| Introduction
Unless you've been living under a rock for some time,
the adventures of the famous boy wizard Harry Potter
can hardly have escaped your notice with last year's
movie and games for the GBA and GBC. Another year brings
another movie, and since reports that the big screen
outing is far more sophisticated than the first, hopes
are equally high for the GameBoy Advance version. Read
on to find out if the magic did indeed work...
GamePlay
As with the previous Harry Potter game, the Chamber
of Secrets sticks very closely to the movie's plot,
allowing the player to aid Harry in a number of challenges
to progress through the story line. This starts out
in Diagon Alley, which can feel a little linear at first,
but this is merely a cleverly constructed learning curve--with
a little perseverance, you'll quickly see the game open
out, allowing for much more exploration.
Initial tasks involve simply collecting items and
opening the odd secret door, but it becomes far more
immersive and puzzling as soon as you reach Hogwarts,
thanks in part to the newly designed engine. The flying
sections (or Quidditch matches) have also been redesigned
and now have far more of a 3D feel to them, thanks to
a clever use of 'Mode 7' and advance scaling techniques.
This is a huge improvement, and is much more satisfying
to play as well as delivering a faster and far more
frantic match, which is also reflective of the movie's
new take on the sport.
Another change has also been implemented in the acquisition
of spells; in addition to simply attending classes,
you have to actually earn them or seek them out. The
first is acquired by collecting five gems hidden in
a variety of objects, but further in the game the tasks
become a little more taxing. You'll probably find that
by the end of the game you'll have a whole host of spells
at your disposal but only two can be kept on hand at
any one time--switch these by changing them in your
inventory, where you'll also find many other useful
items.
The Famous Wizards Cards which were such a popular
aspect of the first Harry Potter game are still here
and as before, you'll find them hidden absolutely everywhere.
It's also a valid reason to complete every task, because
you never know if a good deed will result in a card
as a gift.
The Inventory is basically your help and information
system; in it you'll find everything you need, from
items collected and health, to various scrolls and general
options. Pressing the start button at any time takes
you straight to this screen, and if you're ever really
stuck, there's a good chance the answer is there. It's
still a good idea to talk to everyone and examine everything
though; retracing steps and re-examining objects almost
always paid off in the frustrating sections. Touching
one of the magic books that are generously located throughout
saves your game, but do please remember that you can
never save too much.
Controls
Harry Potter is another of those wonderful titles
that introduces the controls to you very gradually,
providing an excellently pitched learning curve. Of
course, there are the general directional controls,
running, jumping, etc., but if you're ever unsure of
anything you can usually ask someone, or the information
will be provided to you with text alongside a GBA logo.
It's all very intuitive, and in this case, seems to
work a lot better than a straight tutorial.
On the downside, the isometric viewpoint can be a
little awkward, as you may find when you try to cast
a spell at a person or object that you miss them completely.
It doesn't really spoil the overall enjoyment though
and you can always alter it via the options if it's
really annoying you.
Graphics
Let me start by saying that this latest outing features
a brand new graphics engine and as a result, you'll
notice some huge changes in the environments. For example,
when you're traveling around some exterior locations
you'll notice that there's extensive use of multi-parallax
scrolling, allowing objects such as rooftops to move
independently and give the whole thing a real 3D feel.
The cut scenes have also benefited from this technology,
and are now fully animated as opposed to the static
screens that grace most titles of this nature. There's
also a lot more detail, helping you to spot some of
the smaller objects, which could easily be missed in
the previous version. And you'll still encounter the
pleasing animation and clever level design throughout.
Sound & Music
A bit of a strange one this is, as the audio aspects
appear to be at odds with one another. The sound effects
are great, and whichever of the many locations you're
in, they really do enhance the overall atmosphere of
the game. The music, on the other hand, leaves a lot
to be desired and is probably best described as a unique
interpretation of the movie's theme music. It's not
terrible, but it's not up to par with the sound effects.
This could possibly be described as a good GBC soundtrack,
but the GBA deserves a lot more.
Final Comments
Placing the audio aspects of this title firmly to
one side, the developers have obviously taken their
lead from the first Harry Potter GBA outing, and the
game features improvements in almost every department.
The only thing that stops it from scoring higher is
the replay value, because after playing it once you're
unlikely to give it another go. This is addressed to
a certain extent by the fact that you can connect the
GBA version to the GameCube Chamber of Secrets game
to unlock extra secret areas and mini-puzzles, but you
have to own a GameCube to take advantage of this. It's
another well-rounded, entertaining game for fans of
the movie and general gamers alike though, proving once
again that not all movie tie-ins need be a complete
waste of time.
|
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