The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age is a turn-based tactics game for the Game Boy Advance, released in 2004 by Electronic Arts. It was developed by Griptonite Games and is the handheld counterpart to the role-playing video game of the same name released for GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox, though the GBA version is a fundamentally different game in terms of genre and gameplay.
Release Details
- Platform: Game Boy Advance
- Developer: Griptonite Games
- Publisher: Electronic Arts
- Release Dates: November 2, 2004 (North America); November 5, 2004 (PAL region)
- Genres: Turn-based tactics, tactical role-playing
- Modes: Single-player, multiplayer
Gameplay
Unlike the console RPG version, the GBA version is a turn-based strategy game. At the start of a campaign, the player chooses a commander from either the forces of good (Aragorn, Elrond, or Gandalf) or evil (Saruman, the Witch-King of Angmar, or the Mouth of Sauron). Each side has its own campaign, and the player can store two saved games simultaneously—one for good and one for evil.
The good campaign features secondary heroes from the Fellowship and their allies, including Gimli, Théoden, Éomer, Faramir, and Boromir. The evil campaign includes servants of evil such as Grima Wormtongue, Gorbag, Sharku, Ugluk, Grishnakh, Lurtz, and Gothmog. Isildur appears as a non-selectable, non-upgradable hero in the first mission of the good campaign. On the evil side, select missions allow the player to control the Dark Lord Sauron himself.
As missions are completed, the player earns experience points used to purchase skills and equipment upgrades. The game features a "Sauron Mode" in which heroes who fall in battle are permanently unavailable for the remainder of the campaign. The campaign consists of 24 levels, two tutorial levels, and six bonus missions. Several bonus levels and heroes are unlockable by meeting specific conditions.
Reception
According to review aggregator Metacritic, the game received "average" reviews. Critics generally noted that while it captured the scope of Tolkien's story in a portable format, its turn-based tactical gameplay was competent but not groundbreaking.
Distinction from Console Version
The GBA version should not be confused with the console RPG of the same name. While the console versions (GameCube, PS2, Xbox) are role-playing games that follow original characters alongside the events of the films, the GBA version is a turn-based tactics game that allows players to command the established heroes and villains of the trilogy directly.
