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Old 24-07-16, 08:25   #213
indigo15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hiroyuki View Post
As to where it is, the explanation was that there are some islands in China which (in certain weathers I think, perhaps fog banks rolling around them) really look like they are floating in the air, I think people who saw them thought they had caught a real glimpse of heaven.

So I think this is some heavenly realm that Bartoli has been transported to between his death and rebirth.
I've read quite a few interesting theories regarding what The Floating Islands level is supposed to be. I've come across this one quite a few times, and I do believe it was the "official" explanation.

Quite a while ago, I came across a web site (I wish I could find it now so I could provide a link to it) that said something about there being myths of "voids" being present inside Chinese temples. I haven't been able to verify if this is an actual myth or not, as there doesn't seem to be much information online about the topic (can anyone knowledgeable about Chinese myths and legends verify this?), but if such a myth does exist, then The Floating Islands could possibly be an amalgam of the two ideas: a void inside the Temple of Xian that was inspired by the real-life optical illusion of islands floating in mid-air in certain types of weather.

Anyway, fantastic review of what is easily the creepiest level (and one of the most difficult levels) in the Tomb Raider series. I agree with everything you wrote, from the jumping sequences to the enemies to the color scheme and level design. As a side note, I believe I plummeted to my death approximately nine bajillion times during my first playthrough! Add in the Xian Warriors with the spears and it was more like ten bajillion deaths in total.

Last edited by indigo15; 24-07-16 at 08:27.
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