Hogwarts Legacy Review – Gamereactor

There’s certainly been no shortage of really bad Harry Potter games over the years, in fact the only good ones we can think of are 20+ year old Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and LEGO Harry Potter. Otherwise, it’s a lot of crap that used to characterize so-called movie-licensed games: just take some crappy gameplay that bears no resemblance to the source material and add a Harry Potter theme.

but. . . Let’s talk about something more interesting, the Hogwarts legacy. Even looking at the announcement from about three years ago, it’s clear that the level of ambition is on a whole different level. The fact that it’s been delayed a few times doesn’t bother me because it’s a pandemic after all, and it shows good judgment on the part of Warners that they’re willing to give Avalanche more time to realize their grand plans — —that is, offering the first comprehensive analogy to JK Rowling’s wonderful universe.

The adventure is set roughly a hundred years before the first Harry Potter book, so almost none of the characters we know from the books appear in the game, with a few exceptions like the ghostly nearly headless Nick and Pieves. Of course, some characters have surnames that suggest they belong to a family that will one day be very important. You can create your own protagonist with a fairly detailed editor, after which you’re ready to start your adventure and join Hogwarts in your fifth year, which of course means you’ll be far behind your classmates.

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Of course, the reasons for this exist, and without spoiling any spoilers, your newly created protagonist seems to possess some rather unique abilities, and several parties found this interesting for various reasons. Avalanche Software tried to create a whole new story that was completely disconnected from Voldemort, and had good success. There are a lot of twists and turns in the story, and you can also make your own choices through the choices you make in your adventure, but the caveat is that I don’t have time to play through a few different houses or test out different options actually have major consequences.

Having said that, I chose my favorite house, Slytherin. If you have the Harry Potter Fan Club app, you can link your accounts and get extra goodies that will end up going straight to the house of your choice. When the adventure begins, my hero knows as much about magic as the Muggle writing this review, but it doesn’t take long before he learns his first spell and encounters a mystery on a trip to Hogwarts And after the accident with the dragon. Once inside Hogwarts, we were greeted with the typical welcome in terms we are accustomed to from books and movies, and after being sorted into a house, I was given a short briefing and left alone.

Here’s my quick appreciation of Hogwarts’ legacy. While I was initially only able to follow the stories and help classmates with simple errands (side quests), Hogwarts was full of secrets. I initially spent a good amount of time poking around looking for hidden items, which in turn unlocked new things, while experiencing Hogwarts like never before. From classrooms, gardens, towers, hidden rooms and even toilets, everything is fascinating and secrets seem to be everywhere. So the spell Revelio was cast widely to reveal everything, but obviously, I couldn’t get every secret I found. Therefore, classes are required.

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So, like in the books and movies, you have to take teacher-led classes to learn more about everything. Through simple mini-games, you can learn new spells, learn to grow plants that can be used in potions, and more. Since lessons are considered part of the story, you don’t get to a point in the campaign without the magical tools you need to advance. Plus, you’re free to do other tasks if you want. After a few hours of play, you’ll have a ton of quests to choose from, most of which are side quests, and some that are part of the campaign itself. I’ve done countless side quests and can say they’re pretty well done. Sure, there are some rotten eggs that could be described as so-called “acquisition” tasks, but even these usually have some kind of twist that makes them interesting. Also, some of them can later affect the story itself in various ways.

Traveling around the world of giants was initially done on foot, then of course you can also fly with broomsticks and stuff, so you also have a fast travel system. Given the size of the school interior, and the fact that there are places like Hogsmeade as well as smaller farms to explore, fast travel is useful and works as usual, that is, you have to find places to get this way to get to them. However, I still recommend that you actually walk a lot, precisely because there are so many secrets. Everywhere you go, you’ll find painters whose work has been stolen, people who have lost things in the water, and strange puzzles to solve. There’s a lot to discover in this world, and anyone who’s played The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim can relate to what it’s like to walk around.

So far so good, but in the early days of the Hogwarts legacy, I was troubled by the feature sheet, and unfortunately, it’s a frustration that doesn’t lessen over time. on the contrary. In fact, they’re the weakest part of the adventure, and something I have to keep screwing up. The menu has several weaknesses, one of which is Avalanche Software’s choice to use a mouse pointer system, which is even better if you actually own a mouse. But with an analog stick, navigation becomes sluggish instead. Also, scrolling through adventure progress, quests, maps, gear, etc. isn’t exactly snappy, and the fact that there’s a slight delay between each step (and when the menu is called up) makes it even more sluggish. Also, I’m bothered by the very haphazard assortment of items, so finding the best device for me involves checking everything I have to compare. Finally, I also don’t find the map to be very cleverly laid out when it comes to choosing where to fast travel next.

However, something that works well is mantras. Even in the first few hours, you’ll have more spells available to you than you’ll ever have ready, four. This results in you constantly having to swap them out, I basically have three fixed ones that I use regularly and rotate one. But the amount of spells quickly makes this unmanageable, leading to later in the adventure, you can use some clever button solutions to get more spells available at once, which I think actually work quite well .

That’s lucky, because the battles in Hogwarts Legacy are one of the game’s highlights. I’m reminded of games like Ninja Gaiden and Batman: Arkham Asylum, where my protagonist can constantly attack multiple enemies at once, use magic to bounce them through the air, and build long-term batter. In turn, long combos let you unleash even more powerful special attacks.

Of course, enemies respond differently to your attacks, and some simply don’t want to be sent into the air and need to be dealt with with fire, plants, potions, or other means. You also have to be prepared for different types of defenses when you yourself are attacked. It’s elegantly designed, and you really feel in total control during combat. However, it’s never going to go as smoothly as the two aforementioned titles. Sometimes the design of the environment limits combat, and if you’re small, you can usually shoot them before they reach you and beat them.

Graphically, Hogwarts Legacy is more of a mixed bag than I’d like. The fact that development for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One (the game was originally slated for release in 2021) started and lasted a long time is usually evident, as the lighting effects feel a little flat, the effects a little raw, and the animation a little stiff. Things like trying to jump over tall objects, standing on uneven surfaces, and the way students and teachers move around the game world suggest this was done a long time ago, as does the uneven lip-syncing. That said, the design is absolutely top-notch throughout, and the faces and especially the monsters and creatures are stunning. It makes the cutscenes a joy, and as long as I don’t pay too much attention to detail, it’s often quite beautiful.