Da Vinci Code, The

Pelit (Finland)

A decent adventure with interesting themes and puzzles. Too bad the combat and stealth sections are not up to par. Choosing the easiest battle difficulty lets the puzzles take the centre stage – as they should. [June 2006]

AceGamez

I had a chat to God tonight. He and I both agree that The Da Vinci Code game is more polished than the Holy Grail, more miraculous than Moses, more fun than riding shotgun with Noah and holier than a lump of mouse-nibbled stilton cheese.

GamerNode

The Da Vinci Code will have the greatest appeal, ironically, to those who have not read the book or seen the movie, as a strong familiarization with Dan Brown's work may actually detract from the gaming experience.

GameCritics

The gameplay transcends mere functionality and accessibility to be an actual pleasure to play, barring a few handling hiccups caused by the game's undoubtedly rushed release schedule.

Detroit Free Press

You'll spend plenty of time cracking anagrams and other codes, and they aren't child's play, either. There's some combat, too, which, while feeling a little out of place, does provide for variation in the game.

Next Level Gaming

Overall, my biggest complaint is that the game seemed to drag on. It can be tough to pace a game that relies so heavily on puzzle-solving, but this game seemed really dull at points.

PSW Magazine UK

But what it does well it does very well. It gets the feel of the book bang on, offering plenty of new locations, puzzles and setpieces to play through for fans. Newcomers will find a meaty mental test awaiting them with each new problem proving infuriatingly addictive.

eToychest

The Da Vinci Code isn’t the worst game based on a movie, but its dependence on puzzles and unbalanced action make it hard to recommend to anyone but the the most devout fan of the source material or those who simply can't get enough of puzzle-based adventure games.

PSM2 Magazine UK

The odd clever puzzle is overshadowed by rubbish fighting bits. Watch the film or read the book. [July 2006, p.75]

The New York Times

Because I like puzzles, I enjoyed much of Da Vinci despite its flaws. But there are many of them, and the game's sloppy implementation can be seen in a number of questionable design decisions.

TotalPlayStation

What The Da Vinci Code the game does best is provide that sense that you're cracking some kind of ancient code. The devices used to do this are recycled, sure, but it doesn't make them any less fun.

GameSpot

Offers a challenging and varied gameplay experience that will satisfy the amateur cryptographer in everyone. However, the game is brought down by subpar production values and a dialogue-heavy story that has a tendency to drag at times.

Worth Playing

The Da Vinci Code is difficult in all the right areas for fans of the book's unique blend of fact and fiction, and all the wrong ones for most gamers.

Games Master UK

It's horribly flawed in many places and unintentionally funny, but we'd much rather play this than something like "X-Men 3," a movie-licensed game that only tasks the brain without locating the punch button on the joypad. [Aug 2006, p.60]

GameZone

While far from perfect, this game perfectly captures the mood and delivers a great adaptation of Dan Brown’s bestseller novel.

Total Video Games

Like the movie, the videogame isn't as bad as some have made it out to be, and whilst it's far from being a perfect experience, it's also got some solid ideas and elements that'll keep a certain section of gamers hooked.

Game Informer

It feels like National Geographic and Ultimate Fighting mushed together in a bad, bad way. [July 2006, p.106]

Cheat Code Central

The combat is kind of strange. It doesn't seem congruent given the subject matter. It's like adding a new book to the Bible called, Popeye.

Boomtown

There are elements of the game that are enjoyable, particularly when it comes to the puzzles, but often the Da Vinci Code is as flat as its voice actors.

Game Chronicles

With a clunky combat system, woeful A.I. and uninspiring presentation, I recommend you steer clear of this game, and just re-read the book for the 15th time. Go on-you know you want to.

Play.tm

There's about ten hours of play, much of which is an explanation of the plot, while the rest is a pedestrian and pretty boring romp in terms of game play mechanics, meaning that in the end you'll probably just want to complete the game for completing its sake.

Digital Entertainment News

It’s a collection of decent puzzles surrounded by a bad movie tie-in.

VideoGamer

So then, another Hollywood movie, and another so-so game based on it. The Da Vinci Code has the right heritage but unfortunately suffers from the same disease as many of its ilk - it has been rushed to meet a release date without receiving the kind of polish that could have made a great game out of the subject matter.

Jolt Online Gaming UK

The whole thing takes about 10 hours to play, and with little to no replay value, this doesn’t exactly represent fantastic value for money. Overall, the Da Vinci Code game is like a disappointing pleasure cruise, with one or two sunny islands floating in a big, grey sea of tedium.

Official Playstation 2 Magazine UK

A pain to control and not that rewarding if you persist, this should have been a top puzzle-strewn adventure. It isn't. [July 2006, p.92]

GameBrink

It follows the plot while trying to integrate gameplay and ultimately fails. I was hoping it would turn out for the better as I did enjoy the book but sadly the end product feels rushed and very unpolished.

GamePro

Perhaps one of the most boring games to ever grace a home console...The horrendous combat and boring mission objectives really don't take the game in any fun directions. Apparently the code is all about putting you to sleep.

Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

The stealth is way too easy, and the exploration is too open-ended. [Aug 2006, p.76]

Gamers' Temple

While the puzzles aren’t bad, the rest of the game is. That leaves you with something that’s just not that much fun to play and that is downright frustrating far too often. Leave this one to the most obsessive of Da Vinci Code fans.

IGN

It doesn't offer enough puzzle variety for serious adventure fans, and the combat will irritate or bore most action aficionados.

PSM Magazine

If you're expecting puzzles to solve in The Da Vinci Code, then you'll be pleased to know there are plenty; if you're expecting a good game, however, that's a different story entirely. [Aug 2006, p.84]

DailyGame

From the over-reliance on cutscenes and combat that doesn't quite fit, The Da Vinci Code is one of those properties that lives up to the reputation for bad movie-licensed games. Add some cardboard graphics and emotionless audio, and you've got a lemon.

The Onion (A.V. Club)

The combat mechanism is an abomination. Every time you get in a fight, you have to match a pattern of buttons to throw a good punch or block an attack. Presumably, this was meant to help non-action-gamers get through combat, but even your grandmother would rather mash buttons than deal with this painful interface.

Gaming Age

But the other aspects – animation, dialogue, acting, environments, and fighting – are too poorly produced and out of place to ignore.

Play UK

Lots of stealth sections (too awkward), lots of puzzles (too hard), lots of fighting (too weird), lots of cutscenes (too many.) [Issue 141, p.97]

Yahoo! Games

And while the game generally looks and sounds just fine, you'll come away thinking about the interminably dull dialogue passages and unconvincing characters.

Games Radar (in-house)

The actors (not from the film cast) sound utterly bored throughout their lengthy speeches; the only thing that trumps the highly questionable French accents is a guy who actually says "woof woof" on behalf of a virtual dog.

GameSpy

The game's poor presentation and frustrating combat system make the mystery behind The Da Vinci Code one that most gamers would be better off leaving unsolved.

Edge Magazine

The overall impression is of a game that’s both bravely and badly designed, and weighted towards the latter. [July 2006, p.84]

PALGN

It’s funny how the transition from book, to movie to game can result in a product so absolutely boring and uninspiring. The Da Vinci Code doesn’t have any major flaws, it just has just about no redeeming features.

1UP

Playing as Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu, unraveling the mysteries that mirror and expand upon the book and movie's stories, you'll be forced to solve a mystery called "find the fun."

Game Revolution

Except for a few clever puzzles, a strong story, and a handful of pretty pictures, this licensed mess is mostly a failure.

Gamers Europe

I could go on and on about the other dreadful aspects of this game - the fact that there is virtually zero replay value because once you've solved the puzzles they never change, or the stupid setup that has speech subtitles appearing OVER parts of the screen you need to see to perform actions at some points - but I really can't be bothered.