A modder has managed to get a few levels of the original Tomb Raider running on an actual Game Boy Advance.
Last week, modder Xproger shared a video that very quickly went viral. It opened with a shot of a Game Boy Advance, a Lara Croft Pop Figure, and a cartridge that had a silhouette of her with the title OpenLara. Xproger then popped the cartridge in, the classic jingle played, and there it was: Tomb Raider on a Game Boy Advance. It’s no camera wizardry, Xproger has actually managed to get the game working on the handheld.
The GBA isn’t exactly known for its 3D capabilities, so this is an incredibly impressive feat. Xproger achieved this by using an open-source port of the original Tomb Raider called OpenLara, which the modder also made.
OpenLara has allowed the game to be run on consoles like the Xbox One and the 3DS previously. The modder has been working on this port for over a year, and when they started they didn’t even know if it was possible. But evidently, even if it only runs at around 17 frames per second, it does.
On the GBATemp forums, Xproger spoke about their plans for the game saying “There are many further improvements [I have planned]. As well as optimization of content and video to fit the entire Tomb Raider game in a 32 MB cartridge. But so far only 3 levels are available.”
Considering Tomb Raider isn’t available on Nintendo Switch just yet, this looks to be the best way to play the game on a Nintendo handheld. So we’ll have to keep our eyes peeled for when the full thing fits on the cartridge.
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Featured Image Credit: Core Design