The final instalment of LEGO Harry Potter arrived on our consoles in November, published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Developed by Traveller’s Tales. Following suit to previous LEGO games, the aim is to investigate your environment, looking for objects to fix to progress through the story.
Each level gets you to play as some of those loveable characters from the films, from Dumbledore to Harry Potter himself. Each character will have their own benefits to a level, so Hagrid is strong and can pull on orange handles, Ron can use the deluminator to transfer light from one place to another and some have pets or transform into animals which can dig certain spots and climb through tubes. As well as special abilities there are certain objects that characters are able to interactive, for example; Weasly family members can interact with Weasly boxes, Harry can unlock snake cupboards, etc. You will not always have the right characters to do everything when playing the story level, but this is where free play comes in.
Free play allows you to replay levels of your choice and choose your characters you wish to use. The benefit of free play is to do all those things you couldn’t do before to get yourself on your way to completing the game to 100%.
To help you on your way through the game, Dumbledore gives you hints and tips at the bottom of your screen to aid you in where to head towards next. As well as Dumbledore’s help there is a ghost that leaves a trail of translucent blue studs showing you the way to go.
Throughout each level you need to find hidden items in order to pass through, e.g. items to complete a potion (used to aid you on your journey, such as; making you stronger, invisible, etc.) or build an object in order to use it. There are multiple ways to find the necessary items, such as blasting spells at LEGO objects, Opening cupboards (done by certain characters), fixing objects around the area (these are indicated with the purple glow around them). Each is fun as the last to complete and truly adds to the enjoyment of the game.
There are a wide range of spells to choose between, each having their better suited moments of use, some of which are as follows;
- Aguamenti – this spell sprays water at objects that show a water droplet next to them, it is also very useful for putting out fires.
- Expecto Patronum – repels away dementors
- Diffindo –Is used for red LEGO brick objects, after hitting it an outline is drawn and the bricks fall out ready to use.
This LEGO instalment introduces duelling, by entering a circle and pressing B you enter the duel stage. On the opponent’s side of the ring, a colour is shown which represents a spell, you select the spell and hit your target. Once you do hit them, the wands will connect and you spam the attack button till they disconnect. This needs to be repeated until all their hearts have gone, meaning the duel has been won.
Spells are learnt in lessons throughout the game, by the start of year 7 all spells will have been learnt, allowing you to go back and complete things you couldn’t have done previously. The lessons are fun and interesting and get you to practise the skill, understand it and know how to use it.
Diagon ally is where you need to go in order to unlock characters, other items and free play; this is the area in which to buy said items. Going into shops such as the Weasly’s joke shop is a novelty built into the game and great for fans of the films. As well as collecting the characters there are also other things to look out for throughout the game, Gold bricks and ‘Cheats’ such as; stud multipliers, secret locators, etc. They don’t have a large impact on your play but count towards the completion of the game.
Controls
- RT and LT – change spell
- A – Jump
- B – interact with object and shield when duelling
- X – cast spell
- Hold X to aim
- Y – change character
- Analogue stick move
Multiplayer
Although playing single player is exciting, the game becomes even better when playing with friends. Co-op is drop-in/drop-out, which allows you to pick up a controller and join at anytime. The split-screen system allowed players to wander apart as well as staying together.
Game play
I really enjoyed playing through the story levels; it was lovely to see the final years in LEGO, as well as watching the very funny and entertaining cut scenes which keep you laughing throughout.
Sound
With the wonderful Harry Potter soundtrack keeping you company throughout the story what could be better? Soothing, inviting and just plain amazing the music kept the calmness to the play of the game.
Graphics
Graphics were as they should be for a LEGO game, great quality in the background and well the LEGO pieces doing what they should be, making for great targets.
Closing comments
Yet another great LEGO installation which is fun, interesting and easy to grasp, it keeps your attention and is not completed quickly. I can see it taking a while to 100% but I am determined to do so.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.