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| #33 | Hogwarts Legacy |
|---|---|
| guessed by | Machina |
| platform | Xbox Series |
| release year | 2023 |
| developer/publisher | Avalanche Software/Warner Bros. Games |
| genre | action adventure, role playing |
| links | Wikipedia |
We are a late newcomer to magic school, and right on our way there we are attacked by dragon, while our mentor talks with another person about some secrets. This is the turbulent start to a game about ancient magic, old secrets, strong enemies and devious schemes. Also it is about school. Learning about spells, magic beasts and flying a broom is all part of the new life you enter in the game.
The game features all main points of interest of the book series, as they appear in the past that the game is set. So you can go to Hogsmeade to select your wand and buy magical pranks or enter the forbidden forest. It is pretty clear from scenes like this that the developers at Avalanche love the setting and did their best to emulate all this in video game form.
This was a very ambitious game for Avalanche software, some may say too ambitious for a developer that worked before on Cars or Disney Infinity. They may point to the open world surrounding Hogwarts, which is overall standard fare. Nothing outstanding, but also nothing bad. You get your typical open world tasks, puzzles, fights, collections and broom flying challenges.
The game really shines in Hogwarts itself though, and it is undeniable how much love the devs put into designing it.
The living pictures alone - hundreds of animations that most players will rush past. But they all fit, they act in accordance to their surroundings and sometimes react to stuff. This is amazing detail. I also love the astronomy tower, which has moving stars on the roof of one room.
The castle is a labyrinth - as designed by Rowena Ravenclaw. Luckily map, fast travel, the ability to fly with the broom once outside and a spell showing you the path to your mission marker are helping navigating it. The different areas match their classrooms or other usage.
And the castle is full of secrets to find, so you will be rewarded for exploring it. So if you always wanted to explore Hogwarts to your hearts content, then this is definitely the game for you.
If you get bored with it you always can go on the main quest or find more stuff in open world tasks. The main quest is partly school classes, which help you get acquainted with the gameplay features. The other part is the old secrets which are also seeked out by your antagonists. Which leads to quite some action packed scenes or magical puzzles, and part for part unveiling of past events.
There was some critic levied by some towards the fighting in the game, which I can't follow. At most it is too far on the easy side. But by mixing spells and bringing in upgrades to change your fighting style it offers a lot of variation. Which can lead to a lot of fun in testing out new spell and effect combinations.
Overall this is definitely a good game. And even though a product of modern AAA industry it is free of microtransactions and loot boxes. Sadly something that has to be pointed out in these days. A big undertaking for Avalanche, which they did very well on. I hope they can build on the experiences made here to get the weaker parts of the game better for a potential sequel. But either way, the game as it is, is an enjoyable experience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NthGfn_ddRQ
Last edited by Mnementh - on 07 December 2023
