Top 10 Tomb Raider Levels Ever!

[@mist8k]

Maria Doria was the best for me. I just liked the crazy level design.

[@Raidercast]

It was so bonkers! So fun.

[@cmmoe5680]

Agreed! Super eerie knowing all that water was above Lara and the rusted, mechanical feel of the ship

[@mattshu]

The most nostalgic

[@michaelmurray7220]

Think every one of my favourite levels come from Tomb Raider 2

[@starmax6176]

I hate maria doria… To Dark!!! But i understand and yes I admit its a great level design with the entire boat return on the back!!!

[@Reds-Retros]

It still blows my mind how good AOD can look sometimes. In many ways it was so far ahead of its time. I wish I could have a copy from the alternate universe where the game got all the budget and development time it needed.

[@Raidercast]

**Nodding in agreement** I really wish this.

[@Inblader]

AoD was ambitious, I wish we could trade the reboot trilogy for the Angel of Darkness Trilogy as it was supposed to be.

[@partycrasher854]

Good List. My favourite is St Francis' Folly. It encapsulates everything about tomb raider in the early days.

[@Raidercast]

I do love SFF! Undisputed legendary status.

[@crissy4346]

I loved the Anniversary version of St. Francis Folly. As a Greek mythology buff I preferred the cohesive Greek pantheon theme over the mixed pantheons of the original one.

[@PetterNe]

I came here to say: automatic dislike if St Francis’s Folly isn’t number one! Fun fact: Years ago I visited a place in Greece called Meteora. Shortly after returning from my trip to Greece, I felt an urge to google what St Francis’ Folly is based on, because in some incredibly vague way, I got the same sensation from Meteora. Turned out that it was indeed based on this place. Such an insane coincidence. But even more so a poetic one. Fun fact 2: I know the guy who’s grandpa is responsible for the sinking of the ship that Maria Doria in TR2 is based on, Andrea Doria. An even weirder coincidence when I found this out.

[@EnhancedNightmare]

@@crissy4346 Its funny in anniversary the creators comments acknowledge the mythology mistake lol

[@ramonmachadosilva]

St Francis's Folly is my favorite Tomb Raider level of all time. This level is a huge vertical trap. Every jump that you must to do in this level must be very accurate, it's a level that doesn't admit mistakes and each room to get the gems has great challenges. I just love it.

[@watermelonineasterhay]

Me too, it's a beautiful level both in design and graphics. And the atmosphere adds to the incredibleness. Also love city of vilcabamba and cistern.

[@MisterAndrewBuckley]

Predictably St Francis Folly, either original or anniversary. Took me ages to figure out the puzzles

[@dylanthomas9907]

Lost Valley from tr1 has to be my favourite. I was getting to grips with the enemies at this point wolves bats and the odd bear nice and easy. Climbing into a new area and seeing all these trees almost like a jungle area velociraptors attacked me so i run by then thud thud screen shakes then a big t rex kills me in one go. I had no memory card so I had to start the game from scratch

[@BASEnutter2105]

I’m sorry, no love for the Maria Doria?! Granted it was a stretch of how it got airtight and the human enemies were a pain, but the level design was great. Upside down swimming pool that you fall through, skylights making glass traps on the now floor? Switches, timed switches, sharks and creepy music.

[@Raidercast]

BASEnutter2105 I appreciate it more recently, but I’ve too many memories of frustrated attempts as a kid trying to work my way through those levels! 🙈

[@yma0evelyn]

For fucks sake. I was like 9 when I played this with my Dad and we COULD NOT for the life of us work out how to get onto the dingy. Took us weeks and then I got a walkthrough and we just had to use a health pack. Best level EVER!

[@FernandoCitan]

​@@Raidercast Same, I remember being stuck for so long as a 13 years old kid, but I have been replaying TR2 these days and many stages have been a lot easier than my mind made me think, got thought this level really trouble free. I think it was a mix of being so young and at a time when we were still learning all the new things in gaming mechanics and etcetera that made things so much harder back in the days.

[@KiyokaMakibi]

The heartbeat ambience really set the mood

[@DaeLaura419]

I was hoping for the Maria Doria too!

[@jd_music23]

I totally agree there are some great tombs in Angel of Darkness. I really loved the hub area in Hall of Seasons and there's something so unsettling about the atmosphere and that Knight always slowly follow you. I think the side chambers didn't live up to the potential because of how Lara controlled though. I am also totally with you with you on the rainy levels, Parisian Backstreet is a favourite of mine. I played it time and time again just for the design and atmosphere. Loved your video about the design in Angel of Darkness too!

[@LOTRFan295]

Too much to list, but to name a few my favorite levels are : Barkhang Monastery (TR2) Japan ( Legend) Nepal ( Legend)

[@chrismantonuk]

Ah, Barkhang Monastery! I’ll never forget, I played TR2 with a walkthrough (from PC Gamer, I think) that used euphemisms for “shoot”, such as “dispatch the tigers”, “send the eagles packing” or “fossilize the T-Rex”. When I got to Barkhang Monastery it said “ignore the monks”. I thought it meant to shoot them, so I did and spent the rest of the level fighting them off. If only I’d known they were peaceful if you left them alone... 🤦‍♂️

[@Julia-ow4st]

YES japan! i remember it being soo cool how it was a safe area where people would dance weirdly and you think its just a chill time and then TAKAMOTO comes in and their CONFRONTATION omg so cool

[@DillyDo319]

The Japan level in Legend is so much fun! 😇

[@ominisxxx]

Love TRD legend and anniv

[@ramonthird1245]

Legend is amazing one of the best Tomb Raider games ever I love Legend so much

[@Anesthesia069]

The Temple of Xian and Floating Islands music has always been marvellously creepy to me.

[@nenashawnautumn5494]

one of the most iconic tomb raider levels imo

[@xXMuseFan1996Xx]

Yeah, Floating Islands was creepy enough but that background music just took it to the next level of creepiness and that's why I love that level so much!

[@crissy4346]

I had really hoped they would've remade TR2 but i guess that ship of opportunity sailed away with the complete series reboot.

[@xXMuseFan1996Xx]

@@crissy4346 There's still hope. I'm sure I read somewhere recently that they are making a new TR game and that, yes, it will fuse elements from both the original games and the reboot trilogy but that doesn't mean it can't be a remake of TR2 :)

[@darthkahn45]

*ominously floats towards you doing a creepy hum*

[@TheSephiroxas]

I agree with the entire list. I also would like to insert an honorable mention: The Venice Series from TR2 is just stunning to me. (I'm from Italy, so it only makes sense :D )

[@watermelonineasterhay]

Venice is *chefs kiss*

[@rafaelsantosx]

I really love the Cistern level of TR1.

[@Raidercast]

Awesome level!

[@24Angelash]

Me too!

[@Galimah]

Cistern was great. 2 years before Ocarina of times water temple

[@AlienSensei]

As someone who's terrified of heights, I just love a level where Lara is able to get to high places. Then jump down to her doom and check whether there are enemies below.

[@msvalentine1902]

I really love tr2 Venice. Gives me such a good vibe and makes me wanna be there. The bird sounds, the water, the little boat

[@Raidercast]

The boat is sooo fun!

[@justinvzu01]

Personally my favorites are both from SotTR, the one with the Mayan wind music machine that's kinda like a Wipeout level, and I absolutely loved the one where you have to parkour on floats to not get eaten by piranhas, where at the end you get that big whirlpool around a machine that moves your float into traps you have to dodge, while shooting buttons on the pillar that are only open at some point in the rotation.

[@Victorcolongarcia]

Wipeout? Can you explain? I love Wipeout and TR games!! 😊🤟

[@jaykry7072]

I’m surprised you didn’t mention parisian ghetto from tomb raider AoD since you said you liked rainy weather aesthetics lol

[@Raidercast]

Jay Kry Definitely an honourable mention, if only for the atmosphere 🥰

[@Hope-sf3dk]

floating islands ...those samurai scared me half to death. excellent level.

[@Raidercast]

That noise that played as they floated around and got louder and closer, it's freaking me out remembering!

[@chrismantonuk]

Freaky ambient sounds too

[@ablake900]

I think the Antarctica levels in TR3 deserve some recognition. Then again the first 3 games in general were just absolutely fantastic. Along as we can agree on forgetting The Maria Doria etc. Those were so grim and super difficult!

[@watermelonineasterhay]

I like the Antarctica ones but they're hard, love the Maria Doria.

[@rhyswhittington8759]

ive come to appreciate the maria doria levels. the atmosphere of a sunken ship tomb is awesome

[@easyreader8859]

I only played Tomb Raider 1, but I love this game. I love the Qualopec but I'm asked myself what open the lever with the unstable floor at the left room.

[@youjustreadthis897]

The left room? So there's the main room where you first enter with channels to your left, front, right and rear (where come from). The left channel has gates which you need open one by one by solving puzzles. Past there is a room which is a wide corridor with statues or columns either side and leads to the room Qualopec's skeleton is sat on a chair. Is the room past those gates the room you're referring to?

[@easyreader8859]

@@youjustreadthis897 I talk about the room with the wolf

[@youjustreadthis897]

@@easyreader8859 Ah yes, I know which you mean now. I don't think it's possible to use the lever because the floor will always collapse so quickly and not give you enough time. Maybe someone playing on PC might be able to do a console command or something and see if the lever works

[@easyreader8859]

@@youjustreadthis897 Ok thank you, I have the playstation version.

[@metalgearsalad2]

i just found your channel and it's making me miss being a kid on the tomb raider forums. that used to be the only thing i used the internet for lmao. gonna replay AoD now tbh xD

[@Mustafa_9628]

Tomb raider legend Is the perfect Old TR game of all time Before TR 2013 i considered legend the best TR game of all time It struck the perfect balance between a story, gameplay and puzzles Sadly TR 2013 started in a big and intriguing way But failed miserably with rise and shadow It lost its legacy and dna in those two games I wish devs try hard to bring back the winning formula for the past 25 yrs with a strong title like legend

[@DuelLinksCol]

Definitely for me, TR2 has the best levels of them all, I love TR2

[@briannickson6631]

If they brought TR2 out again for the current systems, I would pay a lot of money for the chance to play again. (I am in my late 70’s and have played them all again and again) but ‘2’ is my all time favourite.

[@jorgeferreira8703]

Venice ... for your soundtrack! Opera house ... complicated but exciting, in fact like practically all stages. That's why I love playing Tomb Raider! Congratulations to the narrator 😉

[@MCCiabattaGrande]

I love the atmosphere of the old Tomb Raiders! My favorite levels are Venice from TR2, KV5 from TR4 (I loved driving that Jeep), Area 51 from TR3 (Great atmosphere) and the Old Mill from TR5 (it was so cool and creepy). Also some credits to Temple of Karnak, Kairo for its dark atmosphere and the sinking Submarine. Edit: After reading the comments I completely forgot about one of the most exciting levels for me back when I was a kid: Desert Railroad from the last revelation! It was so cool

[@MARTINLOUISR]

Should do top "insert number" scary levels . There is a lot I found hard to play as a young teen lol

[@Raidercast]

For sure! I started the list of horror with this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bovKiWiZfMpnf6M Enjoy!

[@angel-7637]

im so glad i found your channel. finally a community where i can express my love for TR. im happy.,

[@Thagomizer]

Hell yeah, the Tomb of Qualopec is so underrated by TR fans, but I love it.

[@BartolisHideoutGaming]

The Venice level of TR2 will always be my favourite. I’ll never forget being a kid and get to drive that little boat with Venice Violins playing in the background! ❤️

[@Rosspeter123]

The Caves, Vilcabamba and the Lost Valley will always hold a special place in my heart. And Croft Manor, especially in Tomb Raider 3.

[@antoniac6603]

I have a lot of favorites Tomb Raider's levels, but if I have to choose one : Venice from Tomb Raider 2. Such nostalgia ! Playing this level is still a pleasure ! Oh, and honorable mentions to Temple of Xian and especially Floating Islands, this creepy ambiance music... This strange feeling between loving the dark ambiance of Floating Islands and be scared as a kid by the scary ambiance music lol

[@JudithSamp]

Please more of those videos where you talk about levels! I love hearing other people's opinion on those because I have a different view on them. When I was a kid TR4 was the most difficult one for me, I constantly had to read walk through and was scared because of those stupid roaches that would always follow you in some tombs lol Actually I have to say I love every single tomb raider game, the new and the old, tomb raider 2013 came out on my 18th birthday which was super special to me and I loved the new interpretation because I could see myself in her!

[@lionocyborg6030]

Part 4 *Tomb Raider 3* All levels are awesome but here's some highlights: Lara's Home: Same as TR2 but with better graphics (as I think now), a gym with apparatuses to play on like in school (this was before I played TR1), Lara's fireplaces worked, you could copy Father Christmas and climb up the chimney (minus climbing out of the kitchen cooker like Santa did, if you get the reference), I could actually reach Lara's treasure room this time and see her collection, the maze was now my introduction to quad bikes and why I love them (my favourite model is the Yamaha Grizzly) and the assault course was bigger, better and more fun than before. When I saw Gladiators on the telly after playing this level, I recognised the Eliminator at the end as the assault course from this game. So Tomb Raider got me hooked on one of the UK's best game shows. I asked Core if they based the Assault Course on the Eliminator in Ash's TR4 with Core Design stream, but they couldn't remember if that was the case, if I remember that right. India: Jungle exploring, tigers, trapped temples, Shiva robots or "6 armed Scimitar" as my brother & I called him, a quad bike chase along the Ganges like TR1 but in gameplay this time and me getting shocked at how under the right circumstances, even water can be set on fire. South Pacific Islands: More jungles, the best raptors & T-Rex besides Core's TRAE, an OP turret version of the rocket launcher, my introduction to piranha fish and The Ace Ride. You know the one, even if it does handle like a Tesco trolley on a flume. Yucks/giant shurikens also cameo in Puna's temple. London: A giant hall of mirrors glitch (and my first) in the city streets that helps immersion by making the buildings look dizzyingly high up, the lift shaft drill sequences & pretty much Aldwych in general, the atmosphere of the museum at night, cool exhibits including the return of the TR1 sphinx, and the best sewer level I've ever played as you get sneaking around drain vaults and driving aquajets, sandwiched between the museum and some fun air duct crawling. Nevada: The best version of the Atlantis heartbeat & giant fan ambience, the best use of Flame Emitter 3 as stove burners, even more proof never to go near swimming pool drains and you launch a missile I mistook for a rocket ship at first. Also, Nephillim or perhaps Maien "grey" aliens from Perfect Dark appear to be helping the US government reverse engineer their tech (the aliens are sleeping at the time we arrive, sans their friend killed in the crash who they let their human buddies autopsy for study) and we get to go inside their ship, which appears to not only be a Black Arms gunship from Shadow the Hedgehog, but it may or may not also have borrowed design ideas from the timelords. Antarctica: The gold standard for snow levels in games, from the ambiance tracks, boating in the Ross sea using a motor raft, my introduction to generators (I thought the smoke on the ship's generator/engine model was a smoke filled pit between the objects Lara could fall into when I first watched dad play this level) and cosy looking buildings. The mines had the minecarts I loved using as rollercoasters, both in-game and IRL as a kid when playing with a cardboard box. Lost City of Tinnos not only had the best scary ambience in games but it also had radioactive mutants, a giant laser that served as St Francis Folly on steroids, those pesky wasps, lava in the form of molten glass due to the city being on Mt Erebus, and those flowerpot basket swing sets you get in parks, only on fire. Then Meteorite Cavern had the best lava texture in all of gaming, a title it shares with Core Design's TRAE, Marathon 1 and Sonic the Hedgehog 2006, _especially_ the debugged fan remake on PC. Also one of my favourite final bosses with a breathtaking escape sequence. The only parts I didn't like are that RX Tech love to turn on Lara at a moments notice even when she's working for them (Antarctica & Meteorite Cavern) and she may have shot Gary in the face. All Hallows: my first secret level and it sets a good example, with bookshelf climbing, another fox swing (with a sneaky trap at the end that reminds me of Blarney Castle in Richard Scarry), bookshelf secret passage and dementors from Harry Potter in the sewer. *Tomb Raider 3: The Lost Artefact* Same as TR3 but highlights include: Highland Fling: exploring castles of Scotland is always a fun pastime of mine, as is exploring marshy swamps thanks to this level. We also get a fire breathing Nessie and a robot copy which does the same. After watching the show in 2006 after playing this, Nessie in this level made me wonder if Core Design were fans of The Raccoons. Willard's Lair: Ditto on the castle front. The tall hallway with spikes near the library reminds me of similar ones in our own Natural History Museum on chamber street. Shakespeare Cliff: Take Aldwych, set it in the Channel Tunnel, include a fun as hell quad bike sequence over and into radioactive crystal goo pits, add Stephenson's Rocket as a secret which I mistook for the Evergreen 504 also from The Raccoons, then finish by flushing all the toilets into the pit, diving into the toilet water and finding a secret magma chamber with the scariest looking lava textures in games. Sleeping with the Fishes: THE biggest reason I adore the Aquatic Base trope. Swimming in the sea around the channel tunnel, so deep underwater that there is nothing but inky blackness above. We hardly spend much time in the main sea given that riptides suck us back to the chunnel areas. We get dolphins, divers and the trope's titular base. The dementors from All Hallows are reskinned as lab made mutants in floatation tanks of the Hand of Rathmore's trademark toxic goo. (possibly more of the liquid crystal it and the other artifacts was made from, conjured into existence by it like the Etir Stone?) It's a Madhouse!: I love zoos, especially ones with big cats and monkey houses. Edinburgh is a good standard and this level makes me think of it, with a hedge maze, play equipment for the animals you get to climb on too, ziplines and one of the best beaches in games, right next door to a dimensional breach into a Lovecraftian hellscape. Reunion: The game stops beating about the bush about Sophia Leigh returning as the bad guy. Now we have the Meteorite Cavern ambience, we're trapped underground in the hellish dimensional anomaly that some sources claim is the Paris catacombs, but looks and feels more like a small part of a malicious spirit world crossed with cyberspace based on a series of dreams and fever dreams I had around at least 2005 to 2007 called Death Legend, ruled over by an evil giant artificial chaos from Shadow crossed with the gravemind known only as The Source. Details of Death Legend are best saved for another time, else we'll be here all night. Other than lost souls with their hearts ripped out, we have the Hand's mutagen crystal pooling everywhere as well as fragments of the same meteorite from Antarctica We have to combine them all in the pools so Sophia gets weaker, due to them being out of her reach before blasting her in the face with a rocket launcher at close range. Oh, and the sky outside, even on the original beach has turned into a nightmarish nebula, trapping us somewhere in space with a meteorite copy for the moon.

[@saldmor4420]

Seeing your video made me smile and remember my childhood. When I was 6 years old and my sister gave me to play Tomb Raider 3 for the first time, from that moment I became a great admirer of the tomb raider saga. greetings from Mexico!

[@OtaGaudencio]

I love those underwater and industrial levels from TR 2. I forgot the name of the level, but the one the is Ina sunk boat amazes me till today.

[@JFHeff]

Wreck of the Maria Doria I think.

[@Torthrodhel]

Great list! New to the channel, cool stuff. My fondest memories of levels are usually down to small moments, I think. Like that one you mention with her aiming at the mummies who aren't doing anything. I would put forward three levels that just really stick in my mind. Bear in mind that I began with TR3, so obviously am most nostalgic for that one. TR3's Aldwich Station... was amazing. Not only the weirdness of it being a train station and the tension of venturing onto the tracks knowing you could be smashed in by a train at any moment, but also just the idea that this IS a real place in the country I live in that I could in my imagination ignoring practical considerations actually visit. Love the way it begins, too with that descent and the leap you have to take very quickly if you want a secret. Plus I just love abandoned railways in general, they are so rich with spookiness. TR4's City of the Dead (I think?) section just had this vibe that set it apart from the other levels in that game. I found it quite genuinely creepy and never wanted to actually make my way through it (in that horror way where you do want to experience something because you don't want to). Had that "nope" factor to it. Didn't get that kind of dread feeling again until years later when Fallout New Vegas brought out its Dead Money DLC. TR3's initial Nevada level I gotta praise (despite the weirdness of Lara suddenly forgetting how to drive at the end) for that deceptive jump at the beginning, after circling around the edges... took me SO long to actually dare try it and was so astonished when it actually worked! I was like whoa, I can reach that? Not sure what it is about that moment in particular but nowhere else can I think of a part of the essential path forward being so well hidden by just nothing more than texture choices and level construction. So memorable. And this is someone who figured out the shortcut through the first India level just out of blind hope that it existed, lol. Gah it's so short and I'm so near... gah! I'm sure me trying that was inspired by the deceptiveness of that jump distance. As far as AoD is concerned, I always thought it had some great level design too. I particularly enjoyed the increased verticality on display. It really let you climb and descend a lot. Seemed like a very production-rushed game that could've been a really great game if it wasn't so lopped to bits by deadlines or budgets or whatever. I'm pretty sure these were the first video games that made me really think about level design being a thing. While the press was going all horndog over virtual boob size and other uninteresting rubbish, I was just marvelling at the world I got to play through.

[@tanyaflanagan8111]

St Francis folly, opera house, natlas mines Venice and the lost valley are the ones I just wanted to replay over and over

[@onewingedgamer96]

The floating islands from TR2 is my favorite!

[@itsinna5746]

okay this is my new favourite channel. I've never found a youtube channel with only tomb raider content, so watch me binge all of the videos in like a day lmao

[@Raidercast]

Hope you're enjoying the videos!

[@itsinna5746]

@@Raidercast I am! And I love the podcast too! I'm going though a pretty intense tomb raider phase right now so it's perfect! :)

[@princeoffriendship]

I thought number 1 would be Venice! That level is the favorite for many! I got the game right though! The second game was very well done!

[@geordiegaymer2256]

Aw man! So good to see Tomb of Qualopec and Temple of Xian up there :) Also I need to go back to Underworld someday soon! I'd love you to do a top 10 spooky/creepy/atmospheric levels video one day.

[@Raidercast]

Definitely considering a top spooky levels on for Halloween!

[@Walnussbaer95]

OMG I just found your channel. So great to see a lot of other fans of the old Tomb Raider series, as well as the new titles. Just amazing! :)

[@irvinargon]

Hello, what is the music at: 5:42 ?Please help me out. Have a great day.

[@Raidercast]

It's called "Adventure" by LuLuProduction over on MotionArray.com

[@irvinargon]

@@Raidercast Thank You :)

[@KazyaKurosawa]

For me the "best" level is 40 fanthoms. Yes, thalassos- and megalophobia helps anyone to put all the seabottom levels to different category. But even to a person free of those, the level is pretty damn unique. You are cut out of airsupply in ocean bottom, surrounded with endless blackness of the sea. Easily the most desperate situation any game has put me in and given controls without any glimpse of how can you survive from this. And that is even without the sharks. Yes the level is really easy after you know what to do, but at the first time... I mean they even had the nerve to put Lara FACING AWAY from the wreck and probably laughed while doing so. Who ever just started to explore forward (like every other level) was doomed to drown at the first try and still had no clues for the second try. A level that is really easy to dismiss if you are seasoned in the game. There is no cool textures or music. Just darkness, everyone knows you just roll immediately and follow debris to the anchor, it's quickly over. But if you remember your first time like i do, you most likely remember this level as the biggest "Good-fucking-luck"-moment ever. And i love that horror filled memory enough to give this level the credit it deserves. Too bad there is only one first time to everything.

[@Quixpeed]

Agree to your choice, though i vaguely remember the old versions, except TLR and thats my obsession, which i still play once at least every year, anniversary is cool, shadow of the tomb raider is a great addition to the series.

[@lolar6015]

I'd say my favourite one is the level in TR2 where the monks kill the bad guys for you :D I remember it was so important to me that none of the monks died. Also the Venice level, so nostalgic!

[@Raidercast]

Almost every time I play Barkhang I manage to accidentally shoot a monk and set the whole lot of them against me :(((

[@jayseepea]

Love that the background music for each level is reflective of the location hehe

[@Javox93]

I absolutely love Barkhang Monastery.

[@AlexeiVoronin]

My personal favorites, per game: TR1 - Palace Midas & Obelisk of Khamoon TR2 - Bartoli's Hideout & Barkhang Monastery TR3 - Jungle & Antarctica TR4 - Tomb of Set & The Lost Library TR5 - Colosseum & Labyrinth (from the expansions: Temple of the Cat, Nightmare in Vegas, and Sleeping with the Fishes)

[@xophyas7046]

no one from TR5 :c. I know nobody loves this game, but there are some cool levels in that one

[@loudneiv4653]

I hear you fellow ! I always felt shocked at how unfairly despised this game was. It attempted lots of unusual things in the series and I love it as much as the first three ones. The atmosphere in Rome was so damn unreal... I loved every bit of it. Probably among the hardest bosses of the whole ps1 series too !

[@Adam2dance]

Ok first of all I am so glad you chose GRAND CAIMAN DLC which has this visual stunning vilage next to entrance of Volcano. Those kind of abondend hubs are what I expect to see more in Tomb Raider I think.Second of all Thailand is an masterpiece among all TR levels-it's easy but not dull. Rise of the Tomb Raider has so many beautiful optional tombs that are majestic! I think my favourite is Venice in TR II that gives always the same childhood memories and iconic moments. And Also Tibet that brings players to the mythical world of monks through gameplay, backgrounds and MUSIC/SOUND!

[@icemunz702]

Love how you've covered the whole series from her maiden voyage right up to rise! I also love the challenge tombs, best part of those games IMO. My fav is baba yaga. Shout out to Barkhang monestry too! Would be great to see more top 10s

[@icemunz702]

*shadow, doh

[@tonypolk8]

TR1: lost valley TR2: 40 fathoms/mts of tibet(?) TR3: Coastal Village TR4: all the alexandria lvls

[@Raidercast]

Awesome levels!

[@1235q]

Tomb Raider: Legend - England. I just loved the atmosphere of that level.

[@AliaslsailA]

Oh yes, me too!

[@cardonull1465]

God I love temple ruins so much. The invisible platforms, navigating the mud, the shiva statue sword setpiece, and the levitating corpses. Ah!! it all comes together so nicely. The level that made me fall in love with classic tomb raider. The thames wharf is also up there for me. I love the verticality and navigating the precarious platforms. Not to mention the lovely urban atmosphere. So good.

[@miladchahwan5804]

The Hall Of Seasons yesss I almost forgot about this. I remember playing it for the first time I really enjoyed it

[@watermelonineasterhay]

I know what you mean about the tomb of qualopec being so unnerving in the way she aims at the mummy. I felt this exact way but couldn't articulate this at such a young age. Is it going to be a delayed attack? And the dancing music when she picks up the Scion also puts you on edge.

[@slowpasadena6641]

Hey! A good selection of levels, especially those related to old games) I love TR2 and levels in Venice, it's just breathtaking how atmospheric and mysterious everything is there) Thanks for the video, success to you and the channel

[@Raidercast]

Cheers! ❤

[@kawaiifacemiles]

I loved chronicles levels, the island and Von croys high tech building. Those ones felt super cool

[@pablons2061]

Awesome video! Love TR playing since 1996 my favorite is TR2 too, and I agree with number 1!

[@Raidercast]

Xian is such an awesome level!

[@GayAstray]

Recently become obsessed with your videos man. As a real nostalgia lover, and after getting tomb raider and the PS1 from Santa when I was about 7, it really is etched in my mind as my favourite game. I like the level where you first battle the T. rex in the first one because that music when it comes out is just so chaotic. I also liked the London levels in 3, and venice when you ride in the boat. Least favourite is rome from chronicles because I didn’t feel satisfied with it and those tight rope walks used to drive me mad!

[@Raidercast]

Thanks!

[@Raidercast]

Going by some anticipation on here and twitter, I think some of what is and isn't included may be quite a surprise! :o

[@crissy4346]

Ahhh i loved palace midas. I loved the entire Greece section. I definitely preferred the Anniversary versions though.

[@gorgisseva9892]

My favorite TR is TR2. The Venice level, the sunken level inside a boat and Temple of Xian level were all great. It's nice to find someone appreciating .... tombs design instead of mindless gunplay! As for shadow of tomb raider, all dlc's are included in the definitive edition.

[@zackaryabbotts5972]

Great list Chris not much to fault here and yes! "Temple of Xian" is without doubt the finest level i think I've ever played across the series, the level deign and atmosphere alone are of such a high standard and the opening section really sets the tempo for the level, so memorable.

[@gianmariaroza6084]

I cannot agree more for the First Place ! It's also one of my favourite since i was a kid. The atmosphere, the variety and the colours are a Nobel. And that Trap is neat :D (i always find some times to stop in the beginning and activate all (?) the Trap doors.

[@myst2697]

Surprised to see so few mentions of Lost City of Tinnos. That's gotta be my favorite level on the entire saga. Nothing has ever come close to the sense of discovery after the mines, going deeper and deeper into the ice to find something that even myth had forgotten, and it made one feel small as if it had been built by giants who yet whispered their secrets from across the ages. But there's so much awesome in every game. Opera House, Maria Doria, Xian and the Floating Islands, Ice Palace, Furnace of the Gods, 13th Floor, The Yamatai ruins, and of course the entire Atlantean saga with its exquisite organic alien-ness and golden designs.

[@Raidercast]

Awesome post!

[@joelm5509]

One of the best TR maps for sure.

[@godislove102887]

Lost City of Tinnos actually is a really cool level, though it's really VERY long....not really a BAD thing, but it does start to drag a little there towards the end, I think. I imagine they were probably trying to go for the scale that Temple of Xian had, which I think works for a final level before the end-game boss. I still despise the Air maze though. I get so lost there, lol.

[@trfan18]

For me personally, I absolutely loved the Venice and Tibet levels in Tomb Raider 2, especially Venice itself and Ice Palace. I remember when I was a kid I had a demo CD that had a demo of Tomb Raider 2 on it with the Venice level, and that's when my obsession began.

[@Raidercast]

trfan18 So cool that Venice was your first intro to TR!!

[@SethMcKenzieTV]

Love a good top 10, especially when it's TR related. :D Good choices, although I wouldn't have found Syria of Tomb of Qualopec to be labyrinthian enough to qualify, IMO. I think in no particular order my top 10 would be: Temple of Xian, The Deck, Crash Site, Palace Midas, Mexico, TR4's The Great Pyramid, Red Alert!, Sanctuary of the Scion, Nevada Desert, Geothermal Valley

[@Raidercast]

This is an awesome selection!

[@cool_chemist7644]

Thank you for giving some love to Angel of Darkness! It's actually one of my top 3 favorite TR games (behind The Last Revelation and TR 2). I also love Palace Midas, the Tomb of Qualopec and the Temple of Xian, as well as most of the Greece and Egypt levels (TR 1) and the Venice and Tibet levels (TR 2). Amazing list! P.S. I'm also a sucker for rain effects in video games and anything and everything about Meso-American culture in general. It goes without saying then that Shadow of the TR is definitely my favorite of the modern trilogy.

[@Labbish1]

I liked Barkhang Monastery. Or actually every Tibet levels in TR2. Snow level are always my favourites.

[@Raidercast]

I do love Barkhang! But I've never liked snow levels 😆

[@beyondtheinfinite3263]

Agree on Palace Midas and Tomb of Qualopec. Tomb of Qualopec introduced a rather simple hub area, while Palace Midas upped that concept up to 11 or even 12, because of how awfully-long the road to get the 3rd lead bar.

[@abloodredpearl8565]

I agree with your list for sure. However there are several other tombs I feel should be on the list. When it came to Palace Midas, I too would just have fun turning Lara into gold; I would line her up to the hand, and dive right onto it lol. I thought that was such an amazing and awesome detail they put in; among so many like you described and more. The Tomb Raider franchise is one of my absolute favourites because it never ceases to amaze me, and every game always feels like a true adventure to me.

[@entertherealmofchaos]

For me it's the original 2 games all the way but choosing a favourite level is like choosing a favourite child of mine.

[@greigsteven6613]

It's hard to choose favourites but levels that always stick out when I think of Tomb Raider are The Cistern (TR1), The Barkhang Monastery (TR2), City (TR3), Underneath the Sphinx (TRLR), Shantytown (TR2013). But I could go on for days making lists of levels I love from the series!

[@tep-gn4rk]

Really solid list! Half of my top 10 lists were from TRII (specifically Venice, Opera House, Floating Islands, Temple of Xian). It has been my favorite game for 20+ years and I still replay it every now and then. Honorable mention to Shipwreck Beach from 2013, the Alexandria levels in TRLR, Ghana from Legend, and Lost City in Rise. Loved the ambience in these levels.

[@Raidercast]

So many awesome levels!

[@nebby9751]

Great list! And loving the appreciation for Temple of Xian. I do love that it's one of the few TR2 levels that resist that games signature move of pulling a lever, then immediately getting ganked by Fiamma Nera goons =P I cant pick a top ten off the top of my head, but my top two are easily Venice, for the hours I spent as kid just cruising through the waterways, enjoying the violins and how well that boat controlled relative to other classic Tomb Raider vehicles. And Aldwych. Because of how crazily atmospheric it was and how out of place the level felt. From Lara leaping headfirst into an unknown bell tower for no visible reason, to that nightmare fuel culty Masonic temple, It had this really compelling vibe that Lara had ended up off course, and stumbled into somewhere that she absolutely should not be. And when I first played it I spent the entire level on edge, terrified of what was going to be around the next corner and that feeling is why I still think of that level so fondly. Though as it turns out, instead of the Silent Hill monstrosity I was expecting at the end of the level, there was just a very friendly Geordie 😂

[@Raidercast]

Hehe, yeah TR2 was really unforgiving with its enemies! And ... oh I really wasn't very good on TR3's London levels :o

[@damianbennett6007]

My top fav level & game of all time is st. Francis folly from TRA. I really luv the ambient choir voices & the trails to get the keys is so awesome & stunning 😀😀

[@XyCrashyX98]

Fantastic video as always! I think these are my top 10 TR levels 😁 10. Mexico (TRU) 🕷 9. Thailand (TRU)🐅 8. The Serpent’s Heart DLC (Shadow)🏄🏻‍♀️ 7. Syria (Rise)💀 6. The Lost Valley (TR1)🦖 5. Barkhang Monastery (TR2)⛩ 4. Area 51 (TR3)👽 3. Temple Ruins (TR3)🐵 2. Tomb of Semerket (TR4)♟ 1. The Lost Library (TR4)🏇🏿

[@Raidercast]

Péter Hutanu Love this list and the fitting little emojis for each one!

[@pierce3195]

Tomb Raider (4) The Last Revelation really is one of the best Tomb Raider games with some of the most ingenious and mind-breaking puzzles

[@WolfenTrek]

1. Lara's Home (TR2 and 3) 2. Venice 3. Opera House 4. Offshore Rig 5. Coastal Village (TR3) 6. Aldwych (TR3) 7. Mexico (TRU) 8. Cistern (TR1) 9. Tomb of Qualapec (TR1) 10. Cold War (TR2 Gold)

[@Raidercast]

To my great shame, I still haven't played TR2 gold or TR3 gold :o

[@TheVeryAngryShrimp]

@@Raidercast Nightmare in Vegas is the best TR2 gold level. Total fever dream 🤩

[@WolfenTrek]

@@Raidercast I haven't played TR3 Gold either, I love the Golden Mask though

[@noctissama3146]

I've played all the tomb raiders expect shadow. My favourite levels are area 51 and floating islands. Floating islands because it's so psychedelic

[@IngraIssdottir]

Tomb Of Qualopec it's a favourite indeed. The mummy inside the treasure room with the scion piece... The first time I started to shoot at it, jumping all around the room until I jumped too near it and IT FELL TO THE GROUND! Almost die from a heart attack

[@Raidercast]

Such an unnerving moment!!

[@ludatarali0987]

Oh nonono, the best level is King Arthur's tomb in Legend -100%!!!! ultimate gothic athmosphere, the mystery and then the King himself! I sometimes install Legend just to play that one level...oh I love it

[@Raidercast]

I love that lake with the tomb-castle, it's a damn cool place for sure.

[@1975kaboom]

Great video mate, I 100% concur with your No. 1 choice of best TR level!!!

[@The13thElysium]

Wow what an impossible task! There are so many to choose from! I would have to give a shout out to some of my personal favorites: Lost Valley/St Francis Folly/Obelisk of Khamoon/Great Pyramid (TR1/TRA) Opera House/Wreck of Maria Doria/Temple of Xian/Floating Islands (TR2) Coastal Villiage/Aldwych/City/Lost City of Tinnos (TR3) Cleopatra's Palaces/Sphinx Complex/Underneath the Sphinx (TR4) Tarjan's Markets/Submarine/Old Mill/The 13th Floor (TR5) Le Serpent Rouge/The Louvre/Hall of Seasons/Bio-Research Facility/The Sanitarium (TRAOD) Peru/Japan/Kazakstan/England - (TRL) Path to Avalon/Bhogavati/ The Midgard Serpent/ Valhalla/ Out of Time (TRU) Shipwreck/ Geothermal Caverns/ Chasm Shrine (TR2013) Glacial Cavern/ The Orrey/Path of the Deathless (ROTTR) Belly of the Serpent/Cenote/Mission of San Juan (SOTTR) A shout out to Tr2/Tr3 Gold as well!

[@Raidercast]

The13thElysium I love so many of these! I wish I could make a super long video and talk about them all 😍

[@The13thElysium]

@@Raidercast Haha I think i went overboard but there are so many good ones! :D

[@simonhbrooke]

I love how the older version receeded into darkness, probably due to the draw distance, but it made everything feels so cavernous and mysterious...

[@Raidercast]

A happy accident!

[@the.mayberries]

I'm glad that you mentioned a level from Shadow of the TR. It definitely needs more appreciation 💖. I love that game so much in terms of exploration, gameplay and story. You could literally spend hours in Paititi 😍. The DLC tombs are awesome. My favourites are the one with Amarus childhood story and the valley of the monkey twins.

[@RukudoSage69]

Thanks for your feedback of the newer games. I think I'll finally finish underworld now and move on to the ps4 reboots.

[@Aleksandr017]

Agree with most, haven't played the reboot TRs so can't say anything about them really. But when I saw you handing Temple of Xian the cake, I could not agree more with that one. Well done!

[@Raidercast]

Aleksandr017 It’s such a perfect level isn’t it? So twisted and punishing!

[@lukesvara4137]

In my hearth, Crash site from Tomb Raider 3 will always have a place. The final showdown versus the velociraptors is so epic

[@Lazar_STS]

Theres alot of good levels, but one of my favourites is the whole Atlantis section of TR1: When someone asks if you know tomb raider, you dont typically say oh yeah the game with the zombie centaurs shooting flesh bombs at you that explode on impact etc. Its the horror of the first game, you don't know if you prefer being alone or having company in a tomb raider game

[@thomascoleman6441]

1) The Jungle levels in TR3, because the atmosphere and cinematic music is amazing) 2) Venice, because Venice Violins 3) Temple of Xian, because The Skidoo I've only played the classics and some fanmade levels, and what I love the most about the Tomb Raider games is the atmosphere. And nostalgia.

[@adamgreen9583]

If it’s one level that stands out for me in Tomb Raider 1 it’s “ Obelisk Of Khamoon”. Being such a big fan of ancient Egyptian architecture and mythology, it’s a joy to explore this level so much due its colourful surroundings , rubix cube design, creepy mummies jumping at you from every corner and the ending back in the previous level unexpectedly, such Classic Tomb Raider at it’s very best 🙂

[@AutomotiveCNC]

Basically half of the levels of the original trilogy are quite memorable and original. But my absolutely favourite levels were the 1st/2nd level (Peru) of TR1, 2nd/3rd level (Venice) of TR2, and the Nevada desert of TR3.

[@sotiainen]

Lost valley, bartoli's hideout and jungle are some of my favorites.

[@Claggyt]

Hadn't played TR since Chronicles back in the day but lockdown boredom convinced me to dust off the XBOX One and sign up for Rise and Shadow. I was pleasantly surprised and some of the tombs were very interesting and needed some thought. My favourite TR level would have to be London in TR3. Maybe not the trickiest levels but there was just something about the atmosphere....

[@MdB92]

Here is my list of favorite 'tomb' levels in Tomb Raider (in order of game release): * TR1/Anniversary: St. Francis' Folly * TR2: Barkhang Monastery * Last Revelation: Tomb of Seth + Burial Chambers * Chronicles: Colosseum, Labyrinth (love the four very unique atmospheres in this game!) * AoD: Tomb of Ancients + Hall of Seasons and its siderooms (which were outright impossible for me to complete as a kid (the Red Ghost, anyone?😂), but now I have grown quite fond of these levels) * Legend: England & Peru (especially England and the story centered around King Arthur is so amazing!😍) * Rise of the Tomb Raider: the Orrery and the Prophet's Tomb * Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Trial of the Eagle, (parts of the) Mission of San Juan, and ALL DLC tombs since these are just SO good and look SO amazing😍 and are absolutely one of the highlights of the game (which bring us - out of the entire survivor/origin trilogy - the closest to Lara's future/'classic' (and our past) adventures)! I had so much fun in doing these, both in the 'usual' way, as well as during Score and Time Attack playthroughs, which are great modes in this game by the way (Howl of the Monkey Gods from The Nightmare, Slayer's Gauntlet from the Serpent's Heart, and Zipacna's Craving from The Grand Caiman are my favorites, but I also have to give an honorable mention to The Forge in its entirety since I love the story involving Abby and her grandmother, the first sidequest/sidearea, and of course the Forge of Destiny itself😍).

[@courage936]

my favorite tomb raider level is the one from TOMB 2 gold rush, the level where there is a frozen lake with transparent ice monsters who happen to be her allies (if unharmed). because the level environment itself can be manipulated an changed throughout.

[@lionocyborg6030]

Part 3 *Tomb Raider 2* Lara's Home: my introduction to both Tomb Raider and video games as a whole. I already loved playing in parks, going swimming, climbing on things and preparing for it all by watching TV like Rugrats, Toy Story, Hey Arnold, Rupert (the 90s one), The Magic School Bus and The Crystal Maze. Now here comes a "computer game" whose main character I'd seen before on my dad's mouse mat and socks and I think "Wait a minute! This is like TV except the remote is a weird giant rectangle with tons of buttons and I'm actually _doing_ all those things in the screen by using the remote to control the character instead of just watching them have all that fun without me, like a grown-up jealously watching his kids play in those soft play centres you find in restaurants and arcades/bowling alleys. " The green flags started with Lara having her own private park to play in and a swimming pool in her house apparently without those creepy and dangerous drains. The sequel I played around this time even let me use her pistols, introducing me to guns and showing me how good they are if used right, to the point I sometimes called TR3 "the gun one". The highlights were swimming and the Fox Swing AKA zipline. The Great Wall: Good place to start and also a harsh lesson to me on how games aren't always your friend, going by the many spikes, boulders, shuriken cannons and "yucks" i.e. the giant rolling shurikens. I didn't even know about the T-rexes until years later: I always just wanted to ride the long fox swing. Venice: Speedboats, classical music and boat locks. Nuff said. I didn't like how you couldn't actually ride the lock however, due to flipmaps, plus my original CD copy (still got it) back in the day had a nasty habit of crashing to desktop with an error message I couldn't read at the time, with beating Venice & Offshore rig (it varied which) being the trigger spots, so I saw those levels a lot. Opera House: Riding the elevator up & down is why I love this level, plus the vent system and the seaplane which for some reason has a pixelated picture of Kim Possible wielding a grenade launcher painted on the side. Everything else is just gravy. Both oil rig levels: Swimming around and climbing inside the Kim Possible seaplane to get my guns back, in my first ever prison break level in games. The rather dangerous way it all fits together makes me wonder who the architect of this place is, some of which got covered in the plotholes video. The Maria Doria (all of it): I'd seen this in TR3 Gold already but being trapped tons of metres underwater so you cannot even see the surface anymore for an inky blackness just has this odd feeling of excitement, terror and euphoria, especially if you are good enough at swimming that you're in no danger of drowning. Exploring the ship's pool drain system before getting dumped out of the upside down sump, seeing all the ruined rooms and exploring the coral reef caves around the ship both underwater and in air pockets makes me feel like a scuba diver exploring a lost sea world. Tibetan Foothills: I always loved snow and game levels set in it. This level (which for the longest time I only saw via the third PC demo video) introduced me to snowspeeders and how cool they are. Barkhang Monastery: The level I remember most thanks to borrowing my dad's savegames as a kid just to wander about, only beating it back then due to a glitch you can do with the strong room key and prayer wheels. In this level in my first time playing games, I saw a fire statue to climb on, the origin of the yucks blades, the entrance to the monastery I had trouble reaching, not realising dad had already been down there, hence the broken windows, the headphone shaped fire traps (we play all the hot tunes), trapped mace hallway, rooftop and two swimming pools, the first of which is but one major reason I despise pool drains with a passion. All of China Redux: Speaking of Rupert, I got mentally scarred by the horrible animation quality, (_especially_ those of that fucking pet dragon of the emperor's) scary music at times and the Great Dragon and his fires in the pilot episode when I was two or three years old, to the point it made me a massive racist against Asians for a long time. Only by hypocritically watching and liking Japanese anime, Jackie Chan Adventures & American Dragon: Jake Long, liking technologies from both Japan and China, eating Chinese food was I able to break out of that horrible way of thinking for good around when I was 10 or 11, before doing a complete 180 of those views by the time I turned 12 as I got Mirror's Edge around that time and loved it too. No joke, that actually happened and I regret ever having had such disgusting opinions ever since. It made it very hard to go back and watch that episode when I started rewatching the series: It was like Jack Torrance in the Shining confronting booze again after it caused problems for him, except unlike Jack history didn't repeat, for reasons I shouldn't need to explain. What the hell does that tangent have to do with Tomb Raider? The China Redux levels are a big reminder of the irrational fear caused by that Rupert episode. In Temple of Xian, we have; evil looking dragon statue designs, a moveable block with a face on it that resembles a demon statue from the Rupert pilot near the emperor's fruit bowl (the Great Dragon shows up soon afterwards in that scene), deep, bubbling lava everywhere, the spiky, dark & spider infested prisons and the original version of the Meteorite Cavern ambience I knew from TR3. Floating Islands I couldn't tell if it was Xen from Half Life or a titanic volcanic cavern under the Great Wall, stretching so far down, not even the light from the lava could reach you. Nowadays after seeing more Mario games than just Mario Kart Advance I can just imagine Koopa mocking Lara as I jump across the titular islands while Crisis City plays in the background. It then has a nightmarish volcanic Chinese temple, complete with the best ziplines in the whole game plus the return of shuriken launchers. The only thing bad about this level are some of the early jumps are a little tricky, even for a master like me and the lava went back to the shitty hotplates from Tomb Raider 1. The Dragon's Lair has the final boss. Unlike TR1, you actually see the boss lair decay around you as the ceiling collapses and fires break out as the volcano below erupts. I think parts of this followed by escaping the fireball inspired bits of Escape from Atlantis in TRAE, going by the latter games' design doc. *Tomb Raider 2: Golden Mask* Furnace of the Gods is basically a fun as hell lava level if you replaced liquid rock with molten gold. Kingdom does something similar but it gives you gold swamps in a fireproof forest. But my favourite here has to be Nightmare in Vegas. Far from a nightmare, we have a swanky hotel to chill in with high diving in the lobby, a cool designed but admittedly shit swimming pool (it's mostly too shallow), the return of elevators, aquarium styled marble in the dinner longue/auditorium and runaway superexotic zoo animals.

[@diegoraimundo11]

Liked your video and your broad selection of games in the series. For me, the number one spot belongs to The Wreck Of María Doria, from Tomb Raider II.

[@stubi1103]

Thank you for this beautiful compilation of your favorite levels and I look forward to further contributions from you to this great franchise. My favorite remains Angel of Darkness for many reasons, I just remember your wonderful post with the texture details from AOD., that was so wonderful !! Greetings from Germany.....:)

[@Raidercast]

Stubi 110 Lovely to read! 🙌♥️