Lemony Snicket: A Series of Unfortunate Events
Posted January 4, 2005
Based off of a popular children’s book series, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events was an obvious no brainer when it came time to sit down and think up the next big kids movie. Tossing in Jim Carrey for good measure would ensure the success of the story of the Baudelaire children.
The three children who are the center of the story are Violet, Klaus and Sunny. Coming home one day they find out that their house has burned to the ground with their parents in it. Things only get worse when the orphans are placed into the care of their uncle Count Olaf and if you think your luck is bad just wait until you meet these kids.
Thankfully for the children they each possess a unique talent. Violet is a genius inventor that would put MacGyver to shame. Klaus has the uncanny ability to recall everything he reads even the most obscure bits of information. Sunny is the freak of the trio and while just a baby she is endowed with sharp teeth, which she uses to bite through things.
Pooling each of their abilities is the only way they will survive their uncle’s devious plots to seize their parents fortune. Make no mistake this game is strictly for kids. The challenge really isn’t there for older gamers and while the subject matter is interesting it will mainly appeal to children.
Gameplay:
Since there are three Baudelaire children you can switch control between them at any time. Violet and Klaus are whom you will spend most of your time playing as and Sunny is used only on special occasions because after all she is a baby.
Violet and Klaus control the same and the only real difference between the two is the type of inventions they can equip. As you progress through the game certain situations will require that you have a gadget of some sort to over come the challenge. When you are tasked with eliminating rats from Olaf’s manor naturally you attach a boxing glove to a spring and broom to punch them with.
It’s these zany inventions of Violet’s that provide your sources of offense and give you ways to solve puzzles. In the eyes of an adult these creations are rather silly but kids will probably get a kick out of them. After all, who hasn’t wanted to strap a fire extinguisher to their kid sister so she can fly?
Sunny is probably the most fun to play as and her stages involve getting to places that the grown up kids can’t. Instead of walking around in a 3D perspective like the other children Sunny gets side scrolling platforming goodness. There’s something said to playing as a baby who likes to eat through wooden beams and uses the fire extinguisher invention to jump.
There are some boss fights that you will encounter and several enemies abound like rats and Count Olaf’s minions. The fact that you have to fight enemies isn’t a bad thing but the fact that you can’t really lock on to them is. Given the natures of the camera and control system there is no way to manually target enemies and you have to rely on getting close and letting the game do it for you.
This usually leads to you missing your shot or getting hit cheaply because the auto targeting just doesn’t seem to work properly. It’s nice to see that the game incorporates twitch shooting to keep you on your toes but when you miss 70% of the time it’s more frustrating than beneficial.
There is also a lack of brainteasers and even kids will probably be bored with the lack of puzzles in this game. All of your objectives involve collecting objects so Violet can make another invention and even finding those items is mind numbingly easy. It’s a shame that a game with children who are apparently so smart isn’t a little more challenging on the brain capacity.
Lemony Snicket is unfortunately very linear in terms of story and gameplay. You don’t have any freedom to explore and several areas will be unavailable to you until you need to go to that location. You are also given an unlimited supply of lives to throw away so don’t be too afraid if you are low on life, you’ll just restart at the beginning of that area.
There is an insane amount of backtracking in this game as you search for pieces for Violet’s next creation. You’ll come across objects like a telescope, fan or snowshoes well before you actually need to use them. The only problem is you can’t pick them up ahead of time even though they are highlighted and the kids comment on them so be sure you remember where they are and I hope you don’t mind walking back and forth.
Graphics:
I was rather surprised to see that the game does not feature any clips from the movie to propel the story. Instead it uses sketches that unfold before you with a narrative overlay to tell what’s going on. It’s a unique way to approach the telling of this tale, but since this one is based off of the movie more than the book it seems very out of place.
The in game graphics represent all of the characters well for the most part, just don’t look for a graphics engine that will blow your socks off. The children resemble their actor counterparts well enough that you can identify them and the environments are detailed and creepy. Animations are effective even if they are a little choppy and simplified.
Unfortunately there is quite a bit of slowdown from time to time and there are some graphical glitches. At one point I found myself stuck half way in the floor and it was a challenge to get unstuck. These glitches don’t happen a lot but chances are you’ll come across at least one through your game time.
Audio:
Tim Curry is cast as the narrator and all of the actors from the film reprise their rolls here. For the most part the voices are solid enough but I had to double check to be sure it was Jim Carrey doing the voices because he sounded nothing like himself. Tim Curry does a fantastic job telling the tale of woe over the storyboard narrative. The music also fits right in with the tone of the game though I would have liked to hear more of it instead of none at all at some points.
Conclusion:
This game is short with no real reason to keep you playing or coming back for more. It will last about 4 hours with most of that time being spent backtracking to previous areas for parts of an invention. The variety in gameplay is appreciated and each of the children’s strengths is well represented here.
I would have liked more challenging puzzles, less linear play and a better targeting system. While the actors provide voice work for the film you can’t tell that it’s Jim Carrey unless you look at the credits. The graphics are good enough for a children’s game but won’t be winning any awards.
In the end this game is for kids so adults really shouldn’t bother. Unless you are a diehard fan of the movie and just have to play it this one is a rental all the way.
The three children who are the center of the story are Violet, Klaus and Sunny. Coming home one day they find out that their house has burned to the ground with their parents in it. Things only get worse when the orphans are placed into the care of their uncle Count Olaf and if you think your luck is bad just wait until you meet these kids.
Thankfully for the children they each possess a unique talent. Violet is a genius inventor that would put MacGyver to shame. Klaus has the uncanny ability to recall everything he reads even the most obscure bits of information. Sunny is the freak of the trio and while just a baby she is endowed with sharp teeth, which she uses to bite through things.
Pooling each of their abilities is the only way they will survive their uncle’s devious plots to seize their parents fortune. Make no mistake this game is strictly for kids. The challenge really isn’t there for older gamers and while the subject matter is interesting it will mainly appeal to children.
Gameplay:
Since there are three Baudelaire children you can switch control between them at any time. Violet and Klaus are whom you will spend most of your time playing as and Sunny is used only on special occasions because after all she is a baby.
Violet and Klaus control the same and the only real difference between the two is the type of inventions they can equip. As you progress through the game certain situations will require that you have a gadget of some sort to over come the challenge. When you are tasked with eliminating rats from Olaf’s manor naturally you attach a boxing glove to a spring and broom to punch them with.
It’s these zany inventions of Violet’s that provide your sources of offense and give you ways to solve puzzles. In the eyes of an adult these creations are rather silly but kids will probably get a kick out of them. After all, who hasn’t wanted to strap a fire extinguisher to their kid sister so she can fly?
Sunny is probably the most fun to play as and her stages involve getting to places that the grown up kids can’t. Instead of walking around in a 3D perspective like the other children Sunny gets side scrolling platforming goodness. There’s something said to playing as a baby who likes to eat through wooden beams and uses the fire extinguisher invention to jump.
There are some boss fights that you will encounter and several enemies abound like rats and Count Olaf’s minions. The fact that you have to fight enemies isn’t a bad thing but the fact that you can’t really lock on to them is. Given the natures of the camera and control system there is no way to manually target enemies and you have to rely on getting close and letting the game do it for you.
This usually leads to you missing your shot or getting hit cheaply because the auto targeting just doesn’t seem to work properly. It’s nice to see that the game incorporates twitch shooting to keep you on your toes but when you miss 70% of the time it’s more frustrating than beneficial.
There is also a lack of brainteasers and even kids will probably be bored with the lack of puzzles in this game. All of your objectives involve collecting objects so Violet can make another invention and even finding those items is mind numbingly easy. It’s a shame that a game with children who are apparently so smart isn’t a little more challenging on the brain capacity.
Lemony Snicket is unfortunately very linear in terms of story and gameplay. You don’t have any freedom to explore and several areas will be unavailable to you until you need to go to that location. You are also given an unlimited supply of lives to throw away so don’t be too afraid if you are low on life, you’ll just restart at the beginning of that area.
There is an insane amount of backtracking in this game as you search for pieces for Violet’s next creation. You’ll come across objects like a telescope, fan or snowshoes well before you actually need to use them. The only problem is you can’t pick them up ahead of time even though they are highlighted and the kids comment on them so be sure you remember where they are and I hope you don’t mind walking back and forth.
Graphics:
I was rather surprised to see that the game does not feature any clips from the movie to propel the story. Instead it uses sketches that unfold before you with a narrative overlay to tell what’s going on. It’s a unique way to approach the telling of this tale, but since this one is based off of the movie more than the book it seems very out of place.
The in game graphics represent all of the characters well for the most part, just don’t look for a graphics engine that will blow your socks off. The children resemble their actor counterparts well enough that you can identify them and the environments are detailed and creepy. Animations are effective even if they are a little choppy and simplified.
Unfortunately there is quite a bit of slowdown from time to time and there are some graphical glitches. At one point I found myself stuck half way in the floor and it was a challenge to get unstuck. These glitches don’t happen a lot but chances are you’ll come across at least one through your game time.
Audio:
Tim Curry is cast as the narrator and all of the actors from the film reprise their rolls here. For the most part the voices are solid enough but I had to double check to be sure it was Jim Carrey doing the voices because he sounded nothing like himself. Tim Curry does a fantastic job telling the tale of woe over the storyboard narrative. The music also fits right in with the tone of the game though I would have liked to hear more of it instead of none at all at some points.
Conclusion:
This game is short with no real reason to keep you playing or coming back for more. It will last about 4 hours with most of that time being spent backtracking to previous areas for parts of an invention. The variety in gameplay is appreciated and each of the children’s strengths is well represented here.
I would have liked more challenging puzzles, less linear play and a better targeting system. While the actors provide voice work for the film you can’t tell that it’s Jim Carrey unless you look at the credits. The graphics are good enough for a children’s game but won’t be winning any awards.
In the end this game is for kids so adults really shouldn’t bother. Unless you are a diehard fan of the movie and just have to play it this one is a rental all the way.