Tekken Advance

Tekken was always synonymous with 3D combat on big consoles, where characters intertwine in fluid polygon animation. Tekken Advance from 2001 is therefore a small miracle: Namco's three-dimensional fighter ported to the Game Boy Advance, handheld hardware without native 3D acceleration, and yet with an effort to preserve the soul of the series.

Namco borrowed the characters and combat foundation from the console Tekkens and adapted them to the GBA's buttons. The characteristic four-button system, where each button controls one limb, had to undergo simplification, but the essence remained: juggling the opponent in the air, chaining strikes and an emphasis on timing. The game bets on fast, readable fights and a compact roster of familiar fighters, among whom faces like Kazuya, King or Yoshimitsu are not missing.

In terms of development, it was one of the first attempts to get a fully fledged 3D fighter onto Nintendo's new handheld shortly after its launch. Namco was at the peak of its arcade fame at the time and Tekken was one of its crown jewels, so bringing the brand to the GBA made commercial sense, even though the technical compromises were considerable. Visually the game resembles more a two-dimensional rendition with a 3D-inspired camera than a genuine polygon engine.

Culturally, Tekken Advance is mainly an interesting footnote in the history of the series. It shows the era's effort by manufacturers to get big console brands into your pocket at any cost, before the arrival of more powerful handhelds enabled more faithful conversions. For collectors and Tekken fans it is a curiosity worth knowing.

In the end it is a playable, brisk fighter whose greatest asset is its very existence: a Tekken you could have in your backpack long before handheld 3D fighters became commonplace.

Why play it: A curious but surprisingly brisk attempt to bring 3D Tekken to the GBA, a draw especially for series fans and collectors of period ports.