LEGO® Harry Potter: Years 1-4

I love this game, old lego games never fail to disappoint. However due to JK Rowling's transphobia I now feel the need to urge people to NOT buy this game, as proceeds and funds go directly to harming trans individuals.

I enjoyed exploring Hogwarts and playing through the levels. The game play is the same as most TT Games LEGO games. I find this game adapts a lot from the films and a few parts from the books.

💀

lego

The world of Harry Potter has captured the imaginations of readers and moviegoers alike, and in 2010, EA UK took the first steps in bringing that magic to video game consoles with the release of Harry Potter: Years 1-4. A compilation of the first four books and films in the series, this game offers fans a chance to relive the early adventures of the young wizard at Hogwarts, albeit through the lens of a video game. Years 1-4 brings elements of exploration, puzzle-solving, and simple combat to the forefront, offering a whimsical yet occasionally flawed journey through the world of magic.

Harry Potter: Years 1-4 covers the events from The Sorcerer's Stone to The Goblet of Fire, taking players through Harry’s first four years at Hogwarts. The game is mostly linear, following the plot of the movies closely, though it does feature some optional content and side missions that expand on the world a bit. Whether you’re attending classes, participating in magical duels, or solving puzzles, the story progresses at a steady pace, moving from the discovery of magic in the first year to the dramatic Triwizard Tournament events in the fourth year.

While the story itself follows the familiar beats of the films, it succeeds in recreating the magical atmosphere that made the Harry Potter universe so beloved. The characters are recognizable, and the key plot points—like Harry’s first encounter with the Philosopher's Stone, his fight with the basilisk, and the Triwizard Tournament—are brought to life with notable detail. The dialogue, however, is quite basic and often feels rushed, leaving out many of the finer character moments from the books.

The environments are charmingly faithful to their movie counterparts, with the Hogwarts Castle, Diagon Alley, and other locations being recreated with a certain level of affection. The world feels magical, with animated portraits, floating candles, and enchanted objects populating the iconic spaces. Despite the somewhat simplistic designs, it’s easy to get swept up in the atmosphere, especially for long-time fans of the franchise.

The gameplay in Harry Potter: Years 1-4 is fairly straightforward, focusing on platforming, puzzle-solving, and combat. You’ll spend most of your time navigating Hogwarts and its surrounding areas, completing tasks for your professors, and collecting magical items to help Harry on his journey.

Spell-casting is a core mechanic. Throughout the game, you’ll learn and use various spells, including Wingardium Leviosa (to levitate objects), Lumos (to light up dark areas), and Expelliarmus (for dueling). Each spell feels satisfying to use, especially when solving environmental puzzles or engaging in magical duels against rivals like Draco Malfoy or the Death Eaters. The spellcasting system is simple but fun, and it helps immerse you in the world of Harry Potter. However, the simplicity can sometimes feel limiting, especially compared to more modern games with deep combat systems.

The puzzles, which are spread throughout the various levels, can be entertaining but often fall into a repetitive rhythm. Some puzzles involve figuring out how to use a spell in the right place or moving objects to unlock new areas, while others require finding hidden items or interacting with magical creatures. While these puzzles are a good fit for a family-friendly game, they occasionally feel a bit too easy for anyone beyond a younger audience.

Combat, meanwhile, mostly revolves around casting spells at enemies, with a few encounters involving more strategic elements, like dodging or blocking attacks. The difficulty is on the lower side, making it suitable for kids, but for more experienced players, the combat can feel shallow and repetitive after a while. Additionally, there is a lack of variety in enemies and encounters, which means that fights can sometimes feel a bit too straightforward.

The game also features some light exploration elements, encouraging you to wander around Hogwarts, searching for hidden secrets, collectibles, and mini-games. There’s a certain charm in discovering new parts of the castle or finding out-of-the-way rooms and secrets. However, the game world does feel relatively small, and you won’t be able to fully roam Hogwarts at your leisure, as movement is often limited by the game’s linear progression.

For its time, Harry Potter: Years 1-4 has decent visuals, capturing the overall aesthetic of the films. While the character models aren’t as detailed as those of more modern games, the game does a good job of recreating the look and feel of the film universe. Hogwarts is full of familiar locations, from the Great Hall to the Forbidden Forest, all of which have been designed with a level of care that should please most fans of the series.

The environments are colorful and charming, and the game does a decent job of portraying the magical atmosphere of the wizarding world. There are plenty of magical touches that add to the immersive experience—like the floating candles in the Great Hall or the shimmering lights of Diagon Alley. That said, some of the textures and animations feel dated by modern standards, and the character designs can look a bit stiff, especially during cutscenes.

The cutscenes, which are designed to be cinematic, are effective in advancing the story, but they sometimes feel a bit stiff compared to the fluid animation seen in the films. The charm of the Harry Potter universe is there, but it lacks the polish seen in more recent video games.

The soundtrack is one of the strongest aspects of Harry Potter: Years 1-4. The music, composed by John Williams for the films, is beautifully integrated into the game, and hearing the iconic themes like "Hedwig’s Theme" really helps set the tone. The sound effects are similarly faithful to the movies, with the swish of a wand, the rustling of magical creatures, and the whispers of ghosts filling the air as you explore Hogwarts.

Unfortunately, the voice acting is a bit hit-or-miss. While the main cast of characters, such as Harry, Ron, and Hermione, are generally well-voiced, other characters, especially the minor ones, often sound less polished or even robotic. The lack of consistent voice acting throughout the game detracts from the overall experience, especially when compared to the more fully realized voice work in other titles.

Harry Potter: Years 1-4 is a fun, family-friendly adventure that successfully captures the spirit of the first four books and films in the series. While it may not offer the depth or complexity of more modern titles, it provides a solid, enjoyable experience for younger players or fans looking to relive the early days of Harry Potter’s magical journey. The charming world, spell-casting mechanics, and puzzle-solving elements make it a delightful, if somewhat shallow, experience.

It’s a nostalgic ride for those who grew up with the films, but it might not hold up as well for those used to more sophisticated gameplay or higher-end visuals. Still, for what it is, Harry Potter: Years 1-4 is a magical experience that lets you step into the shoes of a young wizard and relive the most iconic moments from the early parts of the Harry Potter saga.

Rating: 7/10

Go get Hogwarts legacy

10/10

Harry has his mother's eyes and you can really tell in this game. In fact, everyone has Harry's mother's eyes.

Ah yes. A classic.

Gas

EU NAO DEMOREI 18 HORAS PRA ZERAR ESSE JOGO!!!1 FORAM VARIOS SAVES PERDIDOS EU JURO

Always super fun to play, played it on the wii before and wanted to relive those days. Awesome game, 100% recommend.

I had bought this game because I had played it when I was a child. Unfortunately, it seems as if this game was enjoyable then since I was easily impressed as a child. Very boring and repetitive gameplay loop. However may make a fun game for kids who are starting to get into the hobby of gaming.

if you like lego and harry potter, look no further!
you might be deceived by the cute nature of lego, but this game got me playing for hours (and with friends too on remote-play-together, so only one needs to have a copy)

It is all there, harry potter magic with the brickness of lego and it reminds me a lot of the older harry potter games.

the two blend together perfectly as lego is magical, and the interacting with EVERYTHING feels just like how harry potter should be

i had and still have lots of fun and would 10/10 recommend it again

This needs a revamp for PC. It is utterly unplayable in its current state.

i dont reccoment keyboard if you have a controller i would 100 percent use it. the sale for this game was amazing 3.99 dollars!!! i highly reccoment 10/10

yur a wissart hairy

Id tap the fuck out of the little ginger kid fr, i don even care that shes 12

Recommended for LEGO and Harry Potter fans! Best to buy on sale!

Maybe get the Harry Potter Collection, a remastered version which includes both years 1-4 and 5-8 games, over this. Played this on xbox in the past and I have good memories of, likely holds up well.

.

ＢＲＵＴＡＬ ＢＡＮＧＥＲ
If you could wake up in a dream and control it, wouldn’t that be proof you’re the creator of that dream?

If you're willing to overlook minor flaws, like some of the minikits being hidden behind the uninspired "destroy X of the same object during a level" requirements and the occasional crash here and there, you're getting the single best hub world in any LEGO game ever, as well as an extremely cozy collectathon that does well to measure up after either of the Star Wars installments.

jome 4

The game is good. But if you want a better gaming experience, I recommend getting the Harry Potter Collection

This is the first franchise turned LEGO game that I have not seen the films for. As such, my Harry Potter knowledge is minimal. This game did not exactly inspire me to watch the films. It isn't a bad game, by any means, but it was definitely not the best when compared to some of the competition. This game introduces many new features, such as spells, character variants in one slot, and finding character tokens in the levels and red bricks in the open world. It also expands upon many aspects from LEGO Indy 2, such as the open world format or the level builder. I cannot say how accurate it is to the films, though it definitely did not make me eager to watch them. It also felt a bit anticlimactic, the pacing of levels was not very great and many felt repetitive (what's up with all of the bathroom levels?), so I have some gripes with this title. Despite all of this, it is still a generally enjoyable experience and I'm sure Harry Potter fans would have a field day with this one. 7/10

i like harry pooter

Awesome multiplayer. Very funny story line.

good

I'm on a mission to play and review the over 700+ games in my Steam Library. Lego HP was one of the original Lego games and despite being as old as it is now, i'd say it still holds up. The humor and cutscenes are witty and well thought out, it feels like a Lego game while still retaining a HP feel. Probably the best HP games after Hogwarts Legacy!

dobby

~ STORY ~
🔲 This game has no story
🔲 Some lore
✅ It's there for people who want it
🔲 Well written
🔲 Leading to more in-depth researches/thoughts
🔲 A model to get inspired by


~ LENGTH ~
🔲 0 (No story)
🔲 Short
✅ Average
🔲 Long
🔲 To infinity and beyond


~ MUSIC ~
🔲 Just filling noises/No music
🔲 Trivial and uneventful
🔲 Good and/or fitting the game's artistic dispositions
✅ Memorable
🔲 Transcending whispers of a forgotten world


~ INTEREST ~
🔲 I would rather watch paint dry
🔲 Hard to enjoy
🔲 Repetitive and/or uninspired
✅ A good moment
🔲 Sticking out of the pack
🔲 You will remember it long after

A lot of fun!

best lego game so far

No Steam cloud saves. Big no no for me, I wish I would have read the reviews before purchasing it.

Best HP LEGO game I've played

i may be kinda biased in this review since this i feel a lot of nostagia for this game from my childhood but either ways its a pretty fun lego game, i see a lot of people complain about insane glitches but i have not encountered one during my entire playthrough (i did not 100% the game since this game has no steam achievements and im saving the 100% for the collection of both of these lego games which does actually include achievements). sometimes its kinda janky and the computer controls are something you must get used to however i did enjoy my time with the game a lot.

Mostly a great game, some levels are a bit confusing though and its sometimes hard to workout what the game intends you to do.
I dont know if i'll finish this game tho because the autosave is no longer actually saving anymore which means my progress keeps getting reset every time re-launch.
I have completed this game years ago so i'm not really missing out, still sad.

It has some bugs and issues especially when playing co-op with 2 controllers but it's still one of the best LEGO games out there.

love that fact that I can't have achievements because I need to spend $40 for the collection.... go fuck yourselves

classic, not as fun as I remember

A little buggy on PC, but still fun and nostalgic.

It's Lego how can you not like it.

Endless frustration with game crashes, freezes, and input deletion (both controller AND keyboard stop working). The only reason I'm putting hours into it is to justify the money I spent. If I had known these issues existed, I would not have even started it; and the issues did not becomes burdensome until after Steam's 2-hour refund window had closed.

I played all of these early LEGO games as a kid. I think they all still hold up as a collectathon puzzle game series. But this game is probably my personal favorite, even though I love the Complete Saga.

top

Very fun game. Quick and simple to get through. Getting platinum was a nightmare though haha. 10/10

Love this game! Classic

so much fun