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TOMB RAIDER (GBC)
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Publisher: THQ.
Developer: Core Design. Released: July 2000 (Europe). Genre: 2D Action/Adventure. Posted 25th October 2020. By Tom Clare © 2020 |
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Lara Croft was busy blazing a trail across video gaming throughout the latter half of the nineties. Whilst her early adventures would become synonymous with the PlayStation, it’s easy to forget that Tomb Raider would also make outings on the SEGA Saturn and PC. However, it wasn’t until the summer of 2000 that she’d make her debut on a Nintendo platform, and with it, a first handheld outing on the Game Boy Color.
The task facing Core Design was a formidable one. In no time at all, Tomb Raider had become a phenomenon, not only for Lara as a burgeoning video game icon but for how the series was pushing the frontiers of 3D adventuring. Its ever-more ambitious, expansive landscapes had moved the goalposts for action games, whilst the jet-setting, oft-exotic locales gave them the air of blockbuster media. 3D of any sort was off the table for the Game Boy Color version, as were many of the elements that had made the main series such a special experience. For this to work, a return to the drawing board was necessary.
The task facing Core Design was a formidable one. In no time at all, Tomb Raider had become a phenomenon, not only for Lara as a burgeoning video game icon but for how the series was pushing the frontiers of 3D adventuring. Its ever-more ambitious, expansive landscapes had moved the goalposts for action games, whilst the jet-setting, oft-exotic locales gave them the air of blockbuster media. 3D of any sort was off the table for the Game Boy Color version, as were many of the elements that had made the main series such a special experience. For this to work, a return to the drawing board was necessary.
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Tomb Raider is awash with fantastic visual flourishes, just be careful not to lose your bearings
Most evidently, it draws inspiration from cinematic platformer classics such as Prince of Persia and Flashback. Core Design understood the importance of Lara Croft in the equation: for the GBC edition to succeed, the character had to be the focal point. Like the Prince, Lara can run, hop, leap, shimmy and climb. Like Conrad Hart, she can roll, wield firearms, collect items and even plant explosives. The controls bear unmistakable comparisons to these aforementioned classics; movement is carefully measured, assured and pinpoint accurate. Lara’s running jumps can even be measured in steps, just like in her console outings. She has plenty of her own moves: acrobatic backflips, swimming, hitching across monkey-bars.
Core managed to imbue it with the feel of a Tomb Raider. Sure, environments lack the scale and majesty of the console iterations, this is to be expected. Realistically, we were never likely to see a repeat of the ingenious gold bars puzzle (although gold bars do make an appearance), whilst the scale of the T-Rex encounter or the giant pyramid were not technically feasible. What we do get however is a GBC game with an uncommon degree of depth and weight behind its gameplay. There’s a wealth of traps, death-defying jumps, spike pits and the like to tackle, with a very well-judged difficulty curve that remains challenging but never feels overpowering. If anything, it’s a little easier than other instalments, with generously-placed save points and a considerable supply of medpacks. It’s well-suited to short sessions, but it’s addictive enough to keep you playing for far longer.
Core managed to imbue it with the feel of a Tomb Raider. Sure, environments lack the scale and majesty of the console iterations, this is to be expected. Realistically, we were never likely to see a repeat of the ingenious gold bars puzzle (although gold bars do make an appearance), whilst the scale of the T-Rex encounter or the giant pyramid were not technically feasible. What we do get however is a GBC game with an uncommon degree of depth and weight behind its gameplay. There’s a wealth of traps, death-defying jumps, spike pits and the like to tackle, with a very well-judged difficulty curve that remains challenging but never feels overpowering. If anything, it’s a little easier than other instalments, with generously-placed save points and a considerable supply of medpacks. It’s well-suited to short sessions, but it’s addictive enough to keep you playing for far longer.
FOCAL POINT: MULTI-EVENTING LARA
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The developers did an admirable job of making Tomb Raider feel a part of the series, and a large part of this lies in Lara Croft’s abilities. The intrepid explorer’s skill set sacrifices very little in translation, with all the backflips, ledge-grabs, leaps and climbs you remember from the console editions. Core weren’t resting on their laurels however, as Lara’s got a few new tricks up her sleeve. These include being able to dynamite through particular types of scenery, and the ability to draw a weapon whilst hanging from ladders. Auto-aim comes in handy, allowing her to point the pistol back over her shoulder at any encroaching foes.
Visually it’s superb. Utilising an uncommonly tall, 48-pixel high character model allows for a level of nuance to Lara’s animations that is unmatched on the system. Motions appear deliberate and realistic, and it’s a great deal of fun discovering the various platforming moves (and combinations thereof) she has up her sleeve. It’s especially impressive given you’re working only with a D-Pad and two face buttons.
The trouble with limited cart capacity on the GBC manifests in a lack of visual variety; something perhaps more apparent because Tomb Raider is an impressively lengthy endeavour. The game opens amidst Amazonian ruins that look stunning against an effective backdrop of purple skies, with birds and bats circling ominously in the distance. Once you’re inside the tombs, things take on a more uniform, tight design ethic more in keeping with Prince of Persia. Visuals are bright, crisp and distinct; you’ll never have any trouble picking out Lara, or indeed any items or switches, from the surrounding scenery. The underwater sections look a treat too, with the Cavern levels late on proving the visual high-point for an exceptionally well-presented title. Presumably, to get around limited chipsets, the tombs dominate a large quotient of the game with frequent but quite effective palette swaps meaning each areas gives off a slightly different vibe.
The trouble with limited cart capacity on the GBC manifests in a lack of visual variety; something perhaps more apparent because Tomb Raider is an impressively lengthy endeavour. The game opens amidst Amazonian ruins that look stunning against an effective backdrop of purple skies, with birds and bats circling ominously in the distance. Once you’re inside the tombs, things take on a more uniform, tight design ethic more in keeping with Prince of Persia. Visuals are bright, crisp and distinct; you’ll never have any trouble picking out Lara, or indeed any items or switches, from the surrounding scenery. The underwater sections look a treat too, with the Cavern levels late on proving the visual high-point for an exceptionally well-presented title. Presumably, to get around limited chipsets, the tombs dominate a large quotient of the game with frequent but quite effective palette swaps meaning each areas gives off a slightly different vibe.
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One problem that results from recycling background elements over the course of some labyrinthine environs is that it’s easy to lose your bearings, with several switches activating entrances that are often quite far away. Tomb Raider levels traditionally offer something of a central hub to their more complicated locations, from which you can identify different paths and use them as a reference point. Whilst there are attempts to do something similar here, it’s much more difficult, with so little of the environment visible at any one time. The tombs feature so many similar-looking tiles that it can be all too easy to get lost or bogged down trying to identify where you’ve been before and where you’re meant to be headed.
Still, Game Boy Color fans will find this a delight. It’s no substitute for the main series, of course, but it is an excellent accompanying title and a worthy instalment. Accentuating the strengths both of the hardware and the TR license, it showcases real quality across all areas of design. It looks fantastic, it’s designed with precision and it delivers a lengthy and satisfying portable adventure. Squeezing every drop of performance from the console, Tomb Raider delivers hours of compelling gameplay, and in doing so, will satisfy fans of Lara’s adventures.
Still, Game Boy Color fans will find this a delight. It’s no substitute for the main series, of course, but it is an excellent accompanying title and a worthy instalment. Accentuating the strengths both of the hardware and the TR license, it showcases real quality across all areas of design. It looks fantastic, it’s designed with precision and it delivers a lengthy and satisfying portable adventure. Squeezing every drop of performance from the console, Tomb Raider delivers hours of compelling gameplay, and in doing so, will satisfy fans of Lara’s adventures.
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VERDICT
"Fantastic presentation, addictive, and with an uncommon degree of weight and depth to its gameplay. Fans will find this a delight." OVERALL: 8/10 |