Hogwarts Legacy Review: Spells, Combat and More
Welcome to our Hogwarts Legacy review to find out about our journey into the magical RPG world of Hogwarts which is devoid of Harry Potter.
Avalanche’s incredibly successful RPG has conquered the platforms in the span of two weeks. The title entered the top-selling list with ease. And had no issues staying on the lists even after a month. And despite controversies revolving around J.K. Rowling and all, Hogwarts Legacy has become one of the most popular games of 2022.
From flying around Hogwarts with a broom to attending wizardry lessons, Hogwarts Legacy does offer a rewarding experience in Harry Potter’s world. And despite taking place 100 years before Harry Potter’s birth, the impressive RPG comes with a brilliant journey that delivers.
Whether you stopped caring about Harry Potter after you hit 18 or are still a veteran fan of the series, you will enjoy what Hogwarts Legacy has in store for you.
Hogwarts Legacy Review
Hogwarts Legacy is an immersive RPG helmed by Avalanche Software. The game made its debut on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and Microsoft Windows on February 7, 2023.
Hogwarts Legacy is no walk in the park for an average Harry Potter fan who simply wants the roam around Hogwarts. While that is perfectly possible, the game is definitely not a wizard simulator in a wizard school as well. Hogwarts Legacy is a well-designed RPG that is at times challenging and it is easily the best game that Harry Potter fans have been expecting for well over a decade.
That’s why we believe that RPG fans will enjoy Hogwarts Legacy thanks to its sprawling world, engaging combat, and wide range of activities and features. For example, you can attend Herbiology, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Magical Theory, Transfiguration, and more. If being a student in this iconic school of witchcraft has been a dream of yours, Hogwarts Legacy will definitely keep you satisfied.
While these lessons often serve as accelerators for the main story, they are great for the game’s pacing. That being said, you won’t be able to attend or enroll in random classes whenever you want. While that kind of freedom sounds great, Hogwarts Legacy focuses on a heroic story instead of offering a solid school simulation.
That being said, these lessons and assignments will still keep you satisfied whether you are a Harry Potter fan or not. It goes without saying that they are also essential to the main story. For example, Ignacio, a spell that allows you to burn your enemies, unlocks once you attend a lesson.
Hogwarts Legacy Combat Is Great But…
Hogwarts Legacy’s combat system comes with a wide number of spells that create fast-paced action. That being said, the game allows you to equip four spells at once. But that results in a number of complications.
For example, you find yourself constantly changing your spell set in order to pick the one that you need at the time. But making a combination of these spells is not very fun. Because some spells like Lumen or Reparo are rarely used. But they still fill a place in your spell set.
Lumen is a spell that enlights your path whereas the latter fixes broken objects and constructs. But of course, you don’t use them as much as you use combat spells that you actually need. On the other hand, the shield spell, which is called Protego, only activates in combat and does not require you to equip in your spell set.
What we would like, though, is to use spells like Lumen and Reparo only when we need them like Protego. Instead of designing them as passive spells, the developers preferred to design them as active spells, which results in keeping us busy changing spell sets quite often.
The Sprawling World of Hogwarts Legacy
There are many reasons why roaming around the game’s magical world is something you should often do. For instance, the world around Hogwarts hides a ton of secrets and is filled with a plethora of challenges.
While you will not find as many dungeons as Elden Ring offers, Hogwarts Legacy does have a wide number of locations, enemy camps, and dangerous landmarks. And discovering these locations with your ever-growing spell arsenal yields a great adventure.
It is definitely worth noting that the game comes with more than 100 side quests that you can stumble upon in its large open world. From simple fetching missions to elaborate storylines, Hogwarts Legacy also does great when it comes to depicting the world around and beyond Hogwarts.
On the other hand, you can’t stop but think how the designers of the game’s world could have made it even richer. While Hogwarts Legacy’s open world is still promising, it does feel barren at times. Its green pastures do look great but fail to deliver the magical heights that you would have liked to see.
Especially when you fly around with your broom, you often find yourself thinking how this mesmerizing world of Hogwarts Legacy could have been so much richer. But instead, the RPG leaves you with mostly repetitive activities and side quests that are poured onto the map.
Hogwarts Legacy’s Main Story Is Good But Not Great
While Hogwarts Legacy is brilliant in most aspects, its lackluster main story often falls short. Like you would see in many other RPGs, it adopts a rather dull story where you are the hero with a mysterious ability. Those who have spent a considerable amount of time in other role-playing games will not be interested in this story.
The 30-hour-long story of Hogwarts Legacy does delve into various interesting concepts like ancient magic or the history of Hogwarts. But it is your average RPG story that doesn’t really stick with you after you are done with the game.
And that’s okay. Because you don’t play Hogwarts Legacy to be Harry Potter or to be the new Harry Potter. You play it to explore its beautifully designed and wonderfully implemented world of magic and wizardry. As a person who does not enjoy the world of Harry Potter a single bit, I can tell that my journey across Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, Forbidden Forest, and more has been quite delightful.
Gameplay Formulas of Hogwarts Legacy
There is actually more to Hogwarts Legacy’s gameplay formulas. There is no doubt that you will also realize that as dig deeper and spend a considerable amount of time in the game. For instance, there are many mechanics you would normally see in a loot-based mobile game.
From time-based activities to loots that focus on cosmetics, you can’t deny the influence of the loot system of mobile games and service games on Hogwarts Legacy. Even though the game comes with a ton of great features, the loot system definitely requires more work and a ton of polishing. For instance, Hogwarts Legacy does not allow you to leave an item or choose the one you want.
This means that running out of inventory space requires you to destroy the item. But in most RPGs, you have more options like having an extra inventory space. Or simply, it should have been a better design option to offer endless inventories.
The limited inventory space of the game is not integral to the game. It also does not pose a threat to Hogwarts Legacy’s realistic integrity. While the endless inventory feature can damage immersion in most RPGs, it wouldn’t have the same effect on this game. I mean, in a world of wizardry and witchcraft, there should be bottomless bags and endless sacks, right?
Hogwarts Legacy Performance
Hogwarts Legacy’s abysmal performance on PC has caused thousands of players to deride the game as well. Apart from the ongoing controversies revolving around J.K. Rowling, the wizard RPG has also become a target soon after its release on Microsoft Windows.
Constant stuttering, dipping frame rates and lagging rendered the game unplayable for most. Moreover, the updates that were supposed to fix the game made the situation even worse. And right now, almost a month after its release, Hogwarts Legacy still can not offer a smooth experience on most systems.
Final thoughts on Hogwarts Legacy
There is no doubt that Hogwarts Legacy will be a solid addition to your gaming library. Especially for those who are fond of Harry Potter, Avalanche’s long-in-the-works RPG will offer a wonderful experience. And if you simply love roaming around open worlds, this game is definitely your cup of tea. That’s all from our Hogwarts Legacy review.
