Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Mission-based aerial combat game with fighting birds.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole is a rather violent tale with lots of fighting and scary scenarios, but that all the characters are birds (or other flying animals). The fantasy aspect may lessen the impact of the violence a bit, but it's definitely an integral part of the game. Fans of the Guardians books (and, we assume, the movie) will already be aware of the dark storyline and the frequency of fight scenes throughout the tale.

  • Any messages that can be gleaned from the story are about fighting evil, standing up against injustice, and protecting the innocent.
  • Shard the owl is a clearly heroic role model who doubts himself at first, but rises to the occasion when he is needed.
  • The flying and combat controls are relatively smooth. There's not too much to learn in terms of buttons or combos, so it should be generally simple for novice players to pick up. It's possible to do rather poorly and still complete missions -- you just won't earn a medal.
  • This is basically an aerial combat game. Your owl will fly through the air, aim himself at enemies (like crows or bats) with a targeting reticule, and then attack the winged baddies with his talons or hurl hot coals at them. During fights, birds may be tossed around, losing feathers and shrieking, and can sometimes be slammed into rocks or tossed into water.

What's it about?

The Guardians of Ga'Hoole books contain a long and complicated history that could never be contained within one video game. What you get in LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS: THE OWLS OF GA'HOOLE is the story of Shard, an orphan owl who grows up to become a guardian of the sacred Great Tree of Ga'Hoole. He and his feathered friends train to defend Ga'Hoole from the evil forces of the mysterious Pure Ones who want to take over the world. The game is mission-based and will have you battling the Pure Ones' crow and bat allies, rescuing kidnapped owlets, and freeing ally hostages. Once you've completed all the story missions in any of the five worlds, you can roam that world freely and take on numerous side missions.


Is it any good?

 

You don't have to be well-versed in the epic lore of the books (or even to have seen the movie) in order to enjoy the game, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole. The lush, beautiful landscapes are really something special to look at (especially on the HD consoles) and the controls have a nice pick-up-and-play feel to them. The aerial dog-- er, birdfights are a blast to play. The actual attacks look pretty vicious and could definitely frighten little kids, but they're also quite exciting. There are a ton of different missions to work your way through, which together with the free-roam exploration aspect, adds up to many hours of unique gameplay. If you're a fan of air combat games, and think it would be interesting to swap your planes for birds, you can probably have a great time with the Guardians. 


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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about the violence in the game. Is the violence less impactful here because the characters are animals? MIght it actually bother some kids more than if the characters were human?

  • Parents and children can also compare the story here to that of the movie and the books. How does it differ across those three different media? Which version do you like best?


This review was written by Christopher Healy
Teen, 15 years old
September 22, 2010
 
Horrible movie game.

Flag as inappropriate 
Kid, 11 years old
March 13, 2011
 
cool and great fun
fast,furious and cool,this epic flawless game is a classic

Flag as inappropriate 

This review was written by Christopher Healy
Platforms:Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi
Available online?Not available online
Genre:Action/Adventure
Developer:Warner Bros. Games
Release date:September 14, 2010
Price:$29.99–$49.99
ESRB rating:E10+ for Fantasy Violence

This review was written by Christopher Healy

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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