“After all this time?…Always”-Severus Snape. Finally Hogwarts Legacy is here and the Potterheads have a dedicated harry potter game to talk about. Hogwarts Legacy is an action role-playing game developed by Avalanche Software and published by Warner Bros. The game is based on the prior events to the Harry Potter novels and was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch on February 10, 2023.
Hogwarts Legacy Story
The game is set in the 1890s and the events take place before that of the Harry Potter novels, where no Harry Potter and “you know who” exist. The protagonist starts his journey at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a fifth-year student. On starting the player is provided a guide by the Ministry of Magic, a wizard field guide. The sections of this guide are to be completed through the exploration to gain additional information and experience points. The player holds the key to an “ancient secret that threatens to tear the wizarding world apart”, needs to find out about the resurgence of this mysterious ancient magic, and also cross the hurdles that await him.
On this adventure, the players meet quite a few strong characters like Professor Eleazar Fig acts as a mentor. Further characters include students Amit Thakkar, and Everett Clopton, Professors Onai and Shah, Phineas Nigellus Black, and Professor Matilda Weasley. The player establishes friendships with other students, who further accompany them on their journey as companions. The story is quite vast and some things are not explained clearly which opens plot holes and falls flat at times.
Hogwarts Legacy – Gameplay
After waiting for decades a great Harry Potter game is here. Previously there were quite a few games that either failed in their mechanics or graphics or were not up to the mark that the Potter fans have set from the JK Rowling stories. This time Avalanche studios just nailed the moving picture. The gameplay is set smoothly whether exploring the favorite hallways or forest or riding a broom or hippogriff. The game is lively and set in the wizarding world with exploration and magical spells. The game combat includes wand spells and potions with each unique ability.
Firstly the players go through a good customizable character building. After he is brought to Hogwarts by Professor Fig, he learns to cast spells and potions. Each spell and potion serves a definite purpose. The house decides on a unique area where the player gets to live in the castle with its customizable gear. The combat is good and easy with abilities to attack and defend with few charges and spells. It becomes easy after some time due to the monotonous approach. Still, it manages to not fade due to new battle elements and interactive puzzles around the map.
Places such as Forbidden Forest, Diagon Alley, and Hogsmeade can be traversed and are made to the finest detail. The clothing can be customized during the game and has a lot more interaction with the NPCs, which was missing in the previous Harry Potter games. Although Quidditch is not in the game despite traveling on a broom which is quite strange, also the enemies seem to be missing varieties apart from the main antagonists and the goblins and beasts and dark wizards.
Graphics
The attention to detail makes Hogwarts Legacy so much better than its predecessors. The developers have done a great job in bringing all the novels’ elements to life after the hard-bound expectations of the fans. The execution of character detailing, lighting, and voice acting are all superb. The fantasy world is filled with easter eggs which the players can explore by themselves. The spell movements, and the beasts’ character modeling looks fantastic. The animals including cats which can be petted are well designed. Whether battling a spider or a goblin it feels engaging due to the animations embedded into them. Some weird reactions on the face of the characters seem to be odd at times, or else the graphics set the perfect tone of the wizarding world.
The map is vibrant and alluring and looks lively straight up from the books. The explorable places are all created exactly like in the movies. The details set into the game are also quite noticeable, especially to a Harry Potter fan. The game also uses a soundtrack similar to the movies which is essential to bringing that magical hook. The duels look fantastic on the screen and the battle is original. A simple walk through hallways and the whole of Hogwarts is joyous and a pleasure.
Conclusion
Fantasy RPGs are a genre every gamer loves. When it adds a flavor of Hogwarts, the fans of the franchise also join in. The Portkey games’ release is one of the finest of its kind, It was one of the anticipated games of 2023 and had huge expectations. The game is perfect from the very first to the end. The RPGs are meant to be explorable and it is perfectly made for that purpose. Traveling through the alleys, forests, and hallways has never been joyful before. The combat is new and unique, and the story is a bit bland but the elements in the form of beasts and magic are visually and technically great. The combat is original, just like riding a hippogriff for the first time in a video game.
Some bugs occur while on a broom or during exploring rocks and strangely the Quidditch goes missing too. Hopefully, some kind of update would patch these, or a new DLC keeps us waiting. The fans from these franchises finally got what they deserve. Especially after getting to see franchises like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings having their dedicated games. There were some controversies regarding the game around JK Rowling’s comments but the boycott scenario has left all far back after its release because of how good it has been received. The game is stunning in every aspect and is truly one of the best RPG games to exist.
