First Impressions: Oompa-Loompa, anyone?
It’s safe to assume that the family movie of the year in 2005 is not going to be an animated movie. It will be Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, directed by Tim Burton and starring fan-favorite Johnny Depp. Once again, Charlie Bucket wins one of five golden tickets, which allows him to tour the famous chocolate factory run by Willy Wonka (played by Depp). Can you say Oompa-Loompa?
I sure can. Oompa-Loompa. But can you say video game spin-off? Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the video game is coming out this summer for Xbox, GameCube, PlayStation 2, GameBoy Advance and PC. The game is scheduled for release in July, which coincides with the movie’s release date.
In the GameCube version, you will enter the magical interactive world of Willy Wonka playing Charlie Bucket. As Charlie, you will have the ability to investigate every nook and cranny of the chocolate factory, even parts that were not mentioned in the book written by Roald Dahl. The game will feature a wide array of single-player missions, with puzzles galore.
Developers High Voltage Software have provided a few screenshots of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The graphical style is somewhat reminiscent of the style found in Rare’s Grabbed by the Ghoulies for Xbox. It can be inferred from the screenshots that the game will consist of many rooms and a challenge will await Charlie in each room. There are also many nice particle effects, although not much else has been released.
Throughout your adventure, the other children that won a chance to take the tour will get out of line, as the wonderful world of Willy Wonka is too much for them to handle. It will be up to you to prevent them from destroying the factory with the aid of mystifying candy powers. By sampling new candy, you will master new abilities. You’ll also have to repair broken down candy machinery by yourself or with the help of Willy’s factory workers. We don’t want a candy shortage, now do we?
