Hogwarts Legacy enrols you in a fine institution of witchcraft and wizardry for the game of the year experience.
Well, isn’t this a time to be alive? This is an extraordinary time to be a gamer. For Harry Potter fans across the world, this is a gift they’d be dying to open. Even the newbies are more than welcome and would most likely be as excited as the more knowledgeable folks. Just think about it for a minute – no more having to wait a staggering amount of time, glossing at trailers and gameplays, and constantly tuning in to news and rumours just to get by. Ladies, gentlemen, and children of all ages, brace yourselves; Hogwarts Legacy is finally here.
Development started all the way since 2017. Almost six years in the making and is also three years before the introduction of current-gen consoles. How Avalanche Software has managed to construct and included upgraded versions without drastically affecting their project planning is nothing short of remarkable – despite the delays. Not to mention that the expectancy was even higher since the publisher was Warner Bros. Games under its Portkey Games label.
Having said that, Hogwarts Legacy comes with the expectancy of becoming one of the greatest and most memorable in modern gaming. And with the heavy load of hype and coverage the game had garnered during that period, it wouldn’t be a surprise if this was the case. It’s the 1800s, you’ve received your acceptance letter welcoming you to Hogwarts, and your top priority is mastering the arts of witchcraft and wizardry.
In the midst of your enrolment in Hogwarts Legacy, you essentially undergo character creation and give him or her a makeover. An incredibly flexible and diverse player customisation that may have you struggling to make immediate decisions on bodily and facial features, costumes, outfits and accessories, and more – which is a good problem to have. Remember, your person is a core representation of yourself. Therefore, strongly advise that you take as much time as you need to render the perfect look for your character to showcase to others. Most importantly, to stand out in the school of Hogwarts.
If you’re relatively new to the Harry Potter franchise, you must understand that there’s much more to spells than just waving your trusted wand and saying Wingardium Leviosa. Instead, you have a riveting variety of enchanting powers for actions ranging from using your magic tool as a light source for dark areas to defeating enemies, of course. To unlock spells, you are required to undertake mini-games in order to unlock them. Not to fret; you should be able to get the hang of it almost instantly, or at the very least, after a few tries. Plus, they’re fun to do.
The story mode begins with an excellently executed prologue featuring Professor Fig, allowing you ample time to familiarise some of the buttons, mechanics, and spells to aid you with some preparation for the latter stages.
You have the freedom of choosing what house you’d wish to enter at the ceremony. Or, if you’d prefer to make things more interesting, you could download the Harry Potter Fan Club app, and the sorting hat will allocate you to a house based on the answers you’ve selected that you feel relates to your identity. It would be much more satisfying and pure if it places you in your desired group itself. But, if it doesn’t, fortunately, you are still able to swap for the one your heart truly wants.
It’s not just the house you’re given; you will need to fill in new questions to be assigned a specific wand and patronus. Again, both will be decided, depending on the answers you provide. After doing so, simply link your Fan Club account with the game, and you’re good to go.
Once settling in, you can visit your uniquely designed common room and get acquainted with fellow members. Followed by attending classes such as Defence against the Dark arts, Potions, Herbology, and Charms to receive crucial education and assignments from your professors to strengthen key components such as your character, gear and resources.
An extravagantly adventurous and massive open world map swamped with thrilling quests, activities, challenges, puzzles, battles, and far much more in the locker to keep you busy throughout – without imposing any tediousness. Prompting you to frequently open the Wizard’s Field Guide to keep track or make alterations to your level, inventory, gear, collections, challenges, quests, owl posts, and talents – which you have to unlock, map, and settings.
The plot comprises a tale that apprised a completely original story, which is largely what separates Hogwarts Legacy from other Harry Potter related games. You are taking the role of a fifth-year student who is somehow connected to an ancient secret that is minacious to the world of witchcraft and wizardry.
Avalanche software – along with the genius lead game designer, Alan Tew, managed to accomplish an outstanding and addictive story, with the ability to send the audience into a whirlwind of emotions, presenting intriguing cut scenes, inspiring level fluidity, unforgettable characters, intense boss fights and so forth.
You’d obviously predict a game of this magnitude wouldn’t have a short walkthrough. But, how much that accurately awaits you is the kicker. The main story alone would take at least 30 hours to complete. This is a nice little piece of information to know – especially if you’re a completist player. And that’s a lot of grafting to do. Plus, you will receive many great unlockable as you advance.
It’s not so often when the side quests are just as enthralling as the main, but Hogwarts Legacy is a rarity. Along with getting involved in many more, like meeting and befriending other students from other houses, not just yours, and interacting with them and listening to engaging conversations due to superbly flowing dialogues. And visiting Hogsmeade – a great place with abundant things to purchase. Ollivanders, Gladrags Wizardwear, Tomes & Scrolls, Zonko’s – the whole shebang. Think of it like regular visits to the shopping mall, if you will.
What Hogwarts Legacy has to offer, you wholeheartedly appreciate the perks of being a student and intend on excelling at Hogwarts. Without a doubt, you will be getting a deservedly unparalleled experience you’ve long been waiting for. And with your trusted wand, entering into intoxicating battles – dispatching enemies using magically intense combats consisting of offensive and defensive moves and animations, stimulating your avidity to fights. And the relentless combos and finishers make it sweeter.
You are guaranteed a sustained, rewarding feeling from levelling up and increasing your powers from doing challenges, which won’t be very difficult, seeing as doing almost anything earns you XP. Not to mention many other things you unlock as you progress, including opening chests around the map for collectibles. In general, Hogwarts Legacy furnishes more than enough incentives to motivate players into grinding. In addition to facing the strong ultimatum of picking a side between good and evil.
The map is huge. Most of it is the castle, but there are other locations for you to explore. With that in mind, you’d conclude that fast traveling is the least time-wasting alternative, and for this game specifically, it’s ideal to utilise this feature for farther distances.
However, you wouldn’t be able to help yourself but occasionally gaze at all the glamorous and artistic designs and scenery that are simply nailed to a tee—setting out the impression that you are genuinely at Hogwarts. Along with an upbeat playlist of mesmerising music that is just soothing to the ears. What’s more, you will be pleased to know the inclusion of the fidelity and performance modes for you to make adjustments depending on your presentational preferences.
It’s very difficult to identify the perfect word or phrase to describe the sheer brilliance of Hogwarts Legacy. It ticks all the boxes to provide one of the most incredible experiences you will have in a video game. A culmination of a compelling story, equally great side quests, activities and challenges, loveable characters, gawking visuals and designs, harmonising music, and far more formulates a game that passed with flying colours, and would have you kissing your four fingers and thumb, and screaming ‘Magnifique’. Furthermore, the fact that Hogwarts Legacy is based on the Harry Potter novels – connecting with the game was straightforward.
Despite the game’s distinction, it does come with some bad news. You won’t be able to partake in Quidditch in Hogwarts Legacy. As stated by Professor Black, it was postponed due to a serious injury in the previous tournament. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get the benefits of the flying broomstick whatsoever.
It’s a convenient go-to travelling object, best used to get you from A to B quicker than running to your destination. Again, this is a huge map, so this navigation method is also a blessing. Also, there is no multiplayer. That would most definitely take a player’s experience to the next level. Other than those, it’s a masterpiece and will undoubtedly become one of the greatest games of all time.
