"The Long Awaited Game For Potterheads" Trailer
February 10th, 2023 marked the day that Harry Potter fans finally got their hands on Hogwarts Legacy, the open-world RPG(role-play game) based in the 1800s Wizarding World. Millions of Harry Potter fans asked for it and we’ve finally got it! There have been a variety of Harry Potter themed games in the past, my personal favorite being Lego Harry Potter, but none have reached this scale. I have been a Harry Potter fan since the moment I watched the movies. Since then, I have read all the books, watched the play, visited the studio tour, and bought lots of merchandise. My very first tattoo was Harry Potter themed. As of right now, you can play the game on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Playstation 4 and Xbox 1 versions will be released on May 1st while the Nintendo Switch version will be released on July 25th.
While the game is set in the wizarding world and at Hogwarts, it’s not a direct prequel. So if you're not a Harry Potter fan, don't fret! There’s still plenty to enjoy about the game. The only familiar faces consist of ghosts; like Nearly Headless Nick. One addition that was very pleasing was Peeves the Poltergeist. He did not make it into the Harry Potter movies from the original Harry Potter books. This shows that the developers really took from the source material.
In Hogwarts Legacy, you get to attend Hogwarts and create your own wizarding experience. Your character is starting Hogwarts as a 5th year, which is quite unusual, but quickly you are able to catch up with your studies because of extra assignments from professors. You have a rare ability to see traces of ancient magic which gets you into a lot of trouble. The main villains are goblins who are rising up and causing trouble for the wizarding kind.
Instantly, I was in for a treat. The opening credits play the familiar ‘Hedwig's Theme’ by John Williams. Anyone will think of Harry Potter when they hear this theme.
At the beginning of the game, you get to customize your main character. Customization is pretty in-depth, besides the missing option to change eyebrows and nose. (These are decided by which face shape you pick). There are a variety of skin tones, hairstyles, and facial markings to really make your character feel like you. There are 5 options for both masculine and feminine voices. You must pick between the female or male gender to determine your dormitory, but masculine and feminine hairstyles are available to all. Before you begin your journey, you have the choice between story mode, easy, normal, or hard. This option determines the difficulty of the gameplay experience (mostly combat), catering to the player's needs.
Upon arriving at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, you are promptly sorted into one of the 4 Hogwarts houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff. As the sorting hat sits on your head, you are asked to pick between 4 traits. This choice determines which house the hat chooses for you. Alternatively, players can link their Harry Potter Fan Club account to the game, and their house (and wand) choice will transfer to the game. If you're not happy with either of these options, the hat will allow you to switch and choose from any of the 4 houses. This choice is permanent and cannot be changed. Each Hogwarts house has different common rooms and house-specific main quests, otherwise, your house does not change the playing experience too drastically. As a proud Hufflepuff, I stayed loyal to my house for my playthrough. Giving choice in your house really allowed me to be the wizard I wanted to be. Running through the corridors of Hogwarts Castle in my Hufflepuff robes was so satisfying.
If Avalanche Software were to make another installment, I would like to see more differences between the houses. I love each individual common room, but those are easy to look up on youtube. The house-specific side quest is kinda short and happens at the same time in the game for everyone. That being said, Huffelpuffs get to take a trip to the hallowed halls of Azkaban, the wizarding prison, which is rather fun. Significant differences between the houses would allow more replayability, as you could have a playthrough with a character in every house. Characters acknowledge your house, but not in a way that is significant. It's just plugged into the dialogue. You get to meet every character regardless of your house and their house.
The last game that Avalanche Software released was Cars 3: Driven to Win. Before that was Disney Infinity. I’ve actually played Disney Infinity, and can confidently say the studio is on a new level. This is the game studio’s first time making an open-world RPG. Considering that, they did a fantastic job. Hogwarts Legacy is Open-World, meaning you have pretty much full access to go anywhere on the map at any time. Of course, some areas will be locked, but the majority is free to explore.
The game has 3 separate maps: Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, and the World Map. Hogwarts Castle is amazing. It’s beautiful and extremely detailed. The first thing I did when I got a hold of the game was to wander around the school that I’d always wanted to attend. I felt like I was in the movies, the graphics were so good. I was able to find the common room entrances without help from the map because they were located exactly where the books stated they would be. The game took heavy inspiration from the books and was a perfect digital creation of Hogwarts. The looks are mostly based on that of the movies because that's what people have seen. Hogsmeade, the all-wizarding village near the castle, is also an amazing recreation. The World map is huge and the main storyline takes you pretty much all around it. Any places not explored through the main story can easily be seen by broom. Broom flight is the main mode of travel across the map. However, you can't fly over Hogsmeade and the Hogwarts Map prevents you from landing in certain areas. I find the restriction in Hogsmeade to be incredibly annoying and could just as easily be removed with no consequences.
Gear, or clothes, act as a way to improve your combat score and defense level. Your character can end up in quite silly outfits. This was a complaint of mine until I found out that you can set the outfit that shows up on your character and still get the benefits of the gear that you're ‘wearing’.
The only significant inventory system in the game is for gear. You start with 20 slots. Quickly, you'll find out that this is not nearly enough. When your inventory is full you can destroy the item or sell it at a vendor. The only way to get more slots is to do Merlin Trials. Merlan Trails are small puzzles that are found around the world. They could be compared to the Korok trials from Zelda: Breath of the Wild. You’ll have to do a lot of them to get a significant increase in slots though.
I would have played the game day of release if I’d had a system to run it. Alas, I waited until spring break so that I could play it on my dad’s PlayStation 5. In my 32-hour playthrough, spanning 4 days, I was able to complete the main story and a majority of the sidequests.
Combat or Spell Casting makes up a majority of the gameplay. Obviously. Spells are split into 6 types: Essential, Force, Transfiguration, Control, Damage, and the Unforgivable Curses. There are many different spell combos to play with. The game does a good job at showing the player ways to fight, through assignments from the professors.
You have the option to learn the unforgivable curses: Crucio, Imperio, and Avada Kedavra. Crucio causes excruciating pain, Imperio allows the caster to control who the spell has been cast on, and Avada Kedavara is the killing curse. Even though these are Unforgivable Curses (you could go to Azkaban for casting them), there are no consequences for casting them. Implementing a morality system into the game would make players feel as if there were consequences for their actions. I unlocked the first 2 spells. I felt guilty casting them, but I think that’s due to my background in the wizarding world. I would never have used them if there were consequences. I think a morality system would make for more replayability because players could choose whether or not to engage in the dark arts. Currently, using the dark arts doesn't have a huge impact on the story. As a Potterhead, I think this is silly because they are unforgivable!
Verdict:
Years of waiting for my Hogwarts letter, and I'm happy to say that it was worth it. Hogwarts Legacy is the best harry potter game yet. It will please Harry Potter fans and anyone that picks up the game. You don’t have to be a fan to play. While I see room for improvement, such as more consequences to choices, what game doesn't have room to grow?
Rating: 9/10
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