Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness

Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness
Developer: Core Design Publisher: Eidos Interactive Platforms: Windows, PlayStation 2 Released internationally: June 30, 2003 Released in US: June 17, 2003 This game has unused areas. This game has unused items. This game has unused text. This game has debugging material. This game has a prerelease article

Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness is the sixth and last game in Core Design's original line of Tomb Raider games. As it turns out, Lara didn't get buried alive at the end of the fourth game. She arrives in Paris to find a close friend murdered...and she finds herself caught up in the criminal underworlds of both Paris and Prague in order to solve this mystery.

Deadlines absolutely mauled the developers' original vision, and as is par course for rushed releases, about half of the planned game was cut out—and not very carefully. It's the Sonic '06 of the Tomb Raider franchise.

To do: There's a whole discussion on this over here, such as lots of unused voices, including some for a tutorial. There are also unused items, plus more unused parts of Parisian Backstreets and the Parisian Ghetto.

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Prerelease Info

Debug Menu

Extensive debug options can be enabled using the SCU or by entering the command line argument -debugkeys in the Windows version. Pressing Escape-Tab adds two items to the Pause menu: Debug options and Skip level. Debug options opens up several sub-menus, while Skip Level is self-explanatory.

This also enables debug overlays in-game. Pressing F3 switches between them.

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  Default view, shows version, build date, and framerate.

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  Sound data.

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  Possibly camera control or input monitoring.

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  Graphics monitoring.

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  Seems to show the maps used for effects like shadows and reflections.

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  Covers the screen with textures loaded into VRAM.

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  Coordinates related to the player character.

The other F keys perform various functions.

Key	Effect
F1	Toggles Windowed/Fullscreen modes.
Shift-F2	Toggles environmental effects, including lighting and rain.
F3	Cycles through debug overlays.
F4	Toggles framerate compression.
F5	Toggles bumpmapping.
Shift-F5	Toggles "metal".
Ctrl-F5	Toggles "post-processing".
F6	Toggles "Environment".
Shift-F6	Toggles "Fur".
Ctrl-F6	Toggles "DOF".
F7	Toggles specular maps.
Shift-F7	Toggles "Skin".
Ctrl-F7	Toggles "Glow".
F8, Shift-F8	Zooms in/out the camera, respectively.
Ctrl-F8	Toggles "Depth".
F9	Toggles lines on the screen.
F10	MultiThreaded on/off.
F11	Cycles through rendering modes: normal, wireframe, solid, ambient light, spot light.

Additionally, while playing, pressing B on the keyboard will turn off collision, refill Lara's health and air meters, and allow her to swim freely through the level. Event triggers are not affected. Pressing the action button will return her to normal.

Unused Areas

These areas can be accessed using the TRAOD SCU and enabling the swimming debug function (press B on the keyboard).

Parisian Backstreets: Alternate Route

Beyond the first hallway door, there is an entirely unused ground-based route through the level, complete with exclusive voice clips and items. It is unfinished; several ledges are invisible and one large medipack may not show up properly. Part of the area can be glimpsed from the rooftops near the end of the level, and if Lara looks over the railing during the Stealth tutorial, she can glimpse the blinking light that indicates an item in the inaccessible section.

This section doesn't like to load properly; Lara must use the Courtyard Key to open the first door, or the next section of the level will be missing most of its textures. Using the Courtyard Key will reload the area before letting Lara continue.

Lara's dialogue throughout this area refers to PS2 controls (like the analog stick), even on the PC version. In the unused tutorial, Lara teaches the player to crawl/commando crawl through tight openings; she doesn't do this in the final. The alternate route ends with Lara entering the gate into the front yard of the Derelict Apartment Block (this garden and gate are seen in the end of the regular level and in the next cutscene, but Lara dies instantly if she enters the zone during gameplay).

Parisian Ghetto

This level contains a strange oversight: after completing the Serpent Rouge, Lara exits at a high balcony. If the player takes one step back, then crawls forward and to the left, the game will fade out and re-load the Parisian Backstreets. The level can be completed normally but at the end, the cutscene that loads the next level will not trigger, nor will the death zone in the courtyard. This allows Lara to explore the alternate route through the level described above. There are loading triggers like this behind most of the interactable doors in Parisian Ghetto (possibly added for testing), meaning if there is a loading trigger behind a door, that door was interactable at some point. This specific loading trigger exists because Lara would be able to re-enter the club from this door. A disabled trigger for this still exists, alongside triggers for being able to exit the club at any time to go back to the Ghetto.

Lara can manually open the door leading to the Derelict Apartment Block; however, once inside, there is no collision.

To the left of Janice, there is a low set of road barriers that prevent Lara from going further. The streets continue past the roadblocks, even using unique textures.

But the left is more interesting; there are two bridges over a river, with buildings in the distance- this geometry is never seen at all except during a brief cutscene. These buildings also have "reflected" versions built in- indicating that water was to be implemented. A large square of swimmable water is present. The conclusion is that Lara would have been able to access and swim in this river.

The area is most fleshed-out when accessed from the end of the Rennes' Pawnshop level. To do so, the player must use the debug mode to swim outside the pipe in order to avoid triggering the end cutscene, tap left to re-orient Lara, and then hold forward. Eventually Lara will appear out of the pipe, overlooking the river, which now implements the water texture throughout the entire left side and most of the right. Like before, Lara can swim in this water. But the most interesting part of the setup is the boat in the river; its interiors are fully textured, indicating a larger role at one point.

Louvre Galleries: Above the Ceiling

Above the first laser tripwire room, two sets of stairs and an iron doorframe are present. Although this area does appear normally during gameplay (it is the section of the level that takes place above the rooftops), none of it is loaded here except for the invisible door.

Unused Items

Dual-Wielding

Angel of Darkness is infamous for being the only Tomb Raider game not to allow Lara to use two weapons at once. With the all-weapon cheat, two sets of dual weapons can be used during gameplay. Interestingly, if Lara selects the Boran X pistol (normally only available to Kurtis), she will dual-wield them.

Kurtis's Abilities

Let's finish this quickly - Chirugai! Chirugai!
select the Chirugai from the inventory 
To throw the Chirugai press the combat button again 
To throw the Chirugai press the combat key again.

Let's finish this quickly. Blade! Select the Blade from the inventory. Then Press the combat button.
To throw the Blade press the combat button once again. 
For multiple targets hold down the combat button then select each target as it appears. 
Release the combat button to throw the homing Blade.

During cutscenes, Kurtis wields a bladed, circular weapon called the Chirugai (this name is only referenced in unused text) that he can control the path of using telekinesis. There is also a "Blade" item, which may or may not be the same thing as the Chirugai. Kurtis would have thrown the blade like a boomerang, locking onto multiple targets at once.

There's leftover code from the Chirugai still left in the game, they can be enabled to some degree as shown in this video.

The strength of my enemies empowers me. To absorb an enemy's strength press and hold the action button.
To absorb an enemy's strength press and hold the action key.

A strange ability called "Energy Drain". This doesn't seem to have a cutscene equivalent.

I need to see beyond this door. Select my Farsee ability from the inventory.
Move my mind's eye forward by holding the jump button. Steer by using the left analogue stick.
It's too dark in here. I need to boost my sight. To use my psychic sight select it from the inventory.

In the Sanitarium, Kurtis uses his Farsee ability to see through some barred doors and reveal a passcode on a remote table. In gameplay, it would have acted similarly to a free camera, but was not implemented in the final game. The animation of Kurtis raising his arms to summon the ability is seen when holding the action button with the first set of dual pistols equipped.

To clear this gap run at the edge and press the jump button. At the apex of the jump press the jump button again.
That gap's too far. I need to boost my jump.

Kurtis was to perform a double-jump to increase his distance.

Removed Characters

• Putai, as mentioned above, is only seen in an unused cutscene. She was to be a shaman that had appeared to Lara during the course of The Last Revelation and given her a magical amulet that saved her from her apparent death at the end of that game. In the early stages of development of the game, the crows leading Lara Croft to a removed level. In this level Putai teaches Lara new moves.
• A newspaper seller in the Parisian Ghetto level. Lara would have bought a copy of the London Times off of him, and he seems to hate the owner of the Cafe Metro for some reason. The French version implies that this character is female.
• People on the streets in the Parisian Ghetto level.
• Cops in the Parisian Ghetto level.
• Luther Rouzic, a librarian in Prague.

Unused Dialogue

The game contains extensive unused dialogue for most of the main characters, often referencing cut items and abilities mentioned above, as well as many objects from previous Tomb Raider games. In-game dialogue as spoken by characters sometimes differs from the subtitles. Most of it was even recorded and left as audio files. There is a vast amount of it, so only the prominent characters' dialogue is included here.

Eckhardt

• All of it!

Karel

We will harness the forces of Hell! Nothing can stop us!
Our time has come! We Nephilim were once beings of light!
NO! We are destined to rule!

Putai

You are almost returned to your full powers now. 
You are learning well Lara. Each challenge makes you stronger. 
Your inner strength is increasing. You are almost fully restored. 
One battle is not the whole war Lara. There are dangers, as yet unseen, that are aligned against you. 
A new world order is poised to emerge from the shadows. You must make your stand. 
The future needs you, now more than ever. 

Unused Inventory Text

Chirugai Blade The Lux Veritatis Weapon of Light -Check "Removed Inventory"

Gallery

In the game's installation folder (Tomb Raider (VI) The Angel of Darkness\data\frontend) there is an unused "gallery.tga" image. The Dreamcast version of Last Revelation and all versions of Chronicles had an unlockable art gallery, it seems this was intended to return for Angel of Darkness.

Oddities

Misplaced Castle Wall

In the Parisian Backstreets, a strange wall that's textured like a castle sits right in between two buildings. It doesn't fit in the surroundings at all, and wasn't present in early screenshots. It's not even possible to approach this wall during regular gameplay- it exists in the unused alternate route through the level. There is speculation that this wall belonged to a scrapped level, possibly the scrapped Eckhardt's Castle levels from Germany.

Unless the door to the garden is opened first, this area looks slightly different. The police car and the fences will be missing, and the castle wall will be a solid wall, instead of an archway.

Parisian Ghetto and Le Serpent Rouge Entrances

For some reason, these levels link back to Parisian Backstreets, but only through the use of glitches. Additionally, this turns off the "death zone" at the end of the level, allowing Lara to access the alternate route (see above).

Cafe Metro?

The cafe in the Parisian Ghetto has a different name once you're inside: "Cafe Alphonso". This was the early name for the cafe.

Extra Respirator in Galleries Under Siege

In the cabinet where Lara finds the respirator, there are actually 2 of them, and both of them flash like collectable items. She will only take one of them.

Unobtainable Chocolate in the Sanitarium

Kurtis uses his farsee ability to telepathically enter a room with the passcode written on the table. The room itself is locked at all times and cannot be entered physically. However, a chocolate bar can be seen on the ground inside; the only way to obtain it is with glitches.

Missing Textures in the Sanitarium

Several areas in the level, like the insides of several prison cells, are missing textures even under normal circumstances.

Kurtis stealth kill

Just like Lara, Kurtis has two "stealth takedown" animations. (which animation is used depends on the type of human enemy, with police/security guards getting knocked out while mercenaries are killed.) However in normal gameplay, it is impossible to perform one as the only enemies present aren't ones the player can stealth takedown. However via modding/debug fly mode, it's possible to stealth kill the one mercenary present in "Maximum Containment Area", by shooting him once to knock him out of his crouched stance and debug flying through the wall.

Kurtis grabs the guard, throws him to the ground and then stabs him in the neck with Chirugai.