Reviewed: August 18, 2007
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
Electronic Arts

Developer
EA UK

Released: June 25, 2007
Genre: Adventure
Players: 1

6
8
8
7
7.2

Supported Features:

Needless to say, I was a bit apprehensive about going into this game without having any knowledge of the story, but then again, this is a video game and it should be able to stand alone…and it does. The opening movie fills you in on Harry’s summer activities outside Hogwartz, which includes Harry’s illegal use of magic in the “real world”. There’s nothing like heading back for another year of school and already being in serious trouble.

We start the game at Ron’s house as everybody is packing up for another year of school. This leads to several short tutorial segments that instruct you on how to use the new analog spellcasting system – a system that appears to be designed with the Wii in mind. The analog motions work well enough, flick down and up or up and side to side or any of other possible patterns to cast spells. There are some accuracy issues with casting a few of the spells that require precise up and down movements, but this seems to be more of a controller issue than the fault of the game.

The game opens with a rather ridiculous concept of cleaning the house by moving furniture with Accio (pull) and Depulso (push) spells. This results in a room that looks like a tornado just blew through. You then have to help Ron pack by levitating (Wingardium Leviosa) his clothes from the floor and bed into his steamer trunk. All the time I couldn’t help think how much easier it would be just to use my hands. In fact, the entire tutorial reminded me of that Simpson’s episode where Homer joins the NRA and uses his pistol to open his beer and change the channel on his TV.

One you have “destroyed” Ron’s house and packed his clothes you can head off to Hogwartz and then the boredom really sets in. Rather than having you do fun and interesting stuff you end up walking back and forth between rooms, running and endless series of fetch quests, and are forced to endure the unceasing whining of Myrtle who constantly wants you to return to your Room of Rewards every time you unlock something, and she won’t leave you alone until you do.

There is a level-building system at work that revolves around Discovery Points. These are glowing orbs that can be collected for pushing and pulling things around, repairing countless broken statues, pots, urns, and placing paintings back on the wall. This would be fine in small doses but EVERYTHING in Hogwartz seems to have gotten broken over the summer. And when you find yourself picking fruit from a tree and placing it in a basket with your wand you’ll just roll your eyes and ask “Why?”

There are some clever mini-games built into Order of the Phoenix including a Concentration-style card matching game as well as a full-on animated chess game that is remarkably similar to the Battle Chess games from the late 80’s. Sadly, the pieces aren’t that well defined and their battle animations aren’t that unique. Plus, the chess A.I. is devoid of any chess playing skills. It was only ten minutes in my chess game that I slapped myself and wondered why I was playing a second rate chess game built into a multi-million dollar adventure game.

Hogwartz is huge and complicated and easy to get lost in, so you’ll want to keep your Marauder’s Map handy. You can open this map and pick any objective, room, or person and lock in that target then simply follow the animated footprints back in the game that lead the way. It’s a clever guidance system that eliminates those clunky 3D floating arrows, and the footprints actually speed up to match your characters’ pace.

Ron and Hermione are always close on your heels…literally. These two get in your way so often you’ll want to zap them with Depulso but you can’t, so you’ll end up getting trapped in tight corridors or spiral stairs then spending countless minutes trying to lure them someplace wide enough to get past them. There are also some physics issues when levitating objects, but these aren’t as aggravating as your friends constantly getting in your way.

So while you are fixing broken objects, hanging paintings, picking fruit, and learning the passwords to dozens of wall paintings that will take you on shortcuts around the school you’ll also encounter the occasional enemy that requires a dual. Sometimes these are just bullies in the courtyard but ultimately you’ll get to face off against Voldemort. Dueling is not as exciting as it should or could have been. You end up alternating between offensive and defensive spells until either you or the enemy goes down.

Characters are near-photo-realistic with detailed face map textures applied to well-defined 3D character models that have these characters looking just like the actors who play them. They animated nicely, at least until you get into a shoving match trying to get past Ron and Hermione. There is also a nice floaty feel to anything you are levitating.

There is plenty of cool lighting and shadow effects that really set the mood. You actually feel warm when you go outside, then a chill sets in when you head to the lower levels. There are also plenty of particle effects and sparkles for the spells and Discovery Point orbs. The fabric textures are awesome, but get a bit repetitive after you have pushed aside your 20th curtain to reveal yet another hidden statue.

Sadly, the cutscenes seem to be recorded footage of game graphics so they look rather compressed when played back. The game does support 1080p and looks fantastic if you have the TV to support it.

The sound effects are also quite nice but also repetitive, much like the gameplay. Fixing a broken statue sounds the same the 12th time as it did the first. Hogwartz does come alive with random chatter from all the wandering students. You’ll hear numerous references about Harry and other happenings around the campus. Some of it is useful but most of it is just for flavor.

The voice acting is exceptional for the most part with only a few oddities when it came to casting a few of the sound-alikes. Expect a lot of proper British accents and charm and mannerisms from most everyone. Some of the best and most diverse acting comes from the portraits. And if somebody puts a gag in Myrtle I’ll bump this score by a point.

There are 41 Achievements ranging from merely making your way through all 13 levels of Discovery Points to cleaning up Hogwartz by repairing all broken objects. You’ll want to win all the trophy cups and finish the story, and then you’ll still have to figure out a few secret achievements.

But I can’t say I didn’t have fun. I really got into the analog spell casting, even if it did get repetitive, and learning how to control levitating objects is still challenging. There is a great feeling of wonder and magic in this latest Potter game, assuming you have the patience to discover it.