Human Soft

The GBA version of Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend is a side-scrolling platform game more similar to the DS version instead of the 3D console versions by a different development studio. Unlike the previous GBA game in the series, a side view is used instead of more titled, overhead camera perspective. Lara can also jump, attack with her guns, and she needs to swing to new platforms, avoid obstacles and take out enemies and animals in her way. Timing and precision is essential to reach platforms, much like the early Prince of Persia games. New guns are collected when enemies drop them, but this does not change the sprite of the weapon Lara is holding. There are also a number of vehicle sequences where Lara is driving a bike.

The Nintendo DS version of Tomb Raider: Legend differs significantly from its console counterparts. While it retains the original plot and cutscenes, the platforming and environmental puzzles have been adapted into a side-scrolling format with some 3D elements. The game also includes occasional motorcycle segments. Typically, the upper screen displays the main action, while the lower screen manages inventory, which is controlled using the stylus. During combat, the lower screen shifts to a first-person view, requiring players to tap enemies to defeat them. As in other versions, gameplay centers on retrieving artifacts in exotic locations; on the DS, players must blow into the microphone to dust them off. Although Lara moves primarily in two dimensions, the graphics are rendered in 3D, and the environments are often presented from varied angles, diverging from the traditional side-on perspective common in the genre.