Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Game Boy Advance) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

Everything appears to have changed for Harry Potter's third outing. A different director, a summer and not Christmas release date and, as far as we know, Hagrid has moved house. Another change is that rather than reviewing the game on its original cinematic outing we're instead taking the opportunity to take a fresh look at the Prisoner of Azkaban on the week of its DVD release. It's fair to say that the third feature film featuring Hogwarts favorite son split audiences with its darker take on the books and while some fans applauded the more spooky aspects of the film, others preferred original director Chris Columbus' more family orientated take. One thing that hasn't changed is the developer, with EA once again passing over the GBA version to handheld specialists Griptonite Games. The team behind The Lord of the Rings games, and the previous Harry Potter titles, have undoubtedly proved themselves but how did they do with the source material taking a very different direction and, more importantly, why did Hagrid leave that nice thatched cottage?

Gameplay

The first thing you'll notice about the game is the change in overall gameplay with the action/adventure/puzzle solving replaced by a more RPG affair. Unlike the first two games you'll also get the opportunity to play the three principal characters, which will no doubt delight fans of Ron and Hermione. This is not just a cosmetic feature either as each of the trio possess very different special powers to allow you to progress through the game. Ron, for example, can open locked doors with the Alohomora spell whilst Hermione can call upon her Glacius spell to form ice blocks. This is also essential in the game?s puzzle sections with the Library supplying an early brain workout thanks to a combination of lifts and springboards. There are also switches to throw and boxes to shift about but the problems never become frustrating and a little applied logic generally solves even the most impossible situations. It's only by working together though that you're allowed to progress and until you overcome your current situation you are stuck there.

Probably your main objective in the game is to build up experience making your character both stronger and more proficient in casting spells. This is achieved by indulging in as many battles as possible although you may occasionally be tempted to dodge these because of low health. The battles themselves though have been toned down with little of the hacking and slashing that RPG enthusiasts are no doubt used to thanks to the likes of the Final Fantasy series. Instead enemies simply wobble about with each successful hit and scurry away on battle completion with not a drop of blood being shed. If an enemy does happen to get the better of you, or your chosen teammate, you'll simply faint and eventually restart the battle only footsteps from where it began.

There are also the collectables. One favorite feature of the previous titles was the Famous Wizard Cards, which kept some gamers playing for weeks after completing the main adventure in the quest to acquire all of them. Thankfully these return and can also be combined to create powerful spells during combat. Strangely absent however are the chocolate frogs or beans, which seemed to be stuffed into every chest and cupboard during the first two games. This is only a minor complaint though and remember, if you can't find it you can buy it thanks to Ron's brothers' Black Market Stall. It's important that you not only locate this early but using your credits and hard cash sensibly and with a calculating mind will reap benefits later on in the game.

Controls

Continuing with the 'younger gamer' theme the controls are much simpler than your average RPG with the majority of icons you use to select your path very intuitive. Sadly this is also one of the game's major flaws and older more experienced gamers will be completely turned off by the shallow control system and if you are used to the Golden Suns of this world then this probably isn't for you.

Graphics

The first two outings garnered much acclaim so it was always going to be a struggle to match the visual splendor of either; even the previous GBC versions were impressively designed and rendered. Unfortunately Azkaban suffers from too many visual styles, none of which are particularly pleasing. This starts with the main characters and while they are larger than in the previous games they're not nearly as well animated. The backgrounds too suffer from bland design and a little too much repetition making the whole experience less atmospheric than it really should be. The combat sections switch to a kind of 3D rotating arena using a variety of hardware tricks to convey some level of danger and excitement. The results are clearly less than the developers were hoping for and the outcome is more distracting than in any way dramatic.

Sound

The audio is certainly more impressive than the visuals kicking off as close as you can possibly get to a film score without tying up the cart?s whole memory. It continues with some rather nice incidental music that plays throughout the game, even in the battle sequences. Sound effects are far less impressive and minimal at best with the odd grunts and spell castings making up for the lack of character voicing.

Final comments

Prisoner of Azkaban is a real mixed bag and while it will please fans of the books and films it's by no means the best example of an RPG available on the GBA. Instead this latest outing provides a somewhat changeable adventure with RPG elements and even then these have been simplified to reach a greater audience. True, gamers will enjoy the ability to select which character to play but some of the game elements are just so sloppy and badly implemented that frustration is an all too regular occurrence on your road to deal with the Dementors. Overall though, even if it's not as engaging or rewarding as previous Harry Potter games, it's certainly well above what we've come to expect from the average movie tie-in. On the plus side though EA have signed on to produce games for every movie released so with that in mind there's still four more to get it just right. We just may have to wait until 2009 before it arrives.

Pro: Great Storyline
Con: A Little Too Easy
Final score: 6.8

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