Temple of the Cat - Trap Room and "Pitfall" Achievement/Trophy
After making your way through the area with the greenery and crocodiles, detailed in the previous section, Lara finds herself in a long corridor with 3 gold doors, each flanked by a pair of switches (6 switches in all). There's also a small, square door carved with hieroglyphs at the far end opposite the entrance.
The main walkthrough includes notes on a few shortcuts. For all kills, pickups, and secrets, follow the sequence below.
Use the 2 switches to open the middle door, with the reassuring gilded skulls above it, but don't rush in; it's a trap.
To get in and out alive, and unlock the "Pitfall" achievement/trophy in the process, climb the stairs to the second-from-top step. Do not step into the barred alcove at the top yet. The 2 mummies (35-36) in the side alcoves don't animate yet.
Stand in the middle of the second-to-top step. Sidestep to the right edge, then turn around to face the entrance. Lara should end up about here. Save the game, since this next bit will probably take several attempts.
Backflip into the barred alcove...
...and immediately jump forward, while pressing Left to veer slightly in that direction. As soon as Lara enters the barred alcove, the stairs change into a slope, leading down to the deadly floor below, and the mummies awaken.
If you jump forward immediately after backflipping, and veer to the left sufficiently, Lara should land on the higher of the two golden steps, rather than the one directly in front of the mummy's alcove. If the gods of gaming also happen to be in a good mood today, the mummy won't immediately knock Lara off the edge, and you'll have just enough time to run forward and jump into the corner alcove ahead on the left.
NOTE: You can also start on the right side of the steps and aim for the far right corner alcove, if that's better for you. This method worked fairly consistently for me, using classic tank controls, but if you're struggling, there are several variations with different combinations of jumps and rolls on YouTube.
Once you make it to the corner alcove, shoot the mummies with pistols. If you have trouble targeting the mummy on the same side of the room...
...take a running jump across the room to grab the edge of the opposite alcove.
Pull up and shoot the mummy from there.
Save the game again before taking a standing jump from the alcove to the entrance. You'll need to angle Lara fairly precisely and hold Action so she doesn't bang her head on the top of the doorway.
- OR -
Alternatively, take a running jump from either corner alcove to the golden step below the mummy's alcove on the opposite side of the room. Then take a running jump from there to the entrance.
As you leave the room, the "Pitfall" achievement/trophy should pop.
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