Up until
Disney announced that they were turning The Chronicles of Narnia books into
major motion pictures, I was unaware of this hugely successful series. Movies
get 100 times the amount of publicity that novels get, especially movies.
I had no
idea what to expect from the film, but the comparisons to The Lord of the
Rings certainly piqued my interest.
My reactions
were mixed when they unveiled the first trailer. It was too much of a tease,
and most of what was shown was typical among fantasy films.
Leave it to
the game to change my opinion. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch
and The Wardrobe is an adventure game along the lines of Harry Potter and
Lemony Snicket – the difference is that this game has actual gameplay! That
is, you have enemies to battle; puzzles to solve; an old lady to hide from;
and a series of objectives, both required and some that are optional, that can
only be completed by a certain character.
Lucy, for
example, is small and can crawl through small holes, pick up rare items, and
open doors on the opposite side. She’s light enough to ride on snow balls,
reaching further items that the others cannot get to. Peter is the oldest and
strongest of the bunch. His strength allows him to pick up sticks and battle
vicious wolves. He can also set those sticks on fire to burn bushes and block
additional wolves from entering, among other things.
Edmund
seemed to be least useful thus far. His primary advantage seemed to be his
ability to climb poles and anything that’s tall and skinny. Again, this makes
it possible to reach items that are out of reach to everyone else, and unlock
doors from the insides of areas he’s climbed to.
Susan has
great, speedy attacks that I hope to see her perform in the movie. She’s also
a great marksman with her hands, throwing snowballs, tennis balls and anything
else required to stop a fire, break a window, etc.
The way that
the game implements these characters and their individual requirements is very
unique. Developer Traveller’s Tales (who has worked on many of Disney’s games)
is the brilliant mind behind the project. Their experience with working on big
and important franchise is paying off for this series. If the first film does
well several sequels will follow. And you know what that means? More games.
The
Chronicles of Narnia’s levels are linear and are without a movable camera, but
their appearance is gorgeous. Character faces are imperfect and do not quite
match the actors featured in the film, but that could change as the game nears
completion. Gamers will be unusually impressed by the backgrounds — they’re
some of the best I’ve seen in a movie licensed game. Very well designed with
an impressive number of intricacies, especially in the outside levels. Those
are my favorite because of the variety that the developers put into them.
Destroy icy barriers; reveal safe pathways across icy waters; knock down trees
to cross dangerous gaps — most of these are traditional adventure game
elements, but you won’t find them in other movie games.
One of the
levels pushed the children down a snow bank, dodging holes and maneuvering
around narrow areas, just like in retro Sonic and Mario games. The avalanche
gains speed quickly, but it seems to be there mainly for the effect of
simulating impending doom. The only hazard during this scenario was the holes
and narrow paths.
Film clips
were not in this build, but the final version will include around 30 minutes
of movie footage, which is great news. If you’re going to base a game on a
movie, you’ve got to utilize the movie’s assets. Yet again this is not
something you see in the average movie game, and gives us more reasons to
believe that The Chronicles of Narnia is going to be an incredible game.
Strangely, a
note that came with the build warns that the music and sound effects are not
final. It says the developers are working with the film composer and sound
designer to ensure that the game sounds close to the film. Now I haven’t seen
the film yet, but you know what? This game sounds amazing! From the start of
the title screen I knew that The Chronicles of Narnia would have one of the
best scores of the year. My assumption was confirmed as I played through each
stage.
Due for
release in December alongside the film, The Chronicles of Narnia is one of the
most promising movie games I have played in a long, long time. The use of the
story’s most important characters means you’ll have to (and will want to) play
as each child. Joint moves are being added that open the door for some cool
attacks, barrier breakers, etc., with two characters working together.
The more I
play the more secrets that are revealed. There are a lot of items to collect,
and an upgrade system that lets you expand the wealth of your characters’
abilities.
The
Chronicles of Narnia is a wonderful surprise. It’s completely changed my
opinion of the movie — now I can’t wait to see it. If the film and the final
version of the game are this enjoyable, we won’t be able to wait another 12+
months for the anticipated sequels.
