Is the sky falling on this game?

Anyone who reads game reviews more than likely knows by now that when a game is based on a film it will more often then not be a mediocre outing that rarely does the film justice. It’s a sad fact but a true one in this day and age of quick movie-tie-ins that little thought and time is given to create a great game. Unfortunately this rule seems to apply to almost all of the games based on the latest Disney animated films, which is sad because as any older gamer knows, these movies can make incredible games, such as Disney’s Aladdin for the Sega Genesis. But that was 1993 and since then there have been very few games to come even close to its greatness. Now in 2005 Disney has released its latest animated outing, Chicken Little, and along with it a new game. Is this game the exception to the rule of mediocre movie-tie-ins? The answer is a surprising, yes.

Features

17 action-packed levels

6 two player mini-games

Play as all of the lead characters

Story
When a piece of the sky falls and hits Chicken Little on the head, he sets out to warn the town of the impending danger, causing widespread panic and chaos. When the sky doesn’t fall, Chicken Little is disgraced and becomes to the object of ridicule for the entire town. After a year passes the incident is still fresh in the minds of the towns’ people causing Chicken Little great sadness and worse, to have his father be ashamed of him as a son.
To bring an end to the ridicule and make his father again proud, Chicken Little sets out to do something so great that his past mistakes will be forgotten and he will be loved again. Without giving away too much of the story, he succeeds in his quest but his happiness is short lived when once again a piece of the sky falls to Earth. After a bit of investigation Chicken Little learns that it is not the sky that is falling but instead a piece of a space craft that is part of an alien invasion armada. With no other choice but to warn the town of the impending alien invasion, Chicken Little and his friends set out to save the Earth.
This is the story behind for both the film and the game, and the game does an excellent job of retelling this story in an enjoyable interactive form. Best of all to help move the story along the game incorporates a hefty amount of FMV clips from the film and in-game cut-scenes. Fans of the film will definitely be pleased by this and will enjoy watching their favorite scenes over again. However a warning for those who might play the game before seeing the film: the game will take a lot of enjoyment away from the film due to the large amount of FMV’s and how close the game sticks to the story. That is not to say you will not still enjoy the film, but it might be wise to watch the film first.

Gameplay
Rarely does a game based on a movie offer as much variety of gameplay styles as Chicken Little does. Not content to make just another cookie-cutter platformer, Buena Vista Games has infused Chicken Little with more gameplay styles then one would ever expect from a movie-based game. While the game is a platformer at heart, it mixes things up by including levels with gameplay styles such as: classic top-down shooter, Star Fox style space combat, GTA style driving missions, Crash Bandicoot style “chase” levels, and more. On top of that, the game is also features a variety of quick mini-game levels such as dodge ball and baseball. With this much variety it will be hard for kids and adults to get bored with this game.

Players will progress through these levels not just playing as Chicken Little, but also as the supporting cast including Runt of the Litter, Ugly Duckling, and more. This helps to keep things interesting and please the fans of the individual characters. To aid the characters on their quest, they are all equipped with a good amount of abilities to use, such as Chicken Little’s sling shot attack and yo-yo moves. Players will also get to take control of various gadgets from the film like Chicken Little’s soda bottle rocket and even the alien robotic machines. All of this keeps Chicken Little constantly feeling fresh and enjoyable.

With all of the good aspects of Chicken Little there is of course a couple of problem areas which may have some gamers a bit turned off. First off the camera can be a bit problematic at times, making it hard to judge certain jumps or see where you are going. Also the controls can be a bit sluggish and clunky at times, sometimes resulting in unnecessary damage being taken. These problems aside, the game is still very enjoyable but younger gamers may have some trouble getting past these shortcomings.

Graphics
Being a computer generated film it is bound to be difficult to create in-game graphics that will look even close to the CG used in the film, but the developer has done a commendable job. Chicken Little features the same bright and colorful look of the film and the town and characters have all be faithfully recreated in interactive-form. While the graphics do nothing too flashy or exciting, they get the job done well. Players will feel as though they are playing in the world of the film and get past the difference between the graphics of the film and the game.

The in-game cut-scenes really show off the excellent job done in the graphics department, as these allow the excellent character models to really come to life. These scenes are also well done enough that they mix well with the FMV clips taken directly from the film. Character animations are also another strong aspect of the graphics, especially for Chicken Little himself.

Sound
As with the graphics, sound is another strong area in Chicken Little. Featuring most of the voice actors from the film, the game comes to life and keeps on par with the humor and dialog found in the film. Players who fell in love with the films characters will be pleased to find the same level of vocal quality that the film provided throughout the game. The score, while not as strong as the voice work or the films score, it is also fitting and never feels out of place or grating. Sound effects are also well done, but unfortunately lack in variety. That is not to say they are bad, just more variety would have helped.

Closing
Chicken Little is a breath of fresh air in a sea of mediocre movie based games. With more gameplay variety than the average game and just an overall happy feeling, there is a lot to be enjoyed here for both fans of the movie and gamers alike. While the game does not bring anything new to the genre, it is a highly enjoyable game that not only sticks close to the original source material but also expands upon in some areas. Chicken Little can proudly stand next to Aladdin and the few other Disney animated movie based games.