The Chronicles of Narnia game review

Game_Name: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Platform: Xbox

Publisher: Buena Vista Games

ESRB Rating: Teen (T)

About The Chronicles of Narnia

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is an action/adventure game that is a wondrous journey into a land filled with talking animals, Orcs, Elves, Dwarves, Minotaurs and an evil White Witch. The story is based on the first book of the Chronicles of Narnia series created by C.S. Lewis which inspired the recent blockbuster movie. Four children (Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy Pevensie) accidentally find their way into Narnia through a wardrobe cabinet. There they discover that the lands are in turmoil due to the evil power of the White Witch who has turned many creatures into stone and has created a permanent icy cold winter. Journey with them to stop the curse and save Narnia.

Adventuring through Narnia

The lands of Narnia are fun to explore. Play this game alone or with a friend. It is an adventure game where you get to play all four Pevensie children. Most of the time you will have at least two of them in each chapter. You spend a lot of time traveling through different locations and encountering wolves, Orcs, Minotaurs, Giants and other powerful foes. To add to the fun, there are some puzzles to solve and a few major bosses to defeat. The game starts off easy, but later it turns up a notch and becomes very difficult in the last few chapters. Some of the tasks are timed (like escaping from a giant sleeping Orc before he wakes up), so you have to be quick with the actions. It can be a little frustrating especially since it takes you right back to the beginning of the chapter section instead of continuing where you died. The only good thing about this is that at least your game doesn’t end and force you to go to your last save.

Gameplay is very simple. The game tells you where you should do certain actions (like knocking over a tree) by putting icons over them. For specific character actions, it puts up a face icon to let you know which one needs to do something. In some situations of the game, this isn’t too bad since it may not be intuitive. Other times, it seems like overkill and that the game is baby-stepping you through situations.

The controls in Chronicles of Narnia are easy to use. Many actions only require a single button press. More involving combos go up to three button pushes, but they are not difficult to pick up. If you are unsure about the specific order, press the pause button and select the inventory menu. There you will see all available combos and how to activate them.

Characters do not appear to gain levels, but can improve their skills and abilities by purchasing them with gold and silver coins found during game play. At the end of each chapter, it tells you how many items you have located, amount of coins found then gives you a performance rating. I don’t care for their rating system. It almost seems random with the different ratings scrolling in front of you like a slot machine. At times where I thought I really did well, I’ve gotten a poor rating. Other times, when I thought my performance was lame, I got a better score.

Some Character Highlights

• Peter is the oldest, strongest and best fighter of the four. He is powerful with the sword and other weapons.
• Susan has talents with the bow and musical instruments that can put opponents to sleep or find hidden items.
• Lucy is the youngest, but has the ability to heal the group and tame wild beasts.
• Edmund is a decent fighter and has the agility to climb and cross over dangerous areas the others cannot pass.

Graphics and Audio

The graphics in Chronicles of Narnia are nice to look at. The icy environments in many scenes give the great effect of a snowstorm. Water looks almost real. Armor and weapons look shiny. Video clips from the movie are integrated into the game before and after each chapter. However, the game characters and creature faces in the game could use a little more detail. At times their expressions appear a little flat.

The background music is taken directly from the move soundtrack. Click here to listen to a sample Its soft, majestic themes are appropriate and unobtrusive during play. The character voices fit well, but the sounds they make whenever they get injured can be a little irritating.

Summing it up

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe is a simple single to two- player action/adventure game based on the first novel of the best selling series by C.S. Lewis and the new blockbuster movie. Play as Peter, Lucy, Edmund and Sarah as they fulfill their destiny to save Narnia from the evil White Witch who has spread evil and has placed a curse over the lands. Use melee combat, bows, magical instruments and creature taming abilities to defeat giants, orcs, dwarves, wolves and other dangerous foes. Try this game out as a fun rental. It will keep you entertained.