Hogwarts Legacy Review
Setting the Stage
Ever since Hogwarts Legacy was first announced back in 2020, there have been quite a lot of mixed feelings about the ultimate release of the game. There were those that love Harry Potter and were straight-up scared as hell that this game would just suck. Then there were those who were trying to call each person a transphobe for even getting excited about the game in an attempt to stop people from buying it entirely. Finally, there was everyone else who were unsure if the game would be good, but just wanted to have a fun experience.
When was it released?
Personally, I always loved the Harry Potter stories and even I called this game a possible flop right out of the gate. I mean there were several issues in the development leading to multiple delays and the outlook was bleak. But when we started to see some of the gameplay trailers showing off how the game works overall. I started to get excited to get my wand and start blasting people.
Having one of the biggest launches on Steam and breaking records for the most streamed game on Twitch, it seems like Harry Potter stories has finally found a solid game! But the ultimate question is whether you should buy this game and ya boy is here to answer that question for you.
The Good
The Gameplay
Overall, the gameplay of Hogwarts Legacy is a lot better than I originally imagined. At first glance, the trailers made the game feel like it was extremely clunky in its design, but the experience was way more fluid than I had imagined. When you think of Harry Potter you always think of spell casting and dishing out punishment to your foes in many ways.
Hogwarts Legacy has a total of 35 different spells that can be used in the game and each has its strengths and weaknesses. Spells like the basic cast and protego, are built into the base mechanics which are used on a daily basis and essential to combat. Once you start to learn more advanced magic that’s where the game gets extremely fun. Each spell is organized based on the different uses that it could have.
Advanced Spells
Some are more for utility use like fixing pathways using ‘reparo’ or lighting dark alleys by using ‘lumos.’ Others are for controlling enemies or objects which helps in combat and story missions. ‘Levioso’ which levitates enemies can be used in combat scenarios which can devastate guards. Then you have more combat spells that can cause massive damage to enemies, like using ‘incendio’ which blasts your enemies with fire.
You can even learn the Unforgivable curses which is a direct call back from the books and movies. Using ‘avada kedavra’ makes you feel like the biggest Chad on the planet. The Dark Lord ain’t got nothing on me. The combination of all of these spells makes the combat situations feel so fun to engage in. Once you get into a fight with multiple enemies you really see how fluid the combat can be. Using specific spells to weaken enemies to then create combination attacks which creates a diverse method of how you fight as a wizard.
Skill Tree is Great!
A very overlooked feature of the gameplay is the use of a skill tree system that expands your traits as a wizard. Most open world games have this type of system in their games and Hogwarts Legacy does a great job at including a wide array of possible skills and un-lockables in this system.
These skills can vary between small changes like granting you minor boosts in ancient magic per parry, all the way to creating a pool of fire upon every ‘incendio.’ Overall, the gameplay excels in many of the aspects that most open world game fans would want to see. I was completely surprised that the game was as addicting as it was. I mean the game looked ROUGH during the trailers, but the game is a lot of fun to play.
The Story
When looking at the story of Hogwarts Legacy, most people including myself have high expectations especially with connection to this great IP. Hogwarts Legacy takes place WAY before the events of Harry Potter which opens the door for a wide array of possibilities. Not being tied down to any particular story allowed the developer to come up with a really interesting plot and overall, I thought they did a good job here.
The basic story of the game is that you are a fifth-year student being transferred to Hogwarts. After making you create your extremely British sounding character, which oddly mine looks like the werewolf kid from Twilight. You are on your way to start your year learning how to be a wizard at Hogwarts.
Ancient Magic in the wrong hands
In very Harry Potter fashion, when you think you are about to have a normal year learning charms and drinking butter beer, you are thrown into a whole plot where there are evil forces at work trying to cause mayhem. You escape from the dragon by using a portkey and you discover a mysterious form of Ancient Magic that only you as the protagonist can see.
You soon find out about major antagonists like Ranrok, the vicious leader of the Goblin rebellion, and Victor Rookwood, who leads a gang of dark wizards that made an alliance with the Goblins. Throughout the story you and your mentor Elezar Fig, investigate the source of the Ancient Magic in Hogwarts and figure out a way to keep it out of the hands of the villains. Sounds like a pretty standard Harry Potter adventure but it’s really the details that makes the story as good as it is.
The Characters
The characters are exactly the way id picture them from the books and movies. Now they don’t match the legendary trio from the original story, but they are interesting in the dialog and methods you interact with them. Building not only friendships but also rivalries felt right at home in this world.
I feel like the point of a Hogwarts game is to capture the literal magic of the original IP and they did that very well in this game. I think if you were going to make a game about the world of Hogwarts that was completely separate from the original story, I think this was as good of how you would do it.
The Map
One of the best aspects of Hogwarts legacy is the map design. I really felt that when exploring the map of this game I really was impressed with what was available. The map is massive in scale really giving the player many locations to visit along their journey throughout the game. The best part of the game has to be the fact that many parts of the map are identical to the movies and books.
There were several locations I saw throughout my play through that I recognized from the movies. It really shows the level of dedication the devs show towards the Harry Potter IP especially with how in depth the map is. You can see this directly with the different dorms of the houses. Being able to pick your house you will be a part of, has some impact on the types of missions you have as well as the interactions you face throughout the game. Each house also has its own living space which is super detailed based on the books.
The Devil in the Details
Ya boy picked Slytherin, in honor of my homie Snape. The Slytherin house seemed Ancient like it had a deep lore to it. Gryffindor has the classic feel from the movies, and houses Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff both unique in its design and were very interesting to see them for the first time. Open world games always have the difficulty of making their maps feel full of things to do and Hogwarts Legacy actually addressing this issue well.
Along with many locations to travel to there was also side missions that have you explore dungeons, free bandit bases, find treasure and ancient shrines. Giving you more to do than just the basic travel from Point A to Point B. I personally feel like one of the worst aspects of open world games is the lifeless atmosphere itself, but if a game does a good job with its map design, I feel like they deserve a lot of credit there.
The Atmosphere
Hogwarts Legacy aced one of the most important aspects I was hoping for with a Harry Potter IP. Making the world feel like its an extension of the already rich lore. I mean if you are a fan of Harry Potter then the map will make you extremely happy with how well the wizarding world was recaptured into this title. There are so many things to do and find in this game that you can play for hours and only just scratch the surface. It may not compare to some other massive open world games but it definitely deserves credit for what it was able to accomplish.
The Bad
Lack of Multiplayer
One of the biggest issues I have with the game is the fact that they do not have a single multiplayer component in this game. I mean, it’s not like every open world game should have multiplayer, but it just feels like Hogwarts Legacy missed out on such an awesome opportunity being able to complete the story with a crew of your friends. I think if they had made games like Destiny or Halo Infinite where you can complete missions together and still have your own progression, this game would literally be amazing.
One of the key themes from the original books is the strength of family and friends. Imagine if you could build your own little crew that can combat against the dark wizards at work? It’s a feature that I think would elevate this game to high levels with some co-operative experience. If you look at recent trends in gaming, especially with open worlds, you will see that even if the map of a game is not the densest you generally still have a great time if you get to experience it with others.
Multiplayer Would Have Major Impact!
You get to make your own stories as well as live out the current story of the game. Possibly one of the issues I can see with this game being multiplayer based would be the level of easiness to navigate through the game. But still they could have just made the game harder with including others so I Alone I’m a one-man army but together we can take out the entire wizarding world.
The Issue of Side Quests
One of the other things that I felt was lacking was the variety of side quests. I had mentioned earlier in the video that the map was very fun to explore and find things to investigate which is true. However, the problem I do notice with the side quests you have available to you from Hogwarts are straight up busy work. I could be learning new spells and straight up fighting Goblin Terrorists then I go talk to a classmate and they are like, “hey can you find me some missing pages that are floating on the fourth floor of Hogwarts?”
Like dude, my talents are way higher than just a collecting your damn homework. I was expecting more side missions that can at least mirror my level. I don’t think Harry Potter was out here worrying about getting a plant for some nerdy kid that is afraid of freaking bush. Yeah I’m not kidding, that is an actual mission in the game. I feel the best open world games make you feel like everything you do always has a purpose.
How to do side quests right
You aren’t just wandering around this grand landscape doing nothing. Looking at the best open world games out there, you always see how much effort they put into both the main line story missions as well as the side quests. For example, look at the Witcher 3 wild hunt. Every side mission basically has its own story with characters, with a plot and a conclusion that is satisfying or brutal depending on what choice you make. In some cases these side missions even impact the main game because of the people you interacted with.
Sure, in Hogwarts Legacy, you have times where you make a choice to do something that can result in the ending of a side mission to be different, but these decisions don’t change the game they are just like, are you a douche or are you a simp. Which one will you be? The point of side quests is to create context to certain characters or aspects of the world.
Why not have a cast of characters that you can develop relationships with like you can in Mass Effect where you can build bonds which you eventually have to break or strengthen depending on what happens in the game. Imagine having your own little band of friends and basically depending on which relationships you build in the long run it can change the trajectory of the story. That’s high levels of immersion.
Graphically Still Has Issues
At times the game still has issues graphically. For a game that looks great overall, I was surprised how often I saw bugs in my playthrough of the game. There are two modes to play in this game, one being performance mode which emphasized keeping the game in a good FPS, while quality focuses on fidelity of the game at its peak. I was playing on Performance mode just so my FPS were to stay around the 60 range where it felt smooth.
But even in that mode there were times I had seen many issues graphically in aspects of the game. Not to a major level where it was hindering my play, but some things were just too noticeable where I couldn’t just skip over. Like for some reason either Professor Fig was practicing some sort of dark magic, but his face literally had issues controlling textures making it look like he was growing shadows all over his cheeks.
One of my classmates literally looked like he was pitching a tent when I walked over. Bugs are not breaking the game but its hard at times to focus on an important plot conversation when literally you are getting distracted by what you see in front of you.
The Ugly
No Quidditch
One of the biggest issues I have with this game that honestly is super surprising that this was not included is the lack of Quidditch in this game. Ah yes, Quidditch, the legendary game that makes boys into men and amateurs into legends. One of the most synonymous things with Harry Potter is Quidditch, which basically is a wizard version of soccer that engulfs the story. I mean it’s so popular that people have their own Quidditch leagues and compete against each other.
Now one of the first things I thought of when they announced a Hogwarts game, was that there was no chance that Quidditch would not be included. But I was utterly shocked like the rest of the kids in Hogwarts when headmaster Black, told the entire school, Quidditch is canceled. I honestly wanted to start a riot in the game when I heard about this.
Loss of an Opportunity
I am actually confused on how this is even possible. I mean you have broomstick flying lessons, side missions using your broomstick, there literally field that is actually able to explore on, but no Quidditch? This is such a meatball of a choice to make, everyone thought that it would be in the game, and it seems there are no plans to add it in later. This just seems like a wasted opportunity. I want to be the Quidditch champion of the world, and I’m just annoyed I won’t be able to in this game.
Final Verdict
Overall Thoughts
Overall, this game did better than I had expected. Coming across a good Harry Potter video game IP is like seeing EA actually make a game that’s worth $70. Very rare to see but once you find it, it’s a breath of fresh air. Harry Potter games have been utter trash since the PS2 days and its good to see that the story finally has a good game that captures the themes and nostalgia of the books and movies.
Rating
The Gameplay and Map were very impressive especially because my expectations were super low, and they surprised me with how polished they were. The Story was very serviceable and gave off similar vibes to the movies. Sure, at times the side quests seemed like busy work and graphically the game has some bugs.
The lack of a multiplayer and Quidditch did hurt my soul but overall this is an awesome experience and you should definitly have fun playing this game. I’m giving Hogwarts Legacy an 8.6 out of 10. They hit all the right spots on an open world game and they finally shut up all the critics including myself that the Harry Potter IP cant have a banger of a hit.
Is it worth buying?
I was one of the people that thought this game would flop upon its release, but I can say confidently that I was completely wrong. The devs over at Avalanche gave me a super kick right upon hearing my thoughts. This game is a MUST BUY if you are fan of Harry Potter or want to experience a good open world game. Unfortunately, at the moment there are no plans for a DLC or an expansion but with the hopes of success changing the developers’ minds, I’m looking forward to what we see next from this studio.
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