Kids and adults will find themselves frustrated with bad camera angles and dimwitted Oompa Loompas.

Video games based on movies should be as exciting and fun as the films that inspired them.  The Take-Two Interactive adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory almost makes the cut as one of those uniquely fun games that everyone can enjoy.



A wonderfully wacked out story, equally strange graphics and some really great gameplay aspects should make Charlie and the Chocolate Factory a great game. It’s just that when you actually start to play past the initial levels the whole thing begins to fall apart.  Vague mission instructions, somewhat dimwitted Oompa Loompas and some really bad camera angles make this game tedious and even a little bit nauseating.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory puts you in control of the young and wholesome hero, Charlie Bucket as he journeys through Willy Wonka‘s weird and fantastical candy factory.  The film’s original voice actors lend their talents to the game (with the exception of Johnny Depp) and Deep Roy’s likeness has been used for the Oompa Loompas to give the game a real movie feel. 



Graphically, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is nothing to write home about.  In fact, they make the game seem a bit rushed.  There is a definite feeling that the level designers tried to capture the atmosphere of the movie, but it just didn’t happen.  The movie scenes that they tried to match come off flat and lifeless, not rich and exciting.  That’s a real disappointment considering how amazing the movie portrayed the magical world of Willy Wonka.

One surprising thing about the game was that they didn’t use movie clips or even CG to move between story elements.  Animatics using still drawings and moving backgrounds were used instead, as well as character models that looked like storybook illustrations.  There must have been a real push to focus on the fact that the movie was based on the book and not a remake of the original.



Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is for the most part, a traditional platform game.  Charlie jumps, runs and finds items over some crazy looking levels that definitely give you the feeling that you’re not in Kansas anymore.  Collecting Wonka candy takes up a good portion of your time, but some added elements give the game much need variety. 

You’ll find yourself doing a lot of problem solving that involves moving boxes, rolling balls and throwing things at switches so that you can move from one area or level to another.  But bad camera angles are going to make accomplishing even some of the most simple tasks a gut wrenching experience. Literally.  I foresee many a man, woman and child draped over a bucket throwing their guts up.

Being able to actually use the Oompa Loompas is what gives this game some of its more interesting gameplay elements.  The Oompa Loompas are basically problem solvers and they’re required to complete many of the challenges that Charlie runs into.  The first ones you find are plain workers, but you’ll soon run into many specialized Oompa Loompas that do everything from harvest candy to doing electrical work and welding.



Directing the little guys is simple.  You push the directional pad in a certain direction and they’re supposed to do that action (ala Oddworld games like Abe’s Oddesey).  Unfortunately, the Oompa Loompas aren’t all that bright and will stand around shrugging their shoulders if they can’t figure out what you want them to do.  They also get stuck behind stuff very easily which is more than frustrating since you usually need several Oompa Loompas to complete a task.  You’re going to find yourself going back and looking for them more often than not.

The sound for this game is pretty decent.  You’ve got most of the movie’s cast doing the voiceovers.  That alone makes a good impression since many of these game producers and studios opt for sound-alikes when it come to video games.  The music orchestration sounds straight out of the movie and fits with Tim Burton’s terrifically twisted vision.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory may look like it’s for kids, but after the first couple of levels, things get pretty difficult.  Little kids are going to get easily frustrated when they can’t figure out what to do.  Aw heck, most adults are going to get frustrated with this game.  The vague instructions you get for each level or task don’t help things. 

You’ll do a lot of wandering - aimlessly wandering until you figure out what to do.  Even then, the horrifically bad camera is going to make things worse than they have to be.  I wanted to like this game so much because it did show so much potential.  But in the end, it just turned out to be a game full of the poor execution of some very good ideas.  Rent it if you must, but you won’t be missing much if you don’t.


Review by Cyndy Threadgill.