Da Vinci Code Inspires Games
Filed under: Action, Thrillers, Deals, Mystery & Suspense, Home Entertainment, Movie Marketing
When you read this headline, you probably rolled your eyes at the thought of yet another poorly thought-out and rushed-through production video game tie-in for a movie blockbuster. In fact, I did the same thing when I first heard the news. However, it turns out these games are in fact NOT of the electronic "video" variety, but rather the more classic and less popular "board" variety. Not only is there an official Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code: The Board Game: The Quest for Truth headed to a store near you, there are apparently a number of look-alikes hoping to cash in on some of that sweet controversy action. Briarpatch, for one, is bringing you Da Vinci's Challenge, Da Vinci's Challenge: The Card Game (playable as both a standalone as well as an addition to the board game) and Da Vinci Mancala -- I'm not actually sure how this one works, per se. Presumably it is just Mancala with some fancy pictures added in somewhere. Also being published are two other board games named The Da Vinci Code Board Game and The Da Vinci Quest. A few of these have vague licensing associations with the novel, but only The Quest for Truth has official movie tie-ins.Okay, I'm a big board game fan. Both my families (mine and my fiancee's) enjoy them, and so I get to play quite a bit. My question is really ... who believes the board game market is deep enough to support this many games based on an action movie/book? Sure, maybe an official game or two could be fun-ish, but do we really need or want a Da Vinci mancala? Somehow I'm just not seeing the draw ... but maybe it's just me.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-25-2006 @ 11:20AM
George J. Schimpf said...
Briarpatch's DaVinci Challenge game was conceived several years prior to the publication of Dan Brown's book. It is based upon DaVinci's study of the flower of life pattern, found in ancient civilizations in Japan, India, Egypt, among others. DaVinci's canon of man is superimposed over the flower of life pattern, which DaVinci studied and concluded was a perfect form. The game takes minutes to learn, but a life time to master. It is as fundamental a game as chess or checker. A player scores by forming secret symbols, while blocking his or her opponent from forming them. The game has a progression to it similar to a bell curve...by mid game, placing one piece on the board may form multiple symbols. Decisions must be made as to opportunites to score vs. limit your opponent from scoring.
Regarding Mancala, this game originated in Africa and is also a strategy game. DaVinci's Mancala borrows from challenge, allowing players to form the secret symbols inside their mancalas...and also block an opponent from doing so. For the Mancala player, it brings the Challenge of the game up several notches.
Lastly, the DaVinci's Challenge card game plays as an add on to the board game, or a game that is totally independent and stands on its own merits.
Mr. Beall's assumptions are formed without having played the Challenge series games. Play the games and judge them based upon their merits...you will not be disappointed that they are not based upon Dan Brown's books!
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