Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 Fansite Day

EA Fansite Day, 26th May 2010

On May 26th 2010, Electronic Arts invited several Harry Potter fansites, including MuggleNet, to their headquarters in Guildford, UK, to examine and play their upcoming Harry Potter video game, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1. You can see our coverage of the event, as well the game details and some FAQ's below.

Part 1 - Event Coverage

Part 2 - Game Details

We asked you if you had any questions about the upcoming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 Video Game, you didn't disappoint. Below are answers to just some of those questions. Please note that we will continue to update this as we receive more information and that since the game is still in production the answers are not absolutely definitive.

Some of the graphics look poor, are those the final product and what's up with Harry's face?
The game is still in production, this means that the graphics you see are not necessarily the final product. The game has a brand new engine to fully utilise the technologies of HD consoles and ensure high definition graphics. Furthermore, EA has confirmed that the screenshots were from an earlier build, earlier even than the one I got to play and are not really an accurate representation of what you can expect visually from the game. This is evident when watching the trailer, which is of much higher quality.

As for Harry, he has gone through 5 major changes during production thus far. EA has confirmed that the one in these first screenshots is an earlier version. I can assure you that the level of detail on Harry is immense. He has 20 unique animations going on at once - even the tassles on his jumper move!

Why does some of the action appear to be taking place in an industrial lot/disused power plant?
EA Bright Light work very closely with Warner Bros. to try and keep the environments and the characters similar. Warner Bros. often share blueprints and photographs of locations used in the filming so they can be used to form parts of the game. I seem to recall that the disused power plant is one such example that features in the film and therefore makes an appearance in the game. The powerplant will form part of a Dementor attack on some Muggles - scary stuff!

Will the game have replay value?
Short answer: Yes. It will feature a "Fight For Your Life" mode that will consist of a number of goal focused scenarios.

Why two games?!
Twice the fun! Like the films, they felt that there was enough to the story to enable two full length games. They have not compromised on the length of the game by splitting it in two. In fact, I seem to recall one of the staff mentioning that if somebody played it bare (ie doing just the basic story/as little as possible) the game currently stood at over 8 hours worth of gameplay!

Will this just be a fighting game, full of action?
No. Whilst the trailer certainly gives that impression, the game will retain its authenticity and features from previous games. For instance, in order to survive you will need to explore and trade ingredients in order to brew potions.

Am I forgetting something in Deathly Hallows? Since when is there Inferi, Spiders, and a Hungarian Horntail in that book?
Firstly, I need to point out that decisions to include stuff like this (and the Whomping Willows) require approval from Jo's agents and Warner Bros; this was granted. Whilst not specifically mentioned in the book, they have been included to add to the depth and realism. We know these things exist in the Wizarding World, it is not a great leap to assume that during his quest, Harry may come across them.

Any online content or capabilities?
No such information has been provided at this such time. I will enquire for you. Keep checking back.

Will there be multiplayer modes?
I don't think so. They stressed that this was Harry's story, however I am not 100% certain on this.

I noticed Harry's trademark spell was missing from your list! Will that be included?
Obviously my coverage only covers a small part of the features and game elements. Expelliarmus will of course be available to you in parts of the game.

Will this game be made for one skill level?
I seem to recall somebody mentioning that the game will have a number of different skill levels. Also, I'm not sure how it relates to the game, since we were told you'd be playing as just Harry - but they mentioned that you'd need to know when to use Ron/Hermione as each have different skill-sets. Make of that what you want.

It looks like this game will include Ron defeating the Horcrux in the locket as well as the three of them getting kidnapped by snatchers... can we assume that the 1st part of the movie will include this as well?
I actually do not know. EA could not reveal that sort of information. My *guess* is that the cut will take place around Chapters 21/22/23. This now seems like a common consensus amongst Potter fans.

That's it for the Q & A. If you have any feedback or questions, please send them to nick at staff dot mugglenet dot com and I will do my best to pass them on to the good folks at EA.


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