Charlie and the Chocolate Factory video games

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1985)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 1985 video game which was released on the ZX Spectrum. It is based on the book of the same name.

Overview

The game consists of five sub-games, four arcade and an arcade adventure. The first four must be completed to get access to the final part.

In the first part the player must make Augustus Gloop float into a flask by adjusting the directions of a selection of tubes. The second part requires the avoiding of blueberries thrown by Violet Beauregarde. In the third game Veruca Salt has to dodge squirrels. In the fourth game Mike Teavee has to avoid TV men while collecting chocolate bars. The final part is a Jet Set Willy-style game where the player must collect six golden keys.

Reception

Sinclair User said that it "palls after a very short time. However, as the package comprises five games and the book it must represent reasonable value for money." Your Spectrum said that "the package was overpriced, with the best item being the book." and "Seeing as how Roald Dahl is usually known for his horror stories, he'll probably be very happy with the Spectrum version"

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 2005 video game which was released on the Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, and Microsoft Windows platforms. The Xbox version is not compatible with Xbox 360. It is based on the film of the same name by Tim Burton. The game was released in the middle of the year to coincide with the release of the film in theatres.

Most of the main cast from the film provided their voices for the game except for Johnny Depp, and James Arnold Taylor was used in his place as the voice of Willy Wonka.

Original Music for the video game was created by Winifred Phillips and produced by Winnie Waldron.

Overview

The first objective of the game is to help Charlie find money to buy a Wonka Bar to win a Golden Ticket. This is done at the beginning of the game while giving a tutorial of what controls will be needed during future stages.

The main part of the game takes place in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory where the Oompa Loompas help the player through each level. By giving them commands Charlie finishes each challenge and progresses through the game. Each Oompa Loompa specializes in different tasks, such as harvesting, welding, and electrical work. Candy is scattered throughout the levels and when collected it boosts Charlie's energy.

Each level is very similar to the plot in the 2005 movie. For example, Charlie must help Willy Wonka remove Augustus Gloop from the pipe above the chocolate river. He must roll Violet Beauregarde to the Juicing Room and juice her. When Veruca Salt is thrown down the garbage chute, the player's objective is to follow her down the chute and save her from the incinerator. The last objective of the game is after Mike Teavee shrinks himself the player needs to fix the television-chocolate machine. Throughout the game the Oompa Loompas must help Charlie return the chocolate factory back to normal by fixing the mistakes that the self-indulgent children made.

Reception

The game received generally negative reviews from critics. Although reviewers praised the game's enjoyable storyline, music and presentation, most felt that the control of the characters on screen was awkward at best and the game was too short.The game's cut scenes were disturbing. The video game site IGN gave the game an overall rating of 4.5 out of 10 and GameSpot gave it the "poor" rating of 4 out of 10. PC Gamer rated the game a 22%. G4's X-Play gave the Xbox version a 1 out of 5. Nintendo Power also gave the GameCube version a 2.5 out of 10 because of clunky camera control and the reversal of roles.

Detroit Free Press gave the Game Boy Advance version one star out of four and stated, "I like games that involve strategy, but this game has none. You do what the game wants you to do with a just a bit of brain power involved, but no strategy." USA Today gave the game four stars out of ten and stated that "Overall, the game is beautifully created and the environments are bright and lush with color. The voice acting and the musical score are done well but not overdone and there is just enough charm to give this game potential. But design glitches and annoying camera perspectives sabotage the gameplay, which is the most important part of a game and the entire experience ultimately becomes more of a frustration rather than an enjoyment."

Soundtrack

The original musical soundtrack of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory video game was composed by Winifred Phillips In his review of the game for IGN, Juan Castro called the music from the game "a really good soundtrack" and elaborated later in the article by writing, "Music sounds moody and atmospheric where it should. Same goes for the oddball tunes within the factory."