OpenLara Game Boy Advance (alpha)
Image: via Timur Gagiev on YouTube

The Game Boy Advance - a 32-bit handheld system released in 2001 - managed to get some 3D-like games up and running, but we don't think we ever saw one that looked this amazing during its lifetime.

Presenting 'OpenLara' - aka the original Tomb Raider game running on the Game Boy Advance. It's currently in alpha, but as you can see it's perhaps some of the best-looking 3D ever shown on the system. Even the framerate is quite impressive.

As noted by one GBA enthusiast, the "fully-3D, articulated character model" makes it seem "light years ahead" of anything else that's been done before. Others noted how it ran better than Nokia's N-Gage version. According to the creator Timur 'XProger' Gagiev, the plan is to continue to optimise this version more, and maybe even release it on the DS in time.

You can read more about the OpenLara project over on the Tomb Raider forums. OpenLara has also previously been shown running on platforms like the Switch, Xbox and even the 3DO.

While the first Tomb Raider in its original form isn't officially available on Nintendo platforms, later this year, Square Enix will be releasing a two-in-one pack on Switch containing the Tomb Raider spin-offs, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light and Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris.

What do you think of the above effort? Leave a comment down below.