LEVEL 8: THE GREAT HYPOSTYLE HALL

Secrets: none

(NOTE: The Temple of Karnak, Great Hypostyle Hall and Sacred Lake, are like one big level made up of linked parts.  You can go between them as many times as you need to, but twice through each level should be enough if you explore thoroughly.  I have included both visits to each level on the same page.)

OUTDOOR AREA WITH TOPPLED BLOCKS: Climb out of the pit and go up the ramp to the left to an outdoor area.  To the left (south) there are several doorways between square columns.  To the right (north) there's a square opening framed with carvings.  Pick up the shotgun shells on one of the blocks ahead, then explore inside the doorways with square columns.  Here you'll find 2 black scorpions along with flares and a small medipak.  Return outside, then go through the square opening with the carvings.

DARK ROOM WITH UPPER LEVEL SUPPORTED BY SQUARE PILLARS: There are 2 black scorpions lurking on the left side of the lower level.  Kill them, then climb onto one of the square blocks and through one of the openings in the ceiling to the upper level.  There are 2 more scorpions up here on the right (north) side, along with wideshot shells and Uzi clips in two of the alcoves.

At the far side of the area with the alcoves, jump to grab the bars on the ceiling.  Traverse forward and to the right to drop on one of the ledges.  Jump over to the dark alcove ahead (to the north) and get some flares.  Jump back across the ledges to the far (southern) alcove to get a box of shotgun shells.  Then return to the middle ledge and, from there, jump to the long, well-lit, sand-colored ledge on the west side of the room.

You can also follow the hallway at floor level, but you'll miss Uzi clips and a small medipak near the end of the ledge.  After getting these items drop down and continue to the deep pit.

Cut scene: Two jeeps arrive, along with Von Croy's car.  Von Croy gets out and orders his henchmen to go after Lara.

Take a running jump from the bit of floor that juts out over the pit to grab the other side.  Pull up and continue to a SMALL OPEN SPACE BETWEEN BUILDINGS.  Note the crawlspace in the northwest corner.  You aren't yet able to open the door at the end of that passageway (you're missing the HYPOSTYLE KEY), but you'll be back.  For now, go through the square opening on the north side.  Inside the building, to the left, is a small medipak on the floor and Uzi clips on a ledge.  Get these, then slide down the ramp to enter the next level.

Continue with the walkthrough for SACRED LAKE (first time).


GREAT HYPOSTYLE HALL (second time)

Secrets: none

You return to this level for the second time after completing the TEMPLE OF KARNAK (second time).  Climb out of the pit and go up the ramp to the courtyard.  There's a hired assassin waiting just outside on the left.  Kill him and take his Uzi clips.

(NOTE: This is a different breed of bad guy from the thugs in light blue.  They wear red-and-black robes and carry collapsible sword contraptions-what are these things?-that they can wield as weapons or twirl around to shield themselves from bullets.  Occasionally, they also carry guns and will switch from one weapon to the other.  In dealing with them you might try keeping your distance and shooting them with pistols.  Then, when they start twirling their knives, either turn your back on them briefly or put your weapons away.  They'll retract their knives.  Then you can start shooting again.  Naturally, if you're trapped in close quarters, or if one of them draws a gun, you want to retaliate with something more powerful, like the shotgun or Uzis.)

DARK ROOM WITH UPPER LEVEL SUPPORTED BY SQUARE PILLARS (again): Go through the door on the right (the square opening with the carvings), and take out the assassin lurking inside.  Exit through the sandy hallway at the far left.  When you come to the bend just before the deep pit, you'll be ambushed by 2 assassins—one from ahead, one from behind.

(NOTE: You can avoid these two by climbing to the upper level of the DARK ROOM, jumping across to the sandy ledge on the south end and walking along above the hallway to the end.  If you drop off after turning the corner, the two assassins won't appear.)

Take a running jump across the pit to grab the other side.  Pull up and continue to the SMALL OPEN SPACE BETWEEN BUILDINGS.  (You've been here before too.) This time, go through the crawlspace in the northwest corner, follow the passage to the end and use the HYPOSTYLE KEY to unlock the door.

HUGE AREA WITH THREE SEPARATE ROOMS, UPPER AND LOWER LEVEL DOORWAYS: There are several assassins lurking behind the broken blocks and ornate columns in this series of interconnected rooms.  Depending on your combat style, you can either climb up to the higher levels now and traverse along some of the handholds on the undersides of the ledges.  Or, enter each of the rooms at ground level first to clear out some of the vermin.

FIRST (NORTH) ROOM: Two assassins come out as soon as you enter.  If you want all the pick-ups run to the left and quickly grab the small medipak on the low block.  If you don't, one of the assassins will steal it and you won't see it again.  (See this screenshot.) If you don't care about that item, you can instead run to the far right (southwest) corner and climb up the stone blocks to the ledge above to avoid the assassins' blades.  One will probably draw a gun if you engage him for a while.  So you might want to switch to a more powerful weapon at this point.  The other may lurk under the ledge.  So you'll need to change position on the lege and block to draw him out.  The shooter drops his UZIS (or Uzi clips if you already have the guns) when he dies.

MIDDLE ROOM: If you enter at the lower level and approach the shotgun shells on the low block, a third assassin will emerge.  Then, if you continue through to the THIRD (SOUTH) ROOM and approaching the flares, this activates the fourth assassin.

Or, if you prefer the non-confrontational approach, enter the next room via the upper level: Jump from the stone block in the southwest corner to the middle of the ledge (between the two columns).  Jump to grab the handholds on the underside of the walkway above and traverse forward (east) then right.  Drop down in the upper-level doorway.  Enter and go through to the doorway above the MIDDLE ROOM.  To draw out the bad guy lurking here, jump to the small square ledge to the left of th doorway.  Then take a running jump to the next small ledge.  Use the bars above to traverse across to the upper-level room on the right side.  From here, you can start shooting at the third assassin below, though you may have to traverse back and forth a few times to draw him out.  Go through the upper-level room on the right side to the opening above the THIRD (SOUTH) ROOM.  From here, you can get a clear shot at the fourth assassin below.

You can run around and make the various pick-ups now if you like (see below), or, if you've taken the 'high route,' wait to get them all after you finish the upper level.  From the upper doorway facing into the THIRD (SOUTH) ROOM, grab the overhead bars and traverse forward and to the right (west) to drop on the ledge with the black switch.

Before pulling the switch, turn around to notice a black-and-red robed baddie traversing across the bars toward you.  If you spy him in time, you can easily shoot him down before he reaches you.  Now, jump up to grab the switch, and Lara's weight will pull it down.

Cut scene: The trapdoor in between the ledges high up in the MIDDLE ROOM raises.

Return to the MIDDLE ROOM and use the handholds to traverse past the now-raised trapdoor to the ledge at the left (west) end.  Again, turn and kill another assassin traversing toward you.  He drops some wideshot shells, but you can wait to get them.  First pick up the Uzi clips at one end of this ledge.  Then use the block at the other end to climb to the upper level.

Cross the ledge to the middle of the room.  The camera angle goes all weird in order to draw your attention to the large ball balanced on the skinny pillar.  Shoot the ball to knock it down, making a hole in the floor.  Then return to where you climbed up.  Climb down to the middle level the way you came.  Drop to the floor, and if you haven't gotten all the pick-ups yet, do that now: UZIS (or Uzi clips) in the FIRST (NORTH) ROOM; shotgun shells plus the wideshot shells the traversing assassin dropped in the MIDDLE ROOM; a large medipak in the lower level room between the MIDDLE and THIRD (SOUTH) ROOMS on the west side (the entrance is in the MIDDLE ROOM below the door to the upper level); and flares in the THIRD (SOUTH) ROOM.  When you have everything, head for the hole the ball made and safety drop into it.

GLOWING PYRAMID AND ROTATING NEEDLES: Grab the Uzi clips in the dead-end passage on the right.  Then go to the left down a long hallway.  Two doors lead into a room on the left.  Here you'll find a block with a GLOWING PYRAMID on top.  There's a chain on the east side that doesn't do anything (yet).  The other three sides of this room have openings leading into other rooms.

Climb onto either of the ledges below the opening in the west wall and jump to grab it.  Pull up and go inside to find flares and shotgun shells on two of the ledges.  Return to the GLOWING PYRAMID ROOM, then climb the ladder into the north room to get some Uzi clips from one of the ledges.  (There are no goodies in the south room.) Exit the GLOWING PYRAMID ROOM and follow the hallway to the left.  It ends below an opening in the ceiling with a ladder.  Climb up to the FIRST GEAR ROOM.

In case you haven't figured it out, the huge, carved stone "needles," three in all, are mounted onto wheels so they spin like compass needles.  The narrow ends are marked with a red stripe.  You need to turn them so they all point toward the pyramid at the center.  Conveniently, you can just see the needles through the holes in the floors.  So use your compass and refer to the diagram at right.

The FIRST (NORTH) NEEDLE is pointing east.  You want it to point south, so turn the wheel clockwise ¼ turn.  That is, stand facing the side of the handle on the wheel and press Action to push it (it won't pull) once.  (Each push is a quarter turn.)

Go out the other door and along the hallway to the SECOND GEAR ROOM.  This needle points west.  You want it to point east.  So give the wheel ½ turn (two pushes) in either direction.  Continue to the THIRD GEAR ROOM.  The last needle points east.  You want it to point north.  So give the wheel ¼ turn (one push) counter clockwise.

Return through the other gear rooms and down the ladder to the GLOWING PYRAMID ROOM.  Now pull the chain.

Cut scene: Huge hammers bang into the bottoms of the needles, causing electricity to jolt from the points.  This bursts the glowing pyramid.

Climb up onto the block where the pyramid was and pick up the SUN DISK.  Taking it opens a hole in the floor along the west wall.  Drop through it and follow the passage back to the SACRED LAKE.

Continue with the walkthrough for SACRED LAKE (second time).

*NOTE: There are 70 secrets in the entire game.  These are marked "(x/70)" in this walkthrough.  To check your progress in-game, press Pause and choose Statistics.

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Copyright © 2000 - Stellalune (e-mail stella@tombraiders.net).  Special thanks are given to the participants in the alt.games.tombraider newsgroup, without whom some parts of this walkthrough couldn't have been written.  Thanks also to Sharon E., Ryan, Ken L., Kelvin B., Edward W.  and Nick B.  for their help on this level.  Extra special thanks to Dewo for the tip on the thieving assassin in the area beyond the Hypostyle lock.  Feel free to copy, distribute and quote this walkthrough, but please include this credit line so people can send me their corrections, comments and suggestions.  Also, if you'd like to offer this on your own web site, please read and follow the instructions here.

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