The modder has shown some details of the first Tomb Raider on video, using a project called OpenLara.
Although there is already a 2D version for Game Boy Color, we’ve never seen the original Tomb Raider running on Game Boy Advance, but now someone has managed to pull off the feat. Using an open-source project called OpenLara, a modder has created a port and shared a video to show that the 3D graphics work properly on Nintendo’s handheld.
The game runs at 20 FPS and includes 3 missions
It is available thanks to OpenLara XProger, who has been working on the project since 2017. The modder was encouraged to create his own creations with OpenLara and showcase his achievements on platforms such as Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and mobile devices. He also managed to get the game to work on a split-screen, as he demonstrated in another video.
Game Boy Advance obviously didn’t have 3D graphics in mind, making this work more attractive than other projects. XProger mentioned that he managed to get the tutorial and three Tomb Raider adventures working. The port runs at nearly 20 FPS and includes the original music and sounds.
“The engine has been completely rewritten to support old platforms without FPU (floating-point unit), and even integer divisions on the CPU,” Xproger mentioned when asked about how he managed to get the game onto Game Boy Advance cartridges. “It uses software rasterization and matrix math done in ARM (Advanced RISC Machine) assembly.”
In 2018, Tomb Raider was inducted into the Video Game Hall of Fame, and the latest instalment, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, received an update for PS5 with 4K resolution and 60 FPS. The next instalment in the franchise is already in development and will seek to merge the old Lara with the new version that debuted in 2013.
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