Tomb Raider: The Prophecy

"The best portable Tomb Raider yet."

At first when I got this game, I was hoping that it was going to be a big improvement over the other portable Tomb Raiders. All of them were 2-D, and pretty bad, but I was hoping that with the new, more advanced technology of the Game Boy Advance, they would be able to do a better job, and make it more like the main console versions. I wasn’t disappointed. This game is vastly superior to the previous games in every way, and blows them out of the water. It should be one of the first games you buy.

Overall 9/10

This game has excellent sound and music. It is about the most well done, and most appropriate sound that I have heard on the GBA. The controls are responsive, and easy to pick up on, especially if you have past experience with the series. The graphics are top notch. The difficulty level is much easier then any of the other Tomb Raider games that I have played, which isn’t necessarily too much of a bad thing. Its storyline is just average, which you can kind of expect, with the producers having made so many games, it is difficult for them to come up with anything new and different. It is interesting enough to play again and again, but there aren’t many secrets for you to try and find, and keep you into the game, unlike the console versions. Overall, it is a really great game, a definite must buy for any adventure GBA player.

Story 6/10

The story is nothing new. Just the same old an-evil-society-is-trying-to-destroy-the-world-and-Lara-has-to-stop-them-or-the-world-is-doomed plot that all of the Tomb Raider games have. It may be old, but it is still a decent theme to work off of. In the beginning you aren’t told much of the story. All you are told is that Lara is looking for a stone that supposedly contains the secret to magic. As you play more, however, the story is slowly revealed to you.

Graphics 9/10

The graphics are wonderful. Everything is very well done. It is a big change from the 2-D scenes that were used in the other Gameboy games. Although they don’t use the same first person that is used in the console games, it is still in 3-D. You view the game from the same angle the whole game. You look down at Lara from above her, and tilted backwards.

The animation for Lara is very well done. It would almost be worth dieing just to see the animations used, except that there are only a few different ones. All of the enemies that she encounters are fluid and beautifully done. They are just as good as Lara is. There is even snow in some of the outside levels. However, you can barely tell that the snow is a repetitive pattern, and its movement is not completely fluid and dynamic. The water looks great, but its animation is also a tiny bit jerky. The flames are done very well, with excellent animation and realism (except of course for the fact that you can’t have flames burning forever in an ancient tomb).

They really paid attention to the minor detailed of the scenery. There are small piles of snow in some areas, and plants that are growing out of the cracks in rocks in others. The doors in the caves fit well in there, while those in the evil, castle, area are made of metal bars, which creak and grown when they are moved. You can see the shadows of all of the platforms and objects with just a few minor problems. Lara’s shadow doesn’t always line up with the other shadows. Also, it is not possible to see her shadow when she is hanging.

The one major problem is that with the view you are given, it is sometimes difficult to tell whether something is a platform, in your way, or path, or just something in the background, which, by the way, is done wonderfully. Many a time I have jumped to the left or right, only to wind up falling into a bottomless pit. Also, I have occasionally walked down, thinking that the platform was just changing texture, when in reality I wound up walking right off of the edge.

Music/Sound 10/10

There is little music in the game, which is a good thing, because having it would take away from the mood of the game. However, when there is music, it is well done. Not only that, but it reflects the mood of the area or situation that you are in. When you are about to get into a boss fight, the music reflects the desolate aura of your predicament. The only problem is that they use the same song over and over again.

The sound effects are done very well. From the crisp, crackling sound of burning fire, to the varying sound of dirt or stone beneath Lara’s feet, the sound reflects the surroundings that you are in. You can hear the wind blowing, and the growl of an enemy wolf from just off screen. Bullets wing off of a skeleton’s shield, while metal doors creak and groan when they are forced open. The sound effects serve to draw you further into the game then even you would be with out them. Overall an excellent job in this department.

Game play/Controls 8/10

The controls are highly logical, and easy to pick up on. The use of each button makes sense, from the universal action button, which does almost every action, to the L and R buttons, which make you sprint and draw/holster guns, respectively. They are also very responsive, with Lara instantly doing what you command her to do. The only time that doesn’t happen is when you tell her to turn when you are sprinting. She will lag for a bit here, which only serves to make the game more realistic. The only bad part with the controls is that it isn’t possible for you to draw your guns while you are sprinting. I guess the game designers didn’t want to be bothered with the extra animation. Either that, or they thought that that would make it too easy for you to get away from enemies.


The game play is the same as the other console Tomb Raiders. You run around in a 3-D environment, trying to open doors and solve puzzles that get in your way to finishing a level. The puzzles are naturally not as varied as those of the console, because this is a GBA game after all. You have several different ways that you can die during your quest, and only one way for you to succeed. For those of you who are familiar with the Tomb Raider series, this game fits seamlessly into the best of it. The enemies are even made to be vulnerable to the same things you are. If you can get a wolf or skeleton to run over a flame, then bye-bye enemy, and hello next challenge. The one significant problem here is with saving. You can’t. That’s right, you can’t save. You would think that would be basically common sense, but they don’t have it. Instead, you get a password at the beginning of each level that you can use to come back to the beginning. This is the same problem as the original Tomb Raider.

Difficulty Level 7/10

Compared to the other Tomb Raider games, this one is by far the easiest. It took me just a few days for me to finish the game. Many of the puzzles can be solved by just chance, without realizing first how they actually work. There are few actual puzzles, and the ones there are very simple. The classic, find-the-key-to-open-the-door puzzles are also not much of a challenge. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing, as having overly difficult puzzles takes a lot of fun out of the game. I think that it would be better if they have made the puzzles there a little bit harder, and included a few more for good measure as well.

Replay Value 7/10

Solving the same puzzles over and over obviously doesn’t add to the replay value. Neither does the fact that they don’t have any secrets in this game, unlike in the console versions of it. The game, however, is interesting enough to play through a few more times after you beat it. You may play it to find all of the hidden areas, although there aren’t that many of them. You may also enjoy shooting up the Teg-Du-Bhorez, more on them when you play the game, or killing the by now traditional final boss over and over again. After a few times though, it will cease to entertain you except for the occasion time when you might bring it out to play because you have nothing else to do.

Good and Bad

Good

-Sound
-Controls
-Graphics
-Animation
-Enemy AI, and interaction

Bad

-Can’t save
-No secrets
-Average Replayability
-Too easy

Ending

This is a great game. One of the better ones for the GBA. For anyone interested in Tomb Raider, or in adventure games, this one is a must get.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/13/03, Updated 07/14/03