Gameboy advance harry potter and the chamber of secrets

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This article is not part of the Harry Potter universe.
This article covers a subject that is part of the real world, and thus should not be taken as a part of the Harry Potter universe.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets  is the second game in the series for the Game Boy Advance.

Official description

If you're familiar with the Harry Potter novels, you know that they're geared toward younger readers. Nevertheless, that doesn't prevent teenagers and adults alike from enjoying the whimsical stories contained in the quartet of books. The same is true of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for the Game Boy Advance. It's an adventure filled with action and puzzles. The story is based on the plot of the second book, in which a mysterious member of the Slytherin class unleashes a monster that aims to destroy all the students at Hogwarts School who are not of magical parentage. Unfortunately for Harry, he is included in this group.

The progression of the game pretty much follows that of the book. You begin at Harry's home, visit Diagon Alley in order to procure school supplies, and then travel to Hogwarts School, where most of the action occurs. You'll also visit a number of locations that should be familiar if you've read the novels, such as Mulpepper's Apothecary and Hagrid's hut. Most of the events that occur in the book also occur in the game, including minor milestones such as learning spells or Quidditch matches. They're all much more drawn out, however, in that you'll often have to navigate a dungeon full of switches or gather a dozen different items before completing the assigned task.

On the one hand, it's good that you have to explore dungeons filled with puzzles and monsters in order to advance the story. These opportunities let you explore Harry's world, interact with the characters, and play with a half-dozen unique spells. At the same time, there are tons of secrets to uncover and hundreds of special items to collect, such as wizard cards and jelly beans. One of these secrets is a bonus area that you can access only by connecting the Game Boy Advance game to the GameCube game using the connectivity cable.

Fans of the Harry Potter books and films probably won't mind the lulls too much, since the gameplay itself does a nice job of capturing the spirit of the character. Harry can cast spells, carry items, climb short ledges, jump, tiptoe, and hide behind curtains. The stealth element is pretty pervasive throughout the game, just as it is in the book, since Harry doesn't want to get caught sneaking around the school at night. At the same time, there are secret switches and panels to discover, portraits that let you teleport throughout the school, and chocolate frogs to collect that will increase Harry's stamina. Along with the story, this kind of variety works wonders to establish a believable setting.

In the same manner, the graphics in Chamber of Secrets really bring Hogwarts to life. The environments are fairly simple and often lack colour, but the details are impressive such as the falling dewdrops and reflective puddles you'll find in the basement or the eyes on the paintings that follow you around as you travel between floors. The characters themselves are large and detailed enough that you'll recognise your favourites right away, and many of the bosses and trolls are larger still.

The audio isn't nearly as good, however. There are a few decent spell effects, and the background music fits the setting, but the overall range of effects is limited and the music is forgettable. You won't be annoyed by anything you hear, but you won't be blown away, either.

In the long run, fans of the Harry Potter books and films will enjoy the video game rendition of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. It tells a good story, and there's a lot to do within the confines of the Harry Potter universe. If you don't really care for the characters, you'll probably find the gameplay repetitive and dull, but then you'd have no reason to play the game anyway.

Spells

• Flipendo: Triggers switches and moves objects. Harry begins the game with this spell.
• Alohomora: Unlocks mechanical locks, including those found on doors and locked chests. It is unlockable. You have to collect every Wizard and Witches Cards in the Charms category to obtain it.
• Skurge: Clears ectoplasm out of doorways and frightens ghosts pretending to be statues. Harry may learn this spell when looking for the book Moste Potente Potions in the Hogwarts Library's Restricted Section.
• Incendio: Creates magical flames. Used to light torches, clear away spider webs, and in combat against spiders and fire crabs. Learned in Gringotts' underground.
• Wingardium Leviosa: Makes object fly. It is learned in Charms Class. Interestingly, when flying, the object will sprout wings.
• Avifors: Learned in Transfiguration, this spell turns statues into birds.

Characters

Differences between the book/movie and game

• Dobby only appears once, at Privet Drive much like in the PC adaptation of the story.
• Harry is mentioned as being the Heir of Slytherin prior to revealing he can speak Parseltongue at the Duelling Club. This is stated to Ron and Hermione after obtaining a copy of Hogwarts: A History from the library.
• Justin Finch-Fletchley is depicted as being in Ravenclaw House in his brief appearances in this adaptation.

Behind the scenes

• It's possible to access a cheat menu with all sorts of debug options available.

See also

• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)