June 25 marks the release of the long awaited 7th installment in LEGO’s movie-to-game adaption series, Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4.
The developers at Travellers tales gave the game a realistic feel with its smooth scenery in and around the grounds of the school of witchcraft and wizardry. Harry Potter fans will be happy to hear that the music comes straight from the original movie soundtrack. Like the previous LEGO installments, LEGO has kept true to their formula with squeaks instead of voice acting and has also maintained their style of a platforming adventure game with RPG elements; such as, the ability to learn and cast new spells and make them stronger throughout the game in order to advance further through the storyline.
Xbox 360 and PS3 owners will be glad to know that they will have the option to play online with a friend via Xbox Live and PSN (Playstation Network).
There are over 100 characters to unlock, including fan favorites: Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Hagrid, Neville Longbottom, Remus Lupin, and Sirius Black. The unlockable characters add a complexity to the game that will make it highly replayable.
If you were concerned about it being too short, no worries; 3 hours of gameplay will not even get you through the first year at Hogwarts. Characters have their own specific talents according to their written personalities; for example, Harry is the best broomstick flyer and Ron can use scabbers to get into small crevices to collect items and/or assist in solving puzzles.
If there’s one thing I’d like to see in the future edition(s) of the game is the use of the Wii Voice. Wii Voice would give players the chance to actually say the spells along with using the Wiimote.
Whether you are a serious gamer or a novice who simply enjoys a little break from the summer sun, the simplistic controls and humorous cut scenes will be sure to entertain.