Metacritic Games

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (GameCube)

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]

2K Games
Action, Platform, Puzzle
Players: 1
E (Everyone)
Developer: High Voltage Software - Backbone
Released July 18, 2005

Overall Metascore

This is a weighted, normalized average of all individual scores given by critics, on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

39 / 100

Critic Reviews

70	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.
62	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.
60	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.
50	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?
45	IGN Bad control and poor execution ruin the experience.
45	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]
45	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]
40	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.
40	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.
40	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]
40	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.
30	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.
30	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.
25	Nintendo Power The effect is disastrous. [Sept 2005, p.84]
20	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.
16	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.