Hogwarts Legacy Review: Masterful & Magical

Surprisingly enough, there hasn’t been a decent video game involving the Harry Potter series in a very long time. The last one that I remember is probably the Lego Harry Potter games that came out all the way back in 2010. It wasn’t until Avalanche Software and Portkey Games announced a brand new game titled Hogwarts Legacy back in 2020 that the flames inside fans old and new were rekindled. The weight of the world has been on the developers’ shoulders to deliver an experience that could stand firmly on its own two feet, despite all the discourse that has been circling around the author of the original books, J.K. Rowling.

After being delayed multiple times, and with current-gen consoles and the Nintendo Switch version still yet to be released, Hogwarts Legacy has finally arrived on next-gen hardware. Well, it’s safe to say that the wait was worth it because the Hogwarts simulator that we dreamed of as little kids is finally here. Hogwarts Legacy delivers an extravagant fantasy role-playing experience that is a clear labor of love from the studio behind it.  

100 Years Before Harry Potter

Hogwarts Legacy’s story takes place in 1890, 100 years before the events of the Philosopher’s Stone, so you won’t be meeting your favorite characters from the books here. That being said, you’d be surprised to see some notable names still, such as the Weasleys. You are an incoming fifth-year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a late bloomer of sorts. Your supposed-to-be pleasant ride to the school is abruptly interrupted as a dragon intercepts your carriage mid-air and forces you to take a rather unpleasant detour through some ancient ruins. While you’re not cursed with a lightning-shaped scar on your forehead, you do have the ability to sense and see a form of ancient magic that others do not. Dark wizards and goblins alike are conjuring something sinister, and you just happen to be caught in the middle of it all. All in all, it’s a well-woven narrative that is engaging and doesn’t require you to be a Harry Potter veteran to enjoy.

The famous Sorting Hat promptly sorts you into a house after your safe arrival at Hogwarts, and thus begins your student life as a wizard or witch in training. Don’t worry, you can still choose what house you want to be in, even if it isn’t the one decided by the hat! The pacing in this game is brilliantly done, with Avalanche Software effortlessly teaching key game mechanics through gameplay segments that represent everyday life as a student.  

Wizard Combat 101

I didn’t know what to expect with battling when it came to a game of this nature, but after going hands-on with it, I can confidently say it doesn’t disappoint. It wouldn’t be a Harry Potter game if you weren’t equipped with a magical wand of your own, one that can be customized in both length and rigidness. Want a 14.5-inch rock-hard wand or a 9.5-inch flimsy stick? The choice is yours…There’s no judgment here. Your wand is equipped with a basic cast attack, and you gain more spell knowledge as the game progresses. Yes, the infamous spell Avada Kedavra is obtainable, for those who were wondering. Fighting might come off as super vanilla at first, but the game allows for some extremely slick and satisfying combos once you have an entire arsenal of spells to choose from.

Combat is by no means easy, as you must know which spells the enemies are using in order to parry or counter. The only means of defense are a well-timed block spell or dodge roll, and the only way to heal is through drinking Wiggenweld potions. Playing on Easy mode gives you convenient QTE button presses for dodges or counters during battle, but I felt like it took away too much from the immersion and fast-paced nature of dueling. Additional abilities can be unlocked and upgraded on top of a base spell to empower it, and the game gives you plenty of freedom to come up with a build that best suits your playstyle. Enemy types are also quite varied, ranging from armored trolls and nasty goblins to dark wizards and fleshy spiders. The game makes you truly feel like a wizard or witch, and that’s not an easy feat to accomplish.

Life as a Hogwarts Student

Outside of engaging in magical duels with your trusty wand, you are either resting in the Room of Requirement or obtaining new knowledge in class. The Room of Requirement can be seen as a home base of sorts that can be customized and designed to a style of your liking. Potions and plants can also be brewed and planted, respectively, but each takes real-life time to complete. Albeit a little annoying, some might take seconds, but others minutes. Oh, and the timer pauses if you open up an in-game menu, which is baffling, considering this mechanic is pretty much useless in design. On the other hand, attending classes also feels like a missed opportunity, as many end in a cutscene, and few actually allow you to participate or mingle with other students.

Like any other role-playing game, Hogwarts Legacy overwhelms you with gear, color-coded in the same fashion as other loot-based titles. Green means common, whereas orange means legendary. Progression mainly comes from gaining experience points from quests and completing challenges and grants you better stats all-around. The game unnecessarily constricts your backpack size to 20, including the six pieces you are already wearing, so in reality, it’s actually 14. You’ll find yourself needing to visit a shop to sell all your outdated gear or, even worse, destroy them in your inventory. Money is quite important in this game, so I advise you to sell your useless gear whenever you can to free up your inventory. The only way to increase your gear slots is to solve Merlin Trials, which don’t show up until later in the campaign.  

Open World Done Almost Right

Your wizarding journey is not a mundane and linear one, as there is so much to do in the world of Hogwarts Legacy. Optional puzzles are scattered virtually everywhere, from solving math riddles in order to open a locked door to casting Revelio in order to find a missing Field Guide page. You can pick up a plethora of side quests from fellow students you meet, although most of them are your generic open-world style missions: solve this, fetch this, or kill that. Some are better than others, but keep your expectations in line. Interestingly enough, a lot of these side characters are better fleshed out than I imagined and show a good amount of characterization and personality. Relationships and bonds with more important folk can be formed and deepened through specific quests. The voice work put into portraying these characters is nothing short of impressive – special shout to Kandace Caine, who voices my fellow classmate and friend Natsai “Natty” Onai, and Lesley Nicol, who voices Professor Matilda Weasley.

Open-world games are difficult to get right as many come off as overly ambitious with too much empty space and ultimately produce a world that feels dead. This game, however, does it right, as its world has got me completely hooked. There are so many things I want to do, places to see, and people to meet. Every location feels brought to life, with classmates gossiping in the corner after class, Peeves the poltergeist popping out here and there, or suits of armor humming as you walk past them. Quaint little hamlets and hidden caverns litter the world map, with beautiful scenery every step of the way.

The Wizarding World doesn’t truly become your oyster until you unlock your broom. You are no longer tied to the confinements of Hogwarts or Hogsmeade on foot as you take the skies by storm. The developers really weren’t lying when they said: if you can see it in the distance, you can get to it. This is when exploration opportunities truly become endless, with tons of fun activities to partake in. Want to go broomstick racing, partner dueling, or maybe grab a butterbeer at Hogsmeade? You can do it all! This is not to mention all the other collectible secrets that are tucked away into the corners of this world.  

Beautiful Vistas and Reminiscent Music

Part of what makes Hogwarts Legacy so charming and alluring is its gorgeous visuals and evocative soundtrack. From the detailed character models and facial animations to the intricately designed building architectures and dreamy landscapes, this game gushes in atmosphere and style. Specifically, the developers have done a superb job with their depiction of the Hogwarts castle, as I always found myself stopping and staring at the animated portraits on the wall or the vintage furniture in my common room. The art design itself deserves the utmost praise. What’s equally as brilliant is the musical score, as it provides an extra layer of both nostalgia and wonder into the overall experience. Music is, and will always be, an important element in the overarching Harry Potter universe, and Avalanche Software has shown their passion here with fan favorites such as Hedwig’s Theme, among other mood-setting tones.  

Magical Performance

There are a whopping five graphical modes offered here: fidelity, ray tracing, performance, balanced, and HFR performance. These are pretty self-explanatory as fidelity and ray tracing offer better visuals at the cost of a lower frame rate, whereas performance and HFR performance do the opposite. Balanced mode tries to bridge the gap by providing decent graphical quality, resolution, and performance all around. VRR-supported displays will up the frame rate on the fly in this mode. I suggest playing around with each mode to see which one looks and feels the best on your monitor. As for me, I ran Hogwarts Legacy on HFR performance with my LG C1 OLED, and boy, did it feel buttery smooth, with frame rates of up to around 80-90 fps.

Overall performance on the PlayStation 5 is flawless, with ultrafast load times and DualSense controller support. When not casting spells or taking damage, the controller will illuminate with colors of your chosen house. Mine, being Gryffindor, pulsed red and gold, whereas it’ll shine green and silver for Slytherin, black and yellow for Hufflepuff, and bronze and blue for Ravenclaw. It’s a nice attention to detail that goes a long way. Adaptive triggers and haptic feedback from the magical resistance of your spells are also felt with each wand blast, leading to an immersive connection between the controller and your wand.  

Conclusion

Avalanche Software has managed to turn a once far-fetched dream into a reality for many Harry Potter fans, as Hogwarts Legacy is simply a masterful fantasy experience. Despite a few hiccups here and there, this is still, hands down, the most authentic and immersive Wizarding World video game out there. My time with Hogwarts Legacy has been nothing short of remarkable, and I can’t wait to see what comes next in the franchise from Warner Bros.

Final Verdict: 4.5/5

Available on: PC,  PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox Series S|X; Publisher: Warner Bros.; Developer: Avalanche Software; Players: 1; Released: February 10, 2023; ESRB: M; MSRP: USD 69.99

Full disclosure: This review is based on a copy of Hogwarts Legacy provided by the publisher.