The Spiderwick Chronicles game follows the events of the film, and even contains footage to help move the plot along. Three siblings named Jared, Mallory and Simon move into a house that was once owned by their grandfather, Arthur Spiderwick, and one day Jared discovers ‘Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You’, a book which reveals the house is surrounded by a hidden magical world full of wondrous and dangerous creatures. As Jared turned the first page, the book sent out a powerful energy wave that alerted the evil ogre Mulgarath, who sought the Field Guide’s secrets to take over the world. Jared, Simon and Mallory must now discover the world around them, and put a stop to Mulgarath’s plans.
Looks like someone needs to visit Dr. Phil.
The game can be broken down into three elements: exploration, combat and platforming. During the exploration parts of the game, you are usually tasked with finding certain items to build an object, such as a new weapon for one of the kids or a monocle so you can see the hidden world. In case you’re having difficulty, you can even pull out the Field Guide for some advice on where the items are kept, although during the later levels it does become less useful. Unfortunately, the game only allows you to collect the specific items needed at the time, and quite often you’ll need to do unnecessary backtracking to collect other objects. For example, Arthur’s house is one of the main areas of the game. At the beginning, you’re asked to make a honey biscuit to befriend a creature called Thimbletack. While searching for the various parts of the biscuit, we came across items such as tomatoes, salt and food baggies, all of which we later had to go back for. It may not seem like much, but when you have to search the same area multiple times, it hurts the flow of the game and makes things a little dull.
Combat primarily takes place when you leave the safety of the house, such as when you’re exploring an abandoned quarry which acts as a base of operations for a group goblins, and of course the surrounding forest. Attacking enemies is pretty simple, you merely have to hit a button and watch your character beat a foe to death. As a secondary option, you can enter a first person mode and throw projectiles, but it’s slower and generally not as satisfying. Once defeated, enemies will also drop goblin teeth which are supposedly used to unlock new attacks and combos. The end result however, simply means you can press the X button one more time, save for one combo which lets you leap towards at an enemy and slash them. Each sibling also wields a different weapon, including a sword, a baseball bat and a gun which shoots out a salty tomato-based substance - apparently the goblins can’t handle a little citric acid in their diet. Unfortunately, other than their appearance, each sibling controls exactly the same.
The bat is mightier than the sword.
Occasionally, you’ll also be given the opportunity to explore the walls of the house as Thimbletack, a small mouse-sized creature. Your main object is, once again, to find a certain object, but given Thimbletack’s size it’s no easy feet. In the walls are several hazards to overcome, including electricity and cockroaches, which you can kill by shooting out toothpicks. It’s like a basic platformer where you jump, climb and swing your way to the goal, but at the same time it is a welcome change from the exploration and combat side of the game. Another charming little feature is that Thimbletack speaks a rhythmic phrase to correspond with actions he performs. Although only minor, it’s a fun inclusion and will likely please fans.
During your travels, you’ll come across fairy-like creatures known as Sprites who will lend you their abilities if you can successfully capture them. You first need to collect them by using a special net, and then you’ll be asked to record it in the Field Guide. When this happens, you need to paint a picture of it within a time limit, although this only translates to you moving a crosshair over the screen while holding down a button. Once these conditions are met, the Sprite will turn into an orb which you can use whenever you wish, though you will be limited to carrying only three at a time. Sprites can grant you a temporary speed boost, invulnerability, heal your heath and distract enemies, so it’s handy to collect a variety between objectives. Best of all, once a Sprite has been recorded, you’ll no longer have to go through the painting process unless you capture it in a new area. For the most part, the system is simple yet engaging, and will keep you occupied trying to discover each breed and experimenting with their abilities.
Did you get along with your siblings like this? We didn't.
Players are also given secondary objectives to complete such as collecting a certain number of goblin teeth, racing a Sprite through the garden and killing a certain number of cockroaches. As you accomplish each task, you’re rewarded with unlockable content including ‘making of’ videos, trailers and even a multiplayer mode. In the multiplayer mode, you and a friend can compete against each other and see who can catch the most Sprites, as well as fight off any goblins that appear to thwart your fun. It’s nothing special and you’re likely to get bored with it after a few rounds. Another extra that’s worth mentioning are the entries in the Field Guide. As you explore your surroundings and encounter new creatures, you’ll be able to read Arthur’s entries about his experiences. It’s a nice little extra that really let’s you dive into the world of The Spiderwick Chronicles, and fans in particular will appreciate its inclusion.
The game world is a dark and gloomy place that doesn’t quite capture the feel of a magical world. Environments look flat and deprived of colour, while enemies blend in with their surroundings. Another thing that annoyed us was that in some areas the environment is so dark, that you’re forced to adjust the brightness settings of your TV. For example, the entrance to Arthur’s study is more a less a black room, and the entrance actually looks like a wall, so you’ll find yourself walking around in circles. For the purpose of this review, we even tried the game out on two other TVs but still found ourselves tampering with the brightness settings. In terms of the music, the game uses a range of eerie tunes which set the mood for the strange world you’ll discover. For the most part, voice acting is also solid but there are a few occasions when lines are delivered stiffly, like the actors were half asleep.
Overall, The Spiderwick Chronicles is an average movie tie-in. The game lacks a final polish and it can get repetitive due to the generic combat system and the backtracking associated with collecting items. There are a few features that bring the world to life such as Thimbletack’s rhyming, the entries in the Field Guide and the various side-quests that unlock extra content. However, unless you’re a fan of the film or books, there’s really not a lot that will hold your interest for long.
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