There is an unwritten law of gaming that requires each big movie to have a game tie-in; it’s just something that has to happen. From the Atari days until now, licensed games have existed and they will probably exist until the end of time. One of the biggest movies this year is The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Based on the popular C.S. Lewis novels, Narnia seems like a fitting place for a movie or a game. 

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is definitely a game made for the young ones, although the ESRB rating doesn’t reflect that, similar to The Incredibles game last year. I’m really not sure why this game is teen, I think that this game is perfect for the E10+ rating, as compared to other, more violent Teen games like Call of Duty and Aeon Flux, Narnia is much less violent. Despite the Teen rating, I’d say that Narnia is definitely Ok for preteen gamers who are old enough for an E10+ game, the violence is far from serious and about on par with E10+ games like The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer. If you’re old enough to meet the ESRB rating, chances are, you’re probably not interested in the game, but is that disinterest justified just because it’s a game based off of a Disney movie?

The game of Narnia is set in the mystical land of Narnia, which is brought to life through this game. If you’ve ever wanted to play in this mysterious land, now is your chance. This game follows the four young children in the movie and you step into each of their shoes by yourself or cooperatively with someone else as well. The game starts off with a bombing raid happening on the children’s house, which also serves as a training mission, to get you acquainted with the controls. Then after a level in the school that the children have been sent off to, the wardrobe is discovered and Narnia becomes your playground.

If you’ve ever played any dungeon crawler type game, then The Chronicles of Narnia will be very familiar to you. The game is played from a fixed camera overhead view, with all of the children sharing the screen in one- or two-player mode. It’s important to note that while there is a bunch of hack ‘n slash type gameplay, there is a lot of other things, which do wonders for variation in the game. There is an exuberant amount of things to collect, mostly coins, which allow you to purchase upgrades. With the huge emphasis on collecting and whacking enemies, it may get a bit tedious, so the gameplay is spiced up a bit by offering changes, such as having to make the kids hide in a certain amount of time or traverse across a frozen lake in a certain path. Things really don’t get too tedious due to the way that the different gameplay portions are split up. In order to accomplish certain tasks, you’ll have to switch characters, because some are more prevalent than others in doing certain tasks. If you need to do a strong attack, Peter, the oldest boy is your pick, while if you need to a projectile attack, you’ll need to switch to Susan, the older girl. Characters can also combine their abilities for additional attacks.

Controls in the land of Narnia are simple and easy for any young gamer to pick up and play. Since the camera is fixed, a good chunk of potential confusion is removed from the game, due to players not having to deal with a camera. A fixed camera works very well in this game, due to the overhead view and no splitscreen. The controls are simple, perfect for young gamers.

As for how the game looks, Narnia is definitely no slouch in the graphics department. In fact, this is one of the better looking licensed games, showing that it wasn’t just some cheap, rushed movie tie-in. All of the character models bear a strong resemblance to the characters in the movie. There are lots of little details, which add realism and immersion to the game. Snow and ice levels look especially good, showcasing the little touches placed on things such as ice glistening in the sun. The particle effects are also well done and when things like wood are smashed, it really looks like smashed wood, showcased by the splinters flying all around.

Another important feature for licensed games is the audio. If a game doesn’t sound remotely like the movie does, then that’s a big detriment to the quality of it. The four children are faithfully voiced, as are other supporting characters. A believable experience is created due to the excellent voice acting. The music also resembles things I’ve heard in trailers for the movie, offering an epic feel to the game, which unfortunately doesn’t really suit the slower nature of the gameplay. However, a lot of the sound effects are often repeated, due to the nature of the game, which can be somewhat tiresome.

There is nothing great or bad about this game, it’s a solid title and clearly a higher quality licensed game, than what we’re usually accustomed to seeing. Older gamers probably wouldn’t find Narnia too entertaining or challenging, but compared to other games they may be forced to play with a younger sibling, they could do a lot worse. For younger gamers, this game is a really good pick. Not only does it tie-in with this holiday’s big Disney movie, but it really is a pretty good title that will last the young ones a good long while.

Gameplay: 7.5
While there is nothing new or unique done here, it is a competent and is one of the better licensed games to come along. Kids will like this, due to it being simple and accessible, while also giving them enough variety to keep things fresh. There is a lot of tasks and the gameplay is split up between action and adventure very well.

Graphics: 8.4
This is one of the better-looking games on the Xbox. The environments and characters are all very well done. The graphics help create a feeling of really being in Narnia and all the levels are just great to look at.

Sound: 8.6
Movie music and voice actors help make this game a good game to tie-in with the movie. The audio is fitting with the game, although sometimes the music will seem too epic for the type of gameplay that this game is. Sound effects do feel like they are repeated a bit too much sometimes, however.

Difficulty: Easy
Narnia offers a normal and hard difficulty, with normal providing an adequate challenge and experience for younger games, without it being too frustrating. If you happen to die, the game will just restart you right there, because one can’t expect a super difficult game that’s targeted to children, it just isn’t plausible.

Concept: 6.8
The Chronicles of Narnia isn’t too original, it’s a dungeon crawling type game with a heavy emphasis on collecting and hitting things, not to mention it’s movie-licensed. For what is offered, there is enough variation to keep the young ones occupied and the fact that some parts of the game are different altogether (such as sledding) keeps things fresh. 

Multiplayer: 7.6
There are four children you can play as, yet only two people can play this game. I found that a bit trouble, as four people could’ve easily worked, which would make the game play a bit like Shrek 2. While it’s disappointing that you can’t have four people play, the two player support makes the game more enjoyable and easier to play as well.

Overall: 7.7
Narnia is not an excellent game, nor is it a bad game, but in a world overpopulated by so many bad, shovelware movie tie-in games, Narnia stands above them. While made for the younger demographic, it’s definitely a solid game and it offers a good gaming experience. Travellers Tales did a pretty good job of getting the most out of this license and there is enough stuff to do, that you’ll be coming back to it. If you can’t wait to see the movie, chances are that you’ll be a fan of the game as well, as it’s surprisingly competent game. Even though I’m out of the game’s targeted demographic, I did have some fun with this game and I imagine that younger gamers would have even more fun.