Werty800
The DS version is exactly the same as the PSP version but with touch controls, so I cannot really justify completing it for the binge I'm doing. I played through every minigame just to test out whether they are different, and no, not really. The rail shooter section has enemies a bit further away sometimes because it is easier to aim at smaller objects with the stylus, but that's about it. The spells generally work better here, as button and analog combination tends to be a bit wonky in comparison. I had about half an hour of the game left before finishing, but my goal is to play the different versions of these games, not just play the same game several times for the sake of seeing, like, a different texture.
A nothing game. Takes the approach of Order of the Phoenix, in that it's mostly about running from one place to another, always doing fetch-quests specifically this time around, with only the occasional minigames serving as gameplay, but doesn't have that many minigames, and the ones it does aren't great. They are more difficult, however. On average at least, nothing really beats that one Gobstone minigame from Order. You do get rewarded with an occasional rail shooter segment or two (Half-Blood Prince really likes its shooter comparisons that's for sure), though it isn't much. Regardless, the gameplay is really mindless, and you'd really benefit from using the speedup option on an emulator.
Instead of going for prerendered backgrounds, the game has its own artstyle and environments, though it obviously takes a lot of the assets from the other games. It generally looks unimpressive, sometimes kinda funny, like a handheld JRPG from that era almost.
What is a bit frustrating is that the game does have spells for overworld use, and chooses to use them only for furthering the minigames. There is an Order-like game somewhere in there, but the minigame focus goes too far and upsets an already poor balance those games had.
(As of writing this, the most popular emulator hangs up on a loading screen early on. If you really want to play this, do try another emulator, and even if it has graphical artifacts you should still be able to get past the train sequence and yoink a savestate that you can use. The rest of the game works fine.)
Instead of going for prerendered backgrounds, the game has its own artstyle and environments, though it obviously takes a lot of the assets from the other games. It generally looks unimpressive, sometimes kinda funny, like a handheld JRPG from that era almost.
What is a bit frustrating is that the game does have spells for overworld use, and chooses to use them only for furthering the minigames. There is an Order-like game somewhere in there, but the minigame focus goes too far and upsets an already poor balance those games had.
(As of writing this, the most popular emulator hangs up on a loading screen early on. If you really want to play this, do try another emulator, and even if it has graphical artifacts you should still be able to get past the train sequence and yoink a savestate that you can use. The rest of the game works fine.)
A much better version of the previous game, cutting out a lot of the bad aspects of Order of the Phoenix for a lot of genuinely fun mechanics. The best part of game, however, is perhaps not even the gameplay, but, for the first time, the characters.
I've never had much appreciation for Half-Blood Prince's plot, but this game made it genuinely entertaining. There's some surprisingly witty comedy, the characters play really well off each other, they add a freaking RECORD SCRATCH SOUND for when Ginny rejects Harry. The whole mystery aspect is simple, but couple it with the more lighthearted vibe and it reminds me a lot of Chamber of Secrets. It's 4 years later though, and perhaps the subject matter doesn't warrant that sort of approach to it. Really up to you to decide, I found it delightful.
As mentioned previously, lots of the mechanics underwent an overhaul. The exploration is much more gamey than previously, there's only a few select type of these mini-challenges, but they require more interaction, as, for example, you have to aim and throw an object to get a collectible off the wall, or time a jump to touch a tapestry as Harry runs past it.
The minigames are a lot better now. All of the ones from Order are gone, instead replaced by quidditch, dueling and potion-making. All of these things are also integrated into the story, and there's a lot more focus put into them. Quidditch is the weakest one, it's usually overlong "fly through all the rings" type of thing, in fact it's probably the worst version of quidditch from any of the games. Even the DS version of Order had a superior Quidditch minigame. The other two, however, are great! Dueling allows you to cast up to five spells, learning each at specific dueling clubs for each house. In reality, you only need the first two and the charging ability. Once you can charge your basic spell, you simply cast any immobilizing one (which all the rest, with the exception of the defensive Protego, are), charge up, walk as close as possible and one-shot anyone. It's easy to exploit, but very satisfying, it's like shooting a shotgun right into someone's face in a shooter (foreshadowing to Deathly Hollows). Potions are easily my favorite side-activity in any Harry Potter video game, picking up potions can be a bit difficult to control at times, but besides that I have only praise. Timed, hectic, and pretty tough. The system was so good in fact that it was later repurposed, with slight changes, for the game Book of Potions.
The game is also very short, which means it is very replayable. Much more so than the overlong, fetch-questy Order of the Phoenix which had to rely on a lot of filler mechanics and minigames to stretch out its play time. Just a very tight, focused experience, adding a lot of the meat which was missing from the first attempt at this iteration of Harry Potter gameplay.
I've never had much appreciation for Half-Blood Prince's plot, but this game made it genuinely entertaining. There's some surprisingly witty comedy, the characters play really well off each other, they add a freaking RECORD SCRATCH SOUND for when Ginny rejects Harry. The whole mystery aspect is simple, but couple it with the more lighthearted vibe and it reminds me a lot of Chamber of Secrets. It's 4 years later though, and perhaps the subject matter doesn't warrant that sort of approach to it. Really up to you to decide, I found it delightful.
As mentioned previously, lots of the mechanics underwent an overhaul. The exploration is much more gamey than previously, there's only a few select type of these mini-challenges, but they require more interaction, as, for example, you have to aim and throw an object to get a collectible off the wall, or time a jump to touch a tapestry as Harry runs past it.
The minigames are a lot better now. All of the ones from Order are gone, instead replaced by quidditch, dueling and potion-making. All of these things are also integrated into the story, and there's a lot more focus put into them. Quidditch is the weakest one, it's usually overlong "fly through all the rings" type of thing, in fact it's probably the worst version of quidditch from any of the games. Even the DS version of Order had a superior Quidditch minigame. The other two, however, are great! Dueling allows you to cast up to five spells, learning each at specific dueling clubs for each house. In reality, you only need the first two and the charging ability. Once you can charge your basic spell, you simply cast any immobilizing one (which all the rest, with the exception of the defensive Protego, are), charge up, walk as close as possible and one-shot anyone. It's easy to exploit, but very satisfying, it's like shooting a shotgun right into someone's face in a shooter (foreshadowing to Deathly Hollows). Potions are easily my favorite side-activity in any Harry Potter video game, picking up potions can be a bit difficult to control at times, but besides that I have only praise. Timed, hectic, and pretty tough. The system was so good in fact that it was later repurposed, with slight changes, for the game Book of Potions.
The game is also very short, which means it is very replayable. Much more so than the overlong, fetch-questy Order of the Phoenix which had to rely on a lot of filler mechanics and minigames to stretch out its play time. Just a very tight, focused experience, adding a lot of the meat which was missing from the first attempt at this iteration of Harry Potter gameplay.
1/10 - GBA version
The second 1/10 for Order of the Phoenix. While this game isn't as infuriating as the PSP version, the controls work, but everything is simplified just too much. The graphics look like an indie horror game. The spellcasting is reduced to a tiny, bad minigame in the top right of the already small screen. The other minigames are simpler than any other version. There is no way to check your objective sometimes, so walking can take too long if you aren't fully aware of what is needed from you. Dueling and training, which was technically cool, is just reduced to spamming fully upgraded Rictusempra, which will one/two-shot most enemies.
A lesser version of an already somewhat poor DS version. Trying to squeeze any and all money from owners of a dying console in 2007.
The second 1/10 for Order of the Phoenix. While this game isn't as infuriating as the PSP version, the controls work, but everything is simplified just too much. The graphics look like an indie horror game. The spellcasting is reduced to a tiny, bad minigame in the top right of the already small screen. The other minigames are simpler than any other version. There is no way to check your objective sometimes, so walking can take too long if you aren't fully aware of what is needed from you. Dueling and training, which was technically cool, is just reduced to spamming fully upgraded Rictusempra, which will one/two-shot most enemies.
A lesser version of an already somewhat poor DS version. Trying to squeeze any and all money from owners of a dying console in 2007.
This review contains spoilers
DS - 4/10
The DS titles trades the focus on the exploration aspect of the console version for the minigame focus. While in the main release of the game the reconstruction of Hogwarts is the biggest selling point, with gameplay being only provided in short bursts, here the minigames provide for more actual game to be played.
Admittedly, the idea of retelling the story of Order of the Phoenix through a minigame collection with Hogwarts serving as a hub is certainly bizzare, but I do actually prefer it over the DVD-menu-like approach of the other titles. The minigames are largely enjoyable and properly spaced out.
It is interrupted by running through the halls of the aforementioned Hogwarts "hub", often expedited by teleporting. Sometimes you'll find objects along the way that you need to cast a spell on, which is obviously performed with a stylus. There is some charm in drawing spell shapes, only to perform another minigame to complete the cast. The other minigames can be found in the common room, where you "spawn" after every bit of running around. There's even Quidditch, which was lacking from any other version, and it works really well as far as Quidditch minigames go.
There's also combat. You beat the shit out of Malfoy every 10 minutes in this game, I swear. It's a turn-based affair, which actually makes it so that you have to turn the screen horizontally to see what's going on. It's solid, there's even a progression system where you level your spells and stats during the secret meetings, but it does get much more tedious than any other element, due to the turn-based nature not mixing well with a very lackluster level of strategy required to win any encounter, as well as every spell being cast the same way until you run out of "mana" and have to draw a symbol instead.
I was very worried the game would overstay its welcome the moment I realized that I played all the minigames when I reached the halfway point of the other games, but this version has a much different pacing to it. Not only does it cut out a large amount of it after Umbridge becomes headmaster, but adds a lot more before that. The reasoning for doing stuff gets pretty nonsensical, like the one time students get sick on the grand staircase and you cannot walk past them, but no activity is ever particularly long.
It is a repetitive and relatively unimpressive minigame collection, but it does a far better job utilizing the system than the other Harry Potter games on the DS do. It has genuinely good moments, such as actually taking the actual O.W.L.s or Quidditch, but also some very poor setpieces, such as the entire final section.
The DS titles trades the focus on the exploration aspect of the console version for the minigame focus. While in the main release of the game the reconstruction of Hogwarts is the biggest selling point, with gameplay being only provided in short bursts, here the minigames provide for more actual game to be played.
Admittedly, the idea of retelling the story of Order of the Phoenix through a minigame collection with Hogwarts serving as a hub is certainly bizzare, but I do actually prefer it over the DVD-menu-like approach of the other titles. The minigames are largely enjoyable and properly spaced out.
It is interrupted by running through the halls of the aforementioned Hogwarts "hub", often expedited by teleporting. Sometimes you'll find objects along the way that you need to cast a spell on, which is obviously performed with a stylus. There is some charm in drawing spell shapes, only to perform another minigame to complete the cast. The other minigames can be found in the common room, where you "spawn" after every bit of running around. There's even Quidditch, which was lacking from any other version, and it works really well as far as Quidditch minigames go.
There's also combat. You beat the shit out of Malfoy every 10 minutes in this game, I swear. It's a turn-based affair, which actually makes it so that you have to turn the screen horizontally to see what's going on. It's solid, there's even a progression system where you level your spells and stats during the secret meetings, but it does get much more tedious than any other element, due to the turn-based nature not mixing well with a very lackluster level of strategy required to win any encounter, as well as every spell being cast the same way until you run out of "mana" and have to draw a symbol instead.
I was very worried the game would overstay its welcome the moment I realized that I played all the minigames when I reached the halfway point of the other games, but this version has a much different pacing to it. Not only does it cut out a large amount of it after Umbridge becomes headmaster, but adds a lot more before that. The reasoning for doing stuff gets pretty nonsensical, like the one time students get sick on the grand staircase and you cannot walk past them, but no activity is ever particularly long.
It is a repetitive and relatively unimpressive minigame collection, but it does a far better job utilizing the system than the other Harry Potter games on the DS do. It has genuinely good moments, such as actually taking the actual O.W.L.s or Quidditch, but also some very poor setpieces, such as the entire final section.
2014
I love a racing game where the car drives on its own, so good. De-incentivized driving in a racing game for the sake of pressing a button to shoot sometimes.
PSP version - 1/10
The PSP version is devoid of anything and everything that made the console version enjoyable or special. The visuals are obviously a pretty severe downgrade, with a focus on fixed camera shots. You can't ever really admire the castle because you can't see it. This also leads to traditional problems with this viewpoint, that is that when switching perspectives your character turns around if you hold the stick in the same direction for too long. It's more severe here than in most titles I've played. This is only made worse by the worst and most confusing layout of the Grand Staircase from any of these games.
Control issues continue, as they refuse something like holding down a button and using the stick for spellcasting. Instead, you press buttons. But there's more spells then buttons. Then let's do button combos! But oh no, you don't just press them one after another. You have to hold them for just a tiny bit, then hold the other one. How long? I don't know! And I beat it! There's also a cooldown added to it, just to make it even more annoying.
There are some different systems (like a loyalty one of sorts, where you have to help kids from different houses) some different sidequests, most interactables are gone and replaced by newspapers on walls, all of which amounts to running around and either fetching items or trying to combo during extremely frustrating dueling.
I am highly worried about the other handheld games for this part, as well as Half-Blood Prince.
The PSP version is devoid of anything and everything that made the console version enjoyable or special. The visuals are obviously a pretty severe downgrade, with a focus on fixed camera shots. You can't ever really admire the castle because you can't see it. This also leads to traditional problems with this viewpoint, that is that when switching perspectives your character turns around if you hold the stick in the same direction for too long. It's more severe here than in most titles I've played. This is only made worse by the worst and most confusing layout of the Grand Staircase from any of these games.
Control issues continue, as they refuse something like holding down a button and using the stick for spellcasting. Instead, you press buttons. But there's more spells then buttons. Then let's do button combos! But oh no, you don't just press them one after another. You have to hold them for just a tiny bit, then hold the other one. How long? I don't know! And I beat it! There's also a cooldown added to it, just to make it even more annoying.
There are some different systems (like a loyalty one of sorts, where you have to help kids from different houses) some different sidequests, most interactables are gone and replaced by newspapers on walls, all of which amounts to running around and either fetching items or trying to combo during extremely frustrating dueling.
I am highly worried about the other handheld games for this part, as well as Half-Blood Prince.
4/10 - PS3
The best way I can think of explaining how this game feels, is that it's like one of those bonus menus on a DVDs back in the day but it has stupid amount of budget behind it.
The two main sources of entertainment in this game come from callbacks to the movies/books and the short minigames in-between mindless running from one place to another, which is the main gameplay. There's chess, there's snap and there's also the worst fkn minigame called Gobstones, which uses one of my least favorite mechanics, which is "push/pull the analog stick lightly." There's different rules but, basically, you flick balls, you pull a certain extend and then push. I don't know how am I supposed to estimate the distance or speed of the ball through that. It's dumb. I spend like two hours on beating one guy.
The gameplay is bearable, however, because this game's biggest selling point is its faithful and impressive reconstruction of the Hogwarts castle and its grounds. The entire gameplay is based around the fact that they just built this castle so might as well put some gameplay in there. You cast spells on the things you can lock onto in a room, get points, and unlock interviews with the cast and slides from the movie. It leans so much into being a companion piece to the other media, which is why I compared it a DVD menu earlier.
There's some enjoyment to be derived from that, the spell casting mechanic, which incorporates the wand movement, is neat and there are a few genuinely cool setpieces and moments of gameplay (You play as Dumbledore and Sirius at certain points, which owns) but the game really needed more meat on its bones.
The best way I can think of explaining how this game feels, is that it's like one of those bonus menus on a DVDs back in the day but it has stupid amount of budget behind it.
The two main sources of entertainment in this game come from callbacks to the movies/books and the short minigames in-between mindless running from one place to another, which is the main gameplay. There's chess, there's snap and there's also the worst fkn minigame called Gobstones, which uses one of my least favorite mechanics, which is "push/pull the analog stick lightly." There's different rules but, basically, you flick balls, you pull a certain extend and then push. I don't know how am I supposed to estimate the distance or speed of the ball through that. It's dumb. I spend like two hours on beating one guy.
The gameplay is bearable, however, because this game's biggest selling point is its faithful and impressive reconstruction of the Hogwarts castle and its grounds. The entire gameplay is based around the fact that they just built this castle so might as well put some gameplay in there. You cast spells on the things you can lock onto in a room, get points, and unlock interviews with the cast and slides from the movie. It leans so much into being a companion piece to the other media, which is why I compared it a DVD menu earlier.
There's some enjoyment to be derived from that, the spell casting mechanic, which incorporates the wand movement, is neat and there are a few genuinely cool setpieces and moments of gameplay (You play as Dumbledore and Sirius at certain points, which owns) but the game really needed more meat on its bones.
3/10
The Gameboy Advance version of the Goblet of Fire is an okayish time. It not having all the added dumpster fire content, that the DS version did for the sake of using touch controls, actually allows for a better appreciation of the title.
The gameplay remains largely repetetive and the levels are still slightly too long, but it's nowhere near as bad as its DS counterpart. There is admittedly a somewhat nice Zelda-like feel to the levels, though it obviously lacks the visual flair or the animation work of those; there's just very little satisfaction to be derived from progression. There is a jingle that plays but it gets old very quickly, not to mention that the things you collect are simply some dumb shields that do not fit the actual world they inhabit. Why a shield? What does that have to do with anything? Everything also feels a lot more sluggish overall, just the mechanics they went with for both exploration and combat take too long and the screens are too big for their own good.
Having played this version I also came to the realization that the soundtrack here is much better. I believe that the reason why the DS one sounds so horrendously is because the tracks themselves were never meant to be heard without the compression caused by the GBA system. Simply upscaling them doesn't work, they were never meant to be heard this way. They're the same compositions and a lot of the track sounds the same, but it seems that some instruments were simply adjusted for the GBA while recording, which is why, when cleared up, they sound so off-key.
This is the best version of the Goblet of Fire when it comes to games. Still a pretty major disappointment when it comes to this part's potential, but it's all we got. I would really hope that the Triwizard tournament can be revisited some day if any future Harry Potter games were to be made. It's a good concept and may make for fantastic setpieces if given a chance. Just, you know, don't force a co-op focus on it.
The Gameboy Advance version of the Goblet of Fire is an okayish time. It not having all the added dumpster fire content, that the DS version did for the sake of using touch controls, actually allows for a better appreciation of the title.
The gameplay remains largely repetetive and the levels are still slightly too long, but it's nowhere near as bad as its DS counterpart. There is admittedly a somewhat nice Zelda-like feel to the levels, though it obviously lacks the visual flair or the animation work of those; there's just very little satisfaction to be derived from progression. There is a jingle that plays but it gets old very quickly, not to mention that the things you collect are simply some dumb shields that do not fit the actual world they inhabit. Why a shield? What does that have to do with anything? Everything also feels a lot more sluggish overall, just the mechanics they went with for both exploration and combat take too long and the screens are too big for their own good.
Having played this version I also came to the realization that the soundtrack here is much better. I believe that the reason why the DS one sounds so horrendously is because the tracks themselves were never meant to be heard without the compression caused by the GBA system. Simply upscaling them doesn't work, they were never meant to be heard this way. They're the same compositions and a lot of the track sounds the same, but it seems that some instruments were simply adjusted for the GBA while recording, which is why, when cleared up, they sound so off-key.
This is the best version of the Goblet of Fire when it comes to games. Still a pretty major disappointment when it comes to this part's potential, but it's all we got. I would really hope that the Triwizard tournament can be revisited some day if any future Harry Potter games were to be made. It's a good concept and may make for fantastic setpieces if given a chance. Just, you know, don't force a co-op focus on it.
1/10
I can name, like, one kinda okayish mechanic from this game: lighting up bushes so you can continue to light up the lanterns, making a line until you get to the final thorny bush you need to burn.
It's hard for me to think of any credit I can give this game. The levels are too long, the gameplay too basic, the AI too poor, the enemies too aggressive, the visuals too underdetailed, the music...
This was one of the worst soundtracks I've ever heard. They go for an epic vibe generally, orchestral within the limitations of the console, but they tend to add one silly instrument and it is goes completely against the melody. There's some brass instrument in the first trial theme, and this incredibly goofy xylophone in the cutscene theme. For actual boss encounters, the music is comparatively lighthearted. I'm honestly kinda baffled that someone signed off on this. Maybe the compression just killed it? I find that hard to believe, but it's a genuinely mind-boggling soundtrack.
The levels are so long. And they get progressively longer for the first three after the tutorial. Then they get shorter afterwards, but entering a level and seeing a quarter of the game's entire collectible count is to be found in it alone sure is something. Some levels took me over half an hour, and this is a very easy game mind you. So much of this game is just overlong, dull, mind-numbing stretches of boredom.
There is a dance rhythm minigame I'll give them that. The same rhythm minigame, minus the dancing unfortunately, is used for the final battle. What a way to bring it back together!
The DS version in particular adds so many meaningless and awful time-wasters. Shitty touch-screen minigames like "scratch to find a matching card" or "click on the same colored candy" or "throw the bean to the left or right" are placed at random spots throughout the game, with characters often just casually standing in unattainable, dangerous places. The most egregious thing is the use of this duel minigame, where, at seemingly random points, when you hit an enemy with a regular spell, which I assume would simply damage it on the GBA, it turns into this minigame where you can either click, draw or drag your stylus around the screen to attack, and then defend against the enemy attacks. WHY? Why have a regular, top-down adventure game, and just have it so that something that should be a simple action, something that IS a simple, quick action for 99% of the game in fact, and just turn it into this long and repetitive section? It's like if Super Mario RPG kept the gameplay from Super Mario World, but once every 10 goombas you entered a turn-based battle with it instead. This blows so much, such a ridiculous decision.
One more thing they added in the DS version is this Tamagochi-like creature called "Niffler" which you feed or wash when it wants to with the stylus. Awesome. Glad time was spent on this. Any and all amount.
Goblet of Fire is, overall, the weakest showing for the Harry Potter games. The executive decision was that the one movie where Harry spends a lot of time on his own should be a co-op title. And with so little to go off of for the levels that aren't the trials, both the approaches taken by the individual teams (a very short game with few levels that you revisit to progress into a next one vs a longer game with the same amount of levels but having them take much more to beat the first time) failed to make one of the seemingly most gamey parts of the series—it is entirely about tournament games after all—good.
I can name, like, one kinda okayish mechanic from this game: lighting up bushes so you can continue to light up the lanterns, making a line until you get to the final thorny bush you need to burn.
It's hard for me to think of any credit I can give this game. The levels are too long, the gameplay too basic, the AI too poor, the enemies too aggressive, the visuals too underdetailed, the music...
This was one of the worst soundtracks I've ever heard. They go for an epic vibe generally, orchestral within the limitations of the console, but they tend to add one silly instrument and it is goes completely against the melody. There's some brass instrument in the first trial theme, and this incredibly goofy xylophone in the cutscene theme. For actual boss encounters, the music is comparatively lighthearted. I'm honestly kinda baffled that someone signed off on this. Maybe the compression just killed it? I find that hard to believe, but it's a genuinely mind-boggling soundtrack.
The levels are so long. And they get progressively longer for the first three after the tutorial. Then they get shorter afterwards, but entering a level and seeing a quarter of the game's entire collectible count is to be found in it alone sure is something. Some levels took me over half an hour, and this is a very easy game mind you. So much of this game is just overlong, dull, mind-numbing stretches of boredom.
There is a dance rhythm minigame I'll give them that. The same rhythm minigame, minus the dancing unfortunately, is used for the final battle. What a way to bring it back together!
The DS version in particular adds so many meaningless and awful time-wasters. Shitty touch-screen minigames like "scratch to find a matching card" or "click on the same colored candy" or "throw the bean to the left or right" are placed at random spots throughout the game, with characters often just casually standing in unattainable, dangerous places. The most egregious thing is the use of this duel minigame, where, at seemingly random points, when you hit an enemy with a regular spell, which I assume would simply damage it on the GBA, it turns into this minigame where you can either click, draw or drag your stylus around the screen to attack, and then defend against the enemy attacks. WHY? Why have a regular, top-down adventure game, and just have it so that something that should be a simple action, something that IS a simple, quick action for 99% of the game in fact, and just turn it into this long and repetitive section? It's like if Super Mario RPG kept the gameplay from Super Mario World, but once every 10 goombas you entered a turn-based battle with it instead. This blows so much, such a ridiculous decision.
One more thing they added in the DS version is this Tamagochi-like creature called "Niffler" which you feed or wash when it wants to with the stylus. Awesome. Glad time was spent on this. Any and all amount.
Goblet of Fire is, overall, the weakest showing for the Harry Potter games. The executive decision was that the one movie where Harry spends a lot of time on his own should be a co-op title. And with so little to go off of for the levels that aren't the trials, both the approaches taken by the individual teams (a very short game with few levels that you revisit to progress into a next one vs a longer game with the same amount of levels but having them take much more to beat the first time) failed to make one of the seemingly most gamey parts of the series—it is entirely about tournament games after all—good.
It sure was worth changing the formula just to create a terrible video game.
There are a total of 4 levels. You replay each several times because, to progress to the trials (of which there are three, meaning that there are 4 regular levels, 3 trials, the final boss and the tutorial, totaling at 9 unique story segments, plus a tiny arena for some shitty timed challenges) you need a specific amount of what are basically Mario 64 stars.
They're "Wizard Shields." What the fuck even are wizard shields? Sometimes they're like 20 seconds away from the spawn point. You reach them by using a spell on the only thing you can use the spell on in the area. There is no animation for picking them up, except for the ones that you pick up when first going through a level. You walk into them, screen fades to black and the level goes to the loading screen.
There are collectibles in each level. Hit 5 of item. Pick up 10 mini-shield and a wizard shield appears 5 steps away from the starting point. Because this game has a card system (cards are basically perks that you can equip for each of the 4 explorable levels and the timed challenge stage) you have to equip them before loading into the stage. Selecting a character (because you can only play as one, you can't switch between them like in the previous console game), selecting cards, loading the level, loading out of the level, totalling your points for the level up and loading back into the menu lasts longer than picking said shield up. They could not program it so that the wizard shield goes directly into your inventory.
This thing is rushed. It lacks content. It is repetitive to a halt. It spams enemies and reuses mechanics at every corner. There are animations clearly missing. Things just disappear once picked up or defeated. The characters, especially Ron, keep screaming, in a very funny manner admittedly, about the beans, progressively intensifying as you obtain more of them. When that's not happening, it's the lamest quips imaginable. The aesthetic is kinda neat, but there's just so little of it, and the focus on reusing content in an already small game makes all of it less special.
Why are there two of the enemies that I fought several times throughout this game at the end of the maze as the final challenge there? And why not allow me to select the cards I've earned if I'm going to get into a fight? Why have a progression system then? Why is there a tutorial level after the game puts me in a regular level where I already had to use all these things? Why is the second trial just the first trial but reskinned and with little moments of like a third person shooter?
Confusing mess, all the way through. Horrible direction for these games, but thankfully they once again shifted away from it with Order of the Phoenix.
There are a total of 4 levels. You replay each several times because, to progress to the trials (of which there are three, meaning that there are 4 regular levels, 3 trials, the final boss and the tutorial, totaling at 9 unique story segments, plus a tiny arena for some shitty timed challenges) you need a specific amount of what are basically Mario 64 stars.
They're "Wizard Shields." What the fuck even are wizard shields? Sometimes they're like 20 seconds away from the spawn point. You reach them by using a spell on the only thing you can use the spell on in the area. There is no animation for picking them up, except for the ones that you pick up when first going through a level. You walk into them, screen fades to black and the level goes to the loading screen.
There are collectibles in each level. Hit 5 of item. Pick up 10 mini-shield and a wizard shield appears 5 steps away from the starting point. Because this game has a card system (cards are basically perks that you can equip for each of the 4 explorable levels and the timed challenge stage) you have to equip them before loading into the stage. Selecting a character (because you can only play as one, you can't switch between them like in the previous console game), selecting cards, loading the level, loading out of the level, totalling your points for the level up and loading back into the menu lasts longer than picking said shield up. They could not program it so that the wizard shield goes directly into your inventory.
This thing is rushed. It lacks content. It is repetitive to a halt. It spams enemies and reuses mechanics at every corner. There are animations clearly missing. Things just disappear once picked up or defeated. The characters, especially Ron, keep screaming, in a very funny manner admittedly, about the beans, progressively intensifying as you obtain more of them. When that's not happening, it's the lamest quips imaginable. The aesthetic is kinda neat, but there's just so little of it, and the focus on reusing content in an already small game makes all of it less special.
Why are there two of the enemies that I fought several times throughout this game at the end of the maze as the final challenge there? And why not allow me to select the cards I've earned if I'm going to get into a fight? Why have a progression system then? Why is there a tutorial level after the game puts me in a regular level where I already had to use all these things? Why is the second trial just the first trial but reskinned and with little moments of like a third person shooter?
Confusing mess, all the way through. Horrible direction for these games, but thankfully they once again shifted away from it with Order of the Phoenix.
Another Harry Potter trilogy comes to an end with the GBA version of Prisoner of Azkaban: the RPG trilogy. It, very unfortunately, goes out with a whimper, as despite many improvements, there are just too many stepbacks for this to be a satisfying sequel.
This game is much shorter than its two previous versions on the Gameboy Color, and while I am generally partial to shorter experiences compared to the more bloated ones present on other consoles, I think this isn't the game to apply that mindset to. The castle is smaller, there's less exploration, no secrets and very simplistic shortcuts. While spell challenges are still present, the entire castle is not mysterious or interesting. This is, most likely, the worst version of Hogwarts in any Harry Potter game.
This also comes down to very weak visuals. The art style of the GBC titles wasn't my favorite either, but there was a lot of unique flavor to it. You walked around the castle and get all these wacky statues of like a big old lady, or a musical classroom. There's just so little to differentiate between floors and rooms. Even outside of those, the tilework they went for makes for difficult to comprehend screens. The colors are very washed out and they mesh together so that it is often difficult to notice a screen's verticality, or even notice a wall.
This extends to the way the story is paced and presented, as well as the gameplay at large. This game, similar to its console and PC counterparts, introduces the "switching between the main trio" mechanic. This translates to both combat and the overworld exploration, as each character gets a certain collection of spells which allows them to interact with specific objects. It's all very simple, but honestly preferrable to the back-and-forth running gameplay loop of the GBC titles. It's just that outside of the story moments, you don't use these spells at all. There's just no secrets. All those mechanics are honestly wasted on the straightforward dungeons, when they could be utilized in the exploration of Hogwarts, which would add so much to the boring, samey-looking hallways.
The combat is alright, better than previously I'd say. Taking even less time to grind than I did in the previous game, I managed to quickly get overpowered to the point where I could entirely rely on level ups (which heal you back up fully) to get me through any area. Grinding wasn't a chore at all as the menus are laid out perfectly, with the free-to-cast Flipendo being the default choice. The other spells are also very easily accessible. The spell level-up systems are back too, meaning that while grinding out regular levels and gold, I could also acquire stronger versions of my attacks and buffs. Speaking of buffs, there was one cool idea for a battle where Buckbeak joins your party and the hippogriff is the only thing that can damage your opponent, meaning you have to buff him and debuff the enemy. While those things usually don't come in handy in the other games, here using them is actually necessary, which is a pretty good idea. The animations during the battle are also probably the best-looking things in the entire game. So, to give credit where credit is due, I do think this is the title finds the best balance out of the three HP RPGs.
Too bad some encounters are pretty nonsensical. During the first spell challenge, on the path that a transformed McGonnagal traveled through, the devs decided to insert a fight with Crabbe and Goyle for some reason. Similarly, the final boss is not the dementor horde chasing you on the Hogwarts tower. No, that honor falls to Malfoy, who is out at night in front of Sirius' cell. And who could forget the gigantic Troll who somehow fit under the Weeping Willow. Stuff like this is present in other games too, but to a much lesser degree, here it just feels like some models they had on hand were thrown in at random places.
Unfortunately, there is not enough to really save the HP RPG formula. There's always a lack of balance in one aspect of the design or another, and there's always either some tediousness or some disappointment. They're all very interesting experiments, but I can't say I found any of them particularly pleasant.
This game is much shorter than its two previous versions on the Gameboy Color, and while I am generally partial to shorter experiences compared to the more bloated ones present on other consoles, I think this isn't the game to apply that mindset to. The castle is smaller, there's less exploration, no secrets and very simplistic shortcuts. While spell challenges are still present, the entire castle is not mysterious or interesting. This is, most likely, the worst version of Hogwarts in any Harry Potter game.
This also comes down to very weak visuals. The art style of the GBC titles wasn't my favorite either, but there was a lot of unique flavor to it. You walked around the castle and get all these wacky statues of like a big old lady, or a musical classroom. There's just so little to differentiate between floors and rooms. Even outside of those, the tilework they went for makes for difficult to comprehend screens. The colors are very washed out and they mesh together so that it is often difficult to notice a screen's verticality, or even notice a wall.
This extends to the way the story is paced and presented, as well as the gameplay at large. This game, similar to its console and PC counterparts, introduces the "switching between the main trio" mechanic. This translates to both combat and the overworld exploration, as each character gets a certain collection of spells which allows them to interact with specific objects. It's all very simple, but honestly preferrable to the back-and-forth running gameplay loop of the GBC titles. It's just that outside of the story moments, you don't use these spells at all. There's just no secrets. All those mechanics are honestly wasted on the straightforward dungeons, when they could be utilized in the exploration of Hogwarts, which would add so much to the boring, samey-looking hallways.
The combat is alright, better than previously I'd say. Taking even less time to grind than I did in the previous game, I managed to quickly get overpowered to the point where I could entirely rely on level ups (which heal you back up fully) to get me through any area. Grinding wasn't a chore at all as the menus are laid out perfectly, with the free-to-cast Flipendo being the default choice. The other spells are also very easily accessible. The spell level-up systems are back too, meaning that while grinding out regular levels and gold, I could also acquire stronger versions of my attacks and buffs. Speaking of buffs, there was one cool idea for a battle where Buckbeak joins your party and the hippogriff is the only thing that can damage your opponent, meaning you have to buff him and debuff the enemy. While those things usually don't come in handy in the other games, here using them is actually necessary, which is a pretty good idea. The animations during the battle are also probably the best-looking things in the entire game. So, to give credit where credit is due, I do think this is the title finds the best balance out of the three HP RPGs.
Too bad some encounters are pretty nonsensical. During the first spell challenge, on the path that a transformed McGonnagal traveled through, the devs decided to insert a fight with Crabbe and Goyle for some reason. Similarly, the final boss is not the dementor horde chasing you on the Hogwarts tower. No, that honor falls to Malfoy, who is out at night in front of Sirius' cell. And who could forget the gigantic Troll who somehow fit under the Weeping Willow. Stuff like this is present in other games too, but to a much lesser degree, here it just feels like some models they had on hand were thrown in at random places.
Unfortunately, there is not enough to really save the HP RPG formula. There's always a lack of balance in one aspect of the design or another, and there's always either some tediousness or some disappointment. They're all very interesting experiments, but I can't say I found any of them particularly pleasant.
Prior to the deciding that I'm going to beat all these games in a row, Prisoner of Azkaban for the PS2 was my favorite Harry Potter video game. It continues to be one of my favorites, but, unfortunately, the format of the first three 6th gen games has its limitations.
The game succeeds primarily as a companion piece. Its aesthetics and soundtrack are excellent, which opens up a whole new approach to the world of Harry Potter. It is the most vivid and unique visual depiction of Hogwarts that isn't based on the movies. There's a fantastic balance of unnerving and weird with the amazing and vibrant, and it manages to fit the more oppressive atmosphere of Prisoner of Azkaban with a very stylized artstyle. The spell challenges are just mind-boggling, there's an underground infestation of creatures which settle near locations where plenty of blood has been spilled (yes, that's the in-game description of the Red Cap enemies) merely few steps outside the Potions classroom, but there's also the wonderful grand staircase, the grounds with different possible weather effects, and Buckbeak flying segments.
Unfortunately the gameplay remains largely the same as its predecessors. While the new spells are cool, and there are few puzzles in the dungeons themselves alongside a few fun bosses, the overworld is largely devoid of any fun secrets, it's all laid out in the open from the very beginning, and only becomes interactable once you obtain the necessary spell or item. The pacing, even that of exploration, is snappy and never overstays its welcome as much as the previous parts, but by following said games this closely it could only ever be fun as a companion piece. There is a necessary level of interest required from the player in order to make them feel like trudging through mediocre gameplay is worth it.
To me, it is. I really enjoyed seeing this reimagining, all the added content, casting spells in real time, but it would be difficult to recommend for someone outside of an already diminishing circle of interest. I've seen and played enough 6th Gen titles to tell that, despite being a genuinely pretty title with a strong aesthetic, there's many games that had it beat in that regard even back when it released.
With that in mind, however, I believe it is once again worth reminding that companion pieces are not any less worthwhile than these experiences. The aforementioned investment required to get into the mood for playing this game isn't difficult to obtain, as the universe is still a strong one, and perhaps Hogwarts Legacy can reignite it for many players out there. The same game may also increase the standards too high for these titles to be worth coming back to, however. Only time will tell.
The game succeeds primarily as a companion piece. Its aesthetics and soundtrack are excellent, which opens up a whole new approach to the world of Harry Potter. It is the most vivid and unique visual depiction of Hogwarts that isn't based on the movies. There's a fantastic balance of unnerving and weird with the amazing and vibrant, and it manages to fit the more oppressive atmosphere of Prisoner of Azkaban with a very stylized artstyle. The spell challenges are just mind-boggling, there's an underground infestation of creatures which settle near locations where plenty of blood has been spilled (yes, that's the in-game description of the Red Cap enemies) merely few steps outside the Potions classroom, but there's also the wonderful grand staircase, the grounds with different possible weather effects, and Buckbeak flying segments.
Unfortunately the gameplay remains largely the same as its predecessors. While the new spells are cool, and there are few puzzles in the dungeons themselves alongside a few fun bosses, the overworld is largely devoid of any fun secrets, it's all laid out in the open from the very beginning, and only becomes interactable once you obtain the necessary spell or item. The pacing, even that of exploration, is snappy and never overstays its welcome as much as the previous parts, but by following said games this closely it could only ever be fun as a companion piece. There is a necessary level of interest required from the player in order to make them feel like trudging through mediocre gameplay is worth it.
To me, it is. I really enjoyed seeing this reimagining, all the added content, casting spells in real time, but it would be difficult to recommend for someone outside of an already diminishing circle of interest. I've seen and played enough 6th Gen titles to tell that, despite being a genuinely pretty title with a strong aesthetic, there's many games that had it beat in that regard even back when it released.
With that in mind, however, I believe it is once again worth reminding that companion pieces are not any less worthwhile than these experiences. The aforementioned investment required to get into the mood for playing this game isn't difficult to obtain, as the universe is still a strong one, and perhaps Hogwarts Legacy can reignite it for many players out there. The same game may also increase the standards too high for these titles to be worth coming back to, however. Only time will tell.
A conclusion of a trilogy, the PC version of the Prisoner of Azkaban marks the end of an era in the movie tie-in Harry Potter video games. The unique style these titles have created was never truly replicated; as such they truly stand not only as wortwhile pieces of companion media, but on their own strengths as adventure games.
While this is my least favorite of the three due to it being shorter and simpler than even the Sorcerer's Stone game, the series remains consistent in terms of evolving its style. While you technically take control of all three major characters throughout it, you don't switch between them freely, meaning the same design philosophy remains: find, point, and click. There's less well-hidden secrets, but there are still some, and you're still never punished entirely for missing them. You do actually need to find a certain amount of collectibles to COMPLETE the game, but it is nothing more than a cutscene and you aren't blocked from any of the content. Again, not like the secrets are hard and the game is the shortest one, but it's worth noting; it's a practice I'm not very fond of.
This game definitely has the snappiest gameplay, everything is so instantaneous and satisfying, spells are cast in an instant, enemies defeated super fast, there's slides, there's a grapple hook spell, there's the returning Spongify and it is used for the longest jumps in the series, there's the BONUS BEAN ROOM. Combined with the game's length it creates a very tight experience that is superbly replayable should you need a dose of nostalgia.
What throws me off a bit is the tone, I think the 6th-gen console version has this more ominous atmosphere that befits this particular part of the story more, and there's a lot more attempts at comedy here, mostly consisting of what you would nowadays call "Marvel-esque" quips. Wasn't great then, is even worse now. The visuals are also very vibrant, which makes for some memorable areas and a great-looking castle interior, but, again, not particularly fitting.
The new spells, actually unique to this version, are very creative. I already mentioned the grapple hook, which is available to Ron, but the coolest ones are unlocked by Hermione, who gets to transform statues into fully controllable bunnies and dragon whelps. These abilities tend to slow the game a bit down with their animation or sheer functionality, but are visually awesome and very much welcome.
The castle and its mystery areas get a pretty big makeover, with a new traversal system, new types of secrets and new currency in place. That last one adds a lot to the game, the health items from the Playstation versions become these immensely satisfying to find objects, especially when the game just rains them on top of your head in a few select instances. You know at that moment you're going on a shopping spree whenever you can, and it feels great.
The PC trilogy of the first three games is perhaps the strongest outing the HP games have up til now. They're very consistent in terms of creativity and the smoothness of gameplay. They're still fairly simple games, ones made in very short time, don't get me wrong, but in all that they somehow manage to have all these ideas and execute them more than properly. They have little moments, big setpieces, a great soundtrack, and are all based on an already strong and likeable IP (fuck the author, the world just has very cool ideas) which bases itself on leaving a lot to the imagination. This game, like its predecessors, takes advantage of exactly that.
While this is my least favorite of the three due to it being shorter and simpler than even the Sorcerer's Stone game, the series remains consistent in terms of evolving its style. While you technically take control of all three major characters throughout it, you don't switch between them freely, meaning the same design philosophy remains: find, point, and click. There's less well-hidden secrets, but there are still some, and you're still never punished entirely for missing them. You do actually need to find a certain amount of collectibles to COMPLETE the game, but it is nothing more than a cutscene and you aren't blocked from any of the content. Again, not like the secrets are hard and the game is the shortest one, but it's worth noting; it's a practice I'm not very fond of.
This game definitely has the snappiest gameplay, everything is so instantaneous and satisfying, spells are cast in an instant, enemies defeated super fast, there's slides, there's a grapple hook spell, there's the returning Spongify and it is used for the longest jumps in the series, there's the BONUS BEAN ROOM. Combined with the game's length it creates a very tight experience that is superbly replayable should you need a dose of nostalgia.
What throws me off a bit is the tone, I think the 6th-gen console version has this more ominous atmosphere that befits this particular part of the story more, and there's a lot more attempts at comedy here, mostly consisting of what you would nowadays call "Marvel-esque" quips. Wasn't great then, is even worse now. The visuals are also very vibrant, which makes for some memorable areas and a great-looking castle interior, but, again, not particularly fitting.
The new spells, actually unique to this version, are very creative. I already mentioned the grapple hook, which is available to Ron, but the coolest ones are unlocked by Hermione, who gets to transform statues into fully controllable bunnies and dragon whelps. These abilities tend to slow the game a bit down with their animation or sheer functionality, but are visually awesome and very much welcome.
The castle and its mystery areas get a pretty big makeover, with a new traversal system, new types of secrets and new currency in place. That last one adds a lot to the game, the health items from the Playstation versions become these immensely satisfying to find objects, especially when the game just rains them on top of your head in a few select instances. You know at that moment you're going on a shopping spree whenever you can, and it feels great.
The PC trilogy of the first three games is perhaps the strongest outing the HP games have up til now. They're very consistent in terms of creativity and the smoothness of gameplay. They're still fairly simple games, ones made in very short time, don't get me wrong, but in all that they somehow manage to have all these ideas and execute them more than properly. They have little moments, big setpieces, a great soundtrack, and are all based on an already strong and likeable IP (fuck the author, the world just has very cool ideas) which bases itself on leaving a lot to the imagination. This game, like its predecessors, takes advantage of exactly that.
This review contains spoilers
Largely feels like a transitionary game between the PS2 Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban. It has unique character models and areas to represent the design document for the other Sorcerer's Stone video games, but also borrows from the Chamber of Secret ones, taking the PC version's Spongify and the PS2 version's Diffindo.
Despite a sizeable chunk of new content, the game's main gameplay loop remains the same, which unfortunately highlights most of the issues with the format. The simplicity of the design is just downright annoying. The spell challenges specifically include areas you cannot access without spells you'll learn later, meaning you'll not only have to come back just to find unlock them if you want a 100%, but it is programmed so that you have to do THE ENTIRE CHALLENGE again, collecting ALL THE CHALLENGE SHIELDS YOU COLLECTED PREVIOUSLY on top of the new ones. What's even the point of engaging with the secrets earnestly on the first go if you are incentivized to do it all over again anyway?
The secrets aren't even anything exciting to discover, there's a big, draping cloth and you need Diffindo to cut it, that's it. It's not hidden or anything, you just have to walk there. It's not difficult or fun, just annoying. Maybe if the castle's secret entrances were changed in any way, or maybe if it had its own type of secrets (like the different versions of the Chamber of Secrets did) it could work, but it's just honestly more tedious than anything, going into the same corridors and seeing the same interiors with largely the same secrets, changed ever so slightly.
Same goes for the item-collecting side quest. Seems like it was mandatory for the PS2 titles. They are once more placed in random, unintuitive locations. Waste of time. The broom helps a bit, but even less so than in Chamber of Secrets.
At least it is very easy to get all the cards this time, thanks to the inclusion of the trading system. You can actually get duplicate cards, but trading them will always result in receiving a new card. I completed my collection pretty effortlessly. The card descriptions are fully voiced, which is nice. I could go through all of them, unlike with the other games where completionism was too big of a pain.
The borrowed spells confuse me. Why use Spongify, which was possibly the most fun spell from any of these games, and then make it this extremely boring and situational ability. You don't zoom across rooms, you awkwardly jump high and hope Harry can grab the edge.
The camera is very bad. It got stuck frequently, even while being able to move it, and getting it unstuck was a challenge in its own right. There were other bugs I've encountered along the way, none big enough to mention, but altogether the collection of them made the whole experience feel unpleasant.
It has its share of unique ideas. Not a fair share, but a share. Collecting potion ingredients is kinda cool, though it doesn't seem like any of the enemies or mechanics used were fully finished. The worm, from which you require a mucus, seemed like a particularly big victim of a lack of animations or mechanics. Worth mentioning is that this game has barely no loading screens around the castle. The door-opening animations are longer, and there are now doors on every floor, but it seems like a lot of it is somehow all rendered at once. Kinda impressive, a little bit.
The story is told more nonsensically. They show certain things that weren't mentioned in the movie, even expand on some book-only events, but then they also skip over major story beats or invent their own. My favorite thing is that the day after you defeat the troll in the girls' bathroom, the Herbology class spell challenge requires you to beat two more. Like, what? Didn't McGonnagal say that not many first-years could knock out a troll just 10 minutes ago?
The final boss is awful, for some reasons they reuse the Gytrashes (these dog-like ghosts roaming the grounds at night, which fear the light) before the actual Voldemort fight, and they're ANNOYING. There's 4 of them, they look identical, run off-screen, shoot you with soundwaves, chase you, and if you eliminate one, Quirrel just respawns it! The task is to defeat them in a very short time-window, basically all at once, but it is a very stingy window. There is no good way to avoid them once they start chasing you, and each hit takes away precious time. It's just really awful design. The actual Voldemort part is confusing, as you have to stay still while standing close to the face of the mirror, so a beam comes out and nullifies the damage, while allowing you to dish out a special attack. It's quite difficult to aim it with the perspective you are given.
Perhaps this is not the worst 6th gen title should you pick it up as the first one, that honor would then befall the Chamber of Secrets most likely, but it's worth remembering that this actually came out AFTER Chamber of Secrets, with all the assets being thrown into the laps of a different studio so they can churn out a title while the work on Prisoner of Azkaban was underway. With that in mind, should you play these games as they were released, rather than following the movies, you'll see the sort of slip-ups and a lack of polish present throughout, which were largely not there in Chamber of Secrets. That game might have had more running back-and-forth, but it was somehow less mind-numbing.
Despite a sizeable chunk of new content, the game's main gameplay loop remains the same, which unfortunately highlights most of the issues with the format. The simplicity of the design is just downright annoying. The spell challenges specifically include areas you cannot access without spells you'll learn later, meaning you'll not only have to come back just to find unlock them if you want a 100%, but it is programmed so that you have to do THE ENTIRE CHALLENGE again, collecting ALL THE CHALLENGE SHIELDS YOU COLLECTED PREVIOUSLY on top of the new ones. What's even the point of engaging with the secrets earnestly on the first go if you are incentivized to do it all over again anyway?
The secrets aren't even anything exciting to discover, there's a big, draping cloth and you need Diffindo to cut it, that's it. It's not hidden or anything, you just have to walk there. It's not difficult or fun, just annoying. Maybe if the castle's secret entrances were changed in any way, or maybe if it had its own type of secrets (like the different versions of the Chamber of Secrets did) it could work, but it's just honestly more tedious than anything, going into the same corridors and seeing the same interiors with largely the same secrets, changed ever so slightly.
Same goes for the item-collecting side quest. Seems like it was mandatory for the PS2 titles. They are once more placed in random, unintuitive locations. Waste of time. The broom helps a bit, but even less so than in Chamber of Secrets.
At least it is very easy to get all the cards this time, thanks to the inclusion of the trading system. You can actually get duplicate cards, but trading them will always result in receiving a new card. I completed my collection pretty effortlessly. The card descriptions are fully voiced, which is nice. I could go through all of them, unlike with the other games where completionism was too big of a pain.
The borrowed spells confuse me. Why use Spongify, which was possibly the most fun spell from any of these games, and then make it this extremely boring and situational ability. You don't zoom across rooms, you awkwardly jump high and hope Harry can grab the edge.
The camera is very bad. It got stuck frequently, even while being able to move it, and getting it unstuck was a challenge in its own right. There were other bugs I've encountered along the way, none big enough to mention, but altogether the collection of them made the whole experience feel unpleasant.
It has its share of unique ideas. Not a fair share, but a share. Collecting potion ingredients is kinda cool, though it doesn't seem like any of the enemies or mechanics used were fully finished. The worm, from which you require a mucus, seemed like a particularly big victim of a lack of animations or mechanics. Worth mentioning is that this game has barely no loading screens around the castle. The door-opening animations are longer, and there are now doors on every floor, but it seems like a lot of it is somehow all rendered at once. Kinda impressive, a little bit.
The story is told more nonsensically. They show certain things that weren't mentioned in the movie, even expand on some book-only events, but then they also skip over major story beats or invent their own. My favorite thing is that the day after you defeat the troll in the girls' bathroom, the Herbology class spell challenge requires you to beat two more. Like, what? Didn't McGonnagal say that not many first-years could knock out a troll just 10 minutes ago?
The final boss is awful, for some reasons they reuse the Gytrashes (these dog-like ghosts roaming the grounds at night, which fear the light) before the actual Voldemort fight, and they're ANNOYING. There's 4 of them, they look identical, run off-screen, shoot you with soundwaves, chase you, and if you eliminate one, Quirrel just respawns it! The task is to defeat them in a very short time-window, basically all at once, but it is a very stingy window. There is no good way to avoid them once they start chasing you, and each hit takes away precious time. It's just really awful design. The actual Voldemort part is confusing, as you have to stay still while standing close to the face of the mirror, so a beam comes out and nullifies the damage, while allowing you to dish out a special attack. It's quite difficult to aim it with the perspective you are given.
Perhaps this is not the worst 6th gen title should you pick it up as the first one, that honor would then befall the Chamber of Secrets most likely, but it's worth remembering that this actually came out AFTER Chamber of Secrets, with all the assets being thrown into the laps of a different studio so they can churn out a title while the work on Prisoner of Azkaban was underway. With that in mind, should you play these games as they were released, rather than following the movies, you'll see the sort of slip-ups and a lack of polish present throughout, which were largely not there in Chamber of Secrets. That game might have had more running back-and-forth, but it was somehow less mind-numbing.