Hello and welcome to where the wizarding world gets dark in LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7. We’re back as Harry Potter and the rest of Dumbledore’s Army, as Voldemort and his followers are growing in strength. I’ve already reviewed Years 1-4 previously, and now it’s time to complete the story. So, what are the major differences between the two games? And are the Years 5-7 as magical as before?
LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7 are Magical in Their Own Way
The first noticeable improvement is the pristine graphics. Harry Potter goes from looking like a funny-shaped mushroom to the Chosen One within seconds. In the process of recording this video, I noticed that a PlayStation 5 upgrade had been released. Being unwilling to start again, I am left to imagine how majestic some of the settings would look with the up-to-date wacky Lego mechanics. Both games are well over a decade old, but they’re still looking fresh thanks to the continuous upgrades through each gaming generation.
It’s not only the graphics that still compete. Being a PlayStation 3 game to begin with, you’d expect LEGO Harry Potter to have become unplayable by now, but that simply isn’t the case. Yes, there are still some incredibly frustrating moments. Moving the bricks is torturous at times when you have to be precise, and when a room doesn’t have split-screen, the scene in my living room with my wife is like Dumbledore arguing with the Minister for Magic. Crazy.
There are some other major improvements. Flying on a broom feels electrifying, and you no longer have to use the buttons to change to the spell you require for a certain activity. The tasks are similar to the previous game, but completing them is far easier.
Picking Up Where We Left Off
Some things never change. It felt great to be back in the wizarding world of Harry Potter once again. Years 5-7 start with Harry being able to use many of the same spells as before, but you soon lose them. You must progress through the levels to earn spells like Reducto back, which does feel a little jarring. Thankfully, there are pleasant additions like Ron’s Deluminator, given to him by Dumbledore. Also, Luna’s magical glasses which allow her to see invisible objects. Once you gain some momentum, the early disappointment is quickly forgotten, and you find yourself in a world of fun.
Talking of a world of fun, some of the settings in Years 5-7 are stunning. The underground world of the Ministry of Magic is, well, magical. It’s such a lively place full of energy, and coins. Then there is the wilderness around Hogwarts that you explore with Luna, and the terrifying cave that Voldemort’s Horcrux necklace is assumed to be hidden in.
There are so many new environments that it’s often difficult to concentrate on collecting everything. It feels harder to achieve True Wizard in the second game than in the first, and maybe that’s why.
The Mission is to Defeat Voldemort and Save the Wizarding World
The creativity in LEGO games is matched only by the very best games like Little Big Planet and It Takes Two. Some ideas work wondrously well, while others can fall a little flat. The water missions fall into that category. They’re easily my least favourite levels. Trying to hit objects with my wand while swimming is infuriating, and I always seem to accidentally float past my intended target.
Scratch that! The Three Brothers’ mission is the pinnacle of my desperation. I always seem to die! On this occasion, I didn’t do too badly, but I was riddled with anxiety throughout the process of safely completing each activity.
The further you progress into the game, the more you have to fight in a ridiculous number of mind-numbing duels.
During the last film’s levels, Hogwarts is in a state of panic. This is courtesy of Voldemort and his oncoming army attacking the pupils in search of Harry Potter. Death is in the air as the fighting starts, but while the majority of the previous deaths are incredibly childish, Snape’s is brutal. The poor man is massacred by the giant snake Nagini.
In the final mission, one player is required to hold Voldemort in Priory Incantatem, while the other explores the grounds for collectables. The poor soul spamming the button is locked in a hopeless task, but once Voldemort is defeated, the levels are complete.
Now for the Satisfying Aspect of LEGO Harry Potter
Once all the missions are complete, it’s time to collect everything. There are nowhere near as many collectables scattered around Hogwarts, so you have to search all around London and the countryside. The first thing to do is make sure that you’ve unlocked and bought the specific characters required to complete all of the activities. This would be easier if the shop in Years 5-7 wasn’t so long-winded. It takes what feels like an age to wait for the available characters to spin back around so you can buy them. This is an aspect of the game that Years 1-4 clearly excels over the later addition.
You can still collect red bricks by handing them to Hedwig. These unlock special abilities like double coins and invincibility. Plus, a lovely Christmas mode. It helps if you turn them on in the pause menu, though, which I foolishly didn’t! I was also totally lost, but thankfully, I had my wife with me, who knew exactly where she was going. There certainly are two different types of players who play LEGO games.
We decided to search Knockturn Alley before proceeding to complete the Freeplay missions, when we found ourselves in a nightmare. I’d completely forgotten about the surreal level where you have to smash every possible item until you reach a million coins.
It was a suffocating experience, yet oddly satisfying at the same time. All I’m saying is that at least the first game’s bonus levels had some variety.
Are LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7 as Magical as Years 1-4?
Once you’ve replayed all of the levels on Freeplay mode and collected every possible item available, you then have the final search for any gold bricks or characters you’ve missed. This is the perfect time to use the bonus detectors to find the last remaining items and complete the game.
All LEGO games have the same main ingredient: fun. There is something strange about the addictive nature of collecting every single item available, but I find myself having to fully complete the game every single time I load it up. Only certain activities can make me feel that level of obsession.
The LEGO Harry Potter games are just the perfect family experience.
There is still no greater feeling than playing a LEGO game with your co-op buddy and seeing that 100% symbol flashing on your screen. Years 5-7 improves on Years 1-4 in some areas, such as graphics and gameplay, but has also lost some of its simplicity. Either way, both games certainly flow with the same wonderful magic, and I know for sure that this isn’t the last time I’ll be completing them.
Verdict
My overall rating for LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7 is also 8/10.
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