Adapted from the PlayStation original (published in 2000 by EA Games), the GBA version of Medal of Honor: Underground was developed by Rebellion and published by Destination Software in 2002. It is a first-person shooter, set during The Second World War.

The game begins in occupied France in 1942, and in it you play as a member of the French resistance – as a young woman called Manon Batiste. Manon and her brother, Jacques, are assisting the resistance on a heist mission when her brother is killed by the Nazis. Manon survives and is later recruited by the OSS and is assigned missions in North Africa and Europe. In 1944, Manon returns to France to help liberate Paris from the Nazis, and also to avenge her brother.

While Medal of Honor: Underground‘s menus, cut scenes, and information screens are extremely well-presented, the in-game graphics are unfortunately quite messy. Environments are drably-coloured; enemy soldiers are indistinct, and the rendering engine is very pixelly. Your initial opponents are Vichy police thugs, and since they are dressed in bright blue, you can see them from a distance. When you encounter German soldiers, though, it can be very difficult to see them against the backgrounds. The game does auto-aim for you, and the crosshairs will jump to an enemy when you’re in range of a target, which can help identify hostiles in front of you.

The all-important gameplay is not too bad overall, though. Movement is fast enough, and slowdown does happen, but is minimal. You do occasionally get snagged on the scenery, though, which can be annoying. The level design is fairly basic, and there’s nothing that makes you go “wow”. However complex your mission objectives seem, what you actually have to do in the game is always very simple: survive, shoot enemies, find documents, blow stuff up, and occasionally press buttons. Survival is obviously the most important part of the game, and that is possible if: 1. you shoot enemies from a distance and try to avoid the lure of close-up kills (because they often lead to serious injury or death), and 2. you find and collect health kits as often as you can. Another good tip is to try to avoid walking around corners and turning your back on an enemy… That’s a sure fire way of getting ventilated by bullets.

The storyline in Medal of Honor: Underground is interesting, and is actually based on the exploits of a real person (Hélène Deschamps Adams), which surprised me to discover. The game itself – and the presentation – leaves a fair bit to be desired, though. The graphics I’ve already mentioned. The music, too, I think is a mixed bag, and in places is grating and tuneless. There is a multiplayer mode, for four-player link-up deathmatching, but it’s bare-bones and not very exciting to play.

Overall, Medal of Honor: Underground is another middle-of-the-road FPS on the GBA. It’s disappointing; nothing special – just okay in places. You’d be better off playing the PlayStation version if you want a better experience.

More: Medal of Honor: Underground on Wikipedia