
More than a year into its life-cycle, the Nintendo Switch has a library of software so huge it’s going to put most boxed-edition collectors into bankruptcy. One series that’s already brought plenty of its entries to Switch is TT Games’ licence-driven LEGO games, and with LEGO The Incredibles and LEGO DC Super-Villains already having made a bricky splash on the hybrid console in 2018, here’s the LEGO Harry Potter Collection as well for good measure.
If you’re picking up this two-game set for the first time, you’ll begin to appreciate just how far the British studio has taken the franchise while still maintaining that familiar mix of platforming, puzzle-solving and tongue-in-cheek humour. It’s easy to forget LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 came out all the way back in 2010 and LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 the year after, and as such, they represent the days before the introduction of features such as grand mega-builds and bespoke voice-overs.

That being said, like all of the series’ entries across countless film properties, LEGO Harry Potter still captures the quaint magic of the films while keeping everything suitably family-friendly. Years 1-4 (and its sequel) was a turning point for LEGO games in general when it launched eight years ago, offering a far more elaborate approach to the hub system. Whether exploring The Leaky Cauldron or Hogwarts itself, you're getting far more than a simple locale from which to revisit old or new chapters in the story. Hogwarts especially is an entire level in and of itself, full of secrets and collectables to uncover.
The first game uses regular classes as a way to unlock new spells (which can be used in combat, or to solve certain puzzles as you progress) with everything from Lumos for banishing dark shadows and good ol’ Wingardium Leviosa for solving the vast majority of the conundrums involving moving bricks and building certain objects. It’s a neat way of urging you to explore more of Hogwarts and breaking up your movement through all four films. You can even use The Leaky Cauldron as a way to access Diagon Alley and use its many shops to buy new parts and customise your characters.

Sure, most of the boss battles are far too easy and fail to leave an impression across either game, and there’s no support for online co-op (just local two-player co-op for both games), but there’s just so much content to keep you entertained it’s a concession we’re willing to accept. With well over 350 characters to collect, 400 gold bricks to earn, 48 house crests to complete, 40 red bricks and 110 students in peril (which serve as an extra task in each level, and across Hogwarts and its other hubs), you’re going to have plenty to keep you casting spells long after the story has been wrapped up. Even one of the games on its own offers a hefty slice of stuff to do, and both consistently nail the personality of the JK Rowling's Wizarding World at every turn.
The Nintendo Switch versions benefits from the technical enhancements TT Games introduced when the Collection was remastered for Xbox One and PS4, including improved lighting effects and reduced blurring. There’s still some artifacting to be found - especially when the game zooms in on an asset or character model a little too closely - but overall it’s a far better-looking version than the instalments you may have played on Nintendo Wii and 3DS. Spell effects, specifically during duelling, also look noticeably prettier now.
This collection also bundles in plenty of extra character DLC, so you’ll have access to ten new/variant mini-figs including Godric Gryffindor, Harry (Yule Ball), Helga Hufflepuff, Lockhart (Straightjacket), Luna (Lion Head), Peeves, Hermione (Pink Dress), Ron Weasley (Ghoul), Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. On top of that, you’ll also be able to utilise the Spell Pack DLC which adds in Cantis, Densaugeo, Ducklifors, Melofors and Tentaclifors (although you’ll need to finish each respective story in order to make the most these extra versions and new additions).
Conclusion
While LEGO Harry Potter Collection is one of the oldest instalments in the overall series still in current-gen circulation, it’s aged remarkably well. Despite lacking some of the subtle changes the franchise has benefited from in the years since, the use of Hogwarts as a vast and secret-filled hub, a huge collection of characters to collect from across all eight films and a clever use of the Harry Potter licence makes for a remaster that only enhances Nintendo Switch’s growing LEGO library. If you've played nothing but the recent LEGO games then it may, at times, feel a little old and basic, but this fantastic beast hasn’t entirely lost its magic yet.
Comments 55
For first-timers, awesome! But I'd love a revisit of the first 6 Star Wars films with some of the enhancements made to the gameplay by Lego The Force Awakens
LEGO Harry Potter : Silent Movie edition.....
Btw, just curious.
Is it on 60 fps for Switch version ?
Any screen tearing which Lego games are notorious for?
Both me and my wife love the Lego games (including Potter), but I think trying to port Lego Potter is not a smart move, the popularity of Potter, though pretty firm on the book and movie front, the games were based on the current (at the time) up to date popularity, the last movie (8-pt 2), was released in 2011, the game in 2016, but it still had a small game fan base, but it didn't sell well, now putting out a Potter porter (probably 2019) 8 years after the last movie is not a good call.
I think the only way they can get away with it would be a massive 1-8 compilation, I think even separate 1-4 & 5-8 compilation would not be received well
not a good decision
I preordered it on amazon and am happy to see that its good Didn't play any Lego Harry Potter so I'm pretty excited to dive in
i`ll get it eventually, when the price is a little lower. That does remind me I have to finish Lego City Undercover.
@sleepinglion
I totally agree with a Star Wars compilation, but only because it is still relevant, with continued production of new movies and the planned "The Mandalorian" broadcast series (they killed the movie, but went with a tv show), again, it's still fresh and up to date series, Potter and LOTR games are dead and probably would not recover the cost to make the games very well
Would love the original Star Wars trilogy to get a release
My friend is excited for this, she prepurchased it last night on the eShop
@jhewitt3476 There's a large amount of new Harry Potter merchandise being released right now (particularly Lego - there are a bunch of new Harry Potter Lego sets this year, based on the original book/movie series), because of the new spin-off movies (Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them). They're attempting to do with Harry Potter what Star Wars has already done: using a new movie in the franchise, however unrelated it may be to the previous ones, as a vehicle for selling more stuff based on the older films.
2 classic games on one disc 😂 Really hope they change that cover before it’s release otherwise that’s going to be very embarrassing and a very lazy port. 🙄
switch tax again £30 on switch £23 on xbox and £15 on ps4.
id say all 3 are over priced for this game
So this is just the 2 existing games +DLC dropped into 1 cart? They’ve not tried to blend them into 1 seamless game? Find all the bricks and unlockables in one then start afresh in the other?
@TuragaNuva
Fantastic Beasts is ztill current and I would love a related Lego game, so is Star Wars, and yes, Potter memorabilia is selling still, but are usually less costing and have a larger fan base, remember, you're not just playing to videogame players, and not even just Lego game players (because not all Lego game players are Lego Potter fans), so they have to attempt to interest a very specific Harry Potter Lego game players, and again, unless it's an all in one, the Potter players would likely less interested than they were 5 years ago when the last game came out and I just don't think they can pull it off
Cool, but at $49 they crazy. I can get tbe entire thing for $10 on PC.
Put this on the "on sale column" like StarLink
They should better give us some patches for LEGO City Undercover on Switch. The loading times are still horrible compared to the PS4 version (or most other games on Switch). And objects should become visible a lot earlier.
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 on Switch also doesn't run very smooth. It's playable, yes, but that's all.
They could re-release LEGO Dimensions. Maybe with a digital figurine shop just like Starlink: Battle for Atlas did. Other that that I don't need any more LEGO games. I have enough of the gameplay and stuff.
I could go for Lego LoTRs again. That hub world was bae
I've played through the first one on X360 and own the second one on the 3DS but still might pick this collection up physically when it's on sale. (And Lego games will always go on sale.)
"...but this fantastic beast hasn’t entirely lost its magic yet."
I see what you did there @Dom.
@Anguspuss
In Canada, it's $60, which is what full retail games used to cost during the last generation (PS3/360).
I would've been tempted to buy this, mainly to play these games on the go, but given I already have both on PC, and paid about $5 each for them, asking $60 for these two is pretty insulting. We're not talking about a "remake" here. It's the same games, just with slight graphic tweaks here and there.
So again, the Nintendo "tax".
Did they never fix that "2 games on 1 disc" text on the Switch cover? 😂
Does this game target 60 fps? In some YouTube videos that run at 60 it looks like it does, with fairly frequent drops. Just curious, because if it runs at 60 docked and handheld I'd be much more interested in buying and playing it.
I wonder if 1-4 still has that gold brick glitch in the clock tower, where the brick was noncollectable if events were triggered in the wrong order. Boy, was I cheesed about restarting from scratch for the 100% achievement (X360) - but the game was just so bloody fun., it didn't matter. Combined, well over 100 hours into these two games. I will be happy to pick them up for another go, but on sale of course. I feel that the asking price is just too much.
@Realnoize i paid even less on gog for pc for mine. I dont think we can use the word tax anymore this is more like robbery.
@Lonewolf82 It's already on the shelf at my local Wal Mart, this is the cover.
I really enjoyed 1-4 on the wii, being a fan of legocand the hp books and films. I never bothered with years 5-7 as it supposedly had some game-breaking glitches. I don't really want to rebuy games I've already played when i have such a backlog of new games, but i may be tempted in a future sale.
@Crono1973 wow how lazy are they getting😂
Will get it for sure. I love that there is no talking. Makes the humor more subtle.
What I love about LEGO games is their compilations, that can be a catch-all game for an entire franchise. The first to do so was LEGO Star Wars - The Complete Saga (before Episode VII ruined it for us, but I digress), and now we have a second all-in-one package. Will surely check it out down the line, but right now my wallet has a huge Christmas season to overcome - including a proper Switch console for my girlfriend, which is gonna be tough to pull off - so right now this game is not at all a priority. Thankfully Sony just saved me 100 euros.
It's interesting because Years 1-4 run on the original engine and 5-7 runs on the current one.
@Anguspuss To be fair the PS4 version is several years old. But yeah, it's a bit much for these games.
@lillith Even beyond that, I really hope they fixed that game-breaking glitch in the first game with the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom or office or something. If you don't take the proper precautions and wind up triggering that glitch, then you have no choice but to restart the game from the beginning.
@jhewitt3476 You do realize that this release is indeed a compilation of all 7 books / 8 movies, don't you?
@gaga64 Well, yes, I assume that's how it works, but what's wrong with that? It worked for "Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga."
Besides, I don't think it would be possible to transition both releases into the same hub world without massively reworking both games. They're not going to do that much work on what is supposed to just be a quick remastered compilation.
@BulbasaurusRex when i said a compilation of all 8, I'm actually talking all 8 games, not hacked versions squeezed down into a single game like the Star Wars Complete Saga did, I'm talking the full version of each individuals like the Mega Man Legacy games
@jhewitt3476 What do you mean all 8 games? There were only ever 2 Lego Harry Potter games (Years 1-4 and Years 5-7), and they're both remastered in full in this collection. Likewise, the Complete Saga release was a full reproduction of every level of the previous Lego Star Wars games (and then some). It just combined the two games' hub worlds for convenience since they were only tacked on afterthoughts anyway, unlike with these Harry Potter ones (which I assume includes a menu to choose between the two games like most compilations).
Are you talking about the traditional Harry Potter games? Why are you bringing them up in a review for the Lego games? Besides, the majority of those games suck anyway, so I don't know why anyone would want a compilation of them.
@BulbasaurusRex that’s what I thought. Nothing wrong with playing 2 self-contained games, it’s just that as it’s kinda one continuous story it would be cool if they did blend them together.
Not having played either, I’m assuming you start the second game without all the unlockable magic spells you can learn in the first, which could kinda feel like going backwards. Otherwise you’d start overpowered.
I am disappointed by the lack of puns in the sub-heading. Beswitched, Switches and Wizards, Switchcraft...
@BulbasaurusRex
I was talking all 8 movies as separate games
People keep talking PC but it's not portable like the switch. So that ends their discussions. LEGO are a staple of Nintendo and that isn't going home.
@jhewitt3476 Like I said, they never existed as 8 seperate Lego games (and if they were separate, they would probably only be 7 games), so unless your spamming up the wrong article talking about the non-Lego official tie-in games (that range from decent to horrible), then the kind of thing of thing you want is absolutely impossible (and ironically the inverse of what gaga64 wants).
Heads up: Argos are selling this for £19.99! Perfect price. £9.99 each game.
@Anguspuss it's £19.99 in Argos hardly switch tax
@Mrbayram92 well its 50 swiss francs in manor here. your point is
@HobbitGamer
Just bought a physical copy at Argos for £19.99
Was going to go digital but it's £34.99 in the eshop !!!!!!!
Why are they ripping people off ?
@alasdair91
Thanks for the heads up on this. Just been to pick this up. Can't believe they want £34.99 in the eshop. Ripping people off I think
@Anguspuss jeeze sorry 🤣 thought you was in the UK like your profile says.
@Mrbayram92 haha didnt even realise it had that on my profile. No I live in Switzerland now warmer in summer but 500m altitude its bloody baltic in winter lol
I can't get the local co-op to work at all on this game. How on earth do you play two player? My husband and I are ready to return it.
Two of the best old-school Lego video games ever made.
@sleepinglion LOL, you basically just predicted the new LEGO Star Wars.
The only real problem i had with the game is that it will never be 100% complete. The Dark Tower, Year 3 Level 6 after breaking the glass using the purple gargoyle, there's a runes puzzle. Easy, right? No. The camera angle changes to where you cannot see the puzzle when its mapping it out for you to follow. You get the Gryffindor piece of the crest when the puzzle is solved, but unless you have a lot of patience and spend a bunch of time trying to guess the puzzle sequence, you won't be able to get it. Even if there are two players, the camera doesnt pan over far enough to see it if the 2nd player is as far left as the character goes.
@twisted_turbo is the game worth getting? I just need to know if there are any issues with it?
@anoyonmus yes it’s worth getting. The problem I had originally posted has been resolved, and enjoyed the rest of the game
@twisted_turbo does it have any performance issues as well
My son played both games to the end and got frustrated because the spells of the mini movies are not all in the game mode. We know that the game is simpler than the movies but the kids don’t. Game is great overall
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