CONTROLS
The Nintendo DS CONTROLS are pretty straightforward, and the early areas include on-screen tutorials. But in case you have a used copy of the game or have lost your manual, the basic controls are listed below. Unfortunately these controls cannot be remapped. And, as far as I know, there are no cheat codes for this game.
Control Pad |
Move, Swim, Climb |
A |
Kick |
B |
Jump, Skip cinematic |
Y |
Fire weapon |
Control Pad + B |
Jump in a particular direction |
Control Pad + A |
Roll (while moving left or right, press A to roll) |
X |
Interact/Use item or object |
X + Control Pad |
Push/pull object |
R |
Aim and lock on (with currently selected weapon) |
L |
Grenade |
Start |
Pause menu (details below) |
Select |
Help On Demand |
Touch Screen & |
Inventory - Touch weapon or item to use |
SPECIAL & COMBINATION MOVES
Swinging and Climbing on Horizontal Poles: While hanging from a horizontal pole, press and hold Control Pad Left or Right to swing around the pole. Then, when Lara reaches the bottom of the swing, press B to jump in the direction she's facing.
Or, when hanging from a horizontal pole, press Control Pad Up + B to pull up and perch on top of the pole. Then press Control Pad Left or Right + B to jump off.
Swing on Rope or Vine: While hanging from a rope or vine, press Control Pad Up/Down if necessary to climb up or down the rope. Then alternate pressing Control Pad Left and Right to swing back and forth. The longer you do this, the higher Lara will swing. Press B as Lara swings forward to release the cable and jump.
Grappling Objects & Grapple Swinging: When the grapple is first introduced, it is used to pull down certain movable objects. The grapple only attaches to specific points, not to just any object. Generally these points are indicated by a small flashing light.
Later in the game the grapple can also be used like a rope or vine to swing across gaps. To do this, jump toward the spot where you want to attach the cable and press X to fire the grapple. When the grapple connects, Lara will end up dangling from the cable. Then swing and jump as you would using a rope or vine (above).
Wall Jump or Chimney Jump: This special move allows Lara to jump up between closely spaced walls to reach a higher level. Stand a few steps from one wall, facing it. Jump forward by pressing Control Pad Left or Right + B. when Lara touches the wall, quickly press B again to make her spring off that wall toward the one behind her. When she touches the second wall, press B again. Repeat this, jumping back and forth from wall to wall until Lara reaches a ledge or handhold above.
Situational Adrenaline: There are a few brief sequences in the game where Lara runs into some hazard that triggers a situational adrenaline sequence. When this happens, game speed shifts into slow motion, and you'll need to perform a particular action to survive the challenge. Generally you just need to do what seems right—e.g., jump out of the way to avoid some object, etc. The walkthrough covers each particular sequence.
DS Challenges: These are interactive sequences involving the touch screen. Some are puzzles. A few are speed/dexterity tests. Several involve simple manipulation of objects—for example, using archaeological tools to excavate an artifact, etc. Once you've beaten a level containing a DS Challenge, you can replay the challenge in the Extras menu. The particulars of each one are covered in the walkthrough.
INVENTORY & WEAPONS
During normal gameplay, the touch-screen shows your inventory. Weapons that appear as silhouettes are not available yet. You'll obtain them later in the game.
When you find items like health packs or ammunition in the game, just run over them to pick them up. To change weapons or use a health pack, just touch the item with the stylus. (The exception is grenades, which you throw by targeting an enemy with R and then pressing L.)
Each health pack restores Lara's health bar by one-half. Keep in mind that if you can make it to the next checkpoint and then let Lara die, the game will reload and Lara will have full health without using a single health pack.
Lara can carry a maximum of 4 health packs and 4 grenades at a time. Once that number is reached, you'll be unable to pick up any others you find. When you pass over them, you'll hear a beep and a white X appears at top right corner of the upper screen.
There's also a cap on the amount of ammo you can carry. The table below lists the number of rounds in each clip (when these are used Lara pauses to reload), followed by the maximum number of rounds Lara can carry for that weapon.
ITEM/WEAPON |
LIMITS |
AVAILABILITY |
Health Packs |
max. 4 |
First obtained in Level 4 |
Grenades |
max. 4 |
First obtained in Level 10 |
Pistols |
(30, unlimited) |
Available in all levels except underwater |
Harpoon Gun |
Unlimited |
Available in all underwater levels |
Shotgun |
(2,10) |
Obtained in Level 10 |
Automatic pistols |
(30,90) |
Obtained in Level 17 |
Semiautomatic rifle |
(5,15) |
Obtained in Level 35 |
Thor's Hammer (Mjolnir) |
Unlimited |
Obtained in Level 39 |
SAVING & CHECKPOINTS
The game is saved automatically each time Lara passes a checkpoint. When this happens, a chime sound and white diamond icon appears at top right corner of the upper screen. If Lara dies, the game reloads, placing her at the last checkpoint.
If you quit the game in the middle of the level, you will need to replay that entire level when you resume. So if possible, continue to the end of the level and allow the next level to load before quitting. Then you can resume from the start of the new level.
To restart the level you're currently playing, press Start, choose Options, then choose Restart.
To replay a level you've already completed—in order to find artifacts and treasure chests you missed, for example—choose your profile from the main menu. Then choose Start Game, then Replay Chapter.
PDA – OBJECTIVES
A small square icon appears at the top right corner of the upper screen whenever a new objective is revealed. Pressing Select will recap the overall goal of the level. You can also press Start and choose Objectives from the PDA menu to view current and completed objectives for the current level. When you complete an objective, you'll see the same square icon with a check mark in it.
ARTIFACTS & TREASURE CHESTS
Most levels contain three artifacts, which look like golden urns. Finding these unlocks bonuses like concept art, character profiles, etc., which can be viewed in the Extras menu.
Most levels also include one hidden treasure chest. Each chest contains three artifacts, which also serve to unlock bonus content. When you find a chest, you'll usually have the option to solve the puzzle immediately or wait. In some cases, for example, when Lara is in a dangerous situation or timed sequence, the game won't allow you to work on the puzzle immediately. The chest is still counted among your finds for the level, but until you solve the puzzle, no additional bonus content will be unlocked.
To solve puzzles found in earlier levels, go to the main menu and select the correct profile. Choose Extras, then Treasures. Scroll down the level list to highlight the one you want (or touch it with the stylus), then press A to see a list of treasures. A yellow icon means the puzzle has been solved, white is unsolved, blue is for treasures not yet found, and an empty outline means there are no treasures in that level. Touch the name of the puzzle you want or scroll down to select it and press A.
To solve a treasure chest puzzle, use the stylus to touch the tiles near the top of the screen and drag them to the highlighted area at the bottom, arranging them to fit the space. Touch the curved arrow to reset the puzzle. Touch '?' for a hint. Press B to quit the puzzle and save it for later. When you complete the puzzle, 3 ARTIFACTS are added to your total, unlocking additional bonus content. You can solve a puzzle more than once, but this won't unlock any additional bonuses. Treasure chest puzzle solutions are included in the walkthrough.
†UPDATE HISTORY: 1/15/09 - Walkthrough first posted.
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