The game is based primarily on the movie, which in turn is based on the plots of the first three books of the series: The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room and The Wide Window. Players take the roles of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire, solving puzzles, fighting villains and finding objects. Players encounter characters such as Arthur Poe, Uncle Monty and Aunt Josephine, along with villains such as Count Olaf, The Hook-Handed Man, the White-Faced Women and The Bald Man with the Long Nose.