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| The siblings make their way through Narnia’s frozen terrain | Awesome 3-D graphics enhance exciting battles |
Keeping in line with the story’s original plot, The Chronicles of Narnia pivots the four Pevensie siblings against a slew of enemies and obstacles, but this time, it’s up to you to make sure they succeed. Similarly to the successful X Men: Legends series, gamers control teams of players that must work together in order to complete levels. Teams initially consist of the four siblings, who each have their own strengths and weaknesses.
Peter, for example, is by far the strongest character; while Susan is a decent overall character whose special ability is her ranged attacks. Edmund is quite athletic, and the youngest one, Lucy, is able to heal her brothers and sister when wounded in combat. Eventually, as you make your way through Narnia, you will encounter friendly beings that will eventually join you in your quest, providing additional teamwork as backup units while in battle.
As with other games that utilize the teamwork feature, you have the option to select which character you play as, while the other three work cooperatively alongside you. The AI falls a little short in this aspect, as characters will often run around seemingly senseless while you’re being beaten to a pulp by an awful Centaur. But this doesn’t have too much of an impact on gameplay: another unique feature of the game is the fact that all four characters share the same health meter. So in essence, you’re better off when the other three steer clear of danger- doing so will keep you meter fuller, longer.
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| Many mystical foes await! | Ogres are no match for the agile Lucy! |
In addition to the health meter, players must make sure to keep their temperature indicator high. The siblings will be much more efficient when warm, so make sure to keep them cozy!
The graphics in this game are amazing, providing for awesome character likenesses which are enhanced by the fact that all four original actors for the film provide the voiceovers for their characters. In addition to the detailed characters, Narnia’s varying environments, landscapes and enemies all contribute to the realistic quality of this otherwise fantastical game. The 3-D animation is detailed with specific environmental elements found throughout the movie, adding to the entertainment factor during gameplay. The transition between night and day adds to the game’s overall presentation as well as gameplay- enemies will vary depending on the time of day.
After seeing so many places in Narnia first-hand thanks to the theatrical release, the mystical fantasy world seems a bit small in game form. But the many secrets, friends, foes and treasures that each different level provides players more than make up for this fact, resulting in a small but thoroughly developed gaming atmosphere. Enemies are reset once players clear a level, and although continually having to battle the same foes when traveling to and from different stages sounds redundant, it’s actually a great way to build on experience.
Another reason not to fret over encountering the same enemies is the fact that there are so many different kinds of them, ranging from simple species such as bats and wolves to complex beings like Cyclops, Wraiths, Ogres and Minotaurs. In fact, there are over 70 different types of foes to be found throughout Narnia’s wilderness.
The Chronicles of Narnia keeps with the RPG style format, allowing gamers multiple ways to advance, upgrade, and level-up their characters and abilities. Coins can be found throughout the world, and can be used within the inventory screen to purchase attacks such as Peter’s flaming melee attack, and to upgrade abilities (like Lucy’s healing power). How you use the coins remains entirely up to you, offering variability and strategy in gameplay. Characters will automatically level-up through experience.
In addition to the many battles you will inevitably encounter throughout Narnia, players will need to solve a series of puzzles throughout gameplay as well. Players will also have the additional task of completing mini objectives in order to help out the many friendly characters the siblings will encounter on their journey. These two aspects enhance the main objective of destroying the White Witch nicely.
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| Susan’s ranged attacks are a beneficial asset | The gaming environment is artistically detailed and visually enhanced by scenes from the movie |
The only thing that’s not that great about this game, aside from the underdeveloped AI, is the amount of time loading requires. Loading times vary depending on the level, but when combined with the anticipation of continuing onward with your quest, seem all too long. In addition, the game seems to slow down when there’s a lot of characters on-screen.
All in all, The Chronicles of Narnia is a great action-packet adventure game that’s enjoyable for players of all ages. It’s exciting, unique and fresh, while remaining true to the multiple gaming genres that the game covers as well as the movie that it’s based on. So whether you’re a fan of the film, a lover of action, RPG, or adventure games, or both: this game will not disappoint you.
TOP GAME MOMENT
Surprisingly,
I found my favorite game moment to be the parts I wasn’t playing.
Short clips taken directly from the movie are interspersed throughout
gameplay, occurring few enough times to keep from being annoying, while
occurring frequently enough to really enhance gameplay.
