The Harry Potter video game franchise
has been around since 2001.
The main series features a game for every novel and film.
But the Harry Potter games don’t end there,
as one of the most anticipated
and exciting Harry Potter games of all time
still has to be released!
This is the evolution of Harry Potter Games!
Let’s go back to our childhoods when we were
first enchanted when reading the books,
watching the movies,
and playing the Harry Potter games.
Our journey begins with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone,
or the Sorcerer’s Stone for our American viewers.
The game was released in 2001,
only 2 weeks after the release of the movie.
Electronic Arts or EA granted the rights to Harry Potter Games in August 2000.
The story follows the main elements of the book’s plot
and starts after Harry Potter discovers he is a wizard.
"You're a wizard, Harry."
Players control Harry Potter from a third-person perspective.
In the game,
players can complete puzzles,
follow lessons,
fight enemies, and cast
and unlock spells throughout the levels.
There are also some levels in which Harry can fly on a broomstick and play Quidditch.
All the main characters, including Harry,
Ron,
Hermione,
Draco, and Hagrid,
are in the game,
as well as You-Know-Who,
which you were able to fight in an intense boss-battle at the end of the game.
Besides the PC version, other versions were released for different platforms,
including one for the PlayStation.
Just like the PC version, it was a third-person adventure game.
However, there are differences in the story and gameplay.
There were also two different versions for the Game Boy Color
and the Game Boy Advance.
A role-playing game was released for the Game Boy Color, similar to Pokémon,
while the Game Boy Advance received a top-down puzzle game.
In 2003, a new version of the Philosopher’s Stone was released for the GameCube,
PlayStation 2,
and Xbox.
It differs greatly from the other version,
with different gameplay and the story followed the film much more than the other games.
The game was released in a hurry and
criticized for reusing the spells and map
from the Chamber of Secrets game.
The first Harry Potter games received mixed reviews.
IGN even said about the PC version quote,
On Metacritic,
the game received a score of 65 out of 100.
Nonetheless, the first Harry Potter game with all its variants was a success,
and in the United States alone, 2.7 million copies were sold.
Fun Fact
The PlayStation version of the game is famously known for PS1 Hagrid.
I find it hilarious that while everyone loved Hagrid in the movies,
this is what they came up with for the game,
where he just looks terrible.
Next came Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in 2002.
Like with the first game, there were several different versions.
However, unlike its ancestor,
the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube versions
were not made after the game was released on the other consoles
they were all released simultaneously.
The Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets video game
sticks pretty closely to the plot of the book and movie
but also adds a few extra things for players to do
besides following the main story.
A huge improvement was that players were able to run around Hogwarts freely,
just what every fan dreamed about.
Players could explore the dungeons,
halls, and school grounds,
and they could also find hidden areas.
All releases of the game received generally positive reviews.
The PC version got a score of 77,
which is 12 points higher than the first game.
According to critics, it became one of the best Harry Potter games in the main series.
It was a huge success,
and more than 9 million copies were sold.
In 2003 Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup was released
for the Game Boy Advance,
PC,
PlayStation 2,
Xbox
and GameCube.
This game was entirely different,
and as the name implies,
it focuses on Quidditch matches,
making it a sport action game.
The game was best described by PC Gameworld,
who said quote,
Nonetheless,
the game is still better than FIFA.
Don’t worry,
I’m just kidding.
In 2004 came the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban action-adventure game.
The game was released in three different versions.
The first for PC,
the second for the Game Boy Advance,
and the third for home consoles.
More spells were added to the game, as well as new creatures to fight.
The game also includes new characters such as Sirius Black,
an important figure in the story.
Players could explore,
do many side quests
and unravel secrets.
Though the most significant difference was that players have the ability to
also play as Ron and Hermione.
The PC and console versions had different spells
that were exclusive for the three playable characters.
The game was met worse than the Chamber of Secrets,
with critics saying that while kids and fans of Harry Potter
will probably still enjoy the game,
anyone else will probably not like it that much.
Oh well, they didn’t know what was coming…
The PC version was also considered too easy,
which isn’t surprising since the game is also intended to be played by kids.
The game got a score of 67,
which is 10 points less than the previous Harry Potter Game.
Fun Fact
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was made by EA Bright Light.
They also developed the later games of the main series, which was probably a bad thing.
You’ll figure out why in a minute.
In 2005, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was released.
The game was available for many platforms,
including PC,
Game Boy Advance,
GameCube,
Nintendo DS,
PlayStation 2,
Xbox
and the PlayStation Portable.
The fourth game had improved graphics
and became more of an action-focused game rather than a puzzle adventure game.
It was the franchise’s first step towards being more action-focused.
Unlike the previous Harry Potter game,
the Goblet of Fire is split up into particular levels,
rather than being able to run around Hogwarts freely,
which many people were disappointed about.
The game received mixed reviews.
While some enjoyed the gameplay and spells,
many would agree that the game was very short.
PC Gamer was clearly not a fan of the game and said quote,
The Goblet of Fire got a score of 66.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix came in 2007.
The same game was released for every platform
with only minor changes,
such as graphics.
The game stepped away from linear action-oriented gameplay
to sandbox adventure gameplay.
Letting you explore Hogwarts freely
instead of just rambling from mission to mission.
The Order of the Phoenix was also released for the Nintendo Wii.
This allowed players to use the Wii Remote as a wand to cast spells.
EA worked with fans during the development of the game.
To improve the game’s graphics,
certain characters from the film visited the studio
to have their faces rendered in the game.
These included Ron, played by Rubert Grint
and Luna, by Evanna Lynch.
The game only got a score of 63,
which was the worst score for a Harry Potter game.
According to critics,
the game had many flaws and glitches,
and repetitive gameplay.
Fun Fact
Many fans were unhappy with the inability to explore Hogwarts in the previous game.
So, for the Order of the Phoenix,
the designers made sure to include as many areas of Hogwarts to explore as possible.
The designers also wanted Hogwarts exactly how it appears in the films,
rather than a recreation of the developer’s own design.
They also looked at the blueprints of Hogwarts from the movies
and the notes from J.K. Rowling to make Hogwarts as immersive as possible.
Despite it being the worst-rated Harry Potter game at the time,
fans and critics did appreciate the recreation of Hogwarts.
In 2009 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released.
Players could enjoy the game on PC,
PlayStation Portable,
PlayStation 2,
Xbox 360,
Wii,
PlayStation 3,
Nintendo DS
and mobile devices.
After shifting away from action-oriented gameplay,
the franchise came back to it.
The game also includes multiplayer,
as well as classes,
Quidditch,
Wizard duels,
and potion-making.
While the school grounds are nearly identical,
some new areas are added,
including the entrance to Hogwarts.
Even for its time, the graphics were unimpressive.
The Half-Blood Prince only received one point higher than its predecessor.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1
was released in 2010 for mobile devices,
Nintendo DS,
PC,
PlayStation 3,
Wii,
and Xbox 360.
The story is about Harry,
Ron, and Hermione,
who set out to destroy the seven Horcruxes,
in order to defeat Voldemort.
The game is very different from previous Harry Potter games
since it was focused on an adult audience rather than kids.
It was also the first Harry Potter game to be rated a T for Teen
by the ESRB.
While the change to the older target audience,
the dark theme, and the lore could have been turned into a fantastic game,
it became the worst Harry Potter game by far.
The gameplay turned this into a mindless third-person shooter.
It even involves headshots.
Sure, we understand that the Call of Duty franchise was in full bloom,
and the Halo franchise was also going strong. But really,
a Harry Potter shooter?
For the Nintendo DS,
a different version was released.
It wasn’t action-focused; and instead, it was a puzzle-based game.
The game shows a map on the top screen and a 3D top-down view of the player on the lower screen.
Ron and Hermione were also playable and had their own abilities.
Both versions of the Deathly Hallows Part 1 received very negative reviews.
PC gamer even said quote,
And GamePro said quote,
This game only scored 37 points,
which is by far the worst score of all Harry Potter games.
The Deathly Hallows Part 2 was released in 2011.
It was released for the same platforms as Part 1.
The story continues to follow Harry,
Ron,
and Hermione on their quest to defeat Lord Voldemort
by destroying the remaining Horcruxes.
After hitting rock bottom with part 1,
EA did their best in the sequel
and made what is probably the best Harry Potter game!
I’m,
of course,
kidding.
Part 2 has almost the same gameplay except for some minor changes,
like the ability to “Apparate,”
which lets you teleport in and out of battles.
Digital Spy said about the game quote,
The Daily Telegraph called it
The Deathly Hallows Part 2 only scored slightly better than part 1 and received 43 points.
This was the end of the Harry Potter movies and their main game series.
These gave us lots of emotions.
Mixed emotions, of course.
But it wasn’t the end of Harry Potter games,
as probably the most anticipated Harry Potter game ever
still has to be released.
We’ll talk about it in a minute, but first,
let’s talk about some other Harry Potter games that were released.
Fun Fact
The Harry Potter video game franchise is a huge success.
In total, the games grossed over 1.5 billion in sales!
Besides the main series there were also the Lego Harry Potter games
developed by Traveller’s Tales
and published by Warner Bros.
In 2010 Lego Harry Potter: Years 1–4 was released.
Gamers had a wide variety of choices on which platform they wanted to play the game,
as the game was released for many platforms.
As the name implies,
the game is based on the first four books
and their film adaptations.
It was an action-adventure game that emphasized collecting,
exploring,
solving puzzles,
making potions,
and, of course, casting spells.
The game was very well received.
It even received a higher score than all the previous Harry Potter games.
Obviously, the game had a sequel;
Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7.
This game was based on the final three books and four films of the Harry Potter series.
The gameplay was the same, but it also included a wide range of new characters,
items, and locations.
Just like its predecessor,
the game was also very well received.
CD-Action even said about the game quote,
The game received an impressive 80 points!
"I award Gryffindor house
60 points."
In 2012 and 2013,
the Book of Spells and Book of Potions were released,
respectively.
Both were released for the PlayStation 3
and used the PlayStation Move controller.
The game also used the Wonderbook,
which came with the game.
These games are entirely different from any other Harry Potter games
and focus on doing spells with augmented reality.
Fun Fact
J.K. Rowling worked with Sony to develop Book of Spells
and described it as
And finally, when we lost our hopes for a decent Harry Potter game,
we got it now with Hogwarts Legacy.
Hogwarts Legacy is an immersive,
open-world RPG.
Now you can take control of the action and be at the center of your own adventure in the wizarding world!
Hogwarts Legacy will be released in 2022
and is being developed by Avalanche Software,
which, to be honest,
has not released any major games,
so I’m crossing my fingers.
It will be published by Warner Bros
and will be released for PC,
PlayStation 4
and the Xbox One,
as well as the next generation PlayStation 5
and the Xbox Series X and S
The game takes place way before the original Harry Potter story,
in the 1800s.
In the game, players can choose their Hogwarts House,
attend classes and explore the open world.
Players will also learn to cast various spells,
brew potions,
tame magical beasts,
and master other combat abilities.
A massive open-world game on the next generation consoles really sounds like a dream come true.
Oh man,
I’ve been waiting for a Harry Potter game like this for so long.
For everyone that grew up with Harry Potter,
let’s just hope our time has finally come!
Even though most of us are in our twenties or thirties now,
it all doesn’t matter as the wizarding world has no boundaries.
Are you also very excited for Hogwarts Legacy
and what do you think were the best and worst Harry Potter games?
Let us know your opinion in the comments!
Also,
please subscribe,
fellow muggles!