Harry Potter: Spells available at the AppStore

by: Tina - posted: 11/16/2009 10:32:00 PM

Warner Bros. Digital Distribution has just announced the arrival of the only official Harry Potter game to hit the App Store – HarryPotter: Spells .

You go through the whole ordeal of becoming a wizard: get your specific wand, get placed into a house by the Sorting Hat, and finally train 14 spells that require specific hand gestures. Once you’ve mastered your spells you can duel with other wizards over bluetooth or WiFi. You can even gather up your accomplishments to winning house points that will be rounded up on the leaderboard.

I know a lot of people are quick to judge the Harry Potter series, so I’ll say that this seems to be one of those “don’t knock it before you try it” sort of deals. Just the experience of casting spells seems like a pretty intriguing idea, especially the possibilities of its integration with the iPhone. Also, if you’ve ever played Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, you know dueling can be hella fun.

The game is available at $4.99 in the AppStore as of today, and you can check their trailer on their site.

First Official Harry Potter Game Now Available on the App Store



Transform the iPhone or iPod touch into a magic wand and prepare for a duel



BURBANK, Calif., November 16, 2009 – Warner Bros. Digital Distribution today announced the HARRY POTTER: SPELLS App is now available from the App Store. The app, based on the Harry Potter films, will transform Muggles everywhere into fledgling wizards, casting spells at their opponents to stun them with Stupefy! or disarm them with Expelliarmus! The HARRY POTTER SPELLS App is the only official Harry Potter game available on the App Store.



Beginning with an arsenal of 14 spells, wizards-in-training can conjure magic alone or duel others by casting spells from one device to another using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connections. After receiving an official invitation to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, students will make the ceremonial visit to Ollivanders wand shop, where the wand destined for them will then choose its new master. Players are then introduced to the legendary Sorting Hat and placed into one of four houses (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin). Next, it’s time to begin wizard training in the Spell Tutorial where players learn the specific hand gestures to cast each spell. Once a spell is mastered it can be used in a duel.



May the Best Wizard Win!

Once students master their spells they can practice alone or challenge a friend to a duel. While players of different years may duel, be wary, as more advanced students will have a tactical advantage with a larger repertoire of spells – but novice students can still win based on their magical skills (more damage is done to an opponent with higher level spells and with well-cast spells, regardless of level). A duel concludes when one player’s health meter is reduced to zero.



Spell Types

The app teaches players some of the most popular spells from the world of Harry Potter, including Lumos and Expecto Patronum!



There are several categories of spells in the app, including:

* Offensive spells - lower an opponent’s Health meter.
* Defensive spells - deflect Offensive spells or replenish the player’s health.
* Status spells - offensive spells that hinder an opponent’s ability to cast spells for a brief period of time.
* Non-Dueling Spells - some of the most popular spells fans know and love such as Alohomora.



Player Profile

Accomplishments, including mastering spells in practice mode and winning duels, are rewarded with house points. The house points that a player earns are combined with those earned by all other players in the same house around the world. In the Profile section, players can monitor the following:



* Statistics: A record of the player’s accomplishments and total number of house points earned including name, House, wins/losses in dueling, total house points, player’s rank within the house and in the school.
* House Point Leaderboard: Displays top ranked players in all four houses and an Overall Leaderboard that showcases the top Hogwarts students.
* Facebook integration – Players can post profiles and scores on Facebook.



The HARRY POTTER: SPELLS App is available for $4.99 from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/.



The app was developed in association with Mikoishi™. For more information on HARRY POTTER SPELLS please visit: http://harrypotterspellsapp.com