Finally, an action-adventure RPG that’s set in the Harry Potter universe. It’s what Hogwarts Legacy is all about, at least it’s what Avalanche Software promises to bring into the game. You get to play as a new wizard, starting his/her 5th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You’ll learn to wield various magical abilities. Though the game is set in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, it takes place way before the events of the series. It will take place in 1899 and will have its own plot, which we’ll talk about in this Hogwarts Legacy Review.
This Harry Potter Legacy Game is an open-world game set in the world of Harry Potter. So this means you’ll be able to visit and explore well-known places in the franchise. As exciting as all these sounds are, is this RPG a good game? Is it able to provide the magic that the Harry Potter franchise is well-known for? Let’s discuss all that in this Hogwarts Legacy review.
Hogwarts Legacy Review – The Gameplay
The gameplay of Hogwarts Legacy is every Harry Potter fan’s dream. It’s an action RPG where you’ll control a new fifth-year Hogwarts student who will learn how to wield various magic and go on magical adventures. Players will have an opportunity to create their wizards, customize their appearance, decide on their gender, and so on. The game is also set in an open-world environment, allowing players to explore Hogwarts and other well-known places in the Harry Potter franchise.
You don’t just have to watch or read about these places like Hogsmeade. You’ll be able to visit them and experience them through the game. In terms of storyline, the game is set in the period way before the events of Harry Potter. The main storyline for this game will revolve around your character who transferred to Hogwarts for unexplained reasons. You’ll do everything typical students do, which is to attend class, learn magic, and interact with some characters. But your character is not just a regular wizard.
You somehow possess strong and ancient magical powers that could threaten the entire wizarding world. The story will revolve around trying to uncover the mystery of this strong power and why it is suddenly awakening. Aside from exploring, you’ll also experience magical battles. You will apply many of the things you’ve learned in class in the combat that you’ll be part of. What’s great is that the combat is similar to that of other MMORPGs. This means you’ll have the freedom of movement instead of playing turn-based combat.
You will also meet new characters who will play important roles in your journey and adventure. It’s a fun adventure RPG that you will certainly love playing, whether you’re a Harry Potter fan or not.
What’s Good About Hogwarts Legacy
Now that we’ve discussed the gameplay of Hogwarts Legacy, it’s time to look at what makes the game good. We’ll discuss things about the game that can help you decide if it’s a game that’s worth it to play or not.
Open-World That You Can Explore
Probably the best thing about this game that most people will enjoy is the open world. It’s especially true for Harry Potter fans. It will allow them to be explorers and participants in a living and breathing Harry Potter world. You don’t just have to watch or read about it, you can experience it for yourself. Rxplore the various corners of Hogwarts castle or take a stroll in Hogsmeade. You can even ride a broom and get a better view of the vast wizarding world you can visit.
Even if you’re not a fan of Harry Potter, the chance to explore an amazing and magical world will be enticing enough. You will still be able to appreciate the world that the Hogwarts Legacy presents.
The Battle Sequence
Another good thing about Hogwarts Legacy is its battle sequence. Avalanche Software adopted a hack-and-slash battle system, providing players with more freedom to move during battle. It’s great because it will let you experience fully what it’s like to participate in wizarding combat. You will be able to immerse yourself in the combat experience and feel that you are part of the battle. Plus, you will have access to various spells you can use during combat, including things you’ve learned in class.
You will also encounter many different enemies. Some even use unique ways of fighting, which means you also have to be tactical and not just charge into any battle you see.
A Harry Potter Game for Everyone
One of the things that I was looking for is if the game is designed only for Harry Potter fans. Though it will take some time for non-fans of the franchise to understand certain things in the game, it won’t hinder them from playing. The game is set in the wizarding world, but it’s not connected to the Harry Potter story. It’s set in 1899 and it will take 81 more years before Harry Potter was born. Even well-known wizards like Albus Dumbledore were still a student at Hogwarts during this time.
So this means you don’t need to know or understand the story since you’ll play a new and different story. It’s just like playing any other RPG with its storyline that you’ll play from the start.
What’s Bad About Hogwarts Legacy
Of course, not everything about the game is good. There are also things about it that can be improved upon to further provide an awesome gaming experience.
No Quidditch
Probably one of the bad things about Hogwarts Legacy is the absence of the popular wizarding sport quidditch. In an adventure game like this with open-world features, being able to play quidditch would have been huge. But that’s not the case in this game as quidditch is not part of the gameplay. Though the game’s official site didn’t mention it, you’ll learn more about it as you play the storyline.
Quidditch season is canceled due to an “unfortunate accident” involving a student last season. Hopefully, the popular wizarding sport becomes a DLC or major update in the future.
Lackluster Storyline
Another thing that Hogwarts Legacy can improve upon is the storyline. Though the game introduces a new storyline, there’s nothing special or compelling about it. It’s possible that the game’s story is not yet complete and the developers will provide an update later on. But if the current storyline is the entire story, it feels lacking, especially if you compare it to the overall experience the game offers and the Harry Potter lore.
A Controversial Game
It’s not entirely related to any gameplay or storyline since the developers assured that the story didn’t come from J.K. Rowling. But the fact that she was the one who created the entire wizarding world and the game is part of that world, it’s not going to be without its controversy. The successful author has been under fire since her series of tweets in 2020 about transgender.
And the backlash translates to everything related to her. Though this bad thing is geared more toward streamers or content creators looking to make content about the game. It’s still something that you should be aware of. But this issue should not distract you from the fact that this game is good.
Hogwarts Legacy Review Verdict
Looking at all of the factors of Hogwarts Legacy, we can clearly say that the game can bring magic. It’s one of the best Harry Potter games you can play right now, considering the open-world feature and the combat system that the game has. Though there are things that the game can improve upon, it’s not uncommon for games this big to have some issues weeks after their release date.
The issues are not that major, and they can be fixed with updates later on. Hopefully, that’s the plan of the developers, releasing updates to make the game more complete later on. But with the things the game has right now, we are giving it a score of 4 out of 5. But if you’re looking for future updates about this RPG, be on the lookout here in PlayPC!
