For the Game Boy Advance, this is a very ambitious game, attempting to recreate Nightfire on the GBA and keeping it as a first person shooter. The controls are similar to the PlayStation Bond games, using the shoulder buttons for strafing, so I was able to remap them into a more comfortable setup similar to dual analogue. Some things, like jumping and changing weapons, use multiple button presses, which takes time to get used to, but makes sense with the GBA’s limited buttons.

Similar to the PC version, this skips the intro and has no vehicle sections. It starts with the castle and you can’t even stay on the truck this time – but it’s more understandable this time. You can use it as cover as you navigate the impressive-for-GBA 3D environment and shoot the sprite enemies.

Sneaking inside and there’s some curious things about the cutscenes. They’re comprised of screenshots of cutscenes that look similar to the other versions and text. The rooms in the screenshots look like the PC cutscenes, however, Bond is the Agent Under Fire design and not Pierce Brosnan (even though he’s on the box). The inside of this is just a corridor and a door you have to shoot with the watch laser.

Escaping, this time the cable car doesn’t move as you fight the helicopter, although there’s no homing rockets. The levels are linear but, again, you expect that more on the GBA. This section of the game ends right here, not using the awful airfield mission from the PC game.

At the end of the mission you’ll get a store based on kills, accuracy and Bond style. You also lose a lot of points if you take your time with the level. If you don’t get a bronze score, you can’t progress to the next level. I thought this was ridiculous and used a mission select cheat for the few times I didn’t get a bronze.

The Japanese house is more straightforward, but still enjoyable. I did get stuck on one part, turned out a few blobs of pixels was a target for the grapple hook. Ammo also seems limited in this version, so you’ll often be using the same weapons as the enemies. The enemies, incidentally, will roll and crouch to dodge your shots, meaning that the enemy AI in this version is much better than the PC version.

Stealth in a GBA FPS is…actually not that bad. You have the dart pen from the PC version, but enemy sight isn’t as superb, which makes it more playable. Climbing up the window also makes an appearance again, but is thankfully just a cutscene. After collecting the data, it’s time to investigate how they disarm missiles.

Surprisingly, we have the console version of the following level, and it features some very impressive recreations of the open areas. Considering the previous missions have been closer to the PC version, it’s great as to how well this recreates a console level, although this version has some more platforming instead of using wires to cross the level.

This then flows into the training facility level from the PC version. It skips the boring start and goes straight to being in a space suit underwater. You have full space controls, letting you move freely. It’s a fun level and shows how the two levels expand upon each other: the first has you investigating test jetpacks and lasers, the second has you testing out the spacesuit in underwater training.

Back to being closer to the PC version when Bond gets captured, this starts at the end of the lift segment, which I was grateful for. This mission isn’t as tediously long, so is quite enjoyable. I did notice enemies ducking a lot more here, so it’s nice that they don’t rely on just more health to make enemies more challening.

Onto a much more condensed version of the beach level. Alura is with you from the start to help you take out enemies – no off-screen kidnapping. Due to its length, I enjoyed this more than the PC version of the level. The same is true of the penultimate level, which is based on the console version, but is less frustrating.

The final mission is, surprisingly, a recreation of the cinematic final mission from the console version, and a really good way to finish the game.

Apart form the annoying mission advancement requirement, this is a surprisingly good handheld port of the game. It’s fascinating that it uses elements from both versions of the game.

While it would never happen, I would love to see an updated version of Nightfire that is mainly based on the console version, but also includes the best parts of the other two.

It's always fun to see a first-person shooter on a Game Boy. There's so much charm in maneuvering a crushed-up 3D pixel world! And when the garbled guard voice says "SOMEBODY KILL HIM" over and over again? It's delightful.

But uhhhh this feels BAD to play. My jank tolerance isn't quite this high. Definitely check out some gameplay on YouTube if you're familiar with the console version of Nightfire, it's quite a technical achievement what they were able to pull off with GBA hardware! I just wish it didn't handle like boooooooty.