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

For generations the mystical world of Narnia has been a source of magic in a mundane world. Written decades ago by author C.S. Lewis, the Chronicles of Narnia tell the stories of an enchanted land where animals talk, mythical beasts roam the countryside, and miracles happen. With the release of the recent movie the story of the Lion the Witch, and the Wardrobe has come home for gamers everywhere. An elegantly simple game with a variety of options open to players, the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is aimed at a younger audience with its limited violence and emphasis on puzzle solving. Gamers of all ages will enjoy the PC release of the game, complete with video clips taken from the movie and placed throughout the game. The voices and music of Narnia are wonderfully done, and if the graphics are not exquisite the visual effects of the game are still well done.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is a fairly straightforward game. The controls are responsive and easy to manipulate. There are tasks and problems, from combat to navigating mazes, that players have to overcome. This title has a very distinct feel, much like a console game. (It is actually easier to play this game when you have a game-pad style controller for your computer.) Each of the children in the game has their own role to fill. When the game starts each child has a few talents or skills. As the game progresses players will unlock additional abilities they can purchase. Peter, for example, is the warrior among the children. An upgrade so he deals more damage in combat appears early in the game. There are also upgrades for all the children, increasing their overall stats. Lucy, on the other hand, is small and clever. She can squeeze through openings that the others cannot get past to unlock new areas for your exploration. 

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is obviously designed to allow two players to work together. With cooperation two players can unleash powerful combination attacks using two of the children for increased effects. Even when playing alone it is still possible to unlock these moves by positioning your character close to one of the other children. The AI built into the game is fairly good, keeping the children together and even helping defend against attackers with a reasonable amount of skill. When the skills of a different child are required to meet some challenge the click of a button will allow players to jump between characters. Changing characters is done “on the fly” without pausing the game, so keep an eye out for nearby enemies when you swap avatars.

Throughout the game players will be required to navigate through the world searching for clues and power-ups. Oftentimes items like coins are hidden inside objects sitting in plain sight. When players navigate through the mansion early in the game they can find coins hidden in chairs, end tables, or beds by attacking them. Some of these objects even hold “secret items,” silver shields with a red lion that are hidden throughout each of the levels. If you are unable to locate all the hidden items in a level you can return and explore it again later. Other hidden items can be found behind puzzles that require specific skills or a little ingenuity to get past. Ice-covered bushes, for example, can be thawed by a burning branch. While they are coated with ice they are resistant to damage, but without that protection they can be destroyed.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe takes advantage of modern computers’ capabilities to interject scenes from the movie into the game. If you’ve seen the movie the scenes will be familiar, some of the most interesting and entertaining pieces of the film. While this can be a useful tool to pull players into the magical realm of Narnia, at times it also creates a very disjointed feeling. The video clips are rendered in high detail. The game itself appears pixilated and polygonal afterwards. The jarring discrepancies between the two mediums draws attention to the graphics of the game. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is well rendered, but it is not visually stunning. The sounds, on the other hand, are very well done. Every line of dialogue in the game is superb, vibrant with the personalities of the characters.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is a delightful look into the world of Narnia. Loosely following the plot of the movie, players can fully explore the mythical country at their own pace. Each level opens up new challenges, skills, and opportunities for players to find more secrets and treasures. With scenes from the movie scattered throughout the game players are reminded of their favorite pieces of the film. The gameplay is simple, aimed at younger players, with easy-to-learn controls. While it might not be captivating for hardcore gamers, anyone looking to enjoy some lightweight entertainment in the world of Narnia will enjoy the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Gameplay: 7.0
The controls are fairly responsive. The camera angle is controlled by the game and can make things tricky when you go around corners. If you have a gamepad to hook up to your PC it will make the controls much easier to work with.

Graphics: 7.0
The world of Narnia is rendered in lush colors. The developers have made the game closely match the movie in terms of style and design. The abrupt shifts between DVD quality cutscenes and the polygonal game can be a little jarring, drawing attention to the average graphics.

Sound: 8.0
The voice-overs are done in a large part by the actors from the movie. The background music and sound effects capture the feel of the world. My only complaint is that sometimes there is so much going on that some of the more subtle sounds get lost - and that’s a small complaint.

Difficulty: Low/Medium
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is a straight forward, action/puzzle game. It is easy to dive into the game, including tutorial levels that are entertaining as well as instructive. The controls are responsive, but there is a lot to discover in the world of Narnia.

Concept: 7.0
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe doesn’t introduce anything truly new. The game captures the feel of Narnia in places, but the translation from book to movie to video game has made for some paradoxical twists. Seeing the children in combat early in the early stages of the story can seem a bit odd.

Multiplayer: 7.5
Being able to play side-by-side with a friend can be an interesting experience in Narnia. You can combine your skills with cooperative attacks, but you can also trip over one another. If you both try swapping between characters at the same time the results can be chaotic.

Overall: 7.3
Wonderful sounds and a cooperative game-play system help to make the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe a fun title. The average sound and gameplay might not help this game stand out, but it manages to capture the spirit of Narnia. If you are a fan of the books or the movie you will enjoy this game.