Hogwarts Legacy – game review

First of all, one very important thing should be noted. Hogwarts Legacy is in no way a simulator of this magical school. It is an action adventure game with light open-world RPG elements, as well as a completely separate story in which Hogwarts is also the place of part of the action and de facto one of the heroes. The central figure of the whole story is our hero (or heroine), a new student who, due to his age, starts his education in the fifth grade. He quickly becomes embroiled in a conflict between the magic wielders and the goblins. The key to unraveling this turns out to be his own gift. During our presence at school, we try to discover the secret behind our gift, master it, and, by the way, resolve the conflict. Of course, we visit places known from books and movies. They look a bit different, because the game takes place about 100 years before birth Harry’ego. We also get to know completely new locations and characters, but we also hear names like Weasley or Black. The great advantage of the campaign is its diversity. There is a lot of walking around forgotten ruins in search of ancient magic, but they are so diverse that we should not get bored. In fact, the game completely changes its entire graphic style for the duration of one of the missions. Great treatment and a nice change of pace. In addition to exploration – both in and outside the campaign – we will have to fight. And I have to admit, I had a lot of fun combining spells and using the environment to defeat enemies. This aspect of the game leaves a lot of creative freedom for players to come up with their own combinations of magic. We can effectively and stylishly beat our opponents. There’s nothing more satisfying to me than summoning an opponent, slamming them to the ground, freezing them, then setting them on fire. And that’s just an example. The game is also not afraid to tackle difficult topics. Don’t expect a fairy tale where everyone will live happily ever after. Just like in the original book, we will find here death, betrayal, mystery and moral dilemmas. I really liked the approach to unforgivable spells. As we progress, we learn different formulas, but the black magic is optional. We don’t need to learn these powerful spells. We can completely cut off from sorcery, which, moreover, has its consequences in relations with one of the friends. Of course, you can say that we’ve seen all this somewhere before – I’m not even trying to argue with that. However, this does not change the fact that the game has a very pleasant, well-written and properly led storyline. It is in vain to look for an intricate story or plot twists, but we will find a lot of emotions here, especially in the threads of friendship.

Of course, just because it’s not a Hogwarts simulator doesn’t mean that school life doesn’t play a significant role in the game. Lessons not only push the story forward, but are also a great opportunity to learn and practice new skills or spells. We will learn to take care of plants (from which we will later brew potions), fly on a broom and take care of magical beasts. Unfortunately, they are not very interactive. After we wave the wand once to know the gesture of the spell, pull the mandrake out of the ground, or carefully select the ingredients and mix the potion, everything happens automatically. It’s wasted potential for minigames. I still understand the combat, because it’s supposed to be dynamic, but caring for plants, pets or brewing potions should have a choice of automatic or interactive. It really kills the immersion. Another problem is that progress in the main story line is blocked by the character level. Of course, the suggested level is nothing new, but in this case it’s not a suggestion, it’s a requirement. This is problematic because in several places it unnaturally blocks progress and forces the player to level up with side activities that we don’t have to feel like doing. Another thing is that the choice of House is basically a purely cosmetic procedure and only affects the colors and emblem worn by the character. Occasionally, but rarely, other characters refer to him in dialogue, and there are minor differences in the course of a single quest. In addition to lessons, we have a whole lot of extra activities. And in them lies all – so to speak – the MAGIC of this game. On the other hand, in some places it is also its biggest disadvantage. Why? Some elements – such as catching the beast, exploring treasures or solving puzzles – are well done and satisfying, but you can’t say that about everything. In particular, flying on a broomstick is terribly buggy, which is very, very sensitive to changes in direction, which is extremely annoying in challenges. And it can’t be adjusted. In addition, the broom has a kind of cruise control – it consists in the fact that we can press a key (on the console it is an analog stick) and the broom flies at a constant speed. This is a great solution for long-distance flights, because we do not have to constantly hold the trigger. So why does only the broom have it and the flying mount doesn’t? It’s totally incomprehensible to me. In addition, the game was on my list of top 10 most annoying finds. I don’t really know what’s worse – moons that only appear at night, or diary pages scattered everywhere, invisible or flying around. And maybe it wouldn’t be a problem if it weren’t for the fact that these are not entirely optional elements, because they are connected to challenges or side quests. We have to complete them to unlock elements of character development, such as a larger inventory or the ability to open more difficult locks.

Finally, there is the issue of the audiovisual setting, and this one is great. We have a huge castle that houses a school, endless stretches of Scottish hills, cozy streets of Hogsmeade, as well as cramped, sometimes even claustrophobic caves. In addition, as I mentioned, a complete change in the graphic style for one of the main quests. The creators really tried. The same goes for the audio. The music is atmospheric, perfectly matching what is happening on the screen.

To sum up: it’s not a perfect game, but it will definitely find a lot of fans, especially among the older generation, who have been with Harry from the beginning. It is a story about magic, friendship and destiny that fits perfectly into the universe and is not afraid to show its darker side as well. It’s even more a pity that some technical shortcomings or simply strange creative choices spoil the fun of the game a bit. I hope the bugs will be patched soon. As for design problems, unfortunately, they are unlikely to be fixed. Pros: +story; +fight; +world; + audiovisual setting. Cons: -control while flying; -some challenges; – blocking progress by level; – lack of immersion at times; – the differences between the Houses are only aesthetics.

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