The Spiderwick
Chronicles is sort of like every other movie game: the mechanics are generic,
the graphics are less than stellar, and the story is presented with clips from
the film. That latter element is extremely important to the game’s fan value. If
you love Spiderwick, those scenes will pull you into the story. The decent
acting, solid plot and engrossing soundtrack are Arthur Spiderwick approved – or
at least they would be had he lived long enough to know a game was going to be
made about his fictitious story.
What does the
story do for an outsider like myself, a gamer hoping to be immersed in
Spiderwick’s world the same way Lemony Snicket pulled me into its game world
before pulling me into theaters? It does a fair job of building intrigue. But
the gameplay still leaves a lot to be desired.
Exploratory
Story
The Spiderwick
Chronicles follows the lead of other movie games and uses its story as a
building block for making the player do chores. Example: near the beginning you’ll
have to fashion a device for viewing the outside world. More specifically, the
creatures within the world that go unseen (prior to wearing this device).
Not
surprisingly, the items needed for your new eyepiece aren’t made with the snap
of fingers. It can only be made after acquiring the appropriate items, which are
found in one of two ways: (A) through aimless exploration or (B) by checking the
item checklist from the pause menu. I think I’ll go with the latter.
However you
choose to tackle the game, expect to spend a great deal of time scavenging for
items that must be collected in order to progress. It’s a familiar system and
isn’t too rewarding, thanks in part to sluggish controls – you can swing the Wii
remote to attack but are better off pressing the A button – and lackluster
visuals. With little excitement to entice further playing, the only chance for
attachment is tied to the story.
Finally, after
30 minutes of wandering through a large house and backyard, an event occurs that
requires the player to fight. In the beginning, the only time you needed to
attack was when faced with an old wall or some other barrier/object that needed
to be destroyed. Jared, one of three children starring in the game (as well as
the books and movie), wields a baseball bat to destroy those who are evil.
After rushing
into the woodsy area surrounding the kids’ new estate – the former home of
Arthur Spiderwick and catalyst of the story – Jared finds himself surrounded by
goblins. Dozens of them. As soon as the first few are destroyed, another bunch
come charging in, seemingly out of nowhere. There aren’t any areas where the
goblins appear to be hidden. But they’re out there, watching and waiting for
some poor soul to come walking through. Of course, they wouldn’t have ever been
given that opportunity had the kids not explored their new home and freed
hundreds, possibly thousands of dangerous creatures from captivity.
The
Chronicles of Mash
Having to dig
deep into the forest’s core, Jared pushes on, and that means players must
button-mash their way through dozens of goblins. There are platformer segments,
most of which are more awkward than fun. There’s also a brief encounter with a
River Troll, an enormous creature that looks like something you’d expect to find
in the swamps of Raccoon City, only tamer. He’s hungry and demands that you feed
him before you can pass. The player may choose to run past him but the story
won’t allow – not when Jared isn’t the only one whose life is at stake.
To satisfy the
River Troll’s cravings, lure the goblins toward his mouth and let him feast. It
sounds and looks cool (this guy swallows things whole like a snake!), but is a
mechanical menagerie of massive mishaps. The goblins aren’t easily bashed into
the mouth of the River Troll. They’ll approach the feeding zone but only if you
do it first, in which case the troll attempts to take a bite out of Jared.
Players must shake the remote and nunchuck up and down to free themselves, a
feature that is also used when other enemies latch onto one of your characters’
bodies.
Since
button-mashing gets old, The Spiderwick Chronicles sought variety in the form of
multiple characters. We’ve seen this before, and unless each character brings
something entirely unique to the experience, the results are rarely outstanding.
But while each
character is somewhat different, none of them are particularly exciting. Simon
is a boring weakling. Mallory is nothing special. Thimbletack – the unattractive
oddity who lives in a birdhouse (after his old home is destroyed) – is much too
sporadic. His quests involve another set of scavenger hunts, a series of enemies
to mash, and several platforms to navigate while trying to manage an
unmanageable camera system.
I suspect that
latter issue is not found in the Xbox 360 version, which likely uses an analog
stick to control the camera. The Wii version, however, does not have two
thumbsticks to utilize. Thus, the developers were faced with the tough reality
of giving the player bad camera controls or no control at all. They chose the
former, providing a system where you change the viewing angle by holding a
button while tilting the nunchuck. If it were accurate and perfectly intuitive,
this might be the ideal option for Wii games. But no game has been able to pull
it off.
Difficult
camera or not, there’s little fun to be had with The Spiderwick Chronicles. It’s
the same old thing – done slightly better than other recent movie games, but
still nowhere near the entertainment value that warrants a purchase.
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Gameplay: 5.0
Despite having an
interesting story, a good soundtrack and a few rare (and not long lasting)
moments of gameplay amusement, The Spiderwick Chronicles isn’t very memorable.
Graphics:
3.0
Horrible. These
graphics are not only below Wii-quality, they’re also below GameCube. The player
faces are slightly more advanced, but the rest of the game could have been made
for Nintendo 64.
Sound: 7.8
Decent acting and an
immersive soundtrack give players a reason to listen carefully even if their
eyes and thumbs want to run away.
Difficulty: Easy
Easy but boring. Who
here really wants another scavenger hunt? I know Easter is coming, but come ‘on…
Concept: 5.0
There isn’t a single
gameplay mechanic in here that hasn’t been done before. Healing fairies? Zelda
did that in the 80s. Button-mashing monsters? Action/RPGs have been doing that
for nearly two decades. Navigating platforms with an awkward camera? Please –
Bubsy 3D pioneered awkward camera angles. You can’t mess with the king.
Multiplayer: 5.0
You have to play the
single-player game, which is repetitive, to unlock mini-games that are also
repetitive.
Overall: 5.0
You may be the
biggest Spiderwick fan in the world, but unless you’re looking for a tiring
gameplay experience that’s been done a zillion times before, do not let this
spider crawl into your Wii collection.
