Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone: Retro special for the Game Boy RPG
Table of Contents
1 Many names, many games 2 Magical card tricks 3 One-eyed among the blind In this article, however it's about the version for good old Game Boy Color, which saw the light of day in 2001. By the way: While German readers and gamers know the beginning of the series under the name Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, there are international differences. Rowling's novel is called Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in the UK, but it's called Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in America - it's the same with the games.[VIDEO]
Although the names differ, behind both names the same game is hidden on the Game Boy Color. And now the important question: Was The Philosopher's Stone a good licensed game?
Lots of names, lots of games
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone: Retro-Special for the Game Boy Color RPG (5) Source: PC Games Harry Potter and the Stone of the Weisen is explicitly not based on the film, but on the novel. Therefore, the characters do not look similar to the actors, but are based on the descriptions in the literary template. This also means that you have to forego the iconic film melody and instead listen to relatively interchangeable doodling. You will also experience the most important moments from the book in the game, including those that were left out in the movie. Poltergeist Peeves, for example, did not make it into any of the eight films, but on the Game Boy Color you have the "pleasure" of getting to know the unpleasant contemporary. You are not allowed to play Quidditch matches here (but in some other editions of the game for the rest of the platforms at that time). And be careful: Although one might guess, the output for the Game Boy Advance is not the same game with a better look: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone for the successor Nintendo handheld console is a puzzle game , no RPG like on the GBC!Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone: Retro-Special for the Game Boy Color RPG (6) Source: PC Games The Game Boy Color game comes from Griptonite development team, which has also taken over further licensing updates for Nintendo platforms, such as The Lord of the Rings or James Bond, and also created the sequels to the GBC title. The pocket adventure begins with Harry's life as a magician: He receives the letter entitling him to attend the venerable Hogwarts School of Magic, then he goes shopping with Hagrid in Diagon Alley - from this point you take control of the hero . The story is presented in a genre that has always worked extremely well on Nintendo consoles, namely as an RPG. The similarities to various Japanese RPGs, but especially to the already extremely successful Pokémon series, are certainly no coincidence, but the result of a correct assessment of the target group on the Game Boy Color. While traversing and exploring the magical world, Harry repeatedly meets opponents. In contrast to a Pokémon, in which random encounters can take place at any time in certain areas, potential conflicts are marked here with clouds floating around the playing field.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone: Retro Special for the Game Boy Color-RPG (7) Source: PC Games Occasionally, however, these clouds arise directly above Harry, which means that he cannot evade and a fight begins - so under certain circumstances there will be one or the other chance encounter ... larger monsters and magical beings. The view in arguments is very reminiscent of that in old Final Fantasy games. Although Harry is often out and about with his friends Ron and Hermione, only Harry actively takes part in combat, while monsters can also attack in groups. The hero attacks with spells or uses cards and items for special effects. It's not too tactical, given only one controllable character and the manageable amount of defensive magic, but of course there are various strengths and weaknesses in opponents that you should find out through experimentation and then take into account. A nice detail is the level system of the spells:
By using them they get stronger and you can use improved forms. However, there are two small catches: On the one hand, the better spells cost more magic points, on the other hand they expand the confusing list of spells that you have to search through in every combat action in search of the desired magic. The menus are unattractive, sometimes not understandable at first glance and they eat up time - even if you want to use a certain item, you first have to find and select it in the bland text list. As is common in the genre, Harry also rises in level with the experience he has gained, and you also put on various equipment in five different slots, such as new gloves (the model of the character always looks the same, however).
Magical card tricks
Not a bad start: the menu at the start of the game exudes Harry Potter flair. You have to do without the iconic theme melody of the films on the Game Boy. Source: PC Games The card mechanics in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone were probably inspired by Pokémon. As in the novels, the GBC game features trading cards from famous magicians. If you combine them or use them individually, useful - or less useful - effects unfold in combat. While the basic idea is successful, the title does not use the mechanics particularly successfully, especially since too little is explained at this point, especially for the young sorcerer's apprentices. As you wander around Hogwarts, you'll find new cards in the most impossible places to expand your deck. Keyword Hogwarts: The wizarding school is huge, even on the Game Boy Color. However, many areas of the magnificent building are more or less filler material - there is nothing story-relevant to do there, you might find a few items, but that's about it.For Harry everything is new and exciting in Diagon Alley. In the game, too, you have to do your shopping - books, kettles, magic wand - for the school year. Source: PC Games In the absence of a map and in view of the often very vague indications of the game as to where to continue, one often gets lost in the school halls. While Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is certainly not one of the most beautiful GBC games (the backgrounds are often too confusing and ugly), the fluid animations of the characters look surprisingly good. Individual moments are also implemented in an atmospheric way, such as a trip to the forest or a flight with a broom. With a playing time of around eight hours, the scope is decent, albeit far removed from a Pokémon Silver or Pokémon Gold, the then current editions that kept JRPG fans happy in around 30 hours. Anyone who wants to find and do everything in the Harry Potter Game Boy adventure is of course busy longer, but a not to be underestimated part of the playing time consists of running around (very slowly) to run errands, finding the right path and rummaging through menus in search of the desired spell or item.
One-eyed among the blind
In addition to friends, Harry also meets opponents. For example Draco Malfoy, who calls for a magical duel before both have even entered Hogwarts. Source: PC Games That all sounds pretty harsh. However, despite its problems, the game was not badly received by the gaming community. An archive version of the test overview page, which has since been taken offline, reveals that the rating average was a decent value of 73. The developers of The Philosopher's Stone must also be credited with the fact that they eliminated many criticisms of the game in the sequel The Chamber of Secrets, also published for the GBC, or at least tried to. Instead of being in the form of text deserts, the menus and items are presented here with simple and immediately understandable symbols, Harry no longer has to fight alone and you can even play Quidditch. Nevertheless: Harry cannot compete with deluxe licensed games such as the Batman series, but the GBC role-playing games are not a catastrophe either, such as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, which in the DS version has an average rating of 56 is almost a hit compared to the rest of the editions - the PC version has an average of 37 points of fun in the game.Before Harry docks at the Hogwarts jetty, he has to avoid monsters by boat. A pretty annoying place and exclusive to the game. Source: PC Games Sure, there are also significantly better Harry Potter licensed games, such as the Lego versions of the movies. What is impressive about all of the video game adaptations to the story of the wizard is the sheer variety of genres and styles that are covered. From the third-person shooter (The Deathly Hallows) to the puzzle game (The Philosopher's Stone on the Game Boy Advance), to Zelda-like action adventures (The Chamber of Secrets on the PC), a Quidditch spin from PC to a skill game for Xbox Kinect (aptly named Harry Potter for Kinect), there's a Harry Potter game for pretty much every niche. Most recently the mixed mobile game Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery was unleashed on fans of the universe.
Despite poor average ratings, it has existed successfully for three years, which is also due to the unbroken love of the so-called Potterheads for the world invented by JKRowling . Although the story of Harry is over, with the film series on Fantastic Beasts, the Potterversum lives on (by the way, there are already two games for the film series). As a Switch owner and Potter fan it is hard to cope with the fact that Hogwarts Legacy will not be released for the Nintendo console (at least according to the current information). The huge open world role-playing game takes you to Hogwarts in the 19th century - how exciting! As a substitute for this, the little Game Boy Color role-playing game The Philosopher's Stone can of course not keep up. But maybe you feel like a little nostalgia?
