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.
