Quite a bit better than Virtua Fighter 2 on the Sega Genesis, twice as good as Deadly Alliance on Gameboy Advance, and 50 times better than Mortal Kombat Advance. You can sidestep, Korean backdash, juggle… it’s basically a shockingly functional (albeit stripped-down) Tekken 3 de-make on the GBA.

Obviously there are technical limitations in play (sprites, smaller roster, smaller moves list, less buttons, no Tekken Force or Ball) but when you look at the overall library of fighting games on GBA, having one that works this well is quite the treat.

This is the definition of a game that looks worse by modern standards. Mobile gaming was a lot less capable back then, and being able to play a game on the go was a novelty in and of itself – that was the appeal of this game, I think.

It was a very basic port of Tekken 3 for the Gameboy advance and lacked a lot of Tekken 3’s features, as well as gameplay depth and obviously the graphics were much more compressed.

I’ve ranked it this low because of how it stands today as a game. Normally I rank old games higher if I have a sentimental attachment to them, but even though I had this growing up – I don’t feel very attached to it.

How is this game even real.

It looks terrible but it's graphics are also amazing. It's actually "3d"; you can sidestep, wavedash, kbd... it has more movement than the first Tekken.

The controls are weird. You use 4 buttons but not like normal Tekken where each button corresponds to a limb. You have a punch button, a kick button, a grab button and a tag button... Yes, this game has a tag mode, 3v3 in fact.

Tekken Advance is a weird mismatch of Tekken 3 and Tag1. It's a very ambitious game and kind of impressive as it plays well even with the reduced movesets.

I am not a fighting game gal, but I watched EVO with some friends and it reminded me that I own this after finding it in a thrift store. My relationship to fighting games has always been that I wish so badly to be good at them, but I’ve never gotten the hang of a single game, lol. I played a decent amount of Street Fighter IV on Xbox 360, but never won a single online match. I say all this only to preface that this game feels good to me, someone who all fighting games feel wrong to. Hits feel good, the game works well, it never felt clunky at all! Also is pretty crazy that character sprites don’t look fucking disgusting, and the background twisting when you move up and down is pretty crazy. A great GBA tech demo, I guess, but I don’t figure it as some hidden gem.

Tekken Advance brings the iconic 3D fighting franchise to the Game Boy Advance with surprising success. It boasts impressive visuals for the platform, replicating the look of Tekken 3 with fluid sprite-based animations and detailed backgrounds. The gameplay, although simplified for the handheld, retains the core Tekken feel, and its fast-paced, combo-driven action delivers a satisfying portable fighting experience. While it lacks the depth of its console counterparts, Tekken Advance offers a surprisingly enjoyable Tekken fix on the go.

Tekken Advance é uma tentativa ambiciosa de trazer a experiência de Tekken para o Game Boy Advance, mas infelizmente não consegue alcançar todo o potencial da série. Lançado em 2002, este jogo portátil apresenta uma série de desafios e limitações que afetam sua qualidade geral.

Começando pelos aspectos positivos, Tekken Advance consegue manter em parte a essência da jogabilidade de Tekken. Ele oferece uma seleção decente de personagens da série, cada um com seus próprios movimentos e estilos de luta característicos. Além disso, os controles são relativamente responsivos, considerando as limitações do hardware do Game Boy Advance.

No entanto, o jogo sofre com várias limitações técnicas. Os gráficos são simplificados e os modelos dos personagens carecem do mesmo detalhamento encontrado nas versões de console. Isso resulta em uma experiência visual menos imersiva e empolgante. Além disso, a falta de um segundo conjunto de botões no Game Boy Advance dificulta a execução de combos e movimentos especiais, o que pode frustrar os jogadores mais experientes da série.

Outro ponto fraco de Tekken Advance é a falta de modos de jogo robustos. A ausência de um modo de história significativo ou de outras opções de jogo além do modo Arcade limita a longevidade e o interesse do jogador.

Embora Tekken Advance seja uma tentativa louvável de levar a franquia Tekken para um sistema portátil, suas limitações técnicas e falta de conteúdo acabam prejudicando sua qualidade geral. Por essas razões, eu daria a Tekken Advance uma nota de 6/10. É um jogo que pode entreter os fãs da série por um curto período de tempo, mas não oferece a mesma experiência satisfatória encontrada nas versões de console.

In what world does Tekken 3 gets a sequel for the GBA and that sequel isn’t even Tekken 4 it’s Tekken 3 and a half, this is insanity.

Tekken Advance is literally what you are currently imagining, a weird ass version of Tekken, Tekken 3 even, and it’s not as bad as you might be thinking. I honestly wouldn’t say it’s good but it’s not bad either, it’s the right amount of playability for a silly GBA port that we all love.
The game features all of the previous modes Tekken 3 had other than the extra Tekken Ball and Tekken Force, though for some ungodly reasons Tekken Advance have a tag mode 3 V 3, something that hasn’t been seen in any mainline Tekken game outside of obviously Tag Tournaments, Tekken Advance wasn’t kidding it’s actually more Advanced than the mainline title.
But unfortunately the only unlockable character in this game is obviously Heihachi once you finish the arcade mode with all characters, and just like Tag Tournaments, this game doesn’t have silly endings or story things which is unfortunate but expected for the hardware.

Overall a fine game for the game boy advance, it could’ve been far worse but I don’t really think it could’ve been any better.

Honestly? For a first handheld Tekken and on the Game Boy Advance, this game is an absolute treat and I can't imagine how awesome it felt back in 2001 to play Tekken portably, until we got Dark Resurrection and 6 on the PSP later on.
There's quite a lot of inputs you can do including of course electrics for Mishimas and there's a lot of cute Game Boyified details here and there, like King's throws being slideshows, the little 8-bit crushed sprites used in the gameplay, the Tekken 3 soundtrack but also 8-bitified, and so much more. It's honestly absolutely impressive how the game is still 3D and has full sidesteps, it has more movement than the first console Tekken, and that's a fact. Doesn't take a lot to get the hang of either, give it a try :)