Official Website

Platform: PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, GameBoy Advance, Nintendo DS, PC

Genre: Action

Number of Players: 1 - 2

Video games and movies have gone hand in hand for a number of years now. There was a dark period when just about every movie that was made was turned into a game. Cliffhanger, Demolition Man, and a horrible side-scrolling Starship Troopers game are all part of a rather bland period in movie based games, but as technology has changed, so have the games. These day, most of the movie games you'll find are done extremely well and have a direct relation to the game, though there are those that need to expand a little beyond the plot.

With the success of films like the Lord of the Rings series and the Harry Potter films, it was only a matter of time before The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe made its way onto the silver screen. Fantasy films are big business, bringing children and adults in record numbers of see them. Although The Chronicles of Narnia is still around the corner as I'm writing this, the game that ties into the film has been released. The trailers I saw in theaters months ago got me interested in seeing the movie, but after playing the game, I'm that much more excited to hit the theaters.

Narnia, the game is of course based from the film of the same name, and in case you didn't already know, it's a modern attempt to bring C.S. Lewis' classic book to life. The game itself appears to follow the action of the film very closely, though with changes and added action. The story follows a group of siblings, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie who had recently lost their home because of a German air raid on London (the story is set in World War II.) In order to keep them safe, they have been sent to live in the country with Professor Kirke and his rather strict housekeeper Mrs. Macready. While playing an innocent game of hide and seek, the children discover that a wardrobe tucked away in one of the mansions many rooms holds a portal to another world, Narnia, and the adventure of a lifetime begins.

Narnia, the game, reminds me a great deal of the Lord of the Rings titles that EA released, in particular Return of the King. Narnia however has differences to set it apart, though on an interesting note, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were actually very good friends, so there's some irony that the games are similar. You wont' be playing just a single character, but all four of the children, but not in individual adventures. That does become a part of the gameplay from time to time, but for the most part, you will be using them together to pass the games 15 stages.

Each of the children has their own abilities and weapons. Susan eventually obtains a bow and arrow to use as well as a pan flute; Lucy on the other hand can heal the party and sneak into small openings. Peter is a little stronger than the other children and can smash heavy items as well as move some things while Edmund is an expert climber. All of these skills are going to come in handy if you are to survive that perils that Narnia has before you. An interesting feature is the team attacks, and with these, each of the children can team up with another to perform more spectacular moves in battle, but it's not nearly as easy as it might sound.

As your adventures take you farther into the world of Narnia, more abilities will become available for each child. Some will be found for more than one of them, and luckily you only need to purchase it once while others are character specific. Once Susan has the flute for example, she will be able to buy new songs that do a variety of things, from attacks to methods to uncover items. Edmond and Peter have combo attacks that can be bought, and the list goes on. This is part of the challenge. You may be playing as one child and need Susan to put a monster to sleep with her flute. You may encounter frozen lakes where Ed and Lucy need to find the safest path across. And in grim circumstances, you will run afoul horrible monsters that will require all of the children to assist one another in order to emerge victorious. In many instances, you will see a character icon and this helps to determine who needs to be used where instead of trying each character to pass a certain obstacle.

Each of the stages will also have things that can be collected. There are coins that will be used to purchase new skills as well as tokens and statues that will unlock additional features for the game. If you don't find all of them in a single stage, you can return later to make another attempt, and you will see that the level selection is done much like Return of the King. The difference here is that the wardrobe itself serves as the backdrop with each of the ornate carvings being a representation of the games stages.

Narnia is by no means an easy game and you will find some stages that take some thought to get through. This actually was a bit of a shock as I had assumed that the game would be aimed at a younger audience, but that's no the case at all. There is a two-player mode however, and that can make things a little bit easier, though there's not a split screen option. This really wouldn't work anyway as you always need to have all of the children on the screen at the same time.

The game also looks outstanding. You will find yourself enjoying an actual segment of video from the movie that will then fade into a computer-animated cutscene, and the cast has come in to reprise their roles for the game. The in-game stages are beautifully rendered from the icy fields to the lush and beautiful green fields. You will find that Narnia is just as magical as a game as what it was in book form and what it is certain to be as a film. There are some minor special effects in the game play screen, but these never overshadow the backgrounds, and aside from game play, the overall look of the game really should be a high selling point. The same actually is true of the soundtrack for the game, which does use (I believe) music from the movie.

Narnia, the movie, has a lot of holiday competition to contend with. Harry Potter has already flown into theaters, Aeon Flux is opening very soon, and Peter Jackson is nearly ready to unleash King Kong on the world. Each of these films also have their own video game tie-in's to help sell them and give fans a chance to relive the magic, but I honestly think that Narnia is the one that truly captures it. It's a world beyond your imagination and an adventure for all ages. Before you see the film, play the game . . . and even after you see it, play it again. This is destined to become a sleeper hit.

 -mike-