Doing a review for a game set in the Harry Potter franchise, or “The Wizarding World” shouldn’t be such a controversial topic in our online space today. Unfortunately, as you probably have heard, the author/creator of this IP has some troubling opinions on trans rights, which has turned the Harry Potter fandom up over its head and making them question if it’s even okay to support this property anymore. While I completely encourage people to vote with their wallets on such a matter, I’m happy to report that “Hogwarts Legacy” seemingly triumphs over most doubts/expectations one could have on this release. Avalanche Software has not only put out a solid video game, but one of inclusion, a game that fully supports fans of the franchise to be whoever they want to be, all doing so while also enriching the gamer with all the magic and wonder we could have wanted in a game set inside the wizarding world.
The journey “Hogwarts Legacy” takes you on is actually in the past over a hundred years before the events of Harry Potter. You play as your own character, A fully customizable avatar that you can name whatever you want, however you want to look, along with an assortment of voice options to choose from. After creating your character and selecting if you are a witch or a wizard the story begins with you heading to the school of Hogwarts as a fifth year, which is exceptionally odd, because it’s actually your first year going to this school. Before you even meet the sorting hat you are already taken on a very intriguing mission that will slowly unravel as you continue to play. The game does a great job of having the gamer curate their own personal story, while also incorporating a larger narrative that feels seamless.
Like any good role-playing game, there are a plethora of things that you can do on the side that aren’t necessary to the main story but are fun in their own right and are very great distractions to milk your overall playtime of the game. You can take up potion making and gardening, to help with your spells. Decorating your room of requirement (your personal space) can be a very addicting time suck, in the vein of decorating your home in something like “Animal Crossing.” If you’re a fan of the “Fantastic Beasts” films, they haven’t forgotten about you, since you also have the ability to groom and breed specific beasts you discover. There seems to be a strong variety of optional activities that I’m sure at least one of them will attract you. For me, I enjoyed dueling against my fellow students in an almost Fight Club underground set up. Speaking of duels, fighting enemies with your wand I figured would be a difficult concept to pull off, but I was impressed at how they made flicking a wand around to be as fun of a combat system as any other action games. It can get stale after a while if your spell book is limited.
I can’t emphasize enough how cool it is to have such a broad story that allows the player to mold it in so many different ways, you really could become an evil force to be reckoned with or the hero everyone needs. The variety of classmates you can meet and develop strong relationships is amazing, and may influence you on which type of path you want to take on this journey. My only real gripes I have is really the huge oversight of not having quidditch available as a side activity. Perhaps the developers struggled to find a fun way to present that to us, I’m not sure, but if this game really pops off, I hope they add it in with some DLC content someday. My only other issue is while the majority of the game and presentation have a strong sense of polish, there can be a decent number of odd glitches here and there, but none that completely took me out of the experience. That’s what it all boils down to, the experience, in the case of “Hogwarts Legacy” it succeeds in achieving what it would feel like to be a student at Hogwarts, for the millions of fans, that is a fantasy they’ve desired to experience for a very long time and with this, I don’t think they’ll be disappointed. As a very casual fan, it managed to enchant even me.
8.5/10
Hogwarts Legacy is scheduled to launch worldwide for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC on February 10; PlayStation 4 and Xbox One will launch on April 4 and Nintendo Switch on July 25.
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Related: Nick Navarro Reviews
Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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