ell, call me one shocked reviewer! This surprising little GBA game has achieved a major milestone in my book – it has changed my grumpy attitude towards Potter games entirely. While this RPG has some annoyances, its amusement factor is hard to deny.

Like the book it’s based on, this entry covers the dark storyline of Harry finding out more about his parents’ murder, the escape of a dangerous convict, and the fact that our boy wizard has some baggage to deal with. In those regards, this game carries the more mature themes with style and tight storytelling. The gameplay mirrors this by requiring precision item management and upgrades for each party member. Azkaban’s battle strategy and party arrangements (all three friends will be switched between every possible configuration during the course of gameplay) forces players to be thoughtful and strategic. This, my dear RPG junkies, is a good thing for all of us.

On the other hand, small annoyances break up the experience and stop it from being the end-all of the RPG handheld market. For example, when purchasing items, you can’t tell who can use them and what they really do. There are other instances of making some menu structures harder than they need to be, but despite these issues, I still am happy to finally find a true Potter game that I can really get behind.