Pottermore

by Bryony Harrison (follow)

1 player (236)      Single Player (126)      Free (78)      Online (33)      Harry Potter (3)      Browser Based (1)     

Summary
Pottermore is a unique online experience based on the immersive reader. Harry Potter book series. It allows you to delve deeper into the story, and become a more immersive reader.

Description
Type: Storybook
Platform: Browser based
Players: Single player
Age: U
Game Time: N/A
Developer or Designer: J.K. Rowling
Publisher: Warner Brothers

Pros

Cons

Review
Pottermore is different to other Harry Potter games; instead of becoming one of the characters, and travelling through the three dimensional world of Hogwarts, you are instead invited to re-read the Harry Potter books like never before.



First comes registration, in which you are asked a series of random questions that will determine which house you are sorted into. I didn't personally find that the questions held much relevance to where you end up, and I was disappointed to get sorted into Hufflepuff rather than Slytherin, which is where I feel I belong.



Once you have been sorted, you are then able to begin your journey into the world of Harry Potter. Detailed and animated illustrations take you through each chapter of each book (although only books one through four have been released thus far). In each scene, you click on images to find items and exclusive content.



The items range from Bertie Box Every Flavour Beans, Galleons, chocolate frog cards, books, plants, and various tools. While some of these items help you progress through the game - such as floo powder taking you to the next chapter in the Chamber of Secrets, and being able to buy supplies in Diagon Alley.



Things like sweets, however, seem to serve no purpose (that I've discovered) except to be sent as gifts to friends or admired in your trunk.

To be honest, I find this aspect of the game a bit of a let down. To complete each chapter you need to find all the items, and interactive material, but this can be pretty boring.



The storytelling aspect becomes more successful when you are actually able to play mini games, such as degnoming the garden, capturing Cornish Pixies, and casting spells.



Once you unlock the first spell in the book, you can then compete in duels against other players online. To cast a spell, you have to spell out its name by clicking on the letters on the screen at the right moment. The most accurate duellist wins and earns house points four their team. This game has potential, but lacks competitiveness and excitement because it is not in real time. Instead of playing against opponents who are online at the same time as you, you enter a duel, cast a spell, and then have to wait for your opponent to come online and have their turn. You don't receive notification of who wins either, you have to go and search, by which point much of the interest is lost.



Potion making has a similar problem. It could be really fun, but lacks immediacy. The plants that you collect in the story can be used as ingredients to create your potion. You then have to follow the recipe, putting in the right amount of ingredients in the right order, and stirring or heating as instructed. Great so far, but then you have to wait for the potion to brew. Remember how long it took polyjuice potion to brew in Chamber of Secrets? It's not as long as that, but close to. You have to wait several hours for a potions to brew, which if you ask me is taking realism a little too far. Not only is waiting such a long time incredibly tedious, but it is also impractical. You have to leave your computer on all that time, and if you come back late, then your potion is ruined and useless.



The mini games on Pottermore are a real let down, and I would not recommend signing up if that is what you are interested in. If, however, what interests you is learning more about the books, then you should definitely register. As you travel through the chapters, you unlock exclusive content written by J.K. Rowling; this includes character backgrounds, and how Rowling came up with her ideas. It is fascinating to read, and really makes you feel closer to the story than ever before.

Categories
#Online
#Browser
#Harry Potter
#1 player
#Single Player
#Free

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