The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Game Boy Advance)

Reviewed by

Frank Provo

on 12/09/2003

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Those familiar with 2002's The Two Towers game will recognize the menus, play mechanics, and graphics used in The Return of the King. Developer Griptonite Games basically took the engine from the last game and updated it for the current installment. Some improvements have been made here and there, however, and they all add up to make The Return of the King a more satisfying and ultimately more playable sequel. Besides all of the new locations drawn up for the quest mode, the number of dungeons available in the bonus maps and multiplayer modes has doubled compared to the last game. Characters also have twice as many spells and skills available to them, and you now have the option to purchase runes that you can use to strengthen weapons and add side effects to your attacks. Ranger hollows have been put into the game, which allow you to transfer items between the different character saves you set up. This makes it possible to trade rare items you find with one character for items you find with another character so that you can make use of them.

The Return of the King features the same multiplayer mode that was in The Two Towers. Using a link cable, you and a friend can link your games together and work through the maps from the single-player mode cooperatively. Enemies in the multiplayer mode are tougher than those in the single-player game, but the rewards are generally higher as well. One nice thing about the way that characters are saved is that experience and items carry over into each of the game's modes. This means that if you're having trouble in the single-player quest, you can gain some experience by playing bonus levels or by playing with a friend in multiplayer and then pick up where you left off in the single-player game with your newly upgraded character.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Kingscreenshot

You'll experience different events and levels depending on the character you choose. The lovely Eowyn is one of six characters initially available.

The graphics and audio also aren't all that much different between The Return of the King and The Two Towers. Both games do a decent job of bringing the various regions of Middle-earth to life. The characters look similar to their onscreen counterparts and move with a good amount of animation, even if most of that animation involves swinging a sword back and forth. Much of the background music is taken directly from the film soundtrack, and the voice snippets used for the various yells and screams in the game were recorded from the actual actors themselves. Key plot points are displayed with text overlaid on still images captured directly from the movie. Where The Return of the King improves upon its predecessor is in the amount of detail evident in its background graphics. Waterfalls and streams are larger, you can see your character's reflection on various surfaces, and there are more instances where things like torches and blowing leaves add movement to the environment.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King for the Game Boy Advance allows you to relive the story of the film from the perspective of eight major characters, but the game's overall worth comes from aspects that have nothing to do whatsoever with the book or the film. This is a good hack-and-slash RPG that will keep you occupied for hours just building up a character that's useful in all three of the game's separate play modes.