It’s a rare thing when a videogame adaptation of a blockbuster film doesn’t suck. The reason, of course, is simple. Studios want these games to cash in on a movie’s popularity as quickly as possible, giving developers little time to develop a product of worth. As such, most of these small-screen adaptations are barely worth their packaging. They’re often shameless exploitations of greater works of art. So when a game as enjoyable as The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe comes along, it’s a rare treat.
It bucks nearly every trend when it comes to movie-based videogames by offering a polished, well-designed adventure. It looks good, plays well and keeps things fresh by offering a slew of different play styles. It’s by no means a perfect game, as none really is, but it’s a great game for adolescents and good game for older gamers as well. It makes great use of the source material, too, so fans of the book (and the movie) will love the game’s style and narrative. There are even a slew of high-quality clips from the movie. About the only problem with this, though, is that the game is currently very spoiler heavy. But hey, if you get this game as a Christmas present, then everything’s fine and dandy.
The game mirrors the plot of the book and movie, only there’s far more action in the game. Make no mistake, Narnia is an action adventure game. Thankfully, developer Traveller’s Tales crafted a refined action system that any fan of the genre could appreciate. Depending on the stage, you can play as two, three or all four of the children. You can switch between available characters at any time to make use of their individual strengths. This character dynamic drives the action in Narnia. Peter, the oldest sibling, is the strongest melee character so he’s best used as a grunt fighter. Peter’s younger brother, Edmund, can climb trees and poles. Lucy, the youngest, can crawl through narrow spaces. And Susan, the eldest sister, can throw snowballs and fire arrows.
