Off the Shelf Media

I remember playing Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban as a kid and being severely disappointed. It didn’t have the charm or fun of Chamber of Secrets. That, my friends, is why you should never take the opinions of little kids seriously. I had a blast playing this game almost twenty years later. 

It helps when you have excellent source material to go off of and EA delivers once again with a rollercoaster experience that does the Potter universe justice. Enjoy it while it lasts because this is the end of good Harry Potter movie-to-game adaptions 

One quick fun fact before we start the review. This game came out on June 2, 2004, which is two days before the theatrical release on June 4, 2004. That’s a bold choice and not something I’ve heard of before. Take that tidbit of information and impress your friends next time there’s Harry Potter trivia. 

Ok, on we go! 

Gameplay: 1

The gameplay is similar to the first two. If you need a refresher, check out my previous reviews on Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets. Harry goes to school, learns new spells, and unlocks hidden areas of the castle to explore. The formula worked before and it works again. There is one major difference, and that’s letting you finally play as Ron and Hermoine. 

Since there are three playable characters, the game had to focus more on challenges and puzzles rather than combat and enemies to fight. There are only a few that made me want to pull my teeth out (specifically where Harry has to learn the Patronous spell) but the teamwork and figuring out which character needs which spell was a fun twist to add to the third game. 

Each character has a specialty and overall the trio is balanced. Ron knows Lumos, which is needed to fight off specific enemies or solve challenges. Hermoine isn’t the best at combat so she’s more of a puzzle person. And Harry is good at just about everything because his name is in the title. 

I want to take a point off for the targeting system. It’s a step down compared to Chamber of Secrets but not a big enough problem where I’m getting game over because of it. Yes, the targeting is bad but if you fail over and over again it’s a skill issue, not a mechanical one. 

Where I am taking a point off is the constant reminders to go to bed. Ron and Hermoine will follow you everywhere and if you want to explore or search for potion ingredients you can, but be prepared for a reminder to go to bed every 30 seconds. 

Reminding the player where to go with a verbal cue is one thing but spamming the player to progress with the story rather than explore the world you built is another. It happened a lot and it’s not something you can overlook and you can’t turn it off in the settings. 

Story: 1

Harry Potter returns for his third year at Hogwarts and surprise, surprise, someone is trying to kill him. This time it’s Sirius Black, You-Know-Who’s right-hand man and escaped convict. Harry must find a way to cheat death again, avoid the creepy Dementors, and find a way to pass his classes with Ron and Hermoine by his side. 

I wish the Knight Bus was in this game. Would it have made any sense? Probably not, but I’d have paid extra to hear the shrunken head say “Ya, take it away, Ernie” one more time. In all seriousness, the story picks up on the Hogwarts Express with Ron talking about Sirius Black. 

From a gameplay perspective, I can’t see how the writers or developers could have incorporated the scenes at the Dursleys, the Knight Bus, or The Leaky Cauldron. However, a lot of key plot points go on there. Harry runs away, runs into who we later learn is Sirius in dog form, learns about Sirius Black, and gets warned not to go looking for him. All of that is skipped so Harry and Ron can explore the train and fight Draco Malfoy. 

A simple cutscene with some narration is all that is needed to bring the audience up to speed. By the time this game was released, Harry Potter was a global sensation and readers were already four books deep but there could have been a small handful of people who never read the book and picked up the game. Context is needed and when you’re telling a story, always assume your audience has no idea what’s going on. 

That’s not to say that the developers never got it right. 10 points to EA for taking a 5-minute scene from the movie and turning it into a playable level. Take the Mauraders Map for example. Instead of Fred and George giving the map to Harry, he has to earn it through a level with enemies to fight and puzzles to solve. Prisoner of Azkaban isn’t packed with action, especially early on in the story, so some creativity was needed to make the players get their money’s worth and situations like this stood out. Well done, EA. 

Atmosphere: 2

Hogwarts looks as great as it did in the previous two games. Much of the castle is designed the same as the common room, great hall, and dungeons, but the grounds are updated with the bridge, clocktower, and the rocks where Hermoine punches Malfoy in the jaw. It’s still fun exploring every nook and cranny of the castle, flying around, playing the mini-games, and going to class. 

Let’s talk about the Dementors. They are a major foe in the series and the game does a great job at making them terrifying. The screen goes dark, they are loud, and they suck your soul out. Fun! Fighting them isn’t that difficult, but if you aren’t paying attention, they will ruin your day and make you start all over. 

The animation style is a step up from the previous games and the music is as magical and whimsical as ever. Does the game feel like you’re at Hogwarts? Yes. Is it an immersive experience? Yes. Do I still wish Hogwarts was real? Yes, yes, and yes. 

Value: 1

Priced at $49.99, it’s a lot for this game. I try to judge the value from the perspective of when this game was released. The runtime and things to do in this game were on par for 2004 but unfortunately, this game has little replay value. 

I played it once as a kid and I played it once as an adult. I never plan on playing it again, and I can’t say that for any of the other Potter games I have reviewed. I enjoyed playing as Ron and Hermoine but the constant reminder to go to bed when I want to explore and the disappointing final mission (more on that below) cut the value in half. 

If Blockbuster was still around, I’d say rent it during a 3-day weekend and turn that $49.99 into $5.99. Alas, Blockbuster is long gone, and so is my interest in playing this game again. 

Duration: 1

Remember how I said a cutscene at the beginning of the game would have gone a long way in adding context? Yeah, well, EA took my advice, but they put in the climax and the finale of the story instead. 

The Time Turner is one of the coolest sequences in the books and the movies, but in the game, it falls flat. There’s no sneaking around Hagrids Hut, there’s no freeing Buckbeak, and the final fight with the Dementors is fine. What you get is a cutscene and it skips right to the lake to save Sirius and yourself. 

For a game that relies on sneaking as a mechanic, they dropped the ball at the end of this game. There could have been a mini-game where you have to make sure you aren’t seen by yourself. There could have been a small cutscene where Ron wants to go get Scabbers and Hermoine has to stop him. Hell, there could have been a quick time event where you have to save Buckbeak, but no. We get a cutscene and a time jump. 

 It feels like the developers ran out of time, money, or both and rushed to the end to get it released on time. 

The runtime is around 10-15 hours, which isn’t bad, but there was meat left on the bone in this story. It’s one thing to leave the player wanting more and leaving them hungry. I was left hungry knowing there wasn’t any more content to fill said hunger. It’s disappointing. 

Total Score: 6/10

This is a strong 6/10. I had a lot to complain about in this review, but believe me when I said I enjoyed this game. The gameplay is fun and I loved playing as multiple characters. You still feel like you’re a wizard and escapism is critical to the success of any game. Some technical and story elements lacked and as a critic, I have to take points off. 

 If I could give it a 6.5 I would, but rules are rules. If you’ve never played any of the Harry Potter games, I highly recommend them. They each follow a similar formula but each has unique characteristics that make them stand on their own. Once you’ve played these three, you can stop. The rest are trash and I can’t wait to bash Goblet of Fire. 

Before I do that, I need to write a eulogy for a free mobile game that is sadly coming to an end. Next time you get to read my eulogy for The Simpsons: Tapped Out. We’re going to pour a Duff out for the homies. 

I’ll see ya there, but until then, y’all take care.