Much like the Silent Hill franchise, this GBC port of the first Harry Potter game presents existential horror through metaphor

Harry’s feelings of abandonment by his parents are represented by the fact that Hagrid ditches him in monster-filled caves at every given opportunity to fend for himself

But through his struggles, Harry proves that anyone can defeat a stuttering dude in a turban who’s hiding a shriveled ballsack of a dark lord on the back of his head

Un RPG tosco, feo, confuso, críptico, repetitivo, con un nivel absurdo de backtracking, y difícil (pero no tanto como lo recordaba). No todo es horrible, pero los pocos elementos interesantes que hay resultan ser mediocres. Por ejemplo, el sistema de combinaciones de cromos parece entretenido hasta que te das cuenta de que la mitad de las combinaciones no sirven para nada, y que pierdes los cromos después de usarlas. Sí, el juego es un poco más fiel al libro que las otras versiones, pero vamos, que la narrativa se reduce a dos cuadros de diálogo entre misión y misión.

En resumen, un RPG mediocre y olvidable. No pienso grindear otras 10 horas para pasarme el jefe final.

It's actually quite a nice little thing. This is my first Game Boy Color game, and my first JRPG in general (although the genre can only be applied to the game to some extent), and it was quite interesting to play through this version and compare it with the versions on home platforms.

First of all, I love how complete the world is in this version. Hogwarts here is noticeably larger and more intricate compared to the PC and PlayStation versions, where, although it was somewhat open, it was not as much as here. I like that the interior design has its own logic - here is a classroom on the floor, and next to it is the teacher’s office; there is room for a music class or an art class, a Muggle studies class (with even a TV), a bunch of secret passages between floors and various service rooms (and all this is quite useful to check, for example, the best spells can be found in the library, and they are actually very easy to miss). Although this was done partly for the sake of the genre features of the game (you still need places to grind for experience and money, although it is almost optional here), but this is structurally the most interesting Hogwarts of the three versions of adaptations of the first film (or book, which this version is actually closer to). Yes, at first it’s hard to navigate, but towards the end you remember all the stairs and it even becomes quite cozy (which is also helped by good music and visuals, the game looks great).

In addition to the locations, this is also the most complete version of the first year in terms of plot. Which is of course not surprising, mechanically this is the simplest version and it was quite easy to stage all the episodes of the story here. However, this is still enjoyable, I especially like the segment with lessons - each of them represents a small side quest, and almost each has its own interesting small mechanics (and you choose the order in which to complete them). Other episodes are also not bad, although again, due to the genre, the number of similar battles can be tiring (especially at the beginning, when you are also defeated quite often). The only sad thing is that there is no Quidditch at all, which is strange, because there are episodes with flying and somehow they could have thought about adding Quidditch, but apparently the developers didn’t want to or didn’t have time.

Gameplay-wise, this seems to be a simplified version of a JRPG - experience is not deducted for defeats, and by the middle of the game it becomes quite easy, except perhaps for the bosses at the end, in battles with which you need to think (and without skippable spells from the library, it will be very difficult to defeat them). Also here you can buy or find stronger equipment, prepare potions (which you almost never use, but it’s good that there is such an opportunity) and collect a bunch of wizard cards (and even use different combinations in battle, which I almost didn’t do since at the end of the game I still didn’t have any cards for interesting combinations; it seems that for this purpose you can exchange cards with other players through the gameboy connection function).

It’s hard for me to compare this version with others, because it is even more distant in genre, but it's a fun game in its own right. It’s hard to recommend if you can’t stand the monotony of the genre (and I myself played most of the time while listening to a podcast in the background, to be honest), it has a number of strange decisions (like sometimes strange character sprites in dialogues), but overall it’s a good attempt to retell the book in a simple game form, and if you, like me, take the crazy path of going through all the game adaptations of the story about the boy who lived, this sweet, simple version is quite worthy (and probably more worthy of many that will come next) of your attention.

As I stepped outside Olivander's shop with my freshly acquired wand, I began my rat murdering spree immediately. Quickly, I became one of the richest oligarchs in the community. It was difficult to tell whether the rats or the shopkeepers feared me more. I bled them both dry. I bought not only all of the finest equipment, but also the cheapest, I had the people pay me for rotten Pumpkin Pasties I scrubbed from the remains of the dead rats. Even before reaching the school of magic itself, I was already the most powerful wizard in the world. For if anyone wanted to send their children into the most prestigious of magical schools, they'd first have to go past the stone wall. Not the fake one, leading to the train station, but instead the very real one, consisting of the heaps of sickles I used to rule Diagon Alley.

Along the way I have managed to master the first two spells I have learned: Flipendo and Vermillious. I didn't know much about their effect, other than the fact that they dealt significant damage to the tiny creatures roaming the alleys around the Gringotts Wizarding Bank. I went inside after several days, dragging all my cauldrons and clothes behind me, where Hagrid and the goblin waited for me, seemingly unphased. I knew, however, that Hagrid was already jealous of me. While I was grinding to change my life around, he couldn't handle the Hagrind. That is why he didn't turn around when I tripped over the uneven floor of the Gringotts corridors. He just kept walking. He knew what he was doing. It wouldn't be the last time he, or everyone else, left me to fend for my own.

From there on out, it was all sorts of creatures that I had to face, all on my own at that. The so-called "friends" always left me behind too. I even faced the mother of all rats, Jack! Even the riches inside my family vault seemed like a measly amount compared to all that I've collected up to that point.

Nothing was a challenge after the arduous work I put in at the very beginning. I may have had my ups and downs. I may have spent my entire family's fortune on chocolate frogs just to try and get a full card collection. I think that's what the non-wizards call "lootboxes" or "card packs" or whatever. But I got the money back by murdering more rats. That is how I chose to live my life. That is how I lived it. That is, until the next year where all my progress was "magically" taken away from me. Gringotts found out I created what they call a "monopoly" on supplies. Regardless, I will return next year. The rats shall not know peace.

What the fuck was that flying orb in Hogwarts though?

Serious stuff: Harry Potter RPG is a cool idea, some... unique spritework, but traveling is pretty tiring, you gotta grind a lot and the tasks themselves take too much running around for such a relatively small space. I kinda lost my mind after grinding so much at the beginning, as you can see.