The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

 Game Boy Advance
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
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  1. GameZone
    83
    While not a dramatic change from its predecessor, Return of the King is a solid action game.
  2. Nintendo Power
    82
    Although item use is complex and battlefield navigation can be a chore, gameplay is solid and production values are high. [Jan 2004, p.161]
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  3. IGN
    80
    The GBA sequel doesn't add much beyond the new storyline, additional playable characters, and minor gameplay and graphic tweaks, but it's still a great and recommended design.
  5. Game Informer
    80
    If you like Tolkien and have a GBA, Return of the King is a no-brainer. [Dec 2003, p.186]
  6. Pocket Games
    80
    One of the coolest aspects of the game is the inclusion of the crebains, the crows that Sauron uses as spies. [Spring 2004, p.35]
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  7. Deeko
    80
    While I feel that Return of the King doesn’t offer as many new features as those found in the "Two Towers," the features that it does add are quite impressive and work well.
  8. Cheat Code Central
    80
    Has just enough elements added to keep it interesting. Perhaps the way the game is designed to be played is one of its most important traits. That, being the ability to save anywhere in the game which allows for an installment style of play.
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  9. GamingWorld X
    76
    A good, solid game, but it doesn’t offer much more than the previous title did. If you’ve played that to death, there isn’t much here that you haven’t already experienced.
  10. GameSpot
    75
    A good hack-and-slash RPG that will keep you occupied for hours just building up a character that's useful in all three of the game's separate play modes.
  11. GameSpy
    75
    Unless you're a fan of repetitive beat-'em-ups that require dozens of hours of devotion to unlock every last item, level, and character, RotK won't have much to offer.
  12. 1UP
    70
    There's not enough variety to keep you playing through everything EA's set up for you. You'll be addicted to the game for a short while when you go through with your first character, but after that, the novelty of building up medieval superheroes starts to wear extremely thin.
  13. Weekly Famitsu
    68
    7 / 7 / 7 / 6 - 27 [Vol 786]
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  14. Electronic Gaming Monthly
    68
    The core gameplay is essentially the same as last year's "Two Towers," though the graphics have been given a minor facelift and the stages are a bit more varied. [Dec 2003, p.236]
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Awards & Rankings

36
#36 Best Game Boy Advance Game of 2003
33
#33 Most Discussed Game Boy Advance Game of 2003
9
#9 Most Shared Game Boy Advance Game of 2003

User Reviews

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User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 15 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 15
  3. Negative: 1 out of 15
  1. VLG
    Aug 24, 2023
    10
    One of my favorite games of all time, and the best action RPG in the console, imho
  2. Nikitosss95
    Feb 13, 2021
    10
    Out of all GBA games that I have ever played (I had a collection of 50 games at least) this one is in the top 5 of my favorite games! I lovedOut of all GBA games that I have ever played (I had a collection of 50 games at least) this one is in the top 5 of my favorite games! I loved playing as Gandalf, Legolas, Gimli, Aragorn or Eowyn! With each character you could gradually collect rare items and keep leveling up until even Nazgul wouldn’t be a threat to you! Playing as Frodo was challenging though, but no less enjoyable!… Full Review »
  3. TheQuietGamer
    Dec 22, 2010
    7
    Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King's GBA port is actually almost as good as the console version, the graphics are ok for a GBA game,Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King's GBA port is actually almost as good as the console version, the graphics are ok for a GBA game, the sound however is a mixture of repetitive music and sound effects, the game is very challenging but that's mostly because of a flawed leveling up system, you can play as several characters from the movie, and all but a few have there own unique stories, while this game does have it's flaws it is still a ok game and i would recommend it for fans of the series… Full Review »
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