Video games
have been a great source for movie spoilers. Star Wars, Lemony Snicket, The
Lord of the Rings – each of those games featured movie clips that had not been
seen before. Most movie-based games are released prior to the movie, thus
giving gamers the chance to experience the journey before it hits theatres.
The
Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe has its share of
movie clips and real-time sequences. High-quality clips that are better than
most in picture quality, have excellent sound, and introduce you to the
characters much more effectively than polygons. I can’t say for certain how
much of the film is spoiled since I haven’t seen it yet. Based on the number
of film clips that lead into real-time footage (and then gameplay), it seems
to be a lot.
I can’t go
into specifics about the story except to say that the world of Narnia is in
danger. Narnia is given a bit of hope when four siblings stumble upon a door
that leads them there. The events that follow are really something, if not a
little lighthearted. The spectacular visuals grabbed my attention instantly,
both the film’s and the game’s. The gorgeous, snow-covered trees, detailed
caves and impressive animations made it hard to take your eyes off the
backgrounds.
The only
major problem with the visuals is the character models. They look a bit lame
when they appear immediately after a movie clip, which could’ve been fixed or
at least improved with a motion blur or some kind of animated transition. It’s
the hard cut that makes the fact that you’re controlling game characters and
not the film’s actors stand out.
Good or bad,
graphics are just eye candy. The Chronicles of Narnia’s gameplay is what
matters most, even if it wasn’t the first thing to get my attention.
Labeled an
action/adventure, Narnia is a game of puzzles and linear levels. There are
battles to be won against Minoboars, Minotaurs, Boggles and other creatures
that do not exist in our world (at press time we were still calling it
"Earth," though I’m actively petitioning to get it changed to "Midgar").
Hungry (or
are they just angry?) wolves will come out of the shadows at the most
inopportune times, but they’re easy to deal with if Peter, one of the four
siblings, is nearby. His strength makes him the ideal defenseman. His sisters,
Susan and Lucy, have the advantage of quick attacks and being able to crawl
through small spaces, respectively. Susan can throw tennis balls and other
objects to break windows, throw snow to put out fires, etc. Lucy is so small
and light she can hop on top of a snowball (a large snowball) and roll around.
This makes her taller, allowing her to reach precious items that no one else
was able to snatch.
These
precious items are an important part of increasing the bond between the
siblings. Acquire and sell coins/tokens to buy new moves and attacks. Some of
the children can join hands to perform team moves that let you cross blocked
areas. Edmund, the fourth child, is a master at climbing. Have him team up
with Lucy and he’ll become a master at shattering barriers.
There are
times when the ice is too thick to shatter, thus you call in Peter and have
him melt it. He can melt a lot of things, none of which are violent. All are
restricted to whatever the developers intended. At some points you’ll have to
burn various objects to acquire an item or burn a tree so you can get through
an area.
Narnia’s
multiplayer option lets a friend drop in on your game at any time. Reminiscent
of old arcade games, the words "press start" are constantly fading in and out
of the top of the screen. Do it and the second controller will be set to one
of the characters. Both players can switch to control any character at any
time as long as that character is not already being controlled. You can’t
share a character. That’d be weird.
Setting up a
team move can leave you without any functions since one character is more or
less the weapon. However, if you’re playing as Peter, let Lucy ride on his
back and one player can control the direction while the other attacks.
This is fun
stuff, but Narnia’s not perfect. The characters move rather slowly, and most
of the missions involve tasks that are entertaining but not necessarily
exciting. It’s a more peaceful experience than other adventure games, which
I’m sure many of you will love. Others undoubtedly will expect more action
from the game and will walk away disappointed.
I also must
point out that the camera is restricted and does not always show the best
view. Menial tasks like pushing objects are acceptable, however, I would have
preferred that they scrap the trial-and-error tasks. Crossing icy water isn’t
fun when one mistake means you have to do it all over again. I know that it
seems like you can’t make gamers happy when we say, "Make it challenging, make
us die! But don’t make us do anything twice." It’s especially annoying when
the majority of a game’s objectives aren’t difficult at all, which is the case
with Narnia.
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Gameplay: 7.0
For the young
adventurer or the young at heart, The Chronicles of Narnia takes you to a
fantasy world that you’ll happily revisit. It’s small on action, has a
restricted camera angle and is pretty weak in the challenge department, but
the act of working with four different characters to help them save Narnia
(and themselves) is pretty fun.
Graphics: 8.5
Step back, take a
look around and let your jaw drop at the beautiful world of Narnia. It’s lush,
detailed, and makes me want to go there right now. What do you mean I can’t?
Oh, right, it’s a game. A gorgeous one at that.
Sound: 8.0
The music seems
to be the same as the film and it’s wonderful. Not as original as other recent
fantasy/epics (it sounds a lot like other film scores), but overall it’s a
really good sound. Soft, emotional, and properly edited into the game. The
voice acting is about as good as the acting in the film since both share the
same actors.
Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Aside from those
parts that make you “Hmmm,” The Chronicles of Narnia falls in line with other
child-friendly movie-based games (Lemony Snicket, Harry Potter, etc.). There
aren’t too many excruciatingly difficult parts, which inevitably makes it less
desirable to hardcore gamers. However, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of
the King would have suffered the same fate had it not been for its relentless
action. Consider that and you’ll realize that Narnia is worth a shot.
Concept: 8.0
The Chronicles of
Narnia shows us another way for multiple characters to team up and become
useful. Lots of interesting mechanics are introduced, like team attacks and
character-specific tasks that make each character important. I never felt
forced into using a specific character because I wanted to use different
characters as often as possible. It made the game stay fresh longer.
Multiplayer: 7.0
Drop in and out
of the game at any time! This feature means that if Gamer A is playing and
Gamer B comes over for a visit, they can play together for as long as they
wish on Gamer A’s quest. No need to re-start or re-load the game. Then if
Gamer B has to leave suddenly, pause the game and click “drop out.” Just like
that he’s gone, your quest is fine, and you can get back to the game.
Overall: 7.1
Lacking action
but not fun, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe is
a straightforward adventure game in the vein of Lemony Snicket. There’s more
fighting than Lemony, but features far fewer battles than The Return of the
King. You’ll be in awe of the backgrounds, and the movie clips will definitely
increase your desire to see the movie. As long as spoilers don’t bother you,
this virtual journey is worth taking before the film.
