Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (PS3)
Also available on Xbox 360, Wii, PC
With Versions for PSP, DS, 3DS
Disney and Travellers Tales
3.5/5
Release May 2011
As the title suggests, this game follows the pattern of Lego games by parodying a popular franchise story by story. In this case, the last few books/films of Harry Potter get the Lego treatment. The Lego treatment being the same formula that has worked for the rest of the titles so far (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Batman, Pirates of the Caribbean).
You play as Lego versions of the Wizarding Worlds characters, playing through Lego versions of the story world solving puzzles using Lego bricks.
The family friendly title once again has chosen a family friendly franchise to turn into Lego. Harry Potter, a boy whose story is both that of coming of age and of learning that he has magical powers and must defeat the most evil and most powerful wizard who ever lived.
This Lego game however does have quite some differences to the others in the franchise. The other games star characters who are fighters, wielding weapons and gadgets to battle their enemies. Harry Potter however is more of a thinker. So this Lego game leans much more towards the puzzle solving side of the genre.
This comes as a little bit of a problem with the story telling. Whereas in Star Wars it was all right for silent characters to run around shooting each other for the story to be told, Potters tale has a bit more depth that could really do with being put into words. Having said that, those who have read the books and/or seen the films should be able to follow without a problem.
Unlike the other Lego games, rather than simply having one type of attack, the wizards are armed with a number of different spells which are useful in different situations. The basic blasting curse is the staple, but you will also have to use Lumos (lighting spell), the Patronus (a spell designed to frighten off evil beings) and a number of others learned later in the game.
Your other staple is much like the Jedi force powers that you use to move objects around and place them in more useful positions. In Harry Potter though, some objects can be moved freely rather than in a set line, like in previous titles.
As with the other games in the series, different characters have different abilities. Super strength makes a return, Harry has his invisibility cloak to play with and some of his friends come with pets who are useful for climbing into small spaces.
One major difference is the hub area. Most Lego games had a simple set up of a room with a number of exits leading to the separate playable levels. Harry Potter however mixes up the routine by having the entirety of Hogwarts ready to explore almost from the beginning. Rather than going through doors labelled with numbers in order as usual, you have to follow a ghost through the school who leads you to the next part of the story. You needn’t rush after him though, he leaves a trail of ghostly studs behind so you may catch up with him at any time if you would rather enjoy the brilliantly designed castle.
As usual, this Lego game is full of hidden secrets and objects to find and play with, making every room interesting. There are plenty of things to destroy and build, prizes to collect and puzzles to solve. If you enjoy the puzzle side of Lego games, then this is definitely for you. On the other hand it may drag a little for those who prefer more action and combat driven games.
