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Review
I don't recall having seen a dinosaur level in this series since TR3 (1998). Whenever there has been one though it's usually a totally fab and unexpected encounter of immense glass-of-water-shaking-on-dashboard proportions. The first one of this 96-98 trilogy, as it were, is no exception. In fact it almost makes you forget there's an entire level to talk about in addition to 'that' encounter.
A combination of factors ensure Lara's big battle in the valley is effective as well as memorable. First of all, the dinosaur is only making this one appearance in the whole game. If like the wolves and the bats he'd been made to pop up all through the game, who would remember this particular one on level 3? Not many. In fact on the re-runs, (of which when it comes to TR1 I'm currently on my 5th) you would probably sigh and think 'Oh no. Here in begins a million encounters with dinosaurs again'. But that's not how it is. You can enjoyably play this boss fight in the knowledge it is a one-off chore.
Another factor that plays in favour of the T-Rex meeting are the graphics. Notoriously undeveloped and shoddy throughout TR1, that fact helps rather than hinders here. I'm speaking mainly about the way the screen blackens out anything more than 50 yards away. With AOD-esque visuals you would be able to see those dinosaurs from half a mile away and the conflict would not be as sudden and as shocking. Even the dodgy 2D plants lying around are cool. Baby dinos can run through them and suprise you rather than have to run around the outside
Finally on the grahics side of things, I have to say that the 'roof' of the Valley is interesting. Have we come out into an open area of the level here, or do we see blackness because of the graphical limitations? I'd like to think it's an indoor area but with a cave roof too high to see. Remember, when we first go into the caves it was broad daylight outside. It takes 15 minutes to do that level, and 20 to do Vilcabamba, and I don't know any country in the world that can switch from afternoon to night-time that quickly. Make your own mind up.
Speaking of Vilcabamba, this level is similar in that it is made up of two sections sat side by side. One contains the actual valley, and the other a raging waterfall section bearing a rather neat puzzle to solve. This is the first of numerous occasions in the series where one must collect three keys to get past one particular dead end. I prefer having to get something believable like three cogs though than a 'Silver' key, a 'Metallic' key, and some other key, in order to open a door with three locks on it.
I like the part where you stumble across some skeletal remains with a shotgun next to them. There are other remains lying around the Valley, but none with a weapon. Curious. So the other adventurers who were unarmed went to face the dinosaurs, and the only one with a firearm stayed behind? Makes sense. I can only think the guy up beside the shotgun realised how his buddies were dying and decided he would rather face starvation. (Lord knows he would have had plenty of water!).
This is fairly simple level designing but done with quality. It is not the best level in TR1 by any means, but definitely one to brush the cobwebs over in future years and show the grandchildren just what life was like before "Tomb Raider 26 : Von Croy junior's empire strikes back" - 9/10
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