LEGO HP: 5-7 years. Overview of the demo version

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LEGO 5-7

In early November 2011, a demo version of the new game became available. The game left a good impression, just like the previous one. Only one thing upset me: the system requirements have increased, and a sufficiently powerful computer will be required to run the game.

After a relatively short unpacking of the installer from a 482 MB zip archive, we get an executable file of 546 MB. We start and observe the process of extracting the installation files, accept the license agreement, specify the folder for installation and wait for its completion. I draw your attention to the fact that DirectX is forcibly updated during installation.

Upon completion of the installation process, click on the icon and wait (the game takes a long time to prepare the graphical components for the first launch). We notice a new loading screen saver (the pot is now wobbling and emitting greenish vapors). And here it is — the main menu of the game.

A shot from the game

Main menu

We select a single level, and then the main passage (free passage, as usual, opens after the main one). For some time we observe the boiler of the loading screen… and we watch a cut-scene about the events that happened to the Lovegoods, and also observe the arrival of the inseparable trinity and her attempt to enter the house — in order to knock on the door, it needs to be repaired.

A shot from the game

Lovegoods’ house.

A shot from the game

Voldemort’s servant with a portrait of Harry

A shot from the game

At maximum settings, the graphics are pleasing, but too heavy for some computers (2011)

On relatively weak computers, there is a noticeable increase in the load on the processor and video card of the computer. Therefore, by pressing Esc, you can open the menu, select settings and turn off unnecessary graphic effects, reduce the screen resolution, reduce the quality of textures. Well, we apply the settings. Some actions will take quite a lot of time — the game re-creates the necessary graphics modules. The status of the process is periodically reported to us as a percentage. After setting up, we proceed to the passage.

A shot from the game

The left part of the courtyard — new and old puzzles

The gameplay has remained the same — we break everything we can, collect coins, use spells to free objects, collect something and again wonder at the imagination of developers 🙂

The old obstacles have changed graphically, but the green tentacles are still afraid of light, bushes and fruits are broken on them.

A shot from the game

We collect carrots — we get a fragment of the crest

There are still tasks with the transfer of any objects (for example, pulling out a carrot and levitating it into a basket). For this, sometimes you can get a fragment of the crest.

A shot from the game

We sort through the spells and do not forget to save the students

Spell icons have changed slightly. However, new ones have been added, old ones have regrouped. And we still need to save Hogwarts students. The only question is: what did this one forget in this area many kilometers from Hogwarts? 😉

Well, as for the control: intentionally or not, it is unknown, but the developers swapped the functions of the U-H-J-K keys. In the settings, you can return the old control, unless, of course, you have not forgotten it yet.

A shot from the game

Weasley box, items for dark magicians, a surface for vertical lifting 😉

Of the novelties, we can note the boxes from the Weasley twins. Only members of the Weasley family can get anything out of them. The rest are waiting for… um, a somewhat unpleasant surprise 😉 It is also impossible not to notice the purple plate from which Hermione can get objects, as well as the vertical lift panel — with the help of special shoes, the characters can use it to climb somewhere, although everything is clear from the picture anyway 🙂 In this case, the rise is hindered by the wasp, which no spells take.

A shot from the game

Wasps love sweets

Yes, that’s right, the plastic ice cream extracted by Hermione attracts the wasp, and the way up is clear. Of course, if you manage to get special shoes and arm yourself with a dark wizard.

A shot from the game

We still find the tokens of the characters

After going into the house, we observe a forced manifestation of Mr. Lovegood’s acting skills. The developers again perfectly expressed everything that was required without words. Periodically we have to solve puzzles to go further — the stairs, as it turned out, with a trick — Mr. Lovegood decided to send a message to the PS that Harry is here and that he is trying to detain friends at home (I write from the book, but everything is perfectly guessed here — reading the book before passing is mandatory, otherwise there will be no pleasure from passing).

Having broken something, we find the icon «Luna Lovegood» — it will still need to be redeemed for free passage and the use of a revolving potion.

A shot from the game

Hints…

Periodically, the game tells you what to do, but it seems that this happens only in the first locations. As you gain experience, this is practically not required, although it will not do without further hints.

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Paired tasks

The game is still designed for both one and two users on the same computer. The second option is usually much more interesting. Here the guys managed to find the second element of the ladder lowering mechanism.

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Tea party. The plot of the book is beautifully presented

A video showing how Mr. Lovegood tries to pretend that everything is fine, while detaining the guys. After the «tea party», because it turned out not to be tea, although Ron liked it, Mr. Lovegood points Hermione to the book «Tales of the Bard Beadle», and she begins to «read aloud», putting Ron to sleep. Meanwhile, a message has been sent to Voldemort’s servants. And the loading takes place…

A shot from the game

The story of the three brothers — putting the gifts into practice

A pleasant surprise! Unlike HP and DH. Part 1, here we not only observe a variant of the story, but also participate in it!

The essence of the test is as follows: each brother, as we know, turned out to have a gift: an elder wand, a resurrection stone and an invisibility cloak. The main stumbling block may be the area where the brother with the invisibility cloak needs to use three pumpkins. Here we do as with gnomes in a Hole (the beginning of 2 years in the first game or with spiders in the same year) — we lift the pumpkin and spin it (note: with the «A» key — move to the left). At the end of the task, we return to the Lovegoods’ house.

A shot from the game

Spectral-astral glasses sometimes help. There is a potion in the cauldron 🙂

The developers have provided the gameplay (not without humor 😉 ) and such things as spectral-astral glasses, with which you can find some ingredients for a potion to increase strength. And follow the prompts — the assignment of the keys has changed compared to the first game. After making and taking the potion, you need to find something to the right of that slot in the form of a key that you can grab onto. Well, one more novelty — in spectral-astral glasses, you can notice the contours of any objects on some objects — they can be cut out and used in the location.

A shot from the game

Mr. Lovegood decided to tell everything

In the last location we have to find 2 mannequins similar to the local Moon. Mr. Lovegood himself decided to act as the third dummy, after which he confesses to friends, and they disapparate.

After that, we are shown a promotional video and offered to play the game in free mode, where we are available, except for the trinity: Arthur Weasley, Nymphadora Tonks, Fenrir Greybeck, Dolores Umbridge.

Well, it remains only to summarize.

Summary. Updated graphic design, added new items, puzzles, characters, spells, changed default controls.

Regarding the plot: a perfect combination of the plot of the book, the participation of events, appropriate humor.

The guys from TT Games were able to please again — unlike EA products, they provided fans with much of what they expected from existing projects.

Among the disadvantages, we can note the increased system requirements — the design has changed significantly.


Final score: Great!


Author of the review: АlехeyMS

November 2, 2011.


P.S. you could find the demo version on the page http://videogames.lego.com/en-us/harrypotter57/DEMODownload/Content/Default.aspx (Official website) (English version only)

2.01.2012. The demo version is not available on the official website. You can search for it on the page of the game itself on our website or in stores.