History VideoGame / HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban

** Lupin's class with the Boggart in the wardrobe does not occur. Instead, Lupin's first class teaches the ''Carpe Retractum'' spell (in the PC version) or the ''Glacius'' spell (in the home console version). As a result, Lupin doesn't explain what Boggarts are until Harry's anti-Dementor lessons.

** Lupin's class with the Boggart in the wardrobe does not occur. Instead, Lupin's first class teaches the ''Carpe Retractum'' spell (in the PC version) or the ''Glacius'' spell (in the home console version). As a result, Lupin quickly explains what Boggarts are at the start of Harry's anti-Dementor lessons.

** Lupin's class with the Boggart in the wardrobe does not occur. Instead, Lupin's first class teaches the ''Carpe Retractum'' spell (in the PC version) or the ''Glacius'' spell (in the home console version).

* FinalBoss: Of course, the source material doesn't really provide one, unless you count the swarm of Dementors that Harry fights off to save himself and Sirius. The different platforms come up with different ways of dealing with this:

* FinalBoss: Of course, the source material doesn't really provide one, unless you count the swarm of Dementors that Harry fights off to save himself and Sirius. The GBA version uses Draco Malfoy, who jumps you at the very end. The PC version has the final version of Peeves, who will attack Harry and his friends in the Entrance Hall the first time they enter it after saving Sirius.

* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: In the GBA version, the FinalBoss is [[spoiler:Draco Malfoy]], who has absolutely no context for his presence in the final dungeon and is basically placed there solely for the purpose of giving Harry and Hermione someone to fight.

** Lupin's class with the Boggart in the wardrobe does not occur. Instead, Lupin's first class teaches the ''Carpe Retractum'' spell (in the PC version) or the ''Glacius'' spell (in the console version).

* ArtificialStupidity: The home console ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' game had over-zealously friendly AI, which would always shoot at the enemy as often as possible, regardless of whether or not you're standing in between them. At least they apologize if they hit you.

** In the console version of ''Prisoner of Azkaban'', Hermione can enter the boys' dormitory, but Harry and Ron can't enter the girls', just like in the books. [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix It's a pity the stairs don't fold into a slide if you try it, though.]]

* DummiedOut: The GBA version of ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' has remnants of a ''VideoGame/{{Tapper}}'' clone [[http://tcrf.net/Harry_Potter_and_the_Prisoner_of_Azkaban_%28Game_Boy_Advance%29#Unused_Minigame floating about]] in the data. You can cheat your way into it, but its {{Unwinnable}}, as the "catch the mug" routine was either removed or never finished.

* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: In the GBA version of ''Prisoner of Azkaban'', the FinalBoss is [[spoiler:Draco Malfoy]], who has absolutely no context for his presence in the final dungeon and is basically placed there solely for the purpose of giving Harry and Hermione someone to fight.

* GroundPound: A flaming-pot-and-lantern mecha boss in the home console ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' game can do these.

* MasterOfUnlocking: Ron has this gift in the home console ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' game, where he can easily find false walls along with the treasures they contain.

* RecurringBoss: The ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' home console game has enchanted books as mini-boss encounters. The first one is ostensibly the same ''Care for Magical Creatures'' textbook that featured in the novel, but later ones will also spit out spells at you.

* ShieldBearingMook: The Red Caps from the home console ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' game, equipped with daggers and rough metal shields. However, the shields are useless in this case, since you're blasting them with spells.

* TacticalSuicideBoss: In the ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' home console game, there's a boss monster in one level that assembles itself from the metal pots and torch casings lying around. It can stomp for shockwaves and fire self-guiding fireballs, but it's only vulnerable after launching one of its torch arms at you, which can then be frozen and shattered.

* FinalBoss: Not really one - closest are the Dementors (the GBA version has [[spoiler:Draco Malfoy]] jump you at the very end. PC version has final version of Peeves, who will attack Harry and his friends at the Entrance Hall first time they enter after saving Sirius).

** The game starts off with Harry, Ron, and Hermione on the Hogwarts Express, thus skipping over the Aunt Marge incident and the Knight Bus.

** The game starts off with Harry, Ron, and Hermione on the Hogwarts Express, thus skipping over the Aunt Marge incident and the Knight bus.

* AdaptedOut: Despite being a significant supporting character in both the book and film, Professor Trelawney is not in the game. And in the PC version, Snape is not included either.

* TruerToTheText: The game portrays Dementors as simply floating above the ground, which is how they're described in the books. The films portray them as outright flying.

* AdaptedOut: Despite being a significant supporting character in both the book and film, Professor Trelawney is not in the game. And in the PC version, Snape is not included.

The game has a similar approach to the previous entry, ''VideoGame/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'', with Hogwarts being a WideOpenSandbox that you can explore at your leisure in between completing the levels necessary to advance the story. The big change this time is that Ron and Hermione have been PromotedToPlayable, allowing you to play as all three members of the trio. They each have different abilities, and, [[ReformulatedGame depending on the platform]], you either can or can't decide when to switch characters. Another difference is that Quidditch is no longer playable, with flights on Buckbeak replacing it as the requisite flying MiniGame.

* YouHaveResearchedBreathing: In the PS2 game, Harry, Ron and Hermione get different special abilities in addition to the spells. Some are plausible (Harry is the only one who can climb up ropes), others not so much. Harry is the only one who can ''jump'' and Ron is the only one who can search bookshelves.

* AllMythsAreTrue: In the third game, the Chocolate Frog cards include [[DavidVsGoliath an Israelite boy]] [[Literature/TheBible who killed a Giant]], [[Literature/JackTheGiantKiller another Giant who lived atop a beanstalk by the time of his death]], and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Bathory a vampire who bathed in blood]]. All games also have [[KingArthur Merlin]].

* DemBones: The third PC game (and on GBA, which carries over the RPG element from the GBC releases) had you fight skeletons in the tunnels underneath the Shrieking Shack. Besides simply clawing at you, they could also throw their own bones, which did a surprising amount of damage.

** On the first day in ''Prisoner of Azkaban'', the fourth floor is supposed to be locked. If you take a secret passage located on the seventh floor down to the fourth floor and then exit, one of the prefects will question how you got there.

* GameplayAndStorySegregation: When the time for the ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' comes to be freed, he does so thanks to Buckbeak who also escapes execution. That doesn't prevent the players from revisiting Hagrid afterwards and have the hippogriff flight as many times as they like.

* GroundPound: A flaming-pot-and-lantern mecha boss in the home console Prisoner of Azkaban game can do these.

* IceCrystals: The Glacius spells are represented with these, and even are visually shown to be crystals in ''Prisoner of Azkaban'''s GBA game.

* SlideLevel: Some parts of the Glacius challenge from the third game feature this kind of gameplay, by using the Glacius spell to freeze the water Harry is going to slide down. You can collect goodies like Beans and Cauldron Cake, but if you fall, you have to restart this part of the challenge.

* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: In the third game, you can use Glacius, the ice making spell, on obnoxious Slytherin prefects, who will yell at you to stop. Most of the wandering children are too fast to catch with this spell.

* YouHaveResearchedBreathing: In the third game, Harry, Ron and Hermione get different special abilities in addition to the spells. Some are plausible (Harry is the only one who can climb up ropes), others not so much. Harry is the only one who can ''jump'' and Ron is the only one who can search bookshelves.

''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' is a ''VideoGame/HarryPotter'' video game released by Creator/ElectronicArts to coincide with the release of [[Film/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban the film by the same name]].