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Harry Potter’s latest adventure hits Nintendo’s handhelds. Harry Potter and The Goblet Of Fire is essentially identical for both the Nintendo DS and Gameboy Advance. While the game is solid on both platforms, especially the Gameboy Advance since it is less powerful; it’s a shame that EA didn’t make two separate games for the two different handhelds. Nonetheless, the core gameplay and presentation is strong.
In Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and friends have entered their third year at Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft. Through some trickery, Harry is entered in the Triwizard Tournament, chosen to co-represent his school in a tournament known for making sure that not all competitors leave alive. The game focuses on the actual adventure elements of the movie, leaving out all of the sappy romantic elements between Harry and his crush, and Ron and Hermione.
In the Goblet of Fire, you’ll play as Harry, Ron, or Hermione in an isometric point of view. The characters have unique abilities – Harry is best at attacking, Ron is the quickest, and Hermione has the strongest defense – but the actual gameplay is the same for all of them. All three characters are on screen at the same time. Like the console versions, the Goblet of Fire relies heavily on exploration, though the spells are a big part of the game as well. Again like the console versions, the spells are context-dependent, meaning that you’ll get a new spell depending on the situation at hand. This works particularly well for the Gameboy Advance version given the lack of buttons. The action is simplified to the point of feeling intuitive without feeling like it was unnecessarily dumbed down.
Unlike the console versions, the Gameboy advance version of the Goblet of Fire does not include multiplayer support for the main game. It would have been greatly appreciated since the AI controlling the other characters isn’t quite up to par. The game does enable you to play minigames with another player, though. The minigames are decently amusing though they don’t quite substitute for full on cooperative gameplay. In addition, it requires multiple copies of the game.
The game’s visuals are very impressive on the Gameboy Advance. The character models are pretty detailed and the animations are fluid enough on the small screen. The environments capture the feel of the Harry Potter universe very well. The game really pushes the Gameboy Advance hardware to create what is possibly the best the GBA can pull off.
The game’s sound is equally impressive. The game’s sound effects are solid, though the orchestrated music fits in wonderfully with the rest of the game. EA UK included some voice clips from the characters, giving the game a more authentic feeling. Once again, the sound package is particularly impressive for a Gameboy Advance game.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire really pushes the Gameboy Advance. The gameplay is solid enough though the game excels in giving fans a good recreation of the Harry Potter universe. Though aimed at younger gamers, Harry fans will find a lot to like in the game. The game doesn’t include all of the additional features of the Nintendo DS version but includes enough to make it a worthwhile purchase if you don’t own Nintendo’s newer handheld. -- Jake Wilson, PGNx Media
---- Nov 27, 2005
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