Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events Preview

“The videogame you are about to play is extremely unpleasant …”

Follow that intro with an explanation that if you are looking for happy endings, look somewhere else. The ending isn’t very pleasant, nor is the middle for that matter.

Tim Curry’s narration is absolutely perfect in setting up the start of the Amaze Entertainment/Activision release of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, a title that will launch close to the release of the motion picture, which stars Jim Carrey, Meryl Streep and Jude Law, among others.

Activision recently held an editor’s event for the title at its Santa Monica studios and GameZone was invited down for a look-see at this game, which is based on the children’s novels.

For those who may not know, the Lemony Snicket series of children’s books are immensely popular, having sold more than 22 million copies worldwide. There have been 11 books so far in the series, and there are more expected in this evolving tale of exploration, adventure, and underhanded nastiness. The books revolve around three children who have been orphaned when a fire destroys their house and claims the lives of their parents. The Baudelaire children, Violet (the oldest), Klaus and the infant girl Sunny are given over their uncle – the nefarious and dastardly Count Olaf.

Count Olaf doesn’t care for the children; all he wants is their inheritance. But wait, he can’t get his hands on the money until after the custody hearing, that is if he is granted guardianship/custody of the children.

The count is an actor, and he is always playing it over the top. His house is a disaster, and he has his cronies … err, acting troupe … with him. He immediately demeans the children by putting them to work in the most nasty of ways – like ridding the house of the rat infestation. Oh, but wait, what better way to explore the house and uncover the true nature of their uncle.

Oh, it should be mentioned that Violet is remarkably gifted when it comes to inventions, Klaus reads a lot and remembers everything he reads, and Sunny has four very sharp teeth, which she like to use on just about anything.

The game plays out with evolving puzzles and adventures and players can take of the role of any of the children rather easily. In fact, you have to in order to complete some of the tasks. Violet can invent items that Klaus can use, and sometimes you have to put the baby into a tiny hole and guide here through a mini-maze to get her to open doors or perform tasks that the other children cannot get to.

The game has 16 missions spread throughout a fantastical world. While the missions do not seem overly taxing on the brain, there still is challenge as you try to weave through the levels, each a diverse environment with intriguing challenges.

Graphically the game looks very nice. The animation is solid and the effects are fun. The game combines arcade action elements with a storyline that sparkles. The game’s sound is wonderful.

Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events is one of those games that the word “delightful” was created to describe. While primarily geared for younger players, there is a lot here that the older gamers could well enjoy.