Demo of Sony Wonderbook: Book of Spells from J.K. Rowling

By 10/14/2012 01:21:00 PM ,

At a recent PlayStation Holiday Games Event I was able to preview and play some of the upcoming fall and holiday game releases. One of the games I really wanted to check out was Sony Wonderbook : Book of Spells which has a J.K. Rowling Harry Potter themed experience.

Sadly I didn't get a chance to see the game since demo room was just so crowded. But from all the excited chatter coming from that room, I knew the game had to have some cool features.

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Well I recently got my chance play the game when I was invited to privately demo! I was really interested to see how this "book" took game play to the next level.

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So how does it all work? First there's the the Wonderbook (available for $39.99 for both the book and Blu-ray game), which is a physical paper book with an interactive system that uses Augmented Reality technology and PlayStation Move devices to bring the stories in the book alive on the gaming screen.

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On the gaming screen the book is transformed into a tool, you can physically interact with. Whatever you do with the book is also done on screen using the gaming world theme. The graphics of the gaming world are really detailed and in 3D. Turning the book around I could see all the parts and details of the current "story" I was playing with.

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In Wonderbook: Book of Spells I went through different "story" page levels where I learned different spells. On one page I learned how to levitate a jar. When my jar broke (levitating isn't easy people!) then I levitated the eye balls from the jar. Check out the video below to see how I did.


As you can see from the video playing the game is a lot of fun. For fans of the Harry Potter books and movies, you'll love learning how to conjure fire and defend against attacking wizards. That was a REALLY fun level! Also I was told during my demo that there's additional game features (back stories to spells, new creatures, how to unlock more writing with every chapter test) based on writer J.K. Rowling who described the experience in her own words:
“Wonderbook: Book of Spells is the closest a Muggle can come to a real spellbook. I’ve loved working with Sony’s creative team to bring my spells, and some of the history behind them, to life. This is an extraordinary device that offers a reading experience like no other.”

Wonderbook: Book of Spells will be the first game released in November of this year but plans are in the works for other stories using the same interactive augmented reality technology. To learn more visit PlayStation Wonderbook: Book of Spells Page

You can pre-order Wonderbook: Book of Spells Move Bundle for $79.99, which includes: Wonderbook: Book of Spells Blu-ray game, wireless PlayStation®Move motion controller, Wonderbook PS3 book, plus PlayStation Eye camera

Please Note: I was invited as media to demo the game for review purpose. No other compensation was received. Views expressed are always 100% my own.

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