Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – Legend on Nintendo DS takes the series’ classic exploration and puzzle-solving and reimagines it in a side-scrolling format. Rather than free-roaming 3D environments, you guide Lara along a 2D plane, jumping between platforms, triggering switches, and navigating tight corridors. Traditional environmental puzzles remain, but they’ve been adapted to fit the linear progression, often requiring precise timing and clever use of the stylus to activate mechanisms or move crates into place.

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The dual-screen design plays a central role in how you interact with Lara’s inventory and the world around her. The top screen shows your character in her current setting, while the bottom screen holds your items, maps, and puzzle interfaces. You tap the stylus to equip weapons, combine tools, or inspect artifact pieces—this constant back-and-forth creates an immersive, tactile feel that distinguishes the DS version from its console counterparts.

Combat in Tomb Raider – Legend DS takes a turn for the unique: when foes approach, the lower screen switches into a first-person aiming view. You must quickly tap enemies on the touch screen to fire, dodge, or reload, which adds a burst of urgency amid the platforming. Meanwhile, occasional motorcycle chase segments break up the run-and-gun formula, offering fast-paced bursts of action where you lean the DS to steer and tap rapidly to jump obstacles.

The quest for ancient artifacts remains at the heart of the gameplay loop. In each level, you hunt down fragments of legendary items, whether it’s the sacred mirror of Königsberg or the fabled Excalibur shards. The DS’s built-in microphone even gets in on the action: Lara blows dust off relics by literally blowing into the mic, adding a playful layer of interactivity that feels wholly at home on Nintendo’s handheld.

Graphics

Though Lara’s movement is restricted to two dimensions, the game’s environments are rendered in fully 3D polygons, creating a striking illusion of depth on the top screen. Each locale, from snow-capped mountains to lush jungle ruins, is beautifully detailed within the DS’s technical limits. Textures are kept clean and bright, ensuring that enemies, traps, and ledges are always clearly visible during split-second jumps.

Camera angles shift dynamically to enhance the cinematic feel. As Lara traverses precarious ledges or rappels down walls, the viewpoint pivots to highlight scale and danger. These shifting perspectives can sometimes obscure platforms if you move too quickly, but they also lend a grand sense of verticality that breathes life into what could otherwise be a flat side-scroller.

Character models, including Lara herself, look crisp and well-animated. Her signature ponytail bounces naturally, and her movement animations—vaulting, slides, and rolls—are smooth. Enemy designs are distinct and varied; from armored soldiers to jungle beasts, each adversary is easily recognizable and animated with expressive attack patterns, making combat phases engaging despite the simplified hit-point system.

Story

Legend’s DS adaptation retains the core narrative of the console version, sending Lara on a globe-trotting mission to piece together the legendary Excalibur sword. Fans of the series will recognize key cutscenes, voiced dialogue snippets, and familiar antagonists like Dr. Verloc and Amanda Evert. These story beats unfold between levels, giving context to Lara’s discoveries and keeping the pace brisk.

Cutscene transitions are handled with static images and in-engine animations, paired with text captions and occasional voice clips. While not as elaborate as the cinematic sequences on home consoles, they effectively convey the stakes: a secret ancient society, world-spanning conspiracies, and Lara’s personal drive to uncover the truth. The story remains one of Legend’s strengths, propelling you forward with new revelations and cliffhangers at the end of each chapter.

Even in handheld form, the narrative’s tone—equal parts archaeological thrill ride and pulse-pounding action drama—carries through. The plot doesn’t overstay its welcome, wrapping up in a satisfying finale that ties together mystical lore and real-world history. For a portable entry, it strikes a good balance between exposition and gameplay, ensuring players remain invested without becoming bogged down in lengthy dialogue.

Overall Experience

Tomb Raider – Legend on Nintendo DS is a fresh take on the franchise, trading open-world exploration for tightly designed side-scrolling stages. This shift won’t please purists craving full 3D freedom, but it creates a focused, bite-sized adventure ideal for on-the-go play. Each level is a carefully crafted gauntlet of platforming, puzzles, and shooting segments that encourage replay to spot hidden artifacts and secret relics.

The innovative use of dual-screen controls, stylus-driven inventory, first-person combat, and microphone interactions showcase the DS’s unique capabilities. While some players may find the interface a bit fiddly at first, it quickly becomes intuitive, and the novelty of blowing on the mic or tapping enemies for headshots never really wears off. These mechanics give Legend DS its own identity, rather than feeling like a mere down-port of the console game.

Graphically and technically, Legend looks impressive for a handheld title of its era, striking an admirable balance between performance and visual flair. The story, though familiar, remains entertaining and well-paced. All told, Tomb Raider – Legend on DS offers an engaging, portable Lara Croft experience that stands on its own merits. Whether you’re a longtime series fan or a newcomer curious about a more streamlined Tomb Raider adventure, this title delivers a solid thrill ride in your palm.

Retro Replay Score

6/10