Thursday 18 November 2010

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (DS)

 

Everyone's favourite wizard, Harry Potter, will return both to the Big Screen and our handheld consoles in his seventh and final magical adventure tomorrow. So, what can fans really expect from the Nintendo DS version of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1?

 The Nintendo DS version of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is a a puzzle-based game. It is also the first game in the series that takes the characters outside the relative safety of Hogwarts.  The characters must embark on a dangerous journey, which means that players will now be introduced to a whole host of new environments from city streets to new wizarding locations, which each contain different enemies to fight (including Death Eaters, Snatchers and Dementors), new challenges to uncover and quests to complete.



In the game the player will be able to control one of the three characters Harry, Ron and Hermione in a brilliant 3D top-down view. Each character has special abilities to move the player through the game. These abilities will affect how the game progresses and will make the outcome of the game easier or more difficult depending on which abilities the character posseses.




For example, Harry always casts very powerful spells, whilst Ron can use Decoy Detonators as a distraction technique against the Death Eaters, and he also has the magical Deluminator gadget (used by Professor Dumbledore in the first film,) which removes all visible light from a given area.

Ron's abilities do not work effectively in head-to-head combat however, but they can provide a useful commotion which will in turn disorientate most enemies. Hermione can slow enemies down with the spell Arresto Momento. The different abilities do help to create varied gameplay and greatly adds to the game's replay value.



Potions and potion-making also make a welcome return in this game. New potions included in this game are: Wiggenweld Potion, Herbicide and Exploding Potion. Each potion takes the form of a mini game in which the player must find all the ingredients and then brew the potion against a time limit.  For help with completing Harry Potter Potions, please click HERE.

Many of the Spells from the Harry Potter Universe can also be found in  the Nintendo DS version including Stupefy, Protego, Wingardium Leviosa, Expecto Patronum and Incendio. Furthermore, the game also includes some multi-shot capabilities and cascading jinxes which are extremely useful for defeating multiple enemies.

Other magical items will help the characters to move stealthy past enemies. Harry's Invisibility Cloak is very useful in this game, whilst the Polyjuice Potion and Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder can also help Harry and his friends to avoid detection and sneak past their adversaries.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 does have a two-player multiplayer mode, so players can now battle against their friends using Wi-Fi connectivity. Players can choose to be either a Dementor or Harry Potter and must engage in a magical duel. The winner is the player with the highest score.

Official DS Preview Trailer

This game is graphically stunning and  has really tried to make up for the disappointment of the last Harry Potter handheld game, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which featured very short and repetitive gameplay throughout.

The storyline of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (AKA Harry Potter 2010)  sticks closely to that of the film and the numerous magical battles and duels are difficult but not frustrating. This game will enchant existing fans of the videogame series and  Mini Gamers predicts that it will be at the top of many people's Christmas lists this year. Overall rating: 9/10.




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