Hogwarts Legacy is out later this week and we’ve spent just over 15 hours in the game so far, running around the gargantuan Hogwarts castle, sneaking into the not-so-forbidden forest, buying all sorts of magical devices in Hogsmeade and up fly around with our trusty broom. Our review for the game will follow soon, but judging by our adventures in and around Hogwarts so far, Hogwarts Legacy looks like a worthy return to the wizarding world. Avalanche Software somehow extracted the best memories from the Harry Potter books and movies into a pensieve, capturing the lore and life of Hogwarts Castle. It’s also a really fun role-playing game that has its own merits alongside all the borrowed magic.
While Hogwarts legacy History goes its own way and has little affiliation with the world of Harry Potter, the DNA remains the same. A good chunk of the first 15 hours is spent with a little too much hands, but once the castle gates open, you’re free to explore the area surrounding Hogwarts. From Hogsmeade and other nearby hamlets to the enchanting Forbidden Forest, iconic locations from the books and films make the open world a delight to explore, like a big delicious candy you slowly unwrap and have all to yourself. By my estimation, the game should last around 40 hours (according to my quest and challenge progression stats) if you participate in a healthy number of side bids. The first 15 hours alone pack a lot. Here’s what we can tell you about Hogwarts Legacy:
Return to Hogwarts Castle
The main star of the show is, of course, Hogwarts Castle. Not only is it packed with things to do and mysteries to be discovered, but it’s so painstakingly and beautifully recreated in detail that I’ve often stopped to just look at things. From its towering stained glass windows to its many wandering spirits; from swinging staircases to talking and moving portraits, Hogwarts is a joy to behold. It’s massive too! I pride myself on having a supernatural sense of direction, but I often got lost in the halls of Hogwarts. A single tap of the d-pad will helpfully guide you to your objective, but I encourage players to explore and truly discover everything the castle has to offer. The common rooms of the house are all different and correspond to the essence of the houses themselves. For example, the Gryffindor common room resembles a medieval castle, bathed in red and bathed in the golden glow of sunlight. Of course, there are all the classrooms, the grand spiral staircase, the Great Hall, and even the Room of Requirement, which, true to lore, you can customize to suit your needs. The Room of Requirement serves as a kind of base of operations for all your mischief. Here you can make potions, practice your magic, and grow plants and herbs that will help you in battle.
The Gryffindor common room in Hogwarts Legacy
Credit: Screenshot/Manas Mitul
witch or wizard
Hogwarts Legacy puts you in the role of a newly admitted fifth year witch or wizard of the titular school of magic who happens to have a dormant and lost form of magic flowing through her veins. Referred to as “ancient magic”, only hidden traces of this knowledge remain in the world, and you find yourself on his trail in the company of your mentor, Professor Fig. But there are some dark forces at play as you soon find other, more sinister factions also in the same hunt.
The game begins with a character creation screen that offers extensive customization options. Aside from familiar cosmetics, you can choose your house at the sorting ceremony, your wand at Ollivander, and your broom later in the game at a Hogsmeade sporting goods store. Character customization is robust, and you can choose from multiple pieces of gear across six categories – handwear, facewear, headgear, neckwear, capes and robes, and outfits. You can mix and match elements to look like a total clown, or you can go for a themed look and dress up like a dark wizard if you so choose. Your tailoring needs are covered. Clothing gear also comes with stat buffs. Luckily, Hogwarts Legacy has a transmog system from the start, so you’re not tied to the aesthetic of your stat-high attire.
Prepare your wand
The fight in Hogwarts Legacy surprised me. While wand combat is based on a list of well-known spells for at least the first 15 hours of the game, you’re encouraged to play around with combinations of these. Fighting an enemy in the game is almost like a dance. They can dodge an enemy attack and return fire with a barrage of spell patterns. You can stun the enemy, then lift them into the air, pull them in closer, and blast them away in one fiery final swing. Your character is also blessed with what the game calls “Ancient Magic”. While Ancient Magic forms the backbone of the narrative in Hogwarts Legacy, it is also used extensively in gameplay. With a telekinesis-like ability, you can hurl heavy objects at enemies or obliterate them with a single movement when your ancient magic meter is full. The game also features stealth abilities. You can turn invisible, sneak behind an unsuspecting enemy and cast the Petrificus Totalus spell – I’m sure Harry Potter fans will know what that does! It’s familiar stealth gameplay, but the novelty of Wizarding World makes it stand out.
Hogwarts Castle is the star of the show in Hogwarts Legacy
Credit: Screenshot/Manas Mitul
The open world
Outside of Hogwarts, the game features a massive open world with new and familiar locations. The game map is divided into three major sections – Hogwarts, Hogsmeade and the world map. The Hogwarts territory includes the titular castle itself and the surrounding grounds. Hogsmeade includes popular haunts like The Three Broomsticks, The Hog’s Head Inn and Honeydukes. Shops in the village sell everything you need on your trip and more. The world map extends well beyond the castle and its neighboring lakes and hamlets, with multiple regions each marked by a corresponding enemy tier. Once you get your broom, you can head out and explore all corners of the map. While flying mounts like Hippogriffs didn’t unlock in my first 15 hours, flying around on your broomstick is incredibly fun. There’s also a nifty fast travel system that ties into the Floo network from wizard lore.
dismissed class
Hogwarts Legacy is meaty too. In true RPG fashion, you can do pretty much anything you would expect from an open-world Harry Potter game (except Quidditch, unfortunately). Aside from the main story, you can devote yourself to side quests to please your fellow Hogwarts students, find magical artifacts and lore sites scattered around the world, and even attend classes. Taking courses at Hogwarts is associated with learning new spells that will help you in all your extracurricular activities. You’ll learn how to brew helpful concoctions in Potions classes, acquire basic spells in Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, and grow all sorts of helpful plants in Herbology. Learning a new spell often requires you to complete tasks that involve in-game challenges related to dueling, crafting, and exploration. Progression also includes a talent system where you earn points that can be used to unlock devastating new spells and abilities. Abilities are spread across five different trees – Spells, Dark Arts, Core, Stealth, and Room of Requirement – each offering useful additions to gameplay.
Don’t skip classes in Hogwarts Legacy because knowledge is power
Photo credit: Avalance Software
Early Impressions
The power of Hogwarts Legacy is in the details. The menu and UI design, the little tweaks on your heads-up display when you complete quests, the common rooms and corridors; They all come together to make the game not only a faithful recreation of the wizarding world, but a meaningful extension of it. The game features open-world loops that we’ve all seen before, but the Wizarding World twist makes them feel novel. The music in the game is reminiscent of the legendary film music by John Williams and meets well-known motifs. Hogwarts Legacy, perhaps most importantly, is a new way to experience the world of Harry Potter and will likely bring even fans of the books and films who don’t play video games to its shores.
