Book of Spells

Did You Know?

• Book of Spells was nominated for a BAFTA in the 'Game Innovation 2013' category.
• The game holds a 72 on Metacritic, indicating 'Mixed or Average reviews'.
• Critics praised the use of the Wonderbook technology but criticized the game's short replay value.

Gameplay

In Book of Spells, players use the PlayStation Move controller to trace shapes that cast spells, with the controller appearing on screen as a wand that draws patterns to trigger magic. The book itself is displayed through augmented reality on the PlayStation Eye camera. The game is set within the Harry Potter universe, presenting itself as a spellbook written over two centuries ago by Miranda Goshawk, and it simulates learning magic at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Each chapter ends with a poem about a failed Hogwarts student, offering a moral lesson similar to Aesop's Fables. At the beginning, players pick one of four Hogwarts houses and one of three wands. If they have a Pottermore account, they can link it so the in-game house and wand match their choices on that site. While each chapter focuses on specific spells, players occasionally get to briefly use other spells like the Oppugno Jinx, but they never learn the gestures for these extra spells and are not tested on them.