume of bound back issues. When she's read enough, she comments, "Time to finish what Carter started."
Another cutscene: The camera pans from a large statue holding a lit burner to a doorway at the top of a long, stone ramp. Lara appears at the top and slides down into the tomb.
NOTE: This walkthrough assumes a basic familiarity with the controls. If this is your first time playing a TR4 game on PC, or it's been a while, you may want to review the Controls.
ROOM WITH RAMPS AND TWO BIG STATUES: From the starting position, turn around to face the ramp Lara just slid down. Go through the opening in the left (northwest) corner. At the end of the short passageway, where the ceiling is higher, turn around, and climb onto the ledge above the passageway you just came through. Crawl up the ramp and through the low opening. Pull up onto the ledge directly ahead. Climb two more stepped blocks toward the base of the right-hand ramp. (The room with the big statues is below on the left, and you can see light coming in at the top of the ramps.) Climb onto the base of the ramp and enter the alcove on the right. This is SECRET #1. Pick up the SHOTGUN (loaded with 6 regular shells) plus a box of wideshot ammo. Climb back down the blocks to the northwest corner ledge. Then slide the rest of the way down to the starting point. (screenshots)
LONG ROOM WITH MANY DECORATIVE COLUMNS: Go through the doorway between the statues and follow the ramps down to the next room. As you advance along the aisle between the columns, 2 red scorpions emerge, then 2 more as you near the exit. They aren't venomous, but they will sting Lara if she doesn't kill them. (screenshots)
At the end of this hall, enter the next room, drop into the shallow pit that runs across the middle of the room, and pick up a small medipack and flares. (screenshots) Climb out of the pit and continue through the west door, between the statues.
STAIRWAY WITH SIX JACKAL STATUES: When you start down the stairs, a spiked ball drops from the ceiling and rolls down into the next room. You can avoid it by running down the stairs and into the next room, then veering off to the left or right to get out of the way. (screenshots) Or, slide down either of the ramps flanking the stairs. Before leaving this area, climb onto the southwest and northwest corner ledges in the room with the jackal statues to retrieve wideshot shells and Uzi clips. (screenshots) Then continue through the room where the spiked ball landed. Notice the odd-looking floor tile here. We'll be back soon. For now, continue to the right and up the stairs. (screenshot)
FIRST TREASURE ROOM: The jackals on either side of the entrance look suspicious, but they don't come to life...yet. Run up the ramp about halfway. Then climb onto either of the side walls. In the low, dark areas behind these walls, you'll find a large medipack, wideshot shells, a small medipack, and normal arrows for the CROSSBOW, which you don't have yet. (screenshots)
Now shoot the 2 lion head decorations mounted on the south wall above the entrance. When both heads have been shattered, a trapdoor opens in the floor to the left of the large golden statue behind the treasure pile. Drop into this opening and follow the passage to the end. Climb onto the ledge, then up the ladder. At the top, head to the right to find SECRET #2, a small room containing a CROSSBOW (loaded with 10 normal arrows) plus a quiver of poisoned arrows. Return to the treasure room the way you came. (screenshots)
Hop down off the platform with the statue on the right (west) side. Just ahead, near the wall is a large, golden urn. Grab it and pull it along the floor onto the colored cartouche. (screenshot)
NOTE FOR NEWBIES: To do this, position Lara facing the urn and close to it, with the wall on her left. Press and hold Action and she'll grab the edge of the urn and go into a crouch showing she's ready. Press and hold Back/Down, while still holding Action, and she'll drag the urn along the floor.
Cutscene: A block rises from the floor in the room below, and the 2 jackal statues come alive.
As soon as the cutscene ends, take out your shotgun and kill the 2 jackals. (screenshot) Or, if you prefer, you can jump out of the corner to get more space—or even climb up onto dais next to the golden statue. The jackals can't reach Lara there.
Run back down the ramp to the room where the spiked ball landed and jump/climb onto the block you just raised. There are 3 more jackals here now (screenshots), but they can't reach Lara on the block. Shoot them with pistols or just go on.
Walk to the edge of the block and take a standing jump to grab the small opening high on the south wall. (screenshot) Press Duck/Crouch + Up to crawl in. Crawl through until Lara can stand. Light a flare if you like, then continue down the hall past two alcoves containing sleeping mummies. As you round the next bend these mummies, along with a third mummy lying in the passageway ahead, come alive. You can't kill them with the weapons you have, so just run toward the light at the end of the hall. (screenshot) Once you drop down into the next room, they won't follow.
NOTE: If you absolutely must destroy the mummies, you can use the PC all-weapons and all-items cheats to unlock the grenade gun and explosive ammo for the crossbow.
POOL: Now you've got a new problem: the 4 crocodiles in the pool. Two attack immediately. Kill them with shotgun or pistols. (If you have run out of normal shotgun ammo, you can switch to wideshot ammo in the inventory screen.) The third and fourth crocodiles swim toward you from the far side of the pool. You may need to swim out a ways to lure the last one toward you. Then climb out of the water to kill it. (screenshots) When the coast is clear, shoot the ceramic vase on the right (when facing the pool). Inside you'll find the loaded REVOLVER. (screenshot) The left vase is empty.
Swim down underneath the painted wall on the east side of the pool, below the entrance. On the underside of the ledge is a lever. Position Lara below it and press Action to pull it. (screenshots) This opens a gate on the other side of the pool. Swim across, climb out of the water, jump to grab the edge of the opening and pull up. (screenshots) Follow the passageway to the next room.
TWO-LEVEL ROOM WITH CHESTS AND CERAMIC JARS: The ceramic jars will break if you shoot them. (Use pistols, which have unlimited ammo.) Some contain goodies; some contain swarms of biting beetles. You can avoid breaking the ones with beetles, or break them then run back to the foot of the stairs where there's a grate in the floor. If Lara stands on the grate, the beetles will try to follow her and fall through the holes. (screenshot)
The jars on the lower level, clockwise from the door, contain: (1) nothing, (2) revolver ammo, (3) beetles (in the far corner), (4) LASER SIGHT, (5) nothing, (6) beetles.
NOTE: If you save the game here and reload, you may find the beetles respawn. Just run onto the grate in the doorway to dispose of them.
When you climb to the upper level, be sure to avoid the burning lamps or Lara will catch fire. The jar in the southeast corner is empty. The other jars contain revolver ammo and a small medipack. When you've got everything, drop down carefully and find the golden urn in the northeast corner. Slide it out of the way and go up the stairs behind it. (screenshot)
On the landing, shoot the first 2 jars to get revolver ammo and flares. The third jar contains a scorpion. Either avoid that jar it or stand back before breaking it so you can shoot the scorpion as it approaches. Continue down the other set of stairs. (screenshot)
ROOM WITH PIT, MUMMIES, AND LIONS' HEADS: There's no need to drop into the pit dividing the room, but if you do, there's a block in one corner that will allow you to climb out. In order to get across, shoot one or both of the lion's head decorations high on the wall to fill the pit with sand. To do this, press Escape go to inventory and choose either the revolver or crossbow. Select 'Combine' and use Left/Right arrows to select the laser sight, which you should have picked up in the room with all the jars. Press Enter to combine the weapon and sight. Select 'Equip' and press Enter again to draw the weapon. Hold Look to switch to laser-sight view, Duck/Crouch and Dash/Sprint buttons (. and / if you haven't changed the controls) to zoom in and out, and direction buttons to aim. Press Action to fire as usual. Then release Look to return to normal view. When you hit either lion head, the pit begins to fill with sand, the mummies on the other side awaken. You can shoot both lion's heads if you like, but it's not necessary. (screenshots)
NOTE: Lara will auto-aim at the mummies, but unless you've used cheats to unlock grenades or explosive crossbow ammo, you can't harm them, so don't bother trying.
When the pit is almost full of sand, run across, run/jump past the mummies, and continue up the stairs along the right side. As you go, a spiked ball comes rolling down toward you. Veer toward the burning torch on the left side of the stairs to avoid being skewered. After the ball passes, continue upstairs and run into the red-lit alcove on the left to avoid a second spiked ball. Continue to the room at the top. The gate closes behind you, so the mummies can't follow. (screenshots)
MASK ROOM AND BEETLE ROOM: Approach the pedestal at the top of the wide steps. As you do, the gate on the right (north) side of the room opens. Press Action to take THE GOLD MASK from the pedestal. (screenshot) Then go through the gate and follow the passageway around to the right. (screenshot) When Lara passes through the next gate, it closes behind her and another swarm of beetles attacks. Run/jump up the stairs and into either of the alcoves about halfway along the hallway. Stand on the grate and the beetles will follow and fall through the holes. (screenshots) You may have to run out then back to the grate to lure all of them into the pit.
NOTE: In my most recent replay, using the Steam game and Windows 10, this last beetle swarm did not appear, as the screenshots show.
When you've dealt with the beetles, continue to the east end of the hallway and locate the trapdoor in the ceiling. Position Lara under the handle facing the north wall so the stairs are off to her left. Jump straight up and hold Action to grab the handle and pull the trapdoor open (screenshots). Now position Lara under the opening and jump straight up to grab the edge. Pull up through the opening. Follow the stairs up toward the light to finish the level.
†UPDATE HISTORY: 5/5/19 - First major update since this walkthrough was created in 1999. This revision includes many new screenshots as well as various other corrections and clarifications.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Special thanks to the participants in the alt.games.tombraider newsgroup, the old tombraiders.com forum, and Brian C. from the Tomb Raiders Traveler's Guide, without whom parts of this walkthrough could not have been written. Thanks also to Sturm and Marie for tips/corrections, and to Mike T. for identifying Mr. Stothard. This Yank was at a loss.
FYI: For more information about the real-life shrine to Anubis that inspired this level, along with many items and locations featured in the Tomb Raider games, check out the Artefactual series from Tomb Raider Horizons.
DIALOGUE FROM INTRO CUTSCENE:
Lara (reading newspaper): "The initial discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb..." and...?
Times Editor Peter Stothard: This is Howard Carter's original exclusive. Yesterday morning from our Egyptian correspondent we received this.
He indicates a second newspaper.
Lara: I see. I've stayed in bed for less.
Stothard: Our man stumbled across this new dig site. After we received the information, news reached us that he'd been found, fever ridden and hiding nearby, ranting about the new tomb.
Lara: Now you're getting interesting. Whose tomb?
Stothard: Well, this is why we've called you.
Lara: I'll see you around.
Stothard: Wait! You'll get nowhere without Carter's original information. He was the first to discover Tutankhamun's tomb and reported exclusively to us. His original chamber layouts and notes lie in the relevant issues in our archive room. Invaluable to the tomb raider.
Lara: Quite. And where are these archives? (From here, Lara goes to the archives to do her research.)
WAS THIS WALKTHROUGH HELPFUL? If not, I apologize and invite you to contact me with any questions. If you need help right away, I recommend the r/TombRaider subreddit. Other fan-run forums are listed at tombraiders.net/stella/community.html. If this site was useful, please consider supporting it financially or in other ways. For details, visit tombraiders.net/stella/support.html. As always, I welcome your corrections/suggestions. Thank you!
Copyright © 1999- Stellalune (). Feel free to copy or print this walkthrough for personal use. By all means, share it with friends, but please include this credit line so people can send me their feedback. No part of this walkthrough may be reproduced on another site without permission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Follow this link for details about this site's advertising and privacy policy.
Stella's Tomb Raider Site: tombraiders.net.