Eragon games will launch on a number of consoles this fall in anticipation of the Eragon movie’s release this December. One of the versions of the game will even make its way onto the stalwart GBA system allowing gamers to take the world of Eragon with them when they are on the road. We recently had the chance to play a preview version of the game and can offer you this sneak peek at what to expect.

The first thing that you’ll notice about the game is that it is a bit of a departure from the other versions. Rather than leading players through step by step through the movie, the game draws upon the Eragon books for inspiration as well. This is sure to please fans of the book who will undoubtedly feel that the movie left out much of the story. The game opens with the elves Arya, Glenwig, and Faolin ambushed by Urgal while riding through a forest. This quickly drops you into your first battle which also serves as a tutorial on the combat in the game.

Battles in the game follow the same basic turn-based fights that console RPG gamers know and love, but there are a few twists. The first is that each character is given a strong and a weak attack and that these can be combined in different ways to form different combos. Each character gets four attack actions, with the order of the strong and weak attacks chosen determining which combo is unleashed. For example, one combo allows Arya to unleash an extra damaging attack on her target, while another lets her strike all of her foes at once. The other combat twist is that spells require a bit of good timing on your part. When you cast a spell a meter appears with a wildly fluctuating power bar. You’ll need to time your press of the A button for when the bar is filled if you want to unleash the full power of the spell. It adds both a random element to the spellcasting and a somewhat hands-on approach as well, both of which add a welcome change to the typically repetitive nature of RPG battles.

When not in battle the game switches to an overhead view that shows the area around your party. You’ll also notice an abundance of “wandering monsters” in the world and should you bump into any of them a battle will ensue. When you want to avoid combat you can use a “run” button to quicken your pace and dodge enemies, but they can be pretty persistent in trying to trap you into a corner. Also populating the world are bountiful treasure chests which are filled with everything from health potions to items that characters can equip and take into battle. You’ll also find entrances to caves, dungeons, and other similar areas to explore. These will also contain a few wandering monsters as well as serve up some boss battles to challenge your party.

The classic RPG gameplay found in the GBA version of Eragon is unique to the system as the other portables will feature different game experiences. The graphics are colorful and the animations top-notch, so if you’re looking for an RPG experience in the world of Eragon, don’t bypass this GBA game.