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Eragon (video game)
Encyclopedia
Eragon is a third-person
video game released for the Xbox 360
, PlayStation 2
, Xbox
, and Microsoft Windows
, developed by Stormfront Studios
. Also released are unique versions of Eragon for the Game Boy Advance
, Nintendo DS
, PSP
, and mobile phone
handheld gaming systems, primarily developed by Amaze Entertainment
.
The game is based upon the Eragon
film, which is in turn loosely based on the book Eragon
, by Christopher Paolini
. The games were released on November 14, 2006 in the United States of America, on November 24, 2006 in European and on November 23, 2006 in Australia in order to coincide with the release of the film. In the game the player takes on the role of the main protagonist from the book and film, Eragon
, and occasionally controls his dragon Saphira.
The game was generally received poorly by critics, usually receiving press averages around the 4-6 out of 10 region (or the equivalent). The combined sales in North America were over 400,000 copies.
" attacks. Additionally, they can use four basic magic attacks: magic push/pull (Thrysta Vindr), magic shield (Skölir), and magic fire (Brisingr). These four magic attacks can be utilised in different ways (for example, Brisingr arrows, or throwing spears in baskets magically). On the PC and console versions (excluding the Xbox 360 version) there are sixteen levels.
Some missions permit the player to use the dragon Saphira in combat. The gameplay mechanics within these levels are largely similar to those in ground-based levels, with the exception of some different attack moves (such as tail attacks). Protagonist Eragon sits on Saphira's back during these sections, and can be made to fire magic arrows. The player has no choice as to whether or not they use Saphira. Similarly, the player cannot use Saphira in ground-based levels: they can call for her and she will swoop past, but it is not possible to use this feature to ride Saphira. There is a multiplayer co-op mode which allows two people to play through the main storyline. It is possible to switch from playing a one-player game to a two-player game at any time. There are no Internet multiplayer options.
finds a mysterious blue stone. He keeps it, thinking that it can be sold or bartered. However, the stone is actually a dragon egg. Eragon names the dragon Saphira on account of her colour and the fact that the town story teller Brom suggests dragon names and Saphira is one of them. Saphira's hatching attracts the attention of the cruel king Galbatorix. The king dispatches servants to Eragon's village to find the dragon. They are unsuccessful and Eragon's uncle is killed and his home burned down. Brom, whom Eragon considers as nothing more than an old storyteller, helps him fight his way out of the village. He then gives Eragon an old sword, known as Zar'roc in the book series .
Eragon, Brom and Saphira make their way to Daret, where they are attacked in the docks. They find the rest of the town on fire and hold off a swarm of the king's servants as the villagers try to put out these fires. After leaving Daret the threesome are pursued by a group of Ra'zac. The group are caught in an ambush: Saphira becomes trapped under debris and Eragon must both try to free her and hold off the Ra'zac. After defeating the nearby enemies, the group make their way to Gil'ead, where Eragon and Brom sneak through the city and keep to try and free Arya. After a lengthy battle through Durza's fortress , Eragon meets Arya and Murtagh, who now join the group. This helps alleviate the mournful situation when Brom jumps in the way of a spear intended to kill Eragon and is fatally injured and dies.
The group escape from Gil'ead on Saphira's back, but face some Kull in the ruins of Orthiad. After defeating many Kull and Urgals they make their way to the Beor Mountains, where more Urgals lie in wait. They then sneak through an Urgal encampment, and make their way through a misty gorge. The group get to the Varden's hideout and defend it against hordes of Urgals. Eragon and Saphira then face Durza a second time, mounted on the back of a huge, bat-like monster, eventually killing him.
, who had previously worked on the game adaptation of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
. Amaze Entertainment
, who had previously worked on the game versions of Pirates of the Caribbean
and Over the Hedge
, were to develop the handheld versions. A GameCube
version was planned but it was later cancelled. On the same day Vivendi announced that the first possible chance to see the game would be at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in May 2006. On May 11, 2006 it was confirmed by Yahoo that the game had been in development since pre-production of the film.
The game was previewed at Comic-Con
2006, where the public was allowed to play only one level named the Daret Bridge. The enemies consisted entirely of Urgals, and the player had to overcome several obstacles using magic and Saphira. Christopher Paolini
played other levels at Comic-Con, such as Spine Mountains. The game was also shown at the 2006 Games Convention
in Leipzig
, Germany. Actress Sienna Guillory
, who plays the elf Arya in the film, made personal appearances at the Vivendi stand to promote the game. In October 2006 it was announced that the actors from the Eragon film would lend their voices to the game adaptation. Specifically, Edward Speleers
(playing the title character), Sienna Guillory
(Arya), Garrett Hedlund
(Murtagh) and Robert Carlyle
(Durza) were slated to lend their voices. The main theme music for the Eragon game was released on Shur'tugal.com on November 2, 2006 and can be downloaded from the news story on Shurtugal.
The console and PC versions of the game are very similar, focusing on the same style of gameplay. However, the Xbox 360 edition features two exclusive levels. One is on foot as Eragon, and Saphira is controlled in the second mission. It also features the Kull: an enemy from the novels. However, there are differences between their description in the novels and their appearance in the games. In the books they are eight feet tall and wield the same weapons as other Urgals, but the game portrays them as twelve-foot brutes wielding flaming clubs. The handheld games are significantly different from the PC and console versions. The Game Boy Advance game centers on role-playing rather than combat, whilst the PSP game focuses on multiplayer action and aerial dragon levels. The DS edition uses its touch screen in the battle system.
A version was released for the mobile phone
. It allows alternate control of Eragon and Saphira, but unlike the console versions it allows multiple paths to be taken whilst still following the main storyline and allows customization of the playable character (in terms of skills which can be selected). The mobile game also provides a cheat code which, when entered into the console versions, will make the "fury mode" become available. The Official Strategy Guide was published by Primagames and authored by Eric Mylonas. On December 6, 2006 a preview of the guide was made available from the Sierra
webpage.
and Game Rankings
.
GameSpot
rated the game 4.2 out of 10, and GameSpy
gave it a similar score of 2 out of 5. PC Gamer UK
slated the PC
version of the game, describing the plot as "thinner than hospital undies", complaining about the tedious and repetitive side-scrolling action. They ended up summarising it as "a profoundly uninspiring tie-in" and gave it 53%. IGN came to a similar conclusion, primarily criticising the poor camera, unsophisticated combat and shortness. They rated the game 4.7 out of a possible 10. Gamestyle
describe the title as "One half high-return investment bond, one half tedious waste of time, its place as part of the film's marketing campaign [...] more important than it actually being playable" with a cast whose faces "appear to have been variously grafted onto misshapen potatoes and blind robots carved from meat." Something Awful
's "one sentence review" is scathing: "This is what happens when everyone at the office works on a game for 2 months then decides to have pizza parties every day until the budget runs out. 1/10"
However, the handheld versions of the game generally received more positive reviews. The Nintendo DS version received a positive review from IGN, who praised it for its "solid gameplay, enjoyable quests, being long for a movie license, and having thorough menu and tutorial system". It received 7.5 out of a possible 10. IGN said that it is surprisingly well developed for a Nintendo DS game.
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
video game released for the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
, and Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, developed by Stormfront Studios
Stormfront Studios
Stormfront Studios was a video game developer based in San Rafael, California which had one of the longest creative histories in the industry. In 2007, the company had over 50 developers working on two teams, and owned all its proprietary engines, tools and technology. As of the end of 2007 over...
. Also released are unique versions of Eragon for the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
, Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, PSP
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
, and mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
handheld gaming systems, primarily developed by Amaze Entertainment
Amaze Entertainment
Amaze Entertainment was a video game developer from the United States that sold over 100 games in its ten-year history , for several video game platforms, with headquarters located in Kirkland, Washington. Amaze’s primary focus was licensed games based on movie franchises, comic series, and...
.
The game is based upon the Eragon
Eragon (film)
Eragon is a 2006 fantasy-adventure film based on the novel of the same name by author Christopher Paolini. The cast includes Edward Speleers in the title role, Jeremy Irons, Garrett Hedlund, Sienna Guillory, Robert Carlyle, John Malkovich, Djimon Hounsou, Alun Armstrong, Joss Stone, and the voice...
film, which is in turn loosely based on the book Eragon
Eragon
Eragon is the first book in the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, who began writing at the age of 15. After writing the first draft for a year, he spent a second year rewriting it and fleshing out the story and characters. Paolini's parents saw the final manuscript and decided to...
, by Christopher Paolini
Christopher Paolini
Christopher Paolini is an American author. He is best known as the author of the Inheritance Cycle, which consists of the books Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, and Inheritance...
. The games were released on November 14, 2006 in the United States of America, on November 24, 2006 in European and on November 23, 2006 in Australia in order to coincide with the release of the film. In the game the player takes on the role of the main protagonist from the book and film, Eragon
Eragon (character)
Eragon is the main protagonist of the Inheritance Cycle, written by Christopher Paolini. Eragon is a male, the first in a new generation of Dragon Riders...
, and occasionally controls his dragon Saphira.
The game was generally received poorly by critics, usually receiving press averages around the 4-6 out of 10 region (or the equivalent). The combined sales in North America were over 400,000 copies.
Gameplay
The majority of the game is taken up by third-person combat, usually on foot. At the start of the game the player can use four "comboCombo (computer and video games)
In video games, a combo is a term that designates a set of actions performed in sequence, usually with strict timing limitations, that yield a significant benefit or advantage. The 1st combo was done in the Street Fighter II series. The term originates from fighting games where it is based upon...
" attacks. Additionally, they can use four basic magic attacks: magic push/pull (Thrysta Vindr), magic shield (Skölir), and magic fire (Brisingr). These four magic attacks can be utilised in different ways (for example, Brisingr arrows, or throwing spears in baskets magically). On the PC and console versions (excluding the Xbox 360 version) there are sixteen levels.
Some missions permit the player to use the dragon Saphira in combat. The gameplay mechanics within these levels are largely similar to those in ground-based levels, with the exception of some different attack moves (such as tail attacks). Protagonist Eragon sits on Saphira's back during these sections, and can be made to fire magic arrows. The player has no choice as to whether or not they use Saphira. Similarly, the player cannot use Saphira in ground-based levels: they can call for her and she will swoop past, but it is not possible to use this feature to ride Saphira. There is a multiplayer co-op mode which allows two people to play through the main storyline. It is possible to switch from playing a one-player game to a two-player game at any time. There are no Internet multiplayer options.
Plot
While hunting in The Spine, fifteen-year-old EragonEragon (character)
Eragon is the main protagonist of the Inheritance Cycle, written by Christopher Paolini. Eragon is a male, the first in a new generation of Dragon Riders...
finds a mysterious blue stone. He keeps it, thinking that it can be sold or bartered. However, the stone is actually a dragon egg. Eragon names the dragon Saphira on account of her colour and the fact that the town story teller Brom suggests dragon names and Saphira is one of them. Saphira's hatching attracts the attention of the cruel king Galbatorix. The king dispatches servants to Eragon's village to find the dragon. They are unsuccessful and Eragon's uncle is killed and his home burned down. Brom, whom Eragon considers as nothing more than an old storyteller, helps him fight his way out of the village. He then gives Eragon an old sword, known as Zar'roc in the book series .
Eragon, Brom and Saphira make their way to Daret, where they are attacked in the docks. They find the rest of the town on fire and hold off a swarm of the king's servants as the villagers try to put out these fires. After leaving Daret the threesome are pursued by a group of Ra'zac. The group are caught in an ambush: Saphira becomes trapped under debris and Eragon must both try to free her and hold off the Ra'zac. After defeating the nearby enemies, the group make their way to Gil'ead, where Eragon and Brom sneak through the city and keep to try and free Arya. After a lengthy battle through Durza's fortress , Eragon meets Arya and Murtagh, who now join the group. This helps alleviate the mournful situation when Brom jumps in the way of a spear intended to kill Eragon and is fatally injured and dies.
The group escape from Gil'ead on Saphira's back, but face some Kull in the ruins of Orthiad. After defeating many Kull and Urgals they make their way to the Beor Mountains, where more Urgals lie in wait. They then sneak through an Urgal encampment, and make their way through a misty gorge. The group get to the Varden's hideout and defend it against hordes of Urgals. Eragon and Saphira then face Durza a second time, mounted on the back of a huge, bat-like monster, eventually killing him.
Development and previews
On April 18, 2006 Vivendi Universal Games announced that they were to publish a video game adaptation of the Eragon film to be released in December of the same year. It was slated to appear on most of the major game platforms (PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, Game Boy Advance, DS, PSP and PC). The console versions were set to be developed by Stormfront StudiosStormfront Studios
Stormfront Studios was a video game developer based in San Rafael, California which had one of the longest creative histories in the industry. In 2007, the company had over 50 developers working on two teams, and owned all its proprietary engines, tools and technology. As of the end of 2007 over...
, who had previously worked on the game adaptation of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (video game)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is a 2002 cross-platform video game based on Peter Jackson's New Line Cinema films The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers...
. Amaze Entertainment
Amaze Entertainment
Amaze Entertainment was a video game developer from the United States that sold over 100 games in its ten-year history , for several video game platforms, with headquarters located in Kirkland, Washington. Amaze’s primary focus was licensed games based on movie franchises, comic series, and...
, who had previously worked on the game versions of Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean is a multi-billion dollar Walt Disney franchise encompassing a series of films, a theme park ride, and spinoff novels as well as numerous video games and other publications. The franchise originates with the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, which opened at Disneyland in...
and Over the Hedge
Over the Hedge
Over the Hedge is a syndicated comic strip written and drawn by Michael Fry and T. Lewis. It tells the story of a raccoon, turtle, a squirrel, and their friends who come to terms with their woodlands being taken over by suburbia, trying to survive the increasing flow of humanity and technology...
, were to develop the handheld versions. A GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
version was planned but it was later cancelled. On the same day Vivendi announced that the first possible chance to see the game would be at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in May 2006. On May 11, 2006 it was confirmed by Yahoo that the game had been in development since pre-production of the film.
The game was previewed at Comic-Con
Comic-Con
Comic-Con, Comic Con or ComiCon may refer to any of the following Comic book conventions, none of them affiliated to any other:*San Diego Comic-Con International, annual fan convention in San Diego held since 1970, also known as Comic-Con or San Diego Comic-Con*Dallas Comic Con, annual fan...
2006, where the public was allowed to play only one level named the Daret Bridge. The enemies consisted entirely of Urgals, and the player had to overcome several obstacles using magic and Saphira. Christopher Paolini
Christopher Paolini
Christopher Paolini is an American author. He is best known as the author of the Inheritance Cycle, which consists of the books Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, and Inheritance...
played other levels at Comic-Con, such as Spine Mountains. The game was also shown at the 2006 Games Convention
Games Convention
The Games Convention, sometimes called the Leipzig Games Convention and abbreviated as GC, was an annual video game event held in Leipzig, Germany, first held in 2002. Besides video games, the event also covers Infotainment, Hardware, and Edutainment...
in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, Germany. Actress Sienna Guillory
Sienna Guillory
Sienna Tiggy Guillory is an English actress, and former model. She is known for playing the title role in the TV miniseries, Helen of Troy, her portrayal of Jill Valentine in the science fiction action horror film Resident Evil: Apocalypse, and as elf princess Arya Dröttningu in fantasy-adventure...
, who plays the elf Arya in the film, made personal appearances at the Vivendi stand to promote the game. In October 2006 it was announced that the actors from the Eragon film would lend their voices to the game adaptation. Specifically, Edward Speleers
Edward Speleers
Edward John "Ed" Speleers is an English actor and producer. He is best known for playing the title role in the 2006 film Eragon.-Personal life:...
(playing the title character), Sienna Guillory
Sienna Guillory
Sienna Tiggy Guillory is an English actress, and former model. She is known for playing the title role in the TV miniseries, Helen of Troy, her portrayal of Jill Valentine in the science fiction action horror film Resident Evil: Apocalypse, and as elf princess Arya Dröttningu in fantasy-adventure...
(Arya), Garrett Hedlund
Garrett Hedlund
Garrett John Hedlund is an American actor known for his roles in the films Friday Night Lights, Four Brothers, Eragon, Country Strong, for his role as Patroclus in the movie Troy and as Sam Flynn in the film Tron: Legacy.-Early life:Hedlund was born in Roseau, Minnesota, the son of Kristine Anne ...
(Murtagh) and Robert Carlyle
Robert Carlyle
Robert Carlyle, OBE is a Scottish film and television actor. He is known for a variety of roles including those in Trainspotting, Hamish Macbeth, The Full Monty, The World Is Not Enough, Angela's Ashes, The 51st State, and 28 Weeks Later...
(Durza) were slated to lend their voices. The main theme music for the Eragon game was released on Shur'tugal.com on November 2, 2006 and can be downloaded from the news story on Shurtugal.
Releases
A version was released for the mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
. It allows alternate control of Eragon and Saphira, but unlike the console versions it allows multiple paths to be taken whilst still following the main storyline and allows customization of the playable character (in terms of skills which can be selected). The mobile game also provides a cheat code which, when entered into the console versions, will make the "fury mode" become available. The Official Strategy Guide was published by Primagames and authored by Eric Mylonas. On December 6, 2006 a preview of the guide was made available from the Sierra
Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment Inc. was an American video-game developer and publisher founded in 1979 as On-Line Systems by Ken and Roberta Williams...
webpage.
Critical reception
The game has received generally negative reviews, (45-55 out of 100) according to review aggregator sites MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and Game Rankings
Game Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
.
GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
rated the game 4.2 out of 10, and GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
gave it a similar score of 2 out of 5. PC Gamer UK
PC Gamer
PC Gamer is a magazine founded in Britain in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries...
slated the PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
version of the game, describing the plot as "thinner than hospital undies", complaining about the tedious and repetitive side-scrolling action. They ended up summarising it as "a profoundly uninspiring tie-in" and gave it 53%. IGN came to a similar conclusion, primarily criticising the poor camera, unsophisticated combat and shortness. They rated the game 4.7 out of a possible 10. Gamestyle
Gamestyle
Gamestyle is a UK-based independent computer and video gaming website that was launched in 1999 by Dean Swain, under the name Dreamers128.Gamestyle covers video game software reviews, previews, news, and other information. After starting out on its own, Gamestyle was linked with a small American...
describe the title as "One half high-return investment bond, one half tedious waste of time, its place as part of the film's marketing campaign [...] more important than it actually being playable" with a cast whose faces "appear to have been variously grafted onto misshapen potatoes and blind robots carved from meat." Something Awful
Something Awful
Something Awful, often abbreviated to SA, is a comedy website housing a variety of content, including blog entries, forums, feature articles, digitally edited pictures, and humorous media reviews. It was created by Richard "Lowtax" Kyanka in 1999 as a largely personal website, but as it grew, so...
's "one sentence review" is scathing: "This is what happens when everyone at the office works on a game for 2 months then decides to have pizza parties every day until the budget runs out. 1/10"
However, the handheld versions of the game generally received more positive reviews. The Nintendo DS version received a positive review from IGN, who praised it for its "solid gameplay, enjoyable quests, being long for a movie license, and having thorough menu and tutorial system". It received 7.5 out of a possible 10. IGN said that it is surprisingly well developed for a Nintendo DS game.
External links
- Official website
- Eragon at Shurtugal.com
- Eragon at IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...