Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (video game)
Encyclopedia
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is a game based on the Lemony Snicket
book series
and film. The game is based primarily on the movie, which in turn is based on the plots of the first three books of the series: The Bad Beginning
, The Reptile Room
and The Wide Window
. Players take the roles of Violet
, Klaus
, and Sunny Baudelaire
, solving puzzles, fighting villains and finding objects. Players encounter characters such as Mr. Poe, Uncle Monty and Aunt Josephine, along with villains such as Count Olaf
, the hook-handed man
, the white-faced women, and the bald man with the long nose
.
. The player assumes the role of either of the three Baudelaire orphans, and can cycle through them depending on the version.
The Baudelaires can eventually gain access to a multitude of inventions as well as ammunition throughout the game, which are mostly those that tend to run along the lines of things a child might actually attain, such as rotten eggs, bubble gum, bees, eau de toilette, and garlic
, among other things.
(GBA) version is different in that players can switch between all three Baudelaires at all times. The game also features more places, such as Briny Beach. It is said to be harder than console versions. In The Reptile Room level, some reptiles are mentioned that never appear in the books. Also, there are less inventions but have the same effects as the other games, such as the Parasol Glider, which helps Sunny glide from platform to platform; the Water Pump, which helps Klaus spray and absorb water; the Grappling Hook, which helps Klaus swing from platform to platform; and the Apple Cobbler, which helps Violet shoot apples. Players must collect objects that Violet or Klaus mentions to make the inventions. Players must also talk to other characters to complete some quests or grab items that other characters are holding.
The player must collect pictures and butterflies for invention upgrades, movie scenes, and concept art. They must also collect book pages to use on specific places to either give you extras, keep going on the story, or makes it easier to get around.
, The Grim Grotto
, Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography
and The End
). Finally, players have different inventions to make; the Smasher, the Lobber, the Lockpick, the Sprayer, the Lever Yanker, the Reptile Retriever, stilts, and a Grappling Hook. As a bonus, players can collect eyes; every ten eyes collected gives the player a poster for an Olaf theater production, and letters from the alphabet which start a word that gets defined. Some of the words, such as Quagmire, referring to the Quagmire triplets
and Xenophobe, referring to a word Jerome Squalor mentioned to the Baudelaires in The Ersatz Elevator
are from the books.
and 65-70% at Gamerankings. Some reviewers gave the game lower scores, citing the short span of the game, lack of replay value
, easy difficulty and repetitive gameplay.
Additional Voices by Robin Atkin Downes
and Brian Stepanek
Lemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American novelist Daniel Handler . Snicket is the author of several children's books, serving as the narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events and appearing as a character within the series. Because of this, the name Lemony Snicket may refer to both a fictional...
book series
A Series of Unfortunate Events
A Series of Unfortunate Events is a series of children's novels by Lemony Snicket which follows the turbulent lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire after their parents' death in an arsonous house fire...
and film. The game is based primarily on the movie, which in turn is based on the plots of the first three books of the series: The Bad Beginning
The Bad Beginning
The Bad Beginning is the first of thirteen novels in American author Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. It was later released in paperback under the name The Bad Beginning; or, Orphans! The novel tells the story of three children, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire, who are orphaned...
, The Reptile Room
The Reptile Room
The Reptile Room is a children's novel and the second of A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. It was later released in paperback under the title The Reptile Room; or, Murder! Having just escaped from the greedy and evil Count Olaf in the first book, the Baudelaire children are now...
and The Wide Window
The Wide Window
The Wide Window is a children's novel and the third novel in the book series A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. It was later released in paperback under the name The Wide Window; or, Disappearance! In The Wide Window, the Baudelaire orphans are sent to live with their third...
. Players take the roles of Violet
Violet Baudelaire
Violet Baudelaire is one of the main characters in the children's book series A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket and appears in all thirteen books. She is the oldest of the Baudelaire orphans at 14 years old, and often helps her 12-year-old brother Klaus and her baby sister Sunny...
, Klaus
Klaus Baudelaire
Klaus Baudelaire is one of the main characters in the children's book series, A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket who appears in all thirteen novels. Klaus is the middle child of the Baudelaire orphans; he has an older sister named Violet and a younger sister named Sunny...
, and Sunny Baudelaire
Sunny Baudelaire
Sunny Baudelaire is one of the protagonists of Lemony Snicket's novel series A Series of Unfortunate Events. Sunny is the youngest of the three Baudelaire orphans, and is described as an infant through much of the series...
, solving puzzles, fighting villains and finding objects. Players encounter characters such as Mr. Poe, Uncle Monty and Aunt Josephine, along with villains such as Count Olaf
Count Olaf
Count Olaf is the primary antagonist of the children's novel series A Series of Unfortunate Events by American author Lemony Snicket. In the series, Olaf is an actor and is known to have committed many crimes as a member of the fire-starting side of V.F.D. prior to the events of the first book in...
, the hook-handed man
Hook-handed man
Fernald is a villain from Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. He is known for having two large and sharp hooks where his hands should be...
, the white-faced women, and the bald man with the long nose
Bald man with the long nose
The bald man with the long nose is a fictional character in the children's novel series A Series of Unfortunate Events by American author Lemony Snicket. He is a tertiary antagonist in the series and a member of Count Olaf's theater troupe...
.
Gameplay
The core gameplay consists of elements of a platformer, a puzzle game, and a third-person shooterThird-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
. The player assumes the role of either of the three Baudelaire orphans, and can cycle through them depending on the version.
The Baudelaires can eventually gain access to a multitude of inventions as well as ammunition throughout the game, which are mostly those that tend to run along the lines of things a child might actually attain, such as rotten eggs, bubble gum, bees, eau de toilette, and garlic
Garlic
Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...
, among other things.
Console versions
The three console versions have the same basic layout - players can switch between playing as Violet, Klaus and, at certain moments, Sunny. The game begins at Count Olaf's house, then progresses to Justice Strauss' home, back to Olaf's, then to Uncle Monty's house, then Damocles Dock, then Aunt Josephine's house, Curdled Cave and, finally, Olaf's again. Along the way, Violet invents things - Klaus's weapon — the Brilliant Bopper; her own weapons — the Fruit Flinger, the Reptile Retriever, and the Peppermint Popper; the Baby Booster, which helps Sunny jump; the Steady Stilts, which help Violet reach high places; the Uplifting Umbrella, which helps Violet Fly; and the Levitating Loafers, which can make Klaus fly. In the game, the heroes solve puzzles, fight Count Olaf's theater troupe, and collect puzzle pieces with the familiar eye throughout the series. If you collect 25 of each color puzzle piece, you reveal a place in your secret folder, which in turn reveals a picture where you can find a V.F.D package. This package reveals a special extra in the game, such as a making of featurette. Completing the game will also unlock the World Map, a sandbox mode similar to the Freeride game in Mafia, allowing players to roam around the various levels and collect more puzzle pieces and packages.Game Boy Advance version
The Game Boy AdvanceGame Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
(GBA) version is different in that players can switch between all three Baudelaires at all times. The game also features more places, such as Briny Beach. It is said to be harder than console versions. In The Reptile Room level, some reptiles are mentioned that never appear in the books. Also, there are less inventions but have the same effects as the other games, such as the Parasol Glider, which helps Sunny glide from platform to platform; the Water Pump, which helps Klaus spray and absorb water; the Grappling Hook, which helps Klaus swing from platform to platform; and the Apple Cobbler, which helps Violet shoot apples. Players must collect objects that Violet or Klaus mentions to make the inventions. Players must also talk to other characters to complete some quests or grab items that other characters are holding.
The player must collect pictures and butterflies for invention upgrades, movie scenes, and concept art. They must also collect book pages to use on specific places to either give you extras, keep going on the story, or makes it easier to get around.
PC version
The PC version has several differences from the console games. For one, players cannot switch between characters. The game keeps the player as one character, switching to another when necessary, and even separates the older Baudelaire siblings at times. Secondly, there are two new environments, Briny Beach and a horseradish factory (presumably the one that is discussed in The Reptile RoomThe Reptile Room
The Reptile Room is a children's novel and the second of A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. It was later released in paperback under the title The Reptile Room; or, Murder! Having just escaped from the greedy and evil Count Olaf in the first book, the Baudelaire children are now...
, The Grim Grotto
The Grim Grotto
The Grim Grotto is the eleventh novel in the book series A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket.-Plot:The book begins where The Slippery Slope left off, with the Baudelaires traveling on a collapsing toboggan down the Stricken Stream of the Mortmain Mountains, leaving Quigley Quagmire...
, Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography
Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography
Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography was first released on May 1, 2002. The book's content relates to the author Lemony Snicket and his series of books, A Series of Unfortunate Events...
and The End
The End (A Series of Unfortunate Events)
The End is the thirteenth and final novel in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. It was published on October 13, 2006.- Plot description :...
). Finally, players have different inventions to make; the Smasher, the Lobber, the Lockpick, the Sprayer, the Lever Yanker, the Reptile Retriever, stilts, and a Grappling Hook. As a bonus, players can collect eyes; every ten eyes collected gives the player a poster for an Olaf theater production, and letters from the alphabet which start a word that gets defined. Some of the words, such as Quagmire, referring to the Quagmire triplets
Quagmire triplets
The Quagmires are a principal family in the children's novel series A Series of Unfortunate Events by American author Lemony Snicket. The unnamed Quagmire parents were members of the secret vigilante organization V.F.D...
and Xenophobe, referring to a word Jerome Squalor mentioned to the Baudelaires in The Ersatz Elevator
The Ersatz Elevator
The Ersatz Elevator is the sixth novel in the book series A Series of Unfortunate Events by Daniel Handler under the pseudonym of Lemony Snicket. The Baudelaires are sent to live with the wealthy Esmé and Jerome Squalor.-Plot summary:...
are from the books.
Reception
The game has received mixed to mostly positive reviews, garnering 63 out of 100 at MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and 65-70% at Gamerankings. Some reviewers gave the game lower scores, citing the short span of the game, lack of replay value
Replay value
Replay value or replayability is a term found in combination with video games, but it may be also used to describe other kinds of games, movies, music, or theater plays. In video games, the term replay value is used to describe the entertainment value of playing a game more than once...
, easy difficulty and repetitive gameplay.
Cast
- Liam AikenLiam AikenLiam Padraic Aiken is an American actor who has starred in a number of films, such as Stepmom and Good Boy!. He starred as Klaus Baudelaire in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, based on the series of books....
- Klaus BaudelaireKlaus BaudelaireKlaus Baudelaire is one of the main characters in the children's book series, A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket who appears in all thirteen novels. Klaus is the middle child of the Baudelaire orphans; he has an older sister named Violet and a younger sister named Sunny... - Emily BrowningEmily BrowningEmily Jane Browning is an Australian film actress and fashion model, known for her roles as Violet Baudelaire in Brad Silberling's 2004 film Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, as Anna Ivers in the 2009 film The Uninvited, as Babydoll in Zack Snyder's 2011 action thriller Sucker...
- Violet BaudelaireViolet BaudelaireViolet Baudelaire is one of the main characters in the children's book series A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket and appears in all thirteen books. She is the oldest of the Baudelaire orphans at 14 years old, and often helps her 12-year-old brother Klaus and her baby sister Sunny... - Jim CarreyJim CarreyJames Eugene "Jim" Carrey is a Canadian-American actor and comedian. He has received two Golden Globe Awards and has also been nominated on four occasions. Carrey began comedy in 1979, performing at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, Ontario...
- Count OlafCount OlafCount Olaf is the primary antagonist of the children's novel series A Series of Unfortunate Events by American author Lemony Snicket. In the series, Olaf is an actor and is known to have committed many crimes as a member of the fire-starting side of V.F.D. prior to the events of the first book in... - Tim CurryTim CurryTimothy James "Tim" Curry is a British actor, singer, composer and voice actor, known for his work in a diverse range of theatre, film and television productions. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California....
- Voice of Lemony SnicketLemony SnicketLemony Snicket is the pen name of American novelist Daniel Handler . Snicket is the author of several children's books, serving as the narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events and appearing as a character within the series. Because of this, the name Lemony Snicket may refer to both a fictional... - Jocelyn Blue - White-Faced Jen
- Donna Bullock - Aunt Josephine
- S. Scott BullockS. Scott BullockStuart Scott Bullock , best known as S. Scott Bullock, is an American actor Bullock is best known for his role as Eddy "Edgar" the Jersey Cow in Barnyard: The Original Party Animals and Back at the Barnyard, Mr...
- Bald Man - Jay GordonJay GordonJay Paul Gordon is a producer, journalist and lead singer of rock alternative band Orgy- Early life :Originally from the Excelsior District of San Francisco, California, Gordon is the vocalist in the synth-industrial band Orgy, which rose to prominence through their signing to Korn's fledgling...
- Hook-Handed Man, Uncle Montgomery - Daniel HagenDaniel HagenDaniel Hagen is an American voice, television, and film actor. He has also done miscellaneous work as a member of the crew, as well as guest appearances on Seinfeld , CSI, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Friends, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, and Charmed...
- Mr. Poe - April StewartApril StewartApril Stewart is an American voice actress. She is best known for providing the voices of several female characters on the animated cartoon TV series South Park alongside fellow voice actress Mona Marshall. Born and raised in Truckee, California, Stewart started acting at the age 12. Her father,...
- Justice Strauss - Kari WahlgrenKari WahlgrenKari K. Wahlgren is an American voice actress who has provided English language voices for dozens of anime titles and video games. Her debut role was as one of the main characters of FLCL, Haruko Haruhara. She had a live-action role as Tinker Bell in the 2003 Damion Dietz film Neverland...
- White-Faced Jane
Additional Voices by Robin Atkin Downes
Robin Atkin Downes
Born in London, England, Robin Atkin Downes is an English actor who is one of the most prolific voice-over actors in Los Angeles. He is well known for his work in film, television and voice acting...
and Brian Stepanek
Brian Stepanek
Brian Stepanek is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Arwin Hawkhauser in the Disney Channel Original Series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody...
See also
- Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate EventsLemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate EventsLemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is a 2004 black comedy film directed by Brad Silberling. It is an adaptation of the The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, and The Wide Window, being the first three books in A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket...
External links
- Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (video game) at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...