To that end, the EA development team cast a spell in the form of cutting-edge technology, scanning the heads of actors and actresses to make the characters as realistic as possible, as well as recording over 22 of their voices for the game. They even visited the set of the movie and borrowed the blueprints used by the filmmakers to build the Hogwarts set, thus ensuring that your adventures as Harry will be as true as possible to what you’ve seen on the silver screen.

Hero Shot. Ron, Harry, and Hermione prepare for another year of adventure.

The screenplay for “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” provided the template for the game’s core story, with extra depth added by selecting certain events from the novel. “This year,” notes Manning, “we worked closely with many of the fan sites to help us pick out the bits of the novel that were most important and that they would most want to see in the game.”

New Spells, New Threats

As in the novel and the movie, The Order of the Phoenix game opens as Harry once again lives with the rotten Dursleys during his summer break. When Dementors attack and Harry is forced to use magic to protect he and his cousin, Dudley, however, he receives a notice that he’s been expelled from Hogwarts for casting spells outside of school. After the expulsion is overturned, Harry travels to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, home of Sirius Black and headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix.

“Creating an open world allows fans of the Harry Potter franchise to explore Hogwarts and experience what student life would really feel like.”

- Justin Manning, associate producer

Sirius teaches you, in the role of Harry, some new spells, including Wingardium Leviosa (lift and move objects), Accio (pull an object toward you), Depulso (push an object away from you), and Reparo (fix a broken object). Move your mouse in the right direction to cast a certain spell; if you forget how, you can always check the spell list accessible by pressing the Escape key.

Bonus Time. Between main tasks, earn extra Discovery Points by tidying up the place.

After mastering the basics, Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger are off to Hogwarts for another school year, one that promises to be Harry’s most dangerous yet. You see, the attack by the Dementors heralds the return of Voldemort (also known as “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named”), but senior leaders in the wizard world are in denial about this unsettling turn of events.

When the three junior wizards learn that the Ministry of Magic’s Dolores Umbridge has been named the new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor, but has no interest in teaching real defense spells, their suspicions are confirmed: The Ministry is interfering in Hogwarts’ affairs, for reasons still unknown. They decide that if Umbridge won’t teach them defensive spells, they’ll do it themselves, forming a secret group known as Dumbledore’s Army for that purpose. The events they set in motion will eventually lead to a deadly confrontation with Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

Step Into Harry’s Shoes

“Creating an open world allows fans of the Harry Potter franchise to explore Hogwarts and experience what student life would really feel like,” says Manning.

Moaning Myrtle Drops By. Hogwarts’ ghosts will offer you advice from time to time.

“For Order of the Phoenix, we really wanted to take the Harry Potter video game franchise to a whole new level and make it as authentic to the fiction as possible.”

- Justin Manning, associate producer

Order of the Phoenix is the first Harry Potter game to feature a sandbox-style world, which means you can explore it as you wish. You’re encouraged to poke around and figure out tasks you can do between main quests, such as magically picking up pictures and placing them on the wall.

And if you come across other students playing wizard chess, Gobstones, or Exploding Snap, you can join in and attempt to beat them. (See “The Games Wizards Play” to learn about the rules.) Winning wizard games and completing side tasks earns you discovery points that accumulate toward better spellcasting ability. Soon Harry will be able to, for example, increase the range, accuracy, and duration of his spells.

Reparo! During this exercise, Harry learns how to repair broken cupboards.

“Study the Marauders Map and use it as guidance to go from one place to the next,” suggests Manning. “When you are instructed to go to a location at Hogwarts, you can point to it on the map, which will initiate onscreen footprints for you to follow. This is a good way to learn how to best navigate the school grounds.” Long-time Potter fans know that the Marauders Map was created by a group of previous-generation Hogwarts students — including Harry’s father — who later went on to join the original Order of the Phoenix.

Building to the Grand Finale

As Harry builds up his wizardly powers — including the enigmatic Professor Snape’s Occlumency lessons, which help the boy block other wizards from intruding in his mind — he learns more about Umbridge’s true motivations, which reveal the subterfuge happening in the wizard world. You’ll even get the chance to take control of Sirius Black, Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore, and Fred and George Weasley as you advance the story.

Stairway to Floor Seven. Climb Hogwarts’ famous moving staircases.

After the grand finale, however, you’ll still get to explore Hogwarts in a mode known as Endless Day. Keep playing to discover all of the school’s secrets and complete all of your quests. The Room of Rewards keeps track of what you’ve completed and what you still need to do.

Manning sums it up: “J.K. Rowling created a fiction that is extremely fascinating and engaging, which is why I was so excited to turn this amazing story into a video game that allows fans of the franchise to enjoy another medium for experiencing Harry Potter.”

If you liked this game, check out:

• AGON
• Harry Potter
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• LEGO Star Wars II
• Myst Online: Uru Live
• RHEM 2: The Cave
• Riddle of the Sphinx II: The Omega Stone
• Shrek 2
• Spider-Man 2
• The Incredibles
• The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer