The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - GBA

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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (GBA)
Viewed: 2D Isometric, Scrolling Genre:
Adventure
Arcade origin:No
Developer: Griptonite Games Soft. Co.: Electronic Arts
Publishers: Electronic Arts (GB)
Released: 14 Nov 2003 (GB)
Ratings: PEGI 7+
Connectivity: Link Cable, GC/GBA Link Cable

Summary

One ring to rule them all and, as the final instalment in Tolkien's epic saga will attest, one ring that must be destroyed - by being cast into the Crack of Doom, no less. Not, as we thought, a severe stomach upset or post-curry symptom, the Crack of Doom is, in fact, the entrance to the volcano on Mount Doom - a place that plays a key role in the events of the forthcoming Return of the King film, as well as in this latest tie-in for the Game Boy Advance.

As with the other home console versions of Return of the King, the game places the fate of Middle Earth in your hands, albeit more of a 2D, isometric Middle Earth. Over 15 environments are faithfully recreated, across which you must battle the forces of evil, completing such missions as traversing the Paths of the Dead, defending Minas Tirith, battling Sauron's forces on the Pelennor Fields and, of course, going through with the final confrontation at the Black Gate and the aforementioned deadly Crack.

The game takes the form of part action/part RPG, which incorporates unique character paths for each of the different members of the fellowship. Ten playable characters are available in all, each in possession of their own unique abilities, including such famous names as Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Sam, and Frodo. If you don't feel like you're up to the task by yourself then you can always make use of the GBA link cable and team up with a fiend to defeat the forces of Mordor. And on the subject of linking-up, Return of the King also supports the much-vaunted GC link, allowing you to unlock bonus content if you also own a GameCube. And a link cable. And a copy of the GameCube version.

Being the final episode in the trilogy, this is probably the last we're going to see of the Lord of the Rings for a while. If you haven't enough Tolkien-type fantasy in your life already, you could always buy the 2004 calendar...Did someone say Bored of the Rings?

Artwork

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - GBA Artwork