The Spiderwick Chronicles

It’s a well-documented phenomena of the video-game industry that licensed games are, more often than not, sub-par — and this goes doubly for any game based on a license aimed at children. There are any number of reasons for this, whether it’s the fact that they are oftentimes rushed through the development process (especially bug testing), or that they are often pale imitations of other established titles, or simply that the developers and/or license holders don’t care about releasing a quality game. Occasionally, though, a licensed game manages to break away from the cliché, and deliver a quality gaming experience. The Spiderwick Chronicles, based on the recently released film, isn’t the best adventure game ever to grace the PS2, but it is worlds beyond most licensed games, and an enjoyable gaming experience in its own right.

The Grace children — 9-year-old twins Jared and Simon, and their sister Mallory — move into a rambling old house on the edge of a woods after their parents’ separation. The house was once owned by a relative of Mrs. Grace, one Arthur Spiderwick, and after a late-night exploration session young Jared stumbles into Mr. Spiderwick’s private study, a room only accessible through a walled-off dumbwaiter. There he finds “Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You,” which documents the secret world of trolls, fairies, and elves, as well as Thimbletack, a small brownie that lives in the house. Soon, the children discover that not only are the magical creatures described in the book very real, there is an angry ogre named Mulgarath who wants the book for his own sinister purposes, and has sent an army of goblins after the children and the book. The game’s plot follows the events of the movie, and even uses clips from the film as cutscenes between levels.

The game begins with the player controlling Jared as he explores their new home. After a long, slow introductory sequence, control switches between each of the three Grace siblings, as well as Thimbletack, as the story dictates. Each character has their own method of fighting (Jared uses club-style weapons, like baseball bats, Mallory uses her fencing skills, Simon uses a squirt-gun of his own creation filled with a concoction lethal to goblins, and Thimbletack throws knitting needles), and there’s plenty of combat, as you are constantly assaulted by the goblins. The game’s combat system isn’t particularly deep, with only a few different moves for each character, but each character unlocks their moves throughout the game, so you’re constantly getting more powerful (Jared’s final attack combo, for instance, ends with a timing-based baseball-swing attack that, if successful, will launch enemies far into right field).

 
Jared’s combo-finisher would make Babe Ruth proud.

Outside of combat, there’s also a fair amount of adventure-style gameplay, with plenty of objects to be examined, combined, and used to solve puzzles. As the game goes on, you’ll accumulate quests, some of which are crucial to continuing the story, while others might lead you to secret areas, or bonuses of some kind. There’s also plenty of exploring to do; each area strikes the perfect balance between being open enough to feel like you’re really outdoors, with possibilities in every direction, and small enough that it never becomes overwhelming. Each area is also filled with magical creatures, and this is where an important aspect of gameplay comes into the mix. By catching the various faeries, pixies, and elves that are found throughout the game, the characters gain access to a wide variety of special powers and abilities. Some heal you, some help during combat (by giving you a burst of speed, for instance), and so on. It’s somewhat reminiscent of Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath’s “living ammo” system, and like that game, adds an interesting twist to the usually boring task of collecting power-ups. The system’s not perfect — each creature caught must first be “sketched” into the field guide before its powers can be used, and this is done through a slow, sometimes irritating mini-game. Still, these magical abilities add another layer of depth to the game, and those who like to complete all tasks will have their hands full trying to catch every creature to finish their field guide.

The game does an impressive job of recreating the environments seen in the film using the aging PS2. Environments are large and varied, and the outdoor areas are beautiful — exploring wooded areas feels like walking through an actual woods, and even the Grace’s backyard feels appropriately natural and magical. While there are definitely flaws with the game’s visuals — some glitches, and invisible walls are more frequent than would be ideal — overall, the graphics do a great job of drawing you into the game’s world. Also worthy of praise is the game’s soundtrack, which features beautiful orchestral pieces that add to the atmosphere almost as much as the graphics. Musical cues even synchronize to the on-screen action, making the music truly sound like a film’s score. Even the game’s voice acting is high-quality, overall, although ironically, the actor playing Jared (who probably has more spoken lines than anybody else) comes across as flat and uninterested.

 
The game’s environments are large, and do a great job of making you feel like you’re exploring a magical forest.

In many ways, the game feels like it was designed to introduce kids to adventure gaming. All the elements (real-time combat, multiple quests, large explorable environments, a magic/ability system, and plenty of puzzles) are here, simply presented in a way as to appeal to children; any kid weaned on this game would be ready to tackle Okami or the Zelda series. Sure, that means it’s a bit on the simple side, and it’s not perfect, but anyone looking for a fun adventure could do a lot worse than to spend some time exploring Spiderwick’s fantastical world.

Gameplay: 7.8
Fun adventure gameplay, only hampered by some repetitive, simple combat and a slow mini-game that pops up way too often. The game’s story leads to plenty of opportunities for exploring, solving puzzles, and fighting goblins.

Graphics: 7.9
While the game’s visuals might not be flawless technically, they do a good job of presenting a magical world, (literally) right in your backyard. Characters animate smoothly, and the art design is top-notch.

Sound: 8.4
Beautiful fantasy music matches each scene nicely, and changes according to on-screen events. There’s plenty of quality voice-work, too, but it’s sad that not much of it comes from Jared.

Difficulty: Medium
While combat’s not a real challenge until much later in the game, some areas (especially Thimbletack’s levels) are confusing, and depend on memorizing paths through danger.

Concept: 8.7
The game’s subject matter is perfectly suited to My First Adventure Game. Every element of the book and movie is worked in, in ways that are clever and fitting. Kids will love to get to explore the world they know and love from the books and film.

Overall: 7.9
While it’s far from perfect, The Spiderwick Chronicles makes for an enjoyable adventure, especially for young ones. Genre fans might find it a bit too simple, but those who aren’t above playing a “kid’s game” will find a surprisingly respectable adventure title.