Christmas Present Review: Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts LEGO Dimensions

Dec 26, 2016

Posted by: Catherine

News, Toys, Video Games, WB Shop

Christmas came quite quickly, and if you are still in need of a last-minute or belated gift idea for a Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts fan, LEGO might come to your rescue! Rated E for Everyone, and recommended for players ages 10 and above, Harry Potter fun packs and team packs are a delightful addition to the LEGO Dimensions multiverse, and the Fantastic Beasts story pack is perfect for family fun.

 

IMG_0639In order to play any of the Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts packs, you must have the LEGO Dimensions starter pack. Both the LEGO Dimensions starter pack and the Fantastic Beasts Story pack come with a gateway build to add to the LEGO Toy Pad. These LEGO sets contain roughly 300 pieces–including a bunch of really, really tiny pieces–and take a while to build (roughly 30 minutes for those familiar with LEGO building and good at following directions).

 

FullSizeRenderThese sets are a little more difficult, and even though the video game itself could be played by Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts fans younger than 10, the LEGO sets require the attention spans of older fans. It is also best to not have pets (especially cats) or small children in the room when building the gateways, lest some pieces wander off, and small pieces get pushed under the couch or into mouths. It is a good thing that LEGO provides extras of some small pieces.

 The LEGO Dimensions starter pack opens up the whole multiverse world that you can introduce Harry and Voldemort into, along with the Weasley’s Enchanted Car and the Hogwarts Express. You can unlock Hogwarts and Hogsmede, known as the Harry Potter Adventure World. It is extremely entertaining to see characters from other popular films popping up into Harry’s universe. Placing Voldemort and Harry on the LEGO Toy Pad launches them into the multiverse world. IMG_0642

 

Harry Potter fans can play as their favorite hero, and use Leviosa, Stupify, and Expelliarmus to solve puzzles and mini games, as well as fight off Death Eaters. If players are feeling particularly Slytherin, they may choose to play through the universe as Voldemort, and have access to Dark Arts spells.

 

As a part of game play, players are invited to build the Weasley’s Enchanted Car and the Hogwarts Express. For younger players, sometimes new vehicles are the most exciting add to the LEGO Dimensions mutliverse, and these Harry Potter adds will certainly not disappoint.

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Both the Hogwarts Express and the Weasley car are fairly easy to build and are entertaining pieces on their own, outside the virtual game. With working wheels, the train and car scoot quite easily across a flat surface.

The train and the car come with their own special effects, and can be reworked and rebuilt (if one chooses to actually physically rebuild the pieces) into other special weapons and battle vehicles. The car can be transformed and rebuild into a Shark Sub and Monstrous Mouth. The steam engine can be transformed and rebuilt into Steam Warrior and Soaring Steam Plane.

 

FullSizeRender_3 The coolest part of adding the Harry Potter Team Pack is bringing the LEGO Wizarding World to the multiverse. Most players know that LEGO isn’t to be taken too seriously, and it’s jokes and quirkiness are vastly entertaining and the liberties they take with the Wizarding World to fit it into the LEGO world work really well.

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The game is rated “E for everyone” for ages 10+ but can be played by younger, well experienced video gamers. Adding characters and vehicles with the LEGO toy pad is fairly simple and easy.

IMG_0650The Fantastic Beasts Fun Pack is fairly similar to the Harry Potter Team Pack. Players can build Tina, add her to the LEGO multiverse, and then, during game play, will be prompted to build the Swooping Evil. Both character and creature come with their own unique features. Tina can cast Aguamenti and Protegoto help solve puzzles and keep her safe from “enemies.” The Swooping Evil comes to her rescue–like in the Fantastic Beasts film–and can also be rebuilt as a Brutal Bloom and Crawling Creeper.

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In the Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts extension packs you add characters, creatures and vehicles to your collection in the Lego Dimensions universe (multiverse), rebuild the multipurpose Swooping Evil, Niffler, Flying Car, and Hogwarts Express to create new creatures and vehicles for battle, and launch them into the multiverse. Players also unlock new levels of the Adventure World and add the Wizarding World to the the LEGO universe. However, the Fantastic Beasts Story Pack is a little different than the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts team and fun packs, respectively. It does all of this and more.

In the Fantastic Beasts story pack, players play through the whole Fantastic Beasts movie (though there are some changes–examples include: the absence of an Occamy, and Queenie mentions Jacob was dumped by his fiancé, which is now a deleted scene from the film), in addition to playing in the LEGO Dimensions multiverse, Adventure World and Battle Arena.

The character of Newt and the Niffler are included in the Fantastic Beasts Story Pack. Newt can use a variety of spells, such as Diffindo, Reparo and Lumos to play through the story and throughout the LEGO Dimensions multiverse. Though other creatures appear throughout the game–Swooping Evil, Bowtruckle, Demiguise, and more–the delightful, cute thieving Niffler gets his own Lego build. The Niffler can also be rebuilt into a Sinister Scorpion or Vicious Vulture.

 

 

 

 

 

FullSizeRender_2There are six levels, or chapters, to play through in the Fantastic Beasts Story Pack. These levels are titled:

1. Accruing Intrest

2. Grand Opening

3. A Walk in the Park

4. A Trial With Style

5. Demiguise Double-Cross

6. Obscurus For-Sure-Us

During the Game, LEGO narrates a LEGO version (which is quite humorous) of the Fantastic Beasts film. Each of the chapters has one major area of game play. Cleverly named, Accruing Interests game play takes place in the lobby and vaults of a New York bank, while Newt is trying to catch his Niffler. The Grand Opening brings players to Tina and Queenie’s apartment and into Newt’s Case (which is just as amazing to play in as it is to see on screen). A Walk in the Park brings game play to Central Park, and still hilariously includes Newt’s mating dance and the Erumpet’s love for Jacob.

Playing through A Trial with Style, players must help Newt and Tina escape the MACUSA execution room and battle Gnarlack in the Blind Pig. Players then find themselves playing through Macy’s department store, in Demiguise Double-Cross, in attempts to catch the last creature (Demiguise). In Obscurus For-Sure-Us, players run after Credence in the streets of New York and follow play through puzzles and challenges set up in the New York subway.

IMG_0655All throughout the game, there are Harry Potter references for fans to catch. Newt enchants a car to fly and says “that better not catch on,” referring to the Weasley car generations later. Newt’s LEGO character also says the Blind Pig “can’t be any worse than Knockturn alley.” The Wicked Witch of the West and Gollum appear in the Blind Pig, and Newt’s LEGO character offers Gnarlack the One Ring, to which Gnarlack replies “I’ve got five.”

IMG_0657One of the best parts of the Fantastic Beasts Story pack, and my opinion, the very best part, is the gateway build mentioned at the beginning of this article. Even though it is composed of hundreds of tiny pieces and is rather complicated to build, one feels quite accomplished upon completing it.

IMG_0663With its working gold-colored, winged doors, and moving elevators that hold in position on their own, the gateway is beautiful and thrilling. It is a great aesthetic add to the game.

Each chapter of the Fantastic Beasts game takes about 20-30 minutes to play through, but many Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts fans will have fun and enjoy spending hours just going through the LEGO multiverse as their favorite wizarding world character, and interacting in the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts adventure worlds with fantastic beasts and Harry Potter vehicles.

IMG_0659As the Holiday Season continues, we highly recommend the LEGO Dimensions Harry Potter Team Pack and Fantastic Beasts Story and Fun packs for gift ideas for your favorite Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts fan. The LEGO Dimensions game and it’s Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts extension packs (each sold separately) can be found in the toy or gaming department of many stores, including Game Stop, Target, Walmart, and more. Happy Holidays!

IMG_0661 Screen Shot 2016-11-17 at 10.45.27 PM Harry Potter Team Pack Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - Fun Pack





The Leaky Cauldron is not associated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any of the individuals or companies associated with producing and publishing Harry Potter books and films.