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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Generally unfavorable reviews
Based on 16 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 7 votes
Read user comments
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Game Info
Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: High Voltage Software - Backbone
Genre(s): Action, Platform, Puzzle
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Release Date: July 18, 2005
Summary
Step inside the magical world of Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory. Based on the feature film directed by Tim Burton and the classic Roald Dahl book, the game allows players to explore deep inside the factory and play the beloved story as Charlie Bucket. Find a Golden Ticket and, along with four other children, win a personal tour of Willy Wonka's factory guided by the notorious and reclusive candy-maker himself. Embark on a fantastic adventure exploring the many extraordinary environments of the factory, including some from the book that do not appear in the film. Discover what happens after the other children, greed-driven and unrestrained, wreak havoc throughout the factory. Then save the chocolate factory from their destruction by solving mystifying puzzles and using inventive candy powers. By helping the Oompa-Loompas and restoring order to the factory, Charlie can earn the respect of Willy Wonka and win an unexpected prize. Acquire incredible abilities by using fantastic new candies in order to save the factory. Stop the "rotten" children from causing chaos and destruction throughout the candy factory. Repair huge, bizarre candy-making machines by solving puzzles and enlisting the help of the Oompa-Loompas. Explore numerous rooms and environments inside Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. [Global Star]
Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
GameCritics
When a game is as derivative and uninspired as this one, a rotten camera is just another nail in its coffin. Unfortunately, the film franchise graveyard won't let these monsters die.
Read Full Review >Game Chronicles
The fetch-questing gets old fast, but the game ties in closely with the film in graphics, sound, and atmosphere. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is tailor-made for a younger group, and keeping that in mind, the game does what it’s set out to do.
Read Full Review >BonusStage
It follows the beloved storyline with a wonderful cinematic flair, top-notch audio design, colorful yet simple graphics and a basic set of gameplay mechanics. However, a lacking of innovation and overall gameplay and graphical polish stunt the game’s full potential and leave it as a just-above-average title only fans of the material and/or genre will find any value in.
Read Full Review >GamerFeed
The game is beaten rather quickly, and somehow lacks the inventive touches that the film itself possesses. Still, it could've been worse. "Oompa Loompa DDR," anyone?
Read Full Review >Play Magazine
A bare-bones run-of-the-mill 3D puzzle-actioner saturated with eye-bleeding color and overflowing with tired devices and clunky gameplay. [Sept 2005, p.56]
Game Informer
This has to be one of the worst games I've had the displeasure of playing in quite some time. [Sept 2005, p.100]
Deeko
It's pure repetitiveness is enough to make any chocolate lover long for a nice salty snack treat. So make your dentist happy and stay far far away from this title. It will leave a very bitter aftertaste and have you reaching for your mouthwash.
Read Full Review >AceGamez
Kids aren't going to want to rescue the bad guys of the movie, kids want to explore the factory, swim in the chocolate lakes and hijack cars.
Read Full Review >Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)
Totally devoid of fun for any age. Non-existent level design and about three ideas repeated endlessly. Steer clear. [NGC]
Read Full Review >GameSpot
The console releases are better than the truly execrable PC game of the same name, but there's still no reason for it to exist.
Read Full Review >1UP
As I painfully maneuvered my Charlie from room to room, I grew more and more desperate in my attempt to find redeeming qualities in the game.
Read Full Review >Cheat Code Central
Atrocious. And not "atrociously good fun" either. Simply atrocious. It's like biting into an Oh Henry and discovering that it is indeed, a big fat solid chunk of stanky human dung and undigested peanuts.
Read Full Review >Nintendo Power
The effect is disastrous. [Sept 2005, p.84]
Eurogamer
The controls are awful, the camera is beyond appalling, the graphics are hideous, the environments are bare, the gameplay is unbearably repetitive and the whole thing is an utter chore to play.
Gaming Age
The product just feels unfinished, likely rushed to launch alongside the film, lacking the polish and additional development time that would have made this a worthwhile experience.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this game is 1.8 (out of 10) based on 7 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
AJ A. gave it a0:
The most appallingly bad game ever spawned by a room full of sleep-deprived programmers. I've seen better and less linear level design on miniature golf courses. The scenery appears to have been created by someone who can only see in magenta, green, and cyan, and the controls were coded by a person with a serious middle-ear infection. This game is an afront to the idea of entertainment, and leaves you wanting to stare at portions of the US Tax Code afterwards out of sheer deperation for anything interesting.
Andrew C. gave it an8:
I'm no video game expert, but my 6- and 3-year old boys and I had a great time with this game on our GameCube. This is a figure-it-out type of game, and the "a-ha" moments gave them a lot of satisfaction.
Ryan M. gave it a4:
Another infamous example of how a movie game is rushed onto shelves and placed into homes before the game is even ready. The game feels like its missing a core premise. Is it the gameplay? A little bit of that. graphics? there lame, but not the biggest complaint. My patience has almost run out, where we constantly are getting these movie games, and for the majority of them, there below average to terrible. This game has really know reason to exist, except for the fact that it is a blatant milking of a popular movie. Nothing stellar here in any meaning of the word, and when your playing this you'll just miss the magic of the movie and the entertainment of thousands of other far superior games.
