Hogwarts Legacy is undoubtedly the most ambitious video game based on the Harry Potter universe: Hogwarts Legacy is of unprecedented generosity, both in visual and gameplay terms, not synonymous with inspiration.
Posted at 10:46 am
Fresh off the shelves, Hogwarts Legacy: Hogwarts Legacy, developed by Avalanche Software and published by WB Games, is sure to inherit the title of most anticipated game of the year. It is that while the Harry Potter universe developed by JK Rowling may have attracted millions of young and old, the thirty games produced since 2001 have hardly mattered.
Avalanche Software Studio, which was acquired by WB Games in 2017, first made the bold decision to wipe the slate clean and ban Harry Potter from JK Rowling’s game.
Ranrok’s Revolt
We follow in the footsteps of a boy or girl entering Hogwarts late, in their fifth year. The player chooses a name, an appearance and must lead it to catch up. Our player has a rare talent: he discovers ancient magic.
The greatest threat to the wizarding world is the evil goblin Ranrok, who is leading a revolution to make human wizards pay for centuries of injustice.
The graphics are great, from Hogwarts Castle to the surrounding villages, through the Forbidden Forest and the hidden caves where we’ll meet risen knights, trolls and spiders. The first challenge is to master all the magic of a fifth year student. The first hours are tedious, while homework or missions allow us to increase the number of spells mastered and the use of potions. We quickly have so many magic spells at our disposal that the four buttons on the controller are no longer sufficient. There are many, many, and it’s easy to get lost among all these Accio, Lumos, Expelliarmus, Evanesco, and Incendio, all of which have their uses.
caught in game
The dialogues, rather agreed, with our main character being very respectful to the point of seeming boring, don’t help us to be motivated. All of this smacks of a slightly too literal transcription of the Harry Potter universe that we didn’t dare take too many liberties with.
And one of those freedoms is particularly irritating: our character finds gear that makes him stronger but makes him look completely insane. It’s hard to believe when he speaks while wearing glasses that give him big psychedelic eyes, a muzzle worthy of the Silence of the Lambs, or a sombrero.
SCREEN PHOTO
But now we congratulate ourselves after five or six hours of sagging. At the turn of missions in magnificent environments worthy of the greatest fantasy saga, after side missions that are sometimes surprising and disturbing discoveries about the wizarding world, we no longer see the passage of time. Combat mechanics are difficult, requiring skill to correctly combine spells cast while dodging enemy fire and protecting yourself with a bubble of blue energy. And almost always a magical trail or points on the map lead us to the next destination.
SCREEN PHOTO
Periodically we come across puzzles to stimulate your imagination, a Lumos to attract butterflies, a Repulso to turn a mechanism, an Accio to attract walkways. And when you’re not playing Quidditch, you can fly across multiple areas on a broomstick, a real treat. Yes, there are too many side missions and some take forever to complete. You cannot enter all rooms or complete certain missions until you acquire the necessary skills, which often makes the task difficult.
We are obviously dealing with a top-class AAA here, where the developers have multiplied the finds for the game mechanics, the inspiration for the scenario is less exciting, and the disappearance of the so lovable characters from the Harry Potter saga is difficult to follow to fill. But there are undoubtedly a good dozen hours of fun in The Legacy of Hogwarts.
Hogwarts Legacy: Hogwarts Legacy
Developer: Avalanche Software
Publisher: WB Games
Published: February 10, 2023
Price: $89.99 (PS5 base version)
Rating: 7 out of 10
Single player, for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
Tried on a PS5 with a copy provided by WB Games