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Charmed (video game)
Encyclopedia
Charmed is a platform
video game based on the fourth season of the television series of the same name
. The game was developed by In-Fusio and Fox Digital Entertainment, and released in January 2003 in Europe
, and September 2004 in North America
by In-Fusio for mobile phones
.
, the ruler of the Underworld, has managed to kidnap two of the Charmed Ones and imprisoned them in his treacherous tower with many traps and dangers, and guarded by a host of demons. The third Halliwell must use her unique powers to save her two sisters by fighting the demons and eventually rescuing the remaining Charmed Ones from the Source's grasp.
mobile games, including Charmed, for 123 Multimedia which, via its Gamezilla Multi-Format Platform, was able to co-manage and distribute the games to customers. Gilles Raymond, CEO and founder of In-Fusio, explained that "as the market for mobile games reaches adolescence, In-Fusio is able to effortlessly add-in our customers requests for mobile game content distribution." These games were available in Europe
and China
and compatible with most mobile phone providers, including Nokia
, Motorola
, Orange, Vodafone
and China Mobile
. By the following year, In-Fusio had the largest share of the mobile games market in Europe, and has been described as "the leading mobile game publisher and pioneer in the concept of downloadable games for wireless phones". In April 2004, the company began expanding its service of mobile games to the U.S. and opened its first office in Los Angeles
. In September of the same year, Charmed was released in North America.
The decision to make a game based on Charmed
is probably due to the popularity of the series and the large fanbase it has attracted. After the game was published, demand for another video game spin-off (and one available on other formats than mobile phones) led to a PetitionSpot for "Make a Charmed video game".
of the popular fantasy
drama Charmed
. The game is set in the first-half of the series' fourth season
, featuring the three main characters from the season, with Paige Matthews
as an active Charmed One, as opposed to Prudence Halliwell who was killed at the end of the third season
. Also featured is the first on-screen incarnation of The Source
, the principle villain of the series' third and fourth seasons (and referenced to in the first two seasons). As such, the game's storyline occurs before the Source was vanquished midway through the fourth season in episode "Charmed and Dangerous". Leo Wyatt
, the protagonists' whitelighter
, also appears on the game splashscreen.
The game uses licensed music from the television series itself.
with side scrolling where the goal is to climb at the top of each level vanquishing demons, using special powers and bonuses placed along the path. The games places the player in control of one of three main characters: (Piper Halliwell
, Phoebe Halliwell
or Paige Matthews
). The player must defeat a variety of enemies using the chosen character's unique powers, using a combination of fast reactions and strategic thinking to get to the top of the tower and rescue the Charmed Ones. The time is limited to increase the stress of the player. The player must jump from platforms to platforms to reach the final door of each level. There are three parts of the tower, each with 10 levels, resulting in a global gameplay of 30 levels with a dozen of monster types.
Prue Halliwell
, the game has a user score of 9.2/10 based on 13 votes. At Moby Games, Charmed is given an overall MobyScore of 2.5/5 based on gameplay, graphics and personal enjoyment.
Ollie Sykes
Programmers
Neil Galbraith, Francis C. Bullen
Graphic Artist
Derek Dow, Alan Grier
Producers
Francis C. Bullen, Neil Galbraith, Keith Hawley
Studio Manager
Wendy Ellis
Executive Producer
Mark Greenshields
Emmanuel Cacouault
Game Testers
Olivier Bonnemaison, Pierre Granier
Product Manager
Noëlle Béronie
Producer
Eric Thommerot
Holly Marie Combs
Phoebe Halliwell
Alyssa Milano
Paige Matthews
Rose McGowan
Leo Wyatt
Brian Krause
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
video game based on the fourth season of the television series of the same name
Charmed
Charmed is an American television series that originally aired from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006, on the now defunct The WB Television Network. The series was created in 1998 by writer Constance M...
. The game was developed by In-Fusio and Fox Digital Entertainment, and released in January 2003 in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and September 2004 in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
by In-Fusio for mobile phones
Mobile game
A mobile game is a video game played on a mobile phone, smartphone, PDA, tablet computer or portable media player. This does not include games played on handheld video game systems such as Nintendo DS or PlayStation Portable....
.
Introduction
The Source of All EvilThe Source (Charmed)
The Source of All Evil is a fictional character on the WB television series Charmed, a demon who is the ruler of the underworld for the show's first 4 seasons...
, the ruler of the Underworld, has managed to kidnap two of the Charmed Ones and imprisoned them in his treacherous tower with many traps and dangers, and guarded by a host of demons. The third Halliwell must use her unique powers to save her two sisters by fighting the demons and eventually rescuing the remaining Charmed Ones from the Source's grasp.
Development
In early 2003, In-Fusio developed seven JavaJava (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
mobile games, including Charmed, for 123 Multimedia which, via its Gamezilla Multi-Format Platform, was able to co-manage and distribute the games to customers. Gilles Raymond, CEO and founder of In-Fusio, explained that "as the market for mobile games reaches adolescence, In-Fusio is able to effortlessly add-in our customers requests for mobile game content distribution." These games were available in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and compatible with most mobile phone providers, including Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
, Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
, Orange, Vodafone
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
and China Mobile
China Mobile
China Mobile Limited is a Chinese state-owned telecommunication company that provides mobile voice and multimedia services through its nationwide mobile telecommunications network, the largest of its kind in the world...
. By the following year, In-Fusio had the largest share of the mobile games market in Europe, and has been described as "the leading mobile game publisher and pioneer in the concept of downloadable games for wireless phones". In April 2004, the company began expanding its service of mobile games to the U.S. and opened its first office in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. In September of the same year, Charmed was released in North America.
The decision to make a game based on Charmed
Charmed
Charmed is an American television series that originally aired from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006, on the now defunct The WB Television Network. The series was created in 1998 by writer Constance M...
is probably due to the popularity of the series and the large fanbase it has attracted. After the game was published, demand for another video game spin-off (and one available on other formats than mobile phones) led to a PetitionSpot for "Make a Charmed video game".
Tie-in with TV series
The game is a spin-offSpin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
of the popular fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
drama Charmed
Charmed
Charmed is an American television series that originally aired from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006, on the now defunct The WB Television Network. The series was created in 1998 by writer Constance M...
. The game is set in the first-half of the series' fourth season
Charmed (season 4)
The fourth season of Charmed, an American supernatural drama television series, began airing on October 4, 2001 on The WB. Airing on Thursdays at 9 P.M., the season consisted of 22 episodes and concluded its airing on May 16, 2002....
, featuring the three main characters from the season, with Paige Matthews
Paige Matthews
Paige Matthews is a fictional character from the television series Charmed. One of the featured leads, Paige is introduced at the start of season four as the fourth Halliwell sister and youngest Charmed One one of the most powerful witches of all time. The character was portrayed by Rose McGowan...
as an active Charmed One, as opposed to Prudence Halliwell who was killed at the end of the third season
Charmed (season 3)
The third season of Charmed, an American supernatural drama television series, began airing on September 5, 2000 on The WB. Airing on Thursdays at 9 P.M., the season consisted of 22 episodes and concluded its airing on May 17, 2001....
. Also featured is the first on-screen incarnation of The Source
The Source (Charmed)
The Source of All Evil is a fictional character on the WB television series Charmed, a demon who is the ruler of the underworld for the show's first 4 seasons...
, the principle villain of the series' third and fourth seasons (and referenced to in the first two seasons). As such, the game's storyline occurs before the Source was vanquished midway through the fourth season in episode "Charmed and Dangerous". Leo Wyatt
Leo Wyatt
Leonardo "Leo" Wyatt is a fictional character from The WB television series Charmed, portrayed by Brian Krause. A possible breakout character included in the writing initially as a love interest beginning in the seventh episode of the first season that initially set Phoebe and Piper quarreling and...
, the protagonists' whitelighter
Whitelighter
A Whitelighter is a fictional character featured on the WB television series Charmed. These beings are former human mortals who are given a second chance at life in order to serve under an angelic group known as The Elders as guardian angels for good witches and other future...
, also appears on the game splashscreen.
The game uses licensed music from the television series itself.
Gameplay
Charmed is an action platform gamePlatform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
with side scrolling where the goal is to climb at the top of each level vanquishing demons, using special powers and bonuses placed along the path. The games places the player in control of one of three main characters: (Piper Halliwell
Piper Halliwell
Piper Halliwell is a fictional character from the television series Charmed. One of the featured leads, Piper is introduced in the series as a witch and, more specifically, a Charmed One one of the most powerful witches of all time. The character was portrayed by Holly Marie Combs throughout the...
, Phoebe Halliwell
Phoebe Halliwell
Phoebe Halliwell is a fictional character from the television series Charmed. One of the featured leads, Phoebe is introduced in the series as a witch and, more specifically, a Charmed One one of the most powerful witches of all time. The character was portrayed by Lori Rom in the unaired pilot,...
or Paige Matthews
Paige Matthews
Paige Matthews is a fictional character from the television series Charmed. One of the featured leads, Paige is introduced at the start of season four as the fourth Halliwell sister and youngest Charmed One one of the most powerful witches of all time. The character was portrayed by Rose McGowan...
). The player must defeat a variety of enemies using the chosen character's unique powers, using a combination of fast reactions and strategic thinking to get to the top of the tower and rescue the Charmed Ones. The time is limited to increase the stress of the player. The player must jump from platforms to platforms to reach the final door of each level. There are three parts of the tower, each with 10 levels, resulting in a global gameplay of 30 levels with a dozen of monster types.
Allies
- Piper HalliwellPiper HalliwellPiper Halliwell is a fictional character from the television series Charmed. One of the featured leads, Piper is introduced in the series as a witch and, more specifically, a Charmed One one of the most powerful witches of all time. The character was portrayed by Holly Marie Combs throughout the...
- Phoebe HalliwellPhoebe HalliwellPhoebe Halliwell is a fictional character from the television series Charmed. One of the featured leads, Phoebe is introduced in the series as a witch and, more specifically, a Charmed One one of the most powerful witches of all time. The character was portrayed by Lori Rom in the unaired pilot,...
- Paige MatthewsPaige MatthewsPaige Matthews is a fictional character from the television series Charmed. One of the featured leads, Paige is introduced at the start of season four as the fourth Halliwell sister and youngest Charmed One one of the most powerful witches of all time. The character was portrayed by Rose McGowan...
- Leo WyattLeo WyattLeonardo "Leo" Wyatt is a fictional character from The WB television series Charmed, portrayed by Brian Krause. A possible breakout character included in the writing initially as a love interest beginning in the seventh episode of the first season that initially set Phoebe and Piper quarreling and...
Prue Halliwell
Reception
Charmed received a fairly positive reception from consumers. At GameSpotGameSpot
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...
, the game has a user score of 9.2/10 based on 13 votes. At Moby Games, Charmed is given an overall MobyScore of 2.5/5 based on gameplay, graphics and personal enjoyment.
Fox Digital Entertainment team
Game DesignerOllie Sykes
Programmers
Neil Galbraith, Francis C. Bullen
Graphic Artist
Derek Dow, Alan Grier
Producers
Game producer
A video game producer is the person in charge of overseeing development of a video game.The earliest documented use of the term producer in games was by Trip Hawkins, who established the position when he founded Electronic Arts in 1982...
Francis C. Bullen, Neil Galbraith, Keith Hawley
Studio Manager
Studio Manager
Studio manager is a job title in various media-related professions, including design, advertising, and broadcasting.-Design and advertising:A design or advertising studio manager's responsibilities will typically include traffic management, by ensuring all briefs are dispatched in the studio...
Wendy Ellis
Executive Producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
Mark Greenshields
In-Fusio team
Lead TesterEmmanuel Cacouault
Game Testers
Olivier Bonnemaison, Pierre Granier
Product Manager
Product Manager
A product manager investigates, selects, and develops products for an organization, performing the activities of product management.A product manager considers numerous factors such as intended demographic, the products offered by the competition, and how well the product fits with the company's...
Noëlle Béronie
Producer
Game producer
A video game producer is the person in charge of overseeing development of a video game.The earliest documented use of the term producer in games was by Trip Hawkins, who established the position when he founded Electronic Arts in 1982...
Eric Thommerot
Cast
Piper HalliwellPiper Halliwell
Piper Halliwell is a fictional character from the television series Charmed. One of the featured leads, Piper is introduced in the series as a witch and, more specifically, a Charmed One one of the most powerful witches of all time. The character was portrayed by Holly Marie Combs throughout the...
Holly Marie Combs
Phoebe Halliwell
Phoebe Halliwell
Phoebe Halliwell is a fictional character from the television series Charmed. One of the featured leads, Phoebe is introduced in the series as a witch and, more specifically, a Charmed One one of the most powerful witches of all time. The character was portrayed by Lori Rom in the unaired pilot,...
Alyssa Milano
Paige Matthews
Paige Matthews
Paige Matthews is a fictional character from the television series Charmed. One of the featured leads, Paige is introduced at the start of season four as the fourth Halliwell sister and youngest Charmed One one of the most powerful witches of all time. The character was portrayed by Rose McGowan...
Rose McGowan
Leo Wyatt
Leo Wyatt
Leonardo "Leo" Wyatt is a fictional character from The WB television series Charmed, portrayed by Brian Krause. A possible breakout character included in the writing initially as a love interest beginning in the seventh episode of the first season that initially set Phoebe and Piper quarreling and...
Brian Krause
External links
- Charmed, GameSpotGameSpotGameSpot 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...
- Charmed, Game RankingsGame RankingsGameRankings 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...
- Charmed, Modojo
- Charmed, Gamers Underground