Want personalized picks that fit your family?
Set preferences to see our top age-appropriate picks for your kids.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Common Sense says
- Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi
- $29.99
- 2010
Parents say
Kids say
Searching for streaming and purchasing options ...
Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Get it now on
Searching for streaming and purchasing options ...
Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this game.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief is a role-playing/fighting game based on the movie of the same name and the first book in the Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series. While the game has kids read about the story, all of the game play is turned-based combat – and there is a lot of it. As the strategist of all fights, kids will plot out what magical attacks their group of characters will engage in as they fight Minotaurs, Hades, Medusa, the undead, Hell Hounds, Furies, and other Greek mythological creatures. Kids will watch the attack animations show swords being swung, water geysers erupting, fire burning characters and foes, and other fantastical attacks; but no blood is shown and the injured simply fall down. Early on, Percy Jackson's mother appears to have died.
Stay up to date on new reviews.
User Reviews
- Parents say
- Kids say
THE STRUGGLES
Lightning in a bottle
Doesn't stay true to the books
What's it about?
In PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF, kids control Percy Jackson, a 12-year-old boy who discovers an alternative reality where Greek Gods and mythological creatures walk amongst us. Percy finds out that his father is Poseidon, the God of the Sea, which makes him a demigod and explains his special powers of controlling water. Percy and a group of demigod friends go on a quest to rescue Percy's mother from Hades and retrieve a lightning bolt belonging to Zeus. As players move from New York to California, they must fight Greek mythological creatures every step of the way, and eventually fight stronger foes including the Gods themselves. These fights are turned-based and winning means your fighters get stronger and earn new magical attacks.
Is it any good?
Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief offers a deep combat system which uses some of the god-like skills discussed in Rick Riordan's books. It is a game about the strategy of how you use your group of demigods to defeat supernatural foes. You need both healers and attackers to survive.
But the problem is that this game is a one-pony show. The constant turn-based battling just gets old. And most of your enemies just aren't that tough, even though they may be Greek Gods. The book on which this game is based is rich with clever and exciting ideas about how the Greek Gods are a part of the world as we know it. Too bad this game fails to enthrall the way the book did.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about what parts of this book/movie you would have included in the video game. Why do companies create video games based on popular books/movies?
Did this game adequately transfer the book or movie for you? Have you read the book or seen the movie?
Game details
- Platforms: Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi
- Price: $29.99
- Available online? Not available online
- Developer: Activision
- Release date: February 9, 2010
- Genre: Role-Playing
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy
- ESRB rating: E10+ for Fantasy Violence
Themes & Topics
Browse titles with similar subject matter.
For kids who love role playing games
Our editors recommend
Top advice and articles
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.