Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (video game)
| Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) |
Krome Studios Tantalus Media (Nintendo DS) |
| Publisher(s) | Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment |
| Composer(s) | Winifred Phillips |
| Platform(s) |
PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 Wii Nintendo DS |
| Release |
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| Genre(s) | Combat flight simulator |
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole is a video game developed by Krome Studios (Tantalus Media for the Nintendo DS) and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, released on September 14, 2010. It is based on the film of the same name, and includes some elements from the books. The game is available for PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360 as well as Nintendo DS. The game takes place during the events of the movie.
Plot
Introduction
The story of the game follows the tale of Shard and his friends. The story coincides with the plot of the movie. In the Canyonlands, The Glauxian Monks worshiped the owl god Glaux, hidden away from the strifes of life. Surtr and the Pure Ones had been defeated years ago by Lyze of Kiel and the land had been returned to peace. However, during the watch of a young guard named Grettir, the Monastery was attacked by Hagsfiends. After losing most of what he knew as his family, he was plagued of guilt and many others who had heard the story branded him a traitor and a coward. After many years of isolation, Grettir took a mate named Lygeia and had an egg together. On the night that the owlet was to hatch, the nest of Grettir was attacked by owls and they killed the Grettir and his mate, but the owlet, now named Shard, survived.
Tutorial
Shard charges into battle, at the side of Allomere, destroying catapults and defeating hagsfiends. But as the battle continues, Shard gets surrounded by hagsfiends and as they collapse in for the kill, Shard wakes up from his dream and we are introduced to our two main characters, Shard and Parzival. Allomere, a character from the Legends of the Guardians movie is the ryb for both of the students. As Shard takes offense to Parzival insulting his father, it escalates into a fight between the two owls and Allomere gives the flint mops, or work for punishment. Ezylryb asks to take care of flint mops. The flint mop is lighting torches for the Great Tree and just as Shard and Parzival finish their job, the Search and Rescue chaw comes in with a band of owlets, later revealed to be Soren, Gylfie, Twilight and Digger, and they are being attacked by a murder of crows. After Shard and Parvizal had cleared away the crows, the owlets went to parliament to tell them the story St. Aegolius and what the Pure Ones were doing. Parliament came to the decision that Allomere would go to the canyonlands to verify the truth of Soren's claim. After the decision, Ezylryb gave Shard the task of secret missions as a Guardian and set off to the Desert Kingdom of Kuneer.
The Desert of Kuneer
Shard is tasked with finding an eagle named Streak and finding out the cause for the disappearance of young owlets in the area. Shard and Parzival find Streak imprisoned by bats allied with the Pure Ones and free him. Streak becomes Shard's wingman along with Parzival and they go on missions for the rest of the story. Streak reveals that the owlet snatching is true and that the bats are being rewarded for their loyalty by being given some Non-Tyto owlets. Shard and his band go on a mission to find the hideout by destroying bat sanctuaries to make them reveal the location of the hideout. After one of the bats told Streak it was east of the sanctuary to find the secret hideout filled with bats and Pure Ones. After they defeat the defenses of the hideout, reinforcements come to defend the hideout, which guarantees the rumors of the owlets being held there. The group finds some bats still taking owlets from nests and after rescuing them, the group realizes that these problems aren't going to stop unless they take the fight to the bats. After a small attack on the Streak's Nest, the band goes and devises a plan to force the bats out of the hiding places within the compound by forcing them out with fire. The battle becomes more intense as the hideouts are burnt out and the band defeats the defenses. After what seemed like a victory, the Bat Chieftain comes out of hiding to fight with the protagonists. After vanquishing both the Chieftain and what remained of the bats, they free a wandering hermit named Uriah, who tells them that the Pure Ones are working with the bats to gain control of a mysterious substance called flecks. He asks to be part of Shard's band and becomes one of his wingmen and the band returns to the Great Tree to inform them about what was happening in the Desert of Kuneer.
The Forest Kingdom of Tyto
Shard is tasked with finding the activities of the Pure Ones have in the Forest of Tyto and finding locals who could know what they are doing. Shard and Parzival follow a squadron of Pure Ones who lead them to a prison with resistance fighters locked up in them.
Gameplay
According to GameSpot, the gameplay is airborne combat. The player locks on to enemy owls or structures, and the player has the option to attack. If the player chooses to do so, the player-controlled owl will "go zooming toward your enemy and wallop it with your claws" as stated in the review. GameSpot also stated that there are some parts where the player has to navigate through gates in a specific amount of time.[1] The player can choose between four owl species to play as before the game starts, each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. These include barn owl, spotted owl, great gray owl, and great horned owl.
Soundtrack
The original musical soundtrack of the Legend of the Guardians video game was composed by Winifred Phillips[2] and produced by Winnie Waldron.[3] The soundtrack was released on iTunes by WaterTower Music, a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment.[2] The second track on the album, "With Hearts Sublime", is a winner of the 2010 Hollywood Music in Media Award in the category "Best Original Song: Video Game".[4]
Reception
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Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole received largely mixed and average reviews. According to Metacritic, the Xbox 360 version has an average critic score of 60 out of 100 based on 13 reviews.[5] While acknowledging its gameplay and other elements as commendable, the majority of critics noted the game's short play time and replay value as a major pitfall. GameSpot gave the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions a 6/10 rating.[1][10] Game Informer awarded it 7.25 out of 10 and said "Though limited in scope and complexity, the game does everything it sets out to do and remains a fun family diversion throughout".[9]
References
- 1 2 3 VanOrd, Kevin (2010-09-17). "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2010-10-18.
- 1 2 "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (Original Videogame Soundtrack) by Winifred Phillips on iTunes". iTunes Store. Retrieved October 26, 2010.
- ↑ "Winifred Phillips, Video". Winifred Phillips. Retrieved October 26, 2010.
- ↑ "HMMA 2010 Winners". Hollywood Music in Media Awards. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
- 1 2 "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
- ↑ "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
- ↑ "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole for Wii Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
- ↑ "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole for DS Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
- 1 2 Miller, Matt (2010-09-14). "Legend of the Guardians Review". Game Informer. GameStop. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
- 1 2 VanOrd, Kevin (2010-09-17). "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2018-06-29.