Hogwarts Legacy

Hogwarts Legacy is an open-world action RPG set in the Harry Potter universe created by J.K. Rowling. The game is a work of several studios, including Avalanche Software (known for games such as Disney Infinity 3.0 and Cars 3: Driven to Win), Portkey Games (responsible for Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and Hogwarts Mystery) and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

Plot

Hogwarts Legacy takes place within the nineteenth-century Hogwarts. The player controls a young student of Magic and Wizardry, able to wield Ancient Magic. Our unusual abilities make us become the centerpiece of chaos caused by an alliance between the goblins and dark wizards, planning to destroy wizardry as it currently stands. The outcome of their rebellion and the fate of the entire wizarding world rests in our hands.

The game is set many years before the Harry Potter books and movies, so we won't encounter most of the already-known characters - though there are still some familiar faces to be seen.

Mechanics

The gameplay of Hogwarts Legacy is shown from the third-person perspective (TPP). We begin the game by creating our character; we can choose their gender as well as appearance. Next, we are assigned to one of the four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin. After that, the game begins.

The bulk of the game is spent at Hogwarts. In order to learn magic we must participate in classes, during which we learn how to craft amulets, defend ourselves against dark magic, gather herbs or brew potions. There are also plenty of additional classes and optional activities. These provide an opportunity to get to know other students, over time letting them join us as allies. There is also nothing preventing us from roaming Hogwarts between classes and discover its secrets. Exploring the school, as well as its nooks, crannies and hidden passages requires dexterity, cunning and perceptiveness, as the building is filled with puzzles.

Nevertheless, the school isn't all the game has to offer. The vast Wizarding World also includes the magical village of Hogsmeade and the Forbidden Forest. Traversing this huge world on foot isn't the best idea. Thankfully we can also fly around on a magical broomstick and ride a variety of magical creatures, such as griffons. Exploration is made more appealing by changing seasons and a full day cycle.

The times are rough, and the player will frequently have to battle their way out of trouble. Combat is dynamic and tests how much we've learned within the safety of Hogwarts. Trolls, goblins and other wizards can be fought with a variety of spells, including telekinesis and stun spells. To succeed we must combine our spells into effective combos, use defensive magic and potions to provide ourselves with various buffs. Weakening an opponent lets us finish them off in a flashy way.

Progressing through the game rewards us with experience we can use to develop our character, unlocking new skills and upgrading the already owned ones. With time we can also start brewing more powerful potions (alchemy is a manual process, letting us add ingredients to the cauldron ourselves. We can also become more formidable by acquiring better gear.

Technical aspects

The visuals of Hogwarts Legacy are quite appealing. Particularly noteworthy are the high-quality character models as well as a variety of visual effects accompanying each spell. The detailed locations are also very nice to look at. It's worth noting the game doesn't contain any micropayments.