Tomb Raider has been ported to the GBA!

[Wavy]

 

Just around a day ago, a port of Tomb Raider for the GBA powered through OpenLara (an open source Tomb Raider engine implementation) was released in an alpha state. The developer goes by XProger and was able to get a semi consistent ~15 FPS by using a lot of optimisations and hand written assembly code. For now, only the first 3 levels are playable, but XProger aims to support more levels and improve on this port.

 

The source repository for OpenLara and its GBA port is available here and its thread on GBAtemp is also here.

Edited January 16, 2022 by Wavy

[TheMagicMushroomMan]

Damn, that's impressive!

[esselfortium]

Holy cow, that is impressive. Isn't the GBA not too far removed from the SNES's capabilities?

[Redneckerz]

32 minutes ago, esselfortium said:

Holy cow, that is impressive. Isn't the GBA not too far removed from the SNES's capabilities?

It certainly is impressive, but full 3D engines did exist on the GBA commercially. The usage of a 32 bit ARM processor makes the development of such engines quite a bit easier. Here is a rather elaborate explanation on the architecture.

 

Nevertheless this is extremely impressive considering this is PSX levels of visual fidelity. What i like about OpenLara is that optionally, this game could also be played as if it were an FPS. Sadly the GBA port does not show this, but the Dreamcast port does. I believe XProger does most of these versions by himself which is quite saying something!

 

The OpenLara engine really goes places.

[HavoX]

I don't really care much for Tomb Raider, but nevertheless, this is an incredible achievement! Proof that great things DO come in small packages.

 

Also, that has got to be the smallest GBA I have ever seen.

Edited January 16, 2022 by HavoX

[Azuris]

6 hours ago, esselfortium said:

Holy cow, that is impressive. Isn't the GBA not too far removed from the SNES's capabilities?

 

It can do more, but has gotten so many Super Nintendo Ports* that everyone (including me^^) haven't seen the full possible Potential.

 

But Tomb Raider here is a full new Level, it is some kind of black Magic.

 

*The GBA can't replecate the 16bit system pretty well, why many Games sounded weird and it added to its Reputation.

 

The Youtube Channel Minime has some nice Videos to GBA Games.

 

I think the Videos adds to how impressive Tomb Raider is.

Skipping through it shows a similiar looking cover Shooter game.

 

 

 

Edit:

Ok, comparing it.

It is the draw distance that makes Lara look and run better as the Games in the Video^^

 

Edited January 16, 2022 by Azuris

[Rudolph]

The real question is, does it play well?

 

I remember early Tomb Raider games being awkward to play even on PC, so I have to wonder about the GBA controls.

Edited January 16, 2022 by Rudolph

[ChopBlock223]

7 hours ago, esselfortium said:

Holy cow, that is impressive. Isn't the GBA not too far removed from the SNES's capabilities?

I think it has to be quite a lot more, because Doom runs like crap on the SNES in spite of multitudes of heavy concessions and extra weight lifting by the SuperFX chip (but DOES run), while Doom 2 runs surprisingly well on the GBA, with not even close to the same cutbacks.

 

 

[Wavy]

1 hour ago, Rudolph said:

The real question is, does it play well?

 

I remember early Tomb Raider games being awkward to play even on PC, so I have to wonder about the GBA controls.

Here are the controls:

Quote

D-Pad - move

A - action

B - jump

R - walk and side step

L + R - look

L + A - weapons

L + B - roll

Select - Inventory

Start - Free camera mode

 

[Murdoch]

2 minutes ago, Wavy said:

Here are the controls:

 

 

Think he is most likely referring to the notorious input latency of the original games. It's the same reason I could never completely get into them either.

Edited January 17, 2022 by Murdoch

[Wavy]

48 minutes ago, Murdoch said:

 

Think he is most likely referring to the notorious input latency of the original games. It's the same reason I could never completely get into them either.

Ah. Haven't played Tomb Raider myself so I wouldn't know about the delay and I thought he was referring to the actual button mappings. My bad.

Edited January 17, 2022 by Wavy

[Dubbag]

fucking how

 

[Murdoch]

2 hours ago, Wavy said:

Ah. Haven't played Tomb Raider myself so I wouldn't know about the delay and I thought he was referring to the actual button mappings. My bad.

 

I have not played them in many years so my memory is likely inaccurate, but I remember that for jumping at least, Lara would usually take a step or two before reacting when moving forward. It was so consistent it almost felt intentional. You could kind of get used to it somewhat, but it still made for a frustrating experience.

[Wavy]

1 hour ago, Murdoch said:

You could kind of get used to it somewhat, but it still made for a frustrating experience. 

I'd imagine so, and I doubt it'd be much better on the GBA.

[Azuris]

2 hours ago, Murdoch said:

 

I have not played them in many years so my memory is likely inaccurate, but I remember that for jumping at least, Lara would usually take a step or two before reacting when moving forward. It was so consistent it almost felt intentional. You could kind of get used to it somewhat, but it still made for a frustrating experience.

 

Playing first two Games recently.

You really need a while to get used to it, but than it doesn't bothers you any longer, at least not too much.

The Thing with the Jumping is not a Sort of Input Delay, it is the Movement Logic behind.

"A Human being needs a few Steps to jump such Distance properly".

It is as in Games as Prince of Persia, ment to be realistic and i can understand how People dislike it (i normally really do so haha).

 

Somehow, it feels good when you master the Controls and you run, jump and move around in a fluent Way.

What bothers me the most is, that you have to stand in a certain Point to pick up Items or use a Switch.

 

If someone wants to play the Games, on PC remap the Buttons to a modern Scheme.

On Console, don't play it on Console or use a Emulator to use Save States.

To replay a full Level because you had a bad jump is just stupid and only a Limitation of the Consoles of the Time.

 

I really can't imagine that it is good playing on GBA, it has not enough buttons and these Combinations will kill you in stressful Situations.

[Dubbag]

There were alot of Faux-3d games on GBA but this takes the cake. I literally don't get it. Makes no sense to me, mind blown, the end.

Edited January 17, 2022 by Dubbag

[CBM]

"OpenLara" <-- part of me really really like that name!

[Teo Slayer]

A PS1 game ported on the GBA

Bravo

[lazygecko]

It's unfortunate that apparently many projects with a similar scope and ambition pitched for GBA were frequently shot down by publishers during the system's lifespan because the only viability they saw for the market was shovelware for kids. Alongside the many SNES ports it was probably a big reason for the hardware capabilities being severely misrepresented in the public mindshare.

[gwain]

reminded me of the iso tomb raider and maxpayne gba games I had

[DSC]

Reminds me a bit of that one cancelled official Resident Evil 1 GBC port. It was amazing.

[TheMagicMushroomMan]

16 hours ago, CBM said:

"OpenLara" <-- part of me really really like that name!

"Awh, what are you playing on your game machine Billy?"

 

"It's Open Lara, mom..."

 

"Billy!!!"

Edited January 17, 2022 by TheMagicMushroomMan

[Varis Alpha]

22 hours ago, Murdoch said:

 

I have not played them in many years so my memory is likely inaccurate, but I remember that for jumping at least, Lara would usually take a step or two before reacting when moving forward. It was so consistent it almost felt intentional. You could kind of get used to it somewhat, but it still made for a frustrating experience.

i believe it's because the movement of the game is grid-based, instead of the more natural gradual analog control that eventually became the norm nowadays. Lara will always move a set amount of squares in this grid, which was probably meant to make the jumping more predictable to perform. however, going back to this style of movement nowadays can be really hard to do, and it makes the combat a lot more annoying to do as well, because i believe the enemies are not restricted to this kind of movement (this is also why i always preferred the control of the TR clone Indiana Jones And The Infernal Machine, where the control is not grid-based and instead more gradual, which makes the game significantly more playable in my opinion).

[Murdoch]

1 hour ago, Varis Alpha said:

i believe it's because the movement of the game is grid-based, instead of the more natural gradual analog control that eventually became the norm nowadays. Lara will always move a set amount of squares in this grid, which was probably meant to make the jumping more predictable to perform. however, going back to this style of movement nowadays can be really hard to do, and it makes the combat a lot more annoying to do as well, because i believe the enemies are not restricted to this kind of movement (this is also why i always preferred the control of the TR clone Indiana Jones And The Infernal Machine, where the control is not grid-based and instead more gradual, which makes the game significantly more playable in my opinion).

 

That would make sense and yes the map geometry felt very grid based. Always loved the Tomb Raider idea but just couldn't get into them fully because of the controls. Did not start enjoying the series until Legend came out.

[Jello]

31 minutes ago, Murdoch said:

 

That would make sense and yes the map geometry felt very grid based. Always loved the Tomb Raider idea but just couldn't get into them fully because of the controls. Did not start enjoying the series until Legend came out.

It makes quite a bit of sense; the movement of the original games felt rather clunky to me. But @Varis Alpha pointing out that it was grid based made me remember that the games were originally designed for the PS1, before the dual analog controller came out. Feels like forever ago that I originally played Tomb Raider. However I did install Tomb Raider: Anniversary Edition today and I'm enjoying it with an Xbox 360 controller.

 

But yeah, this is the controller I played the original game on:

[Murdoch]

21 minutes ago, Jello said:

However I did install Tomb Raider: Anniversary Edition today and I'm enjoying it with an Xbox 360 controller.

 

Legend and Anniversary were great. Underworld was OK but buggy. It's also my favourite "version" of Lara because she was actually personable and funny.

 

"Death by irony is always painful. Amateurs." When two goons die in a trap.
"All those satellites and computers, just to perfect the science of talking to oneself!" When her comms go out.

 

Remembering these and looking them up is making me want to replay them. OG Lara was a bit... hmm... cold? Not really much of a character. New Lara is OK but rather dour and serious a lot of the time.

[CBM]

4 hours ago, TheMagicMushroomMan said:

"Awh, what are you playing on your game machine Billy?"

 

"It's Open Lara, mom..."

 

"Billy!!!"

So Many fond memories :-)

[Murdoch]

2 minutes ago, CBM said:

So Many fond memories :-)

 

Yeah I do not think they thought that name through. Either that or they did and have very immature senses of humour.

[CBM]

1 minute ago, Murdoch said:

 

Yeah I do not think they thought that name through. Either that or they did and have very immature senses of humour.

I think they just didnt think the name through.

Still... I hope they keep the name regardless.

[TheMagicMushroomMan]

I think they purposely picked the name out of low-brow humor, like Murdoch said.

 

They could have called it "OpenRaider", "OpenTomb" or something of that nature. Even "OpenCroft" would have been better.