GBA Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Description:

GBA Charlie and the Chocolate Factory review:
2 stars (Non-Die Hards Need Not Apply) - There's only one kind of person I'd recommend this game for; someone who loves loves loves 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' -owns the soundtrack and has a pair of TV room goggles love- and who also really likes platform jumpers. And even if you are this person the 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' game will wear thin on you more than once... per level.



The general goal within the levels is mind numbingly simple; dodge enemies and obstacles to get to the exit. Your enemies are mostly Wonka's candy making robots -sweepers, wrappers, sudsy cleaners, stompers, and an irate little bot that has a penchant for throwing candy- unfortunately all you can do is dodge these guys, there's no taking them out. There's a sort of cathartic pleasure is being able rid yourself of a grunt in a game and the 'Charlie' game is so tedious it's going to take more than a few cathartic kills in another game to get the red out of your eyes.



Passing levels in 'Charlie' isn't hard in the least but it is, like I said, tedious. To unlock an exit often sends you running around the factory cleaning Oompa Loompas, catapulting them around the room, getting them to open doors and break walls for you, pull switches, and trigger weight buttons and if any of this sounds like fun, trust me, it isn't. The novelty, which is really the only thing this game has going for it, wears thin very quickly leaving you leading Oompa Loompas around searching for that one switch to get to the next stage of the game desperately wishing you could pause the game and shove a first person shooter in.



Several times when I was trying to get through a particularly grueling level I remember thinking 'this is not fun, I am not having fun here'. Aside from the novelty the game has one redeeming feature; mini games. There are five mini games and two or three of them are really a lot of fun. My favorites are 'Lift a Loompa' in which you rescue Oompa Loompas from the chocolate river with a candy machine style claw, 'Blueberry Jam' in which you catch falling blueberries in a net, and 'Chocolate Broadcast' probably my favorite, it's a snood style game. Lots of fun. In regular gameplay you rescue the doomed children (get Augustus out of the pipe, juice Violet, save Veruca from the trash, and rescue Mike Teavee from a video game) and these things act as bosses of a sort. They also play like mini-games in their own right. I love the one with Violet.



This game probably shouldn't have been made. The 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' movie, despite nice graphics, isn't very action-oriented and is lacking a clear-cut antagionist. The game itself was made a bit too kid-friendly. Yes, the movie is technically for kids but it's also a Tim Burton movie, which means all genre definitions are out the window. 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' is destined to be a classic for the 13-50 set. The jokes and much of the character development go over kids' heads and what's left is a little scary and weird in a good or bad way depending on who you are. It isn't the sort of movie that should have had a game for kids made from it.



Don't get this game if you didn't love the movie because you're going to want to throw it out of a moving vehicle if you do. You might even go for a ride for this purpose alone. And do not get this for your kids (if they somehow love the movie) no matter how much they beg. You'll only end up having to buy them a more interesting game once they start playing.


5 stars (I have seen the movie but not played the game) - I think this game looks super because it has thevoices of Johny Depp,Deep Roy,AnnaSophia Robb,Freddie Highmore,Julia Winter,

Jordan Fry,and whoever played Augustus Gloop

I have seen the movie but not played the game
2 stars (Standard....) - I have saw this movie 3 times at the theater now and I sincerely wanted to love this game when I bought it. I can honestly say the game feels ancient in it's gameplay. You basically go from point A to point B without much in between. Very repetitive I must say with all of the things you have to do. Graphics are excellent though providing lipsmacking eye candy. Overall though, the game simply feels dated and it could have been much better than it is. See the movie pass on the game, or rent it if you can for the visual feast.