The Lego incarnation of games has been a real touch of genius in the gaming world and now it has turned its attention to J.K. Rowlings’ Harry Potter series. Lego Harry Potter Years 1 – 4 was always going to be fun, but the simple fact is that it’s just not as cool as the Lego Star Wars games and so feels like a little bit of a letdown in comparison.
I think that the biggest problem is that you can’t bash things with the same spectacular moves as you can in the Star Wars games, so the action feels a little on the slow side. Having a lightsabre at your command as well as the magic of the force beats a few spells hands down.
While the the same puzzling brilliance and easy game play as previous games remains, the addition of flying a broomstick gives Lego Harry Potter an extra boost of brilliance that allows it to keep pace a little with the previous Lego games. Additionally, there are a lot of different spells to unlock and choose from, but this can feel a little cumbersome at times. There’s also plenty of characters to unlock, giving the game more interest as you progress.
The graphics in Lego Harry Potter 1 – 4 are very cool with some awesome scenery and the soundtrack recaptures the magic of the films. The playability is very easy, maybe even too easy at times; other Lego games can be played by anyone of any age, but Lego Harry Potter feels more than any other that it is a kids game.
Harry Potter Years 1-4 review: 3.6/5
