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It's almost astonishing how many people have the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Lightsaber app on their iPhone/iPod. After that app came out, everybody was willing to unsheathe their iPhone and wave it around in an attempt to feel like a Jedi. It's a surprising amount of fun, actually. Harry Potter Spells feels like it's trying to do the same thins as the Lightsaber app, but this time with magic.
Harry Potter: Spells kicks off by asking for your name. After typing it in, you recieve a letter from Albus Dumbledore stating that you've been accepted into the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Players can accept or decline the offer, but declining merely takes you back to the name-select screen.
Once you end up at Hogwarts, the Sorting Hat -probably the coolest thing in the Harry Potter universe- tells you what house you will be living in. He shouts out the name of either Gryffindore, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin with the excitement of a drunken walrus at a party.
Here you get to the actual game part of Harry Potter: Spells. You can practice spells, learn spells, duel (with spells), purchase more spells, or check out how many house points you have (which shockingly doesn't involve spells).
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Spells are cast with the wave of a finger on the iPhone's screen. Your wand then cast the spells with a stream of slow-moving colored light. Once you've practiced and learned enough magic, you can take your skills to a wizard duel.
Duels can be done via local multiplayer or against an AI. Players will trade spells until either ones health bars deplete. It's a little slow, but it can be fun in the same way the Lightsaber app is. You can also connect Harry Potter: Spells to Facebook and let your friends know you're playing the game. That is, if you want them to know.
Overall, the game feels slow and a little clunky. It isn't even particularly satisfying to cast spells in the game. For example, when dueling is all there is, there isn't much need to cast "wingardium leviosa" (a levitating spell).
It is worth noting, however, that I showed the app to my nine-year-old sister and she thought it was the coolest thing ever.
It's possible she's a better judge at these magic things.
Tags: Harry Potter: Spells, Warner Bros.
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