In less than two months now, the long-awaited Hogwarts Legacy Hogwarts Legacy will be released (on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series in any case since the title has been delayed on other platforms). It will then finally be the opportunity for all potterheads like me to enjoy an open world that looks absolutely splendid . And if the look of the Harry Potter game is indeed dazzling (to say otherwise would be surprising), many fans are worried about the content itself: will the background be interesting enough?
The Harry Potter game that all fans have been waiting for
Really. The graphics in Hogwarts Legacy may not be perfect, but they are far more beautiful and stunning than anything gamers initially expected. We only have to remember the first visuals of the game and its glow-up during the State of Play of 2022.
However, I see more and more journalists and future holders of Hogwarts Legacy worrying about the content of the latter. Wouldn't the beauty of the title ultimately be just a cover hiding gameplay that is too light? Personally, I don't think so, and I'll explain why.
First, let's not forget that Hogwarts Legacy is the very first game from the Harry Potter license to be so ambitious. We are moving away from the simple opuses taken from the films and we are offering fans the opportunity to embody their own wizard or witch in a vast world allowing them to explore every corner of Hogwarts castle and its surroundings. Two extremely important things which, in truth, are sufficient in themselves. The target audience for Warner Bros. Games and Avalanche Software is primarily made up of potterheads who will be fully satisfied marveling at the smallest detail at the School of Sorcery, finding easter-eggs everywhere and discovering mythical places like Pre- bacon freely.
For other players, enjoying the saga but nothing more, the exploration of the castle will probably be secondary and they may be much more interested in the fights, the scenario and all the additional activities offered. But are there only?
What will be the possibilities in Hogwarts Legacy?
If you have followed the various trailers and gameplay sessions, you already know, in broad outline, what it will be possible to do (or not) in the game. Here is a non-exhaustive list:
- Create your own wizard or witch with great customization possibilities,
- Explore Hogwarts castle freely, room by room,
- Explore the open world around the school,
- Befriend students from each house and complete their special quests,
- Train to fight with the Dueling Club,
- Participate in the different classes of teachers,
- Use several mounts like the Broom or the Hippogriff,
- Learn spells (and even the unforgivable ones),
- Find kinds of scrolls to complete your collection,
- Solve puzzles of Merlin scattered around the open world,
- Collect ingredients for his potions (and concoct them),
- Use and decorate the Room of Requirement as desired,
- Save fantastic animals from poachers and take care of them in his magical greenhouse,
- Complete side quests with different students and wizards outdoors,
- Buy clothes and other equipment in Hogsmeade (even have your own shop thanks to the exclusive Sony quest),
- Teleport through the many points of the chimney network,
A non-exhaustive list as I said since the developers were careful not to reveal everything to us. Several times, the community manager, Chandler Wood, repeated that "it was only the tip of the iceberg" as if the game still had many surprises in store for us. If some find the open world quite empty, it should be remembered that Hogwarts Legacy is probably, above all, a contemplative game and that everything has not yet been shown. If we take a good look at the latest gameplay showcase, we can also see the different icons on the mini-map during exploration: dungeons, quests, chests, resources to collect, NPCs but also puzzles seem scattered everywhere.
Especially since there are still so many things to discover about the game... How will the currency work, for example? How will we be able to win the 4 Houses Cup if it really exists as indicated in the trophy leak?
Of course, it is normal to be disappointed with certain features missing from the title: Quidditch, the multiplayer option among others. But isn't the bet already won for Hogwarts Legacy with all that has been shown? Its two postponements will have allowed Avalanche Software to fully improve it and now that its development is finished, only a real error could prevent it from being the GOTY of many players.
A few black spots have already marred what should be a masterpiece, but nothing too serious for the moment. I'm thinking in particular of being able to use the Unforgivable Curses galore as if it were normal when they are powerful spells that only a few wizards like Voldemort or Dumbledore are supposed to master. In the game, it is simply training in a combat arena where it is possible to kill enemies in a chain, but it has been specified that everyone could learn these famous spells.
To conclude, I don't think Hogwarts Legacy hides sparse gameplay beneath its beauty. And even if that were the case, what has been presented to us for a few months seems quite enough to convince any fan of Harry Potter. Now, from a more objective point of view, it is the game as a whole that will have to be judged on February 10: the redundancy of the quests, the addictive progression or not, etc. Exploring Hogwarts castle for 8 hours to find all its secrets is good, but it will also require the scenario to be well put together, the fights as fluid as they seem and a real interest in improving your equipment by example.
Many objects are available in the Riot Games moba, each providing various statistics. To calculate their effectiveness, we generally calculate between their total cost, the amount of stats provided, and their liabilities. However, some stats are much more useful than others.
