When leaks of Avalanche Software’s ambitious project first dropped in 2018, Potterheads and gamers got a glimpse of one of their biggest dreams – a third-person open world adventure set in the wizarding world. In February, 2023, they received their much-awaited letter with Hogwarts Legacy – a solid role playing game with a compelling narrative that very well achieved near perfection. Here’s everything you need to know about Hogwarts Legacy – the game that broke the internet and Twitch with over a million concurrent viewers.
‘Yer A Wizard, Gamer
Set nearly a hundred years before the events of Harry Potter, you start off as a fifth-year student receiving a letter to join Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry with one Professor Fig as your mentor for the journey. Right off the bat, the wheels of the narrative are set in motion when you’re attacked enroute Hogwarts while being escorted by Professor Fig. Upon arrival at the school – the world feels all too familiar – the tapering castle towers, the great hall, the black lake and every minute detail that simply makes Hogwarts what it is.
You can’t help but have a big grin when that sorting hat first rests on your head, placing you in the house where you belong – either Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin. There are multiple ways to getting sorted – you can answer a few questions and let the hat choose the house for you, you can connect your Pottermore account if you have one or simply choose a house within the game for yourself. Each house’s common room is the starting point for your adventure with exclusive house-specific quests leading towards the main narrative.
Wands, Spells, Potions And Incantations
As is true to most RPGs, you can customize your character right down to the colour of your eyes. You choose your wand - its type of wood, the core of it and texture with a myriad of wand handles to add that extra cosmetic touch. Robes, Hats and even masks can be customized to create a character of your liking.
Spells pack just the right amount of punch to feel like you can manipulate and restructure the world around you – more so if you’re playing on a Playstation 5 with its controller’s DualSense features. As you progress through the game, you unlock a host of spells – some familiar and some new, each having more utility than you can imagine. The game doesn’t shy away from the infamous unforgiveable curses either – leaving it optional for you to learn Crucio, Imperio and Avada Kedavra as well. Combat is extremely fluid - fast-paced and very familiar to those who have played the Arkham series or even Shadow of Mordor. Mix and match all that you’ve learned during combat to emerge feeling like the greatest wizard or witch who ever lived.
Potion-brewing and gardening are an essential life-saving part of your journey through Hogwarts and beyond. From healing Wiggenwelds to Liquid Luck itself, you find the ingredients for them dotted through the world. There’s a certain satisfaction to watching a cauldron bubble its way to something of your creation with ingredients you found while exploring without a direction in mind.
There’s more to Hogwarts than meets the eye
Secrets are aplenty in Hogwarts Legacy and this goes far beyond the castle’s walls too. The game makes this pretty obvious with Revelio being the first and most vital spell you learn in the game which you can cast when you come across something that’s pretty suspicious. Hidden pages, treasures and collectibles can be found all over Hogwarts, Hogsmeade (yes, you can explore it in all its glory) and the Highlands beyond too.
Some secrets unlock side quests for you to venture on, making the game a lot meatier than it appears. You’re a slave to your own curiosity in this world and will constantly be distracted in an appreciated way, every 15 seconds, whilst in your attempt to see where the story is headed.
Fantastic beasts and easter eggs
Perhaps the least talked about but best part of Hogwarts Legacy is the way the developers chose to place easter eggs in the game. References to the books and movies have been aligned with careful consideration without making them too obvious – this makes the discovery of them a lot more enjoyable. A particularly remarkable one is a task where you have to follow butterflies to find a secret chest hidden away in the Forbidden Forest. This is naturally a reference to a dialogue Ron Weasley makes in Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets. If you know where to look, you might just spot a Vanishing Cabinet or Secrets Of The Darkest Arts too!
Beasts are an integral part of Hogwarts Legacy where the game encourages you to capture and care for magical creatures such as majestic Hippogriffs and mischievous Nifflers. In return you’re rewarded with feathers, fur and other ingredients essential for vital upgrades. Needless to say, the developers made an entire in-game activity out of references to a very recognizable spin-off series.
Dive headfirst without thinking twice
Hogwarts Legacy offers the Harry Potter game that people have dreamed of playing for years and is finally a reality. The game packs 60+ hours of content for newcomers to gaming as well as veterans – bringing together the best mechanics from iconic games like the Arkham series, Witcher, The Legend Of Zelda and creates something that feels familiar yet unique. The game has visibly been made by long-term fans of the series who truly knew how to bring this world alive. With astounding visuals and gameplay that’s hard to pause, Hogwarts Legacy is definitely a must-have on your shelf.
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