Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness has been billed as the first true renovation of the best-selling series since the ground-breaking 1996 original. This edition is built on a completely new engine, which pumps out 'next-generation' graphics and allows many new animations and interactions. Lara herself enjoys the engine upgrade as well, as she's now rendered with ten times the number of polygons as in earlier Tomb Raider games.
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The role-playing aspects of this adventure are slightly more central to play than in earlier games. Lara must enter a dark, supernatural world where nothing is certain. She must interact with other characters, and complex situations call for her to make ethical decisions where there is no clear-cut 'good' or 'evil' choice. Lara also develops throughout the game, as her abilities improve and adapt to the way she's played. A new system is designed to offer smoother control of Lara's many moves, which include new stealth attacks and hand-to-hand combat.
This page includes Windows and Macintosh save files for Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness (Tomb Raider 6).Saves for other games are linked in the sidebar below. Tombraiders.net is not responsible for any problems that may occur due to downloading these files or following advice given here. Welcome to the Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness wiki guide. In Lara's never-ending pursuit of Indiana Jones' sweet perfection you're about to experience first hand what it's like to be a Tomb Raider. Through treacherous tombs and into the heart of Paris, Lara's adventures will at times bring you to tears with their challenge.
Five forgotten works of art, the 14th century Obscura Paintings, will unlock devastating powers if they fall into the hands of a mysterious alchemist who leads a secret alliance of powerful people. Stopping the villain would be difficult enough, even for the resourceful Ms. Croft, but our heroine's quest is complicated as she is framed for the murder of her former mentor, Von Croy. Now, on the run from the authorities, Lara must avoid being captured as she strives to keep the alchemist and his alliance from unleashing their evil on the world.
While most of the previous Tomb Raider games had you traipsing about exotic locales, the latest installment begins with Lara accused of murdering her former mentor, Werner Von Croy, in Paris. After what seems to take too long, you finally start to gain clues as to what is really going on. There's something called the Monstrum stalking Paris (that's sort of the major plot, so I won't give away details), and it's Lara's job to figure out what's really up. An upshot here is that the cutscenes, while graphically average, feature topnotch voice acting, and the game's music is one of the best video-game scores to date.
As expected, this leads Lara on a wild goose chase, exploring such new areas as a night club called Le Serpent Rouge, discovering the secret hideout of a potentially powerful ally, and even briefly taking control of a new character named Kurtis Trent. His levels are an interesting diversion, reminiscent of the early Resident Evil games more than anything else, but his inclusion seems mainly to drag out the story a little more.
The 'upgrades' that Lara receives throughout the game are nothing more than a contrivance, allowing Lara to jump further, run faster, etc. as you progress. It sounds cool, but the implementation is all wrong. Usually, there's some arbitrary box or door that Lara must drag or kick open to gain an upgrade, and that means that door you couldn't open earlier is now fair game. The connections between the upgrades relate directly to the puzzle you're working on, as there's very little chance to backtrack and try new skills as they're learned. Additionally, the somewhat awkward but ultimately useful cube-based style of gameplay in the previous games is gone, as Lara is no longer walking on a grid. You used to know exactly how to line Lara up for a jump, but now that the grid is gone, it's more difficult.
Most of the puzzles are of the typical Tomb Raider variance, with switches to flip and levers to pull. There are also the usual crate-dragging puzzles and other maneuvering of crate-shaped objects to get to various places. There are also a few puzzles that border on Myst levels of irrelevance and concocted, made-up logic, which feel entirely out of place, even if there's just a few of them.
A real letdown is that, except for the darker plotline, Angel of Darkness plays pretty much the same as any other Tomb Raider game. There are timed sequences, things to shimmy on and hang from, dumb enemies to kill, and so on. The writing is perhaps the best of any Tomb Raider game, but it all has a very pass feel. This might be forgivable if the rest of the game didn't scream, 'Release me in time for the movie!' I'm a fan, but some things are really difficult to forgive, much less forget.
The Tomb Raider series has never really been known for its precise control, but because of the exploratory nature of the games, it's mostly been forgiven. I'm not sure how (or possibly why), but the controls are slower here. Far slower. To put it lightly, Angel of Darkness controls like a derailed, speeding freight train. With no brakes. On an ice rink. And the ice is cracking. Mouse control is particularly atrocious -- it's either a full 180-degree spin or a few seconds of a degree with little in-between. With the precise movements required by Lara, the mouse is not an option. The gamepad and keyboard are the better alternatives and work equally better, but it's still slipshod at best.
One of Lara's most useful moves is walking: she won't fall off ledges or accidentally make some other move you don't want when the walk key is pressed. Pressing left or right in walk mode will make Lara slowly strafe in the appropriate direction, which is required for precise movements. However, if your timing is just a little off, then pressing left or right will simply rotate Lara in place, even if the walk icon is showing. Even weirder, she'll sometimes strafe in one direction and rotate in the other. Timing is key during many of the episodes, and these types of glitches just aren't acceptable.
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Finally, the inventory is a mess. I collected several maps throughout the game, but could never figure out how to view one. The game even told me to look at the map a few times, but activating the map made a beep followed by the same rotating inventory image. Most of the guns each took two bullets for each shot, even though there's only one barrel. The Notebook, which you find fairly early on, contains a lot of important information. Unfortunately, it's never annotated, only appended to. The Notebook becomes an unwieldy mess the further you go, and it's often difficult to figure out what applies to your situation without flipping through page after page.
When everything is just right, the game is truly beautiful. Lara's animation is topnotch, as are most of the enemies and other effects (fire, water, etc.). Reflections are everywhere, and there's a true sense of height when you're dangling from a ledge. There are some ragdoll physics in effect here, but the results are hit and miss. Sometimes, a dead enemy literally looks like he had his head up his butt (before oddly flashing out of existence); other times, plummeting to your death (which you'll do a lot of) results in Lara bouncing off objects in a very believable manner.
All the prettiness, though, doesn't save the other major problems. In addition to the previous graphical issues, Angel of Darkness has some major clipping issues. Helicopter lights shine through roofs, Lara clips through some steps and walls, enemies shoot through doors, etc. In particularly busy areas, the entire screen flashes through walls, showing perhaps areas that are locked to you at the time in strobe light fashion. There are far too many examples of graphically impressive games where such issues are resolved, and given the three or more years this has been in development, it almost seems like this is a beta version of the graphics engine.
Adding injury to insult is the screwball camera. While it's just fine for most situations, it's completely useless when it matters most. Much like the pre-rendered games of the same era as the original Tomb Raider, the camera will fix itself on a position, presumably for a dramatic impact. This often reverses your control and completely messes you up. There's a way to look around, but it's disabled during these 'dramatic' scenes. It's an artificial way to make a potentially easy situation exponentially more difficult, and it's not appreciated.
Will anyone enjoy Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness? I don't know. I'm a big fan of the Tomb Raider games and I struggled through it. It's certainly not going to draw any new fans to the series; it's got more issues than a transvestite teenager on Jerry Springer. We can only hope that a patch (or more likely, multiple patches) will be released to address the major issues. The moments that shine are really good, but they're the minority here, and the rest of the game should really have been in better form.
How to run this game on modern Windows PC?
This game has been set up to work on modern Windows (10/8/7/Vista/XP 64/32-bit) computers without problems.
People who downloaded Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness have also downloaded:
Tomb Raider 4: The Last Revelation, Tomb Raider Chronicles, Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider 3: The Lost Artifact, Tomb Raider 2, Tomb Raider 3, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend, Tomb Raider Gold Stella's Tomb Raider Angel of Darkness Walkthrough - Windows, Mac & PlayStation 2
Items: 2 health items, 7 treasure/money, Ex-Janitor's Key or Bartender's Key and Café Owner's Contact
Weapons & Ammo: 2 ammo items Enemies: none Upgrades: Lower Body
NOTES: This walkthrough covers the various maps that make up the Parisian Ghetto proper, along with several small but separate areas: the Café Metro, St. Aicard's Church, Willowtree Herbalist and Rennes' Pawnshop. I have combined them for convenience since you'll end up going back and forth between them. Due to their larger size, the Serpent Rouge nightclub, St. Aicard's Graveyard and Bouchard's Hideout are treated as separate levels.
ABANDONED METRO CAR: Exit the train car and go to the left to the homeless men around the fire.
Dialogue - Homeless Man: Ask the man with the dog about Louis Bouchard. You won't get much info, but he does suggest you try the Café Metro.
Return to the train car. Climb onto the pipe alongside it and jump up to grab the top of the car. Pull up, cross the top of the car and crawl under the large pipe to get a large health pack. Lara says, 'I can climb that easily.' Jump to grab the chain link fence on the wall and climb up and to the right. Drop onto the wide grating ledge.
Turn back toward the homeless men. Take a long running jump to grab the next wide grating ledge. Pull up. Note the items on the other side of the chain link fence to the right. To get there, jump to the narrow ledge along the wall ahead. (See this screenshot for clarification.) You can grab or not. If Lara lands on her feet, activate walk mode and walk along the ledge to the right through a gap in the fence. If she grabs, traverse to the right and pull up. Go right to get the goodies, 160 Euros and a chocolate bar. Return along the narrow ledge past the chain link fence. Jump back to the wide ledge and then take a running jump to grab the other wide grating ledge and pull up. (Or safety drop onto the train car, cross over it and climb up the bit of chain link fence to the ledge.)
RUE PERDUE: Jump to the ledge on the left at the gap in the fence. Approach the man.
Dialogue - 'City Guide': This guy obviously knows the neighborhood, but he is cautious about what he reveals. He'll tell you a bit more about Bouchard and the Monstrum. Bouchard runs a club called Le Serpent Rouge but had some trouble recently involving the deaths of a number of his staff. The young man also suggests you try Café Metro for more info, but if you ask about the café's owner, he says the guys' a loser.
After speaking with the 'guide', your notebook will be updated. Follow the wall to the right and around the corner. At the end you'll find 160 Euros at the bottom of some steps. Backtrack to the guy you just talked to and go through the door next to him.
COURS LA SEINE/JANICE: You emerge on a nearly deserted street near Le Serpent Rouge, which is closed. Approach the lady in red.
Dialogue - Janice: It is important to talk to her. She will give you some useful information, and speaking with her also unlocks future dialogue options. Like the others you've met, she advises you to be wary of Bouchard. She doesn't know where he is now but suggests you might find out from one of Bouchard's ex-employees. Bernard, the former janitor, now frequents the park. Pierre, the ex-barman, now runs the Café Metro. She also mentions she heard on the radio that something terrible happened to a woman named Carvier. Again, your notebook is updated.
Click for a printable map of this level. (Thanks to John B. for this.) Or, simply refer to the in-game street maps. (There's one right across the road from Janice.) Approach any of these and press Action for a close-up view. Each map has a you-are-here marker and shows the buildings where all the major activity in this level occurs. The first map is just down the street from where Janice is standing, to the left if Lara's back is toward the door where you entered this street. The blue and white signs will also direct you to points of interest.
Now you must decide which ex-employee you'd like to meet. Once you've agreed to help one of them in exchange for information, the other won't talk to you. Details on the Bernard/Pierre missions are below.
There are also a few optional side areas to visit and items to pick up:
TO FIND BOUCHARD THROUGH BERNARD: Head along the Cours la Seine away from Janice and the Serpent Rouge (to the right if Lara's back is to the door next to Janice). When you reach the tractor-trailer blocking the street, turn left and follow the Rue de Piolet uphill.
The Parc de Lune is at the top of the hill, opposite St. Aicard's Church. Enter through the gate with the 'Metropolitan' sign. Bernard is feeding the pigeons...or drinking...or something. There is also a gated entrance to the abandoned Metro tunnels that doesn't open from this side. (See the Metro Tunnels section of the Serpent Rouge walkthrough for more info.)
Dialogue - Bernard the Janitor: Agree to find Bernard's trinket box inside the Serpent Rouge—and pay him 160 Euros—and he will help you get to Bouchard. If you don't have enough money, if you have already agreed to help Pierre, or if you have not yet talked to Janice (above), then Bernard won't talk to you. You can sell items at Rennes' Pawnshop (above) to get more money, but once you've made an agreement with Pierre, you can't deal with Bernard.
After this conversation, your notebook is updated and you have the EX-JANITOR'S KEY in your inventory. Leave the park and turn right onto the Rue de Piolet. Go down the hill. At the bottom, where the truck blocks the road, turn right onto the Cours la Seine. You'll find the nightclub's garage entrance on the left. Enter using Bernard's key. Continue following the Serpent Rouge walkthrough.
- OR -
TO FIND BOUCHARD THROUGH PIERRE: From the spot near the Serpent Rouge where Janice is standing, cross the street and go up the stairs. Continue straight on until you reach the Rue Dominique, which runs left to right. Turn left here and go past the low cement barriers to a dead end. This is the Place d'Arcade, where you'll find the Café Metro. Go inside.
Kurtis Trent is seated in the corner, but he won't talk to Lara. Instead talk to Pierre.
Dialogue - Pierre the Bartender: If you tell him you're the kind of person who sorts out problems, he'll make a deal with you. Agree to retrieve his trinket box from the Serpent Rouge nightclub and he will help you get to Bouchard. If you have already agreed to help Bernard, or if you have not yet talked to Janice (above), then Pierre won't talk to you.
After this conversation, your notebook is updated and you have the BARTENDER'S KEY in your inventory. Leave the café and turn left. Go past the cement barriers. Turn right and continue to the stairs leading down. Descend to the Cours la Seine, turn left and continue along the street past Janice.
Cut scene: Kurtis Trent comes out of an alley near the nightclub and peels out on his motorcycle.
Pass the garage entrance and turn into the alley on the right (Rue de Clef). Use Pierre's key to unlock the stage door and enter the club. Continue following the Serpent Rouge walkthrough.
ONCE YOU HAVE RETRIEVED THE TRINKET BOX: Return it to Bernard or Pierre, or take the box directly to Bouchard's doorman (above).
IMPORTANT: After speaking to Bernard or Pierre, make sure you've pawned everything you want to before continuing to St. Aicard's Graveyard and Bouchard's Hideout. You will not have another chance to sell your items. See Rennes' Pawnshop if you haven't been there yet.
Find Bernard in the Parc de Lune where he was before. When you give him the box, he tells you the password: 'pluit noir' (black rain...hmm...cryptic). Your notebook is updated. Go to the doorman with this info and he'll let Lara pass through to St. Aicard's Graveyard.
Or, return to Pierre at the Café Metro. When you bring him the box, he mentions that another customer was asking about Bouchard. In exchange for the box, he gives you the security code for his ex-girlfriend Francine's apartment building. (Yes, apparently Pierre is a loser.) Your notebook is updated and you get a slip of paper, the CAFÉ OWNER'S CONTACT, with the code on it.
To get to Francine's, leave the Café, go left past the cement barriers to the Rue Dominique (with the crosswalk/zebra crossing) and continue a short way to #17, on the left. Enter the security code you got from Pierre (15328) on the keypad, go inside and up the stairs and open the door. Francine's apartment is covered in the walkthrough for the next level, St. Aicard's Graveyard.
NOTE: To exit the keypad screen before entering the correct sequence of numbers, press Enter. I assume its Triangle on the PS2, but I'm not positive about this.
†UPDATE HISTORY: 1/16/07 - Various minor changes for clarity and flow. Expanded the page on St. Aicard's Church interior. Thanks to Minty for help with that.
1/27/07 - Added info on the boxing ring bug in St. Aicard's Church. Thanks to Nikki J. and Elliot S. for this info. 2/10/07 - Amended the boxing ring bug info, thanks to Lucas. Apparently this bug happens on the PC, as well as the PS2. 6/23/14 - Added screenshots for the Euro pickups and a note about the third stack of cash being missing in some versions of the game. Thanks to all the players who wrote in about this. 12/5/14 - Added note at the end about exiting the keypad entry screen without entering the correct sequence. 1/30/15 - Amended notes on dialogue options in this level. It is necessary to talk to Janice, otherwise neither Bernard nor Pierre will talk to you. Thanks to Eddie for this correction.
ABOUT MONEY: There is lost cash to be found throughout this level. You can also take certain items you find to Rennes' Pawnshop and sell them. As a result, you will have the opportunity to collect thousands of Euros, most of which you won't actually need. If you choose every option that costs money, you should only spend about 2,000 Euros, and you can get by without spending any.
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 Square Enix Tomb Raider Forum or any of the other message boards 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 © 2003- - Stellalune (). I am eternally grateful to the members of the alt.games.tombraider newsgroup, whose contributions to this walkthrough are numerous. Thanks also to the developers of Fraps, the program used for all AOD screenshots. I also want to thank John B. for his neighborhood map, Nikki J., Elliot S. and the numerous players who wrote to tell me about the pickups I'd missed in the tunnels. 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.
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