The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
November 27,2005 - It’s a kid-friendly action-adventure game based on the film adaptation of a classic children’s fantasy with religious overtones. If this short description has you ready to dismiss The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as disposable fluff, you would be doing this fine game an enormous disservice. To be sure, its short length, simple combat, and questionable artificial intelligence keeps it from entering the serious gamer’s short list of 2005 greats. However, stunning production values and surprisingly compelling late-game battles, along with clever team attacks and endearing characters, make this game a family-friendly success. If you enjoyed the C.S. Lewis novels, are looking for a game you can enjoy with your kids, or simply want a great weekend rental, Chronicles of Narnia is a good choice.

Lucy Pevensie and her three siblings aren't exactly keen to leave home, but the danger of World War II has left their kindly mother with little choice. Under the guardianship of Mrs. Macready, the children discover a musty wardrobe—and the magical land of Narnia that lies behind it. With the assistance of benevolent lion Aslan, the Pevensies embark on a voyage of discovery as they team to free Narnia from the clutches of the icy Snow Witch. Film scenes weave the narrative from beginning to end, and the levels themselves are nicely incorporated into them. Lucy, Susan, Edmund, and Peter are all beautifully played by talented child actors, and their charismatic voice work has a lot to do with the story's success. Furthermore, the seamless transition between film scenes and the game engine makes Chronicles of Narnia appealing as a logical, interactive extension of the movie, perhaps more so than most titles that have come before it.

Some may be put off by the Narnia’s slow start, which concentrates on the simple puzzle-solving aspects littered throughout the course of the levels. In X-Men Legends/Fantastic Four fashion, you control any of the four children at any given time, easily switching between them when necessary. And it will be necessary, sometimes requiring a remarkable amount of swapping for multi-part puzzles. In some timed puzzles, such as when you have to hide from a troll—or the trollish Mrs. Macready--you need to take control of each character within a short period of time to get them hidden. Not that figuring out what to do is ever that tough, since a character portrait will appear in the appropriate place, essentially telling you what to do and how to do it. Still, this multi-character shuffling makes for some tense moments once the puzzle elements are intermingled with combat. An extended (perhaps a little too extended) scene in which you protect a kindly beaver as he chews an escape route involves cutting through the attacking goblins; picking off wolves before they break through a protective layer of thorns; and preventing trolls from creating a makeshift bridge requires you to use each child’s talents, and adds flavor to what would otherwise have been a standard hack-and-slash level.

These multi-part manipulations are common throughout, as each child has his or her own set of abilities—and can also team up for other unique combos. Peter is the melee specialist, and can string together a few decent combination attacks; teamed up, however, he can actually swing Edmund around in a circle, smashing anything in his path. Lucy heals all four children and can also mount a variety of beasts using the tame skill; but teamed with Edmund or Susan, she slides into obstacles, smashing items that are otherwise unbreakable. Most players will be apt to play as Peter as often as possible, moving to the other children only when necessary, although each character is unique enough to make switching back and forth rewarding in its own right.

A second player can jump into the action as well, and as with any similar game, adding a buddy to the mix makes for more merriment. It’s worth noting that when controlled by the AI, the children won’t be joining the gifted program anytime soon. They seem more concerned with following the player-controlled character than actually landing blows, so they are often content to stand around and watch. On the other hand, only a player-controlled sibling can take damage, so you aren’t in any danger of losing the mission should your brain-dead brother be helplessly floundering around.

Variety is the key to Narnia’s success, since relying on the simple but oddly addicting combat would have become very old, very fast. Instead, you are thrown into all sorts of interesting circumstances. An ogre slash-fest is made unique when Peter and Edmund must climb trees, requiring you to switch back and forth to kick and slash your attackers below. Susan’s pan pipes must lull a troll to sleep so you can sneak past. And in one of the year’s most exhilarating moments, you must maneuver the children as they ride a chunk of ice down the roaring torrents of a frosty river. No one could mistake these individual elements as particularly groundbreaking on their own, but with so many disparate ingredients cobbled together, Narnia holds together well, and makes the gameplay as persuasive as the cinematic story that undeniably drives the experience.

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