May 10, 2007 - Children's books are often sources for movies and video games. The Polar Express and Meet the Robinsons were both novels that were both depicted across both mediums, and obviously Harry Potter does well in either format. The latest novel to receive a movie and game treatment is Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass, from the His Dark Materials trilogy. While New Line is preparing to release the movie this Christmas, SEGA is working hand in hand with them to develop the game. We managed to get a small glimpse of the game at a recent event and came away with new impressions.

The novel of the Golden Compass is set in an alternate universe similar to our own, and follows the adventures of a young girl named Lyra as she journeys from England to the far north to save a kidnapped friend of hers. Fortunately for her, she's not alone in her quest, as she's accompanied by her shape shifting daemon Pan and an armored bear named Iorek, who'll help her search for her friend. Lyra also has a special item known as an alethiometer, which helps her find out the truth about people that she interacts with.

One thing that SEGA and Shiny Entertainment have been working with New Line on closely is transitioning the movie world over into the game world. In fact, a representative from SEGA was on the set of the film every day from the opening shot to the wrap of the project, taking footage of set pieces and items that were immediately sent to the developers to implement into the game. The result should be a title that's almost 100% accurate to the vision of the movie on the silver screen, even though the game will be out a little bit before the movie. Since it will include some footage of the film as well, fans will be able to get a sneak peek of The Golden Compass when they play the game before they see it in theaters.

However, it was stressed how much more expansive the game will be than the movie. The Golden Compass will take place over 11 levels, and will allow players to explore many of the locations that they only manage to catch a quick glimpse of in the film. What's more, two of the levels of the title will be exclusive to the game, and will feature locations pulled directly from the His Dark Materials universe. The three characters that players will use will have different abilities available to them as well. Lyra will have the option to use the alethiometer to solve puzzles, as well as unlock bonus content and acquire various power-ups. Players won't have to decipher the device's symbols and answer its questions to proceed through the game, but if they do, they'll receive an advantage over certain sections. Pan, on the other hand, will need to use his shape shifting abilities to maneuver around environmental challenges, while Iorek will need to use his size and clawing abilities to defeat opponents.

We were also told that the game will take advantage of the motion sensitivity of the Wii in various ways. For example, we were informed that during certain sections where Lyra will have to walk across boards, the controller will be used to maintain her balance. We'll have more on The Golden Compass as it's released.