I love
Christmas. I look forward every year to the season, and spend a lot of time
decorating, watching Christmas movies, listening to Christmas music, and baking.
I was happy to receive the DS game, A Christmas Carol, to review, even though I
have not really wanted to see the new movie.
A Christmas
Carol is based on the Disney movie of the same name, but as I haven’t seen the
movie, I can’t really say how close the game is to the movie. The game does seem
to try to capture the same look, although it is a cartoon approach in the game.
It is closely related to the book for the most part, with just a few small
changes.
The game begins
with Scrooge in his counting house with Bob Cratchet, his clerk. True to the
story, Bob is freezing while Scrooge seems impervious to the cold. Perhaps his
clothes are thicker? Players are directed to try to distract Scrooge so Bob can
grab a piece of coal and pop it in the fire to warm himself.
After Bob gets
the coal, he can then grab a coin off Scrooge’s desk and play a game. These
early activities serve to introduce the player to the game controls and
different aspects of the game, but having Bob essentially steal money from his
employer I found a bit odd.
The game is a
mixture of adventure elements and mini-games, most of which are seamlessly
interwoven. Most of the time the adventure activities are what drives the
advancement of the game, but sometimes players will need to successfully
complete a mini-game in order to move the story forward.
The story
activities are all stylus driven, and usually involve the player trying to drag
something in the room in order to set off a sequence of events. These needed
actions are not hard to discern, but carrying them out can be a bit tricky at
times, due to imprecise touch controls. I spent a lot of time early in the game
trying to unlock Scrooge’s bedroom door, but had a difficult time getting the
key precisely on the keyhole, which action then initiated information on how to
get the door open.
The mini-games
are surprisingly good for a DS adventure game. Most of them are fun, with only a
few boring or inane ones in the beginning of the game. Trust me, they get more
fun as the game progresses. These mini-games can be replayed any time after they
are unlocked. Some of the good ones are a Cooking Mama-type game, several
musical games, matching games, simple card games, and many others.
Unfortunately, they also have sliding tile games, but players don’t have to win
those to advance the game. Also, many of the games are reminiscent of the
Victorian era.
Besides playing
lots of mini-games, players can also experience the story of the Christmas Carol
by the rich and true-to-the-story environments, the story sequences, and the
clickable hotspots. There is an Advent Calendar, which marks the days by
presenting a new Spot the Difference game each day until Christmas. And, the
original story of A Christmas Carol is also present.
Unlike many
games that are movie tie-ins, A Christmas Carol is a charming and thoughtful
game that allows players to relive the story. It has a lot of variety of
gameplay, and quite a few mini-games that can be replayed. The adventure story
mode is short, but fun while it lasts. The audience is difficult to pick, as the
game is a bit easy and short for adults, but there are not many children who
will be interested in the story behind the movie. However, fans of all things
Christmas will enjoy it very well.
Gameplay:
7.5
This game allows
players to relive the story of A Christmas Carol from Charles Dickens. Packed
with lots of activities, there is much to do during the course of the story. The
animation and story sequences add to the enjoyment.
Graphics:
8.0
The graphical style is well-suited to the story, but
is in a different style from the movie.
Sound:
8.0
The music and
sound effects are good and well-suited to the story.
Difficulty:
Easy
The game is
fairly easy, although bad control detection can slow players down a bit at
times.
Concept: 7.0
There isn’t
anything really new present, but the execution is good.
Overall: 7.5
I love the
story A Christmas Carol, and am really picky about movies of books I like (don’t
get me started on The Lord of the Rings or the most recent Pride and Prejudice).
I wasn’t very impressed with this game at first, due to some boring initial
mini-games and slow game pace, but soon the games became much more fun and the
game pace picked up speed. The look of the game also sold me. A good choice for
anyone who loves Christmas, and/or the book A Christmas Carol.
