Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter rules books and movies, but does he rule the Xbox® too? What do you think? The boy wizard has become a teenager, and as for most of us, his life is becoming more complicated. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban™ is the latest Harry Potter adventure from EA Games, and not only do you control Harry, but Ron and Hermione are also along for the ride. Now you can choose any of the three to face down a Dementor, or save Hogwarts School one more time. You also get three action-packed mini-games that let you duel with other wizards, race owls, and fly around on a hippogriff.
So is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban up to no good, or does it deliver the goods? Read on!
Harry’s back and ready to rumble!
Strength in Numbers
Most adventure games have frustrating obstacles that often become your favorite parts once you figure them out. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is no different, but your plucky trio of wizards possesses the collective skills to help you get past most situations. There are a couple of ways to call on a specific character to apply their unique talents—just pull the left trigger or press the B button. For example, if you move Ron to a trunk and press the A button to have him pick up one side, he can’t lift it by himself. That’s okay—just pull the left trigger to have Harry, Hermione, or both come over to help. Alternatively, you can leave Ron there, hit the B button, and move Harry over to pick up the other side of the trunk. Harry can also offer an item such as a healing potion for Ron or Hermione instead of saving it for himself.
Ron thinks everythingis brilliant.
You Scratch My Back …
Using the individual strengths of all three characters is the best (and perhaps only) way to solve all of the game’s puzzles, traps, and other obstacles. Harry is the only character who can make it past certain challenges, since he’s the star and the most athletic of the trio. He’s also the only one with the Carpe Retractum spell to pull objects and the Patronus spell to ward off certain dangers. Ron has a knack for spotting secret doors and other hidden items, which will often be the only way to get out of a room or trap. He can also whip up the Lumos Duo spell to shed some light. Hermione, the academic that she is, knows many useful spells, but they have specific applications. She can cast the chilly Glacius spell to deal with certain enemies, the very useful Reparo spell to fix bridges, boxes, and other items, and the awesome Draconifors spell that I’ll let you discover for yourself. She’s also the only one small enough to squeeze through some tight spots.
“Quick—who has the password?”
Hitting the Hard-to-Hit
Casting the Flipendo spell at objects that aren’t a threat—like the vases that cough up valuable Bertie Botts’ Beans, or even more valuable health potions—can be tricky, but remember, you can throw as many as you want. Just hold down the right trigger so Harry (or Ron or Hermione) slides back and forth while casting, and eventually he or she will connect.
Taking out Hinkypunks can be incredibly frustrating, because they’re the first enemy that can’t be dealt with using a straight Flipendo spell. Knocking them out is a two-step process: First, have Ron cast a Lumos spell to blind them, and then whack ‘em with Flipendo. (Remember to dodge the fireballs the little buggers sling at you.) Also, watch for the semi-transparent Hinkypunks to start swinging their lanterns overhead—that’s a tip that fireballs are coming soon (and Ron needs to take cover).
Dueling pits your team (or lone wizard) against another group, often Malfoy and his chumps. The trick here is to keep your Expelliarmus spell ready for the right time, since it will affect a target faster than Flipendo, and is harder to avoid. If your head gets all pumpkin-like, press the B button to jump to another character until the effect wears off.
Potter gets sneaky.
Sneaking Past Guards
There are two types of guards at Hogwarts: The magic kind that show exactly where they’re looking, and the living kind that don’t. Some magic guards, like the suit-of-armor variety, can turn their heads, and some can’t. Some stand together, and some stand apart. There’s no single method for getting past a suit-of-armor guard—but there is a surefire way to know if it sees you. The guard’s field of vision—what it can see—is represented by a purple triangle. Just stay out of this triangle (which you can get surprisingly close to), and you’re good. It’s harder to fool living guards like Snape or a Hogwarts prefect, though. You won’t see a scanning indicator like with the empty knights. All live guards need to do is face you to catch you.
Overall, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a challenging game that’s not quite like playing the movie, but it’s close. I give it four out of five.
