You can never be too old for Lego. Anything Lego brings out the inner child in you, and you can’t stop it. Mix it with Harry Potter and it’s even better! Lego Harry Potter is simply put as a very enjoyable game which really grasps the element of fun in video games. It mainly consists of light hearted puzzle action, also leading to a very humorous take on the first four years of the franchise.
The first four books included in the game are as follow; The Philosophers Stone, The Chamber of Secrets, The Prisoner of Azakaban and The Goblet of Fire. There are six levels for each book, but in between each level you can explore Hogwarts and you have to attend lessons to learn new spells. The story sees Harry, ‘the boy who lived’, enter the wizarding world for the first time, right up until the end of the Goblet of Fire where Voldemort returns. But you all knew that, right? All in all it should take about twelve hours to complete all the missions.
The cutscenes tell the story quite well, it’s very easy to follow but don’t expect any real detail or back story; it’s only the main plot. This shouldn’t be a problem to anyone who has either read the books or watched the films. The cutscenes are also quite funny. They include really childish humour which you will find yourself chuckling at.
The famous sorting hat.
As for the main gameplay; it is quite different from anything that I have played. You take control of the Lego versions of Harry, Ron and Hermione during the story levels. You have to break objects using jinxes, brew invisibility or strength potions in cauldrons and float keys and levers through the air with charms to complete various puzzles dotted throughout the levels.
The levels are strictly linear, excluding the Hogwarts exploration, and closely tie in with the main points of the story. For example, the levels in the fourth book consist of each Triwizard challenge, such as plunging into the depths of the black lake. Also dotted around in the levels are hidden Hogwarts crests, students in peril and new characters to unlock. These are found by breaking open chests and finding a hidden room.
The game features a spell cycle which allows you to quickly jump from one spell to another. I’ve always liked weapon cycles in games, so this was a welcomed feature. Some spells featured include; Expecto Patronum, Wingardium Leviosa, Expelliarmus and Reducto. However, you have to learn this spells by attending classes throughout the four different years, so not all are available at the start, which can leave you a bit confused at first. Also some characters have unique abilities. Harry, for example, is able to use his invisibility cloak, Ron and Hermione can both use Scabbers and Crookshanks, and death eaters can use the killing curse.
Using spells are easy as its only one button which controls them. You can either quick fire spells without aim or lock onto multiple targets at the same time. Your Lego character can also jump, swim and fly brooms. It’s not only puzzles you will come across in the game as well, you will have to face multiple enemies such as Dementors, the creatures of the Forbidden forest, Death Eaters and Voldemort himself on various occasions. So it becomes a bit of an action game at points as well as a puzzle game.
Breaking objects and completing objectives earn you studs. Studs are the in game currency, and are used to purchase new characters, spells and gold bricks. Also if you collect enough studs during a level you can earn True Wizard rating which further unlocks another gold brick. You will find in Lego Harry Potter that there is a lot of collectibles to find and achieve; gold and red bricks, students in peril, Hogwarts crests and True Wizard ratings. Even after completing the main story you will find yourself returning to each level to fully complete the game.
The wide range of characters to choose from – excluding variants.
I’ve been really impressed by the sheer depth of the game, which in all honesty I was not expecting from a Lego game. The amount of unlockable characters is impressive by itself, there are over one hundred and sixty! The level design as well is really well crafted and the puzzles remain challenging even though it is aimed primarily at children.
The authenticity of the game is also one of the main reasons why I love it. The spells, the castle, the enemies are all what I imagine from the books and films, and it really helps to immerse yourself in the Harry Potter universe. It also helps relive the Harry Potter action after all the films are finished now. The soundtrack is also wonderful to listen to.
What’s more is that the game is fully playable in split screen coop. There has been a decline of local split screen in video gaming recently so it’s welcoming to see it as a feature. Working together with a friend can become frustrating though. The dividing line between each player is not always vertical, sometimes it splits diagonally which does not look good or help you in any way navigate your character. This really does dampen the coop experience which is a shame.
There are a few more negative points with the game. It lacks any depth perception, meaning sometimes whilst jumping over perilous gaps you may find yourself completely missing your intended target and falling to your Lego death (which doesn’t have any consequence I must add). I also came across a bug stopping me from progressing, at first I was stumped at what to do, as the way was blocked. A quick back track of my steps proved that this was not the intended direction for me to go. A harmless bug which could prove game breaking if not given thought. This is something that is very uncharacteristic of the game.
Pros/+
- Very enjoyable to play
- Authentic
- Lots of depth and replayability
Cons/-
- Frustrating splitscreen divide
- No depth perception
- A potentially game breaking bug
I cannot express how impressed and surprised that I am with Lego Harry Potter. The authenticity, depth and design of the game is really outstanding. It is enjoyable, not too challenging and generally funny to play through. Traveller’s Tales have really done a great job. It has also encouraged me to buy more recent games into the Lego series including the final Harry Potter years and Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean.
8/10
Tested on PlayStation 3
