Hogwarts Legacy treated Harry Potter fans who had waited for over a decade to play a new game set in the Wizarding World, and this story, set in the late 1800s, did not disappoint.
Whether taking time to learn all the spells on offer, and I mean all of them (the forbidden curse, etc), taking in the scenery on your broom or riding a larger-than-life Hippogriff around the grounds. Hogwarts Legacy creates a magical feeling which will linger long after you’ve completed the main quests. Now for the important part, and please beware that there are spoilers ahead.
Entering the World of Hogwarts
You have plenty of options to configure when deciding how your character looks and sounds. I just wish they’d have put in as much effort with the character’s personality as I never would’ve chosen for him to be as dull as a rainy day in England.
The first thing I noticed in the opening scene is how exaggerated the tones in which the characters speak are, and how uncomfortable it makes me feel. Is this yet another example of the entertainment industry portraying the English as bumbling lunatics so they can sell the game in America, or do they actually think we speak that way? Every time Gladwin Moon opened his mouth, I was struck by a nasty case of vertigo. Why does he seem like he’s totally off his face on gillyweed for the entire story? See what I did there?
The graphics are stupendously beautiful, and the game gets off to an exciting start. The dragon attack had me hooked straight away, and the thestrals suddenly appearing after we witness a death is a masterstroke of an idea.
Starting school in the fifth year is an interesting touch, as I originally thought we’d be starting from year one as normal. Then we’d progress through the years in a ‘FIFA Career Mode’ kind of structure. In any case, starting in the fifth year allows the player to focus more on the story while also being hooked by the addictive progression needed to feel like we’re actually students ourselves. Dopamine anyone?
I picked Gryffindor for the nostalgia, of course, but the Sorting Hat allows you to choose which house you want to be in. Whatever choice you make alters the story slightly, so decide carefully before proceeding. It was a joyous moment when I entered the Gryffindor common room.
The Gameplay
To heal, we’re given Wiggenweld Potions, and you can take this green health juice at any time. There were occasions where I’d foolishly taken more than I needed to, but I do prefer this system because it gives you more control over your health. In Uncharted, for example, you have to wait to heal before returning to the fray. Once you’re out of Wiggenweld Potions, though, you’re in grave danger, so make sure you’ve always got as many as you can carry.
In conversations, you are given choices which sometimes determine the fate of you or your peers. Mostly, you can choose to be friendly and diplomatic or defensive and hostile. Useful options if you want to smooth-talk another character, or if you need to stamp your authority on a particularly difficult one like Professor Black.
Learning all the different spells through completing assignments for different professors is so enjoyable. They’ve managed to make every spell feel unique in its purpose, and because of this, solving tasks and progressing missions can be very addictive.
You can also complete other tasks like Merlin Trials and popping balloons while riding on a broomstick. These tasks are fun to begin with, but there really isn’t enough variation. This can certainly lead to a feeling of repetitiveness, especially when there are so many spread across the entire map.
The side missions, however, are worth playing as some even eclipse the main quests. To my surprise, I stumbled across a mischievous ghost causing mayhem in a shop I’d bought. I honestly felt that, although it had nothing to do with any other aspect of the game, it still ended up being my favourite mission. I strongly recommend that you don’t leave the game without playing it.
Friend or Foe?
The combat feels incredible once you update your settings, and the game is filled with extra challenges to keep you fully immersed. Some enemies have different coloured shields, which means you have to use the required spell category to break them and continue to cause them damage.
There are many enemies you’ll face, including evil wizards and animagus, goblins and trolls, all before fighting the final bosses. You do require a full knowledge of the combat system before you can beat them, so make sure you challenge yourself by exploring as deep into the dark forest as you can. If that isn’t enough, there are also many animals like giant spiders which creep up on you, especially in the caves. It’s useful to note that a giant attack of ancient magic usually does the trick.
I don’t like to moan but…
Having no Quidditch is a major letdown when considering how good this game could’ve been. Imagine playing a season of Quidditch where you get to choose your role in the team before fighting it out for the trophy. I guess all we can do is imagine it. I know it’s not really his fault, but Professor Black is a bastard for banning it. Especially considering how good they made the Quidditch pitch look in-game.
Professor Weasley gives you the task of finding a million field guide pages, which are scattered all around the map and are particularly difficult to find within Hogwarts.
I like the main pause menu, but the map isn’t easy to navigate. Using the Floo Powder Network to travel around faster is especially difficult in Hogwarts, where there are so many corridors with dead ends. It’s easy to get lost if you’re not careful, which I often wasn’t.
Another beautiful quality is the changing of the seasons as you progress through the story. Halloween and Christmas are a lovely change of setting, although not one that was desperately needed due to the landscape being so astonishing already.
There are items of clothing which level up your players’ offensive and defensive abilities. These seem largely unnecessary, as you also gain skill points, which increase the power of your spells and potions depending on what you choose to unlock. I found myself constantly heading to the stunning Hogsmeade and its shops just to sell my items in a desperate attempt to make space for more clothes. This mattered as there was no chance that I was going to waste my time completing a thousand Merlin trials to gain more gear slots.
The Room of Irrelevance
Then there’s the Room of Requirement, which gave us the option to kidnap animals and escort them to a fake world. This made me feel a little uncomfortable, as I couldn’t help but feel like I was creating an animal version of The Truman Show. Configuring the Room felt tedious at best, and it’s safe to say I ignored Deek the house elf for the rest of my Hogwarts Legacy experience.
There isn’t much more to mention on the gameplay other than the fact that I found it hilarious that our character chose to lie down and sleep on the floor while waiting for the person we’re required to speak to. Surely there was a better way than having that awkward encounter.
The Characters
Our main protagonist is a boring lead with very little enjoyable dialogue. Especially when compared to the brilliance of the GTA 5 leads and their ways with words. This character makes Trevor sound like an intellectual genius.
Onto the professors, and there’s not much enthusiasm here either. Professor Weasley is basically Mrs Weasley from the Harry Potter series. Professor Fig does nothing exciting until he randomly revives from the dead, only to die again at the end, which was incidentally the most enjoyable thing he did. The intimidating Professor Sharp has nothing on Professor Snape, but at least Professor Ronen gave us something to enjoy.
An addition to the game who did not appear in the films is Peeves, a character who very nearly single-handedly ruined the books for me. He is ridiculously annoying, and his voice makes me want to scream, which I suppose was the effect they were going for with his character. Every time I heard him in the corridor, I found myself running the other way.
The Moral Dilemma
We were then introduced to Natsai, and her backstory was a lot more emotional. I enjoyed the majority of her missions, especially when we rescued Buckbeak, I mean Highwing.
Poppy seemed like a lost soul, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Her passion for the animals she cared for was inspiring, and her missions were strong enough to be considered exciting.
Then there is Sebastian, and his story asks some very interesting questions. He’s a kid who is becoming desperate due to the thought of losing his twin sister, while Solomon’s approach of parenting him by singling him out and casting him away certainly doesn’t help the situation. And what are we meant to make of his use of Avada Kedavra?
Searching for the answer to that leads me to ask the question: are we killing the goblins, spiders and even the wizards we face? If so, then why are we so mortified when Sebastian kills his uncle? Just because he used an unforgivable curse? Isn’t murder still murder regardless of who is killed and how it is done?
I couldn’t help but feel like the prejudices wizards hold against goblins are a nod to larger, real-world problems, as the hostile undertones bleed through the entire story. Aside from the political messages, however, there is still so much to be enjoyed and explored in this masterpiece of a game.
AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!!!
Overall Feeling
Magic is the main element of the game, and everything revolves around it. This is Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone repurposed. That is the book or film that many of us fans first engaged with. We loved it because it teleported us to another world full of beauty and chaos. A bright, warm world full of love, yet also heartbreak and disaster. A world where we were capable of doing things that ordinary people could only dream of. With Hogwarts Legacy, that dream lives on.
Verdict
My verdict for Hogwarts Legacy is: 8/10.
This blog post has been altered from the original script of my video on YouTube. Visit: Jordans Media Picks (https://youtu.be/ByA-Ooc6PkM?si=vpwMzgAUqKQ_ClZw) to view the original Hogwarts Legacy review and more.
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