Hogwarts Legacy (2023)
"Set during the late 1800s, a newly enrolled student at Hogwarts discovers that they possess the unusual ability to perceive and master Ancient Magic, becoming the key to an old secret that threatens to tear the wizarding world apart."
- IMDB
It has occurred to me that I never made an official blog about Hogwarts Legacy. So here I am on Harry Potter's birthday sharing my thoughts about my game of the year last year. If you know me, then you know I’m purely defined as a Harry Potter fan. So Hogwarts Legacy has been my crippling sub-obsession for over a year now. I absolutely love that game and I'm here to break it down for you now!
The Bad
There are a lot of people with valid criticisms of this game. Yeah, it’s not perfect. It has it’s flaws from really minor ones to major ones. But my list is not that big compared to others.
However, I agree with pretty much everybody by saying broom mechanics..... not it. I forgot what I had to do to make it bearable, I definitely had to change sensitivity and camera settings to make things easier and I got much better at flying as time went on. It just takes too long to get used to flying, which means the mechanics are not natural. No one will enjoy this aspect of the game. I will say, once you are used to it, AND once you have the broom upgrades, it’s fun. And the 2 different mounts you get are fun as well.
Another thing I didn’t like was how classes were done - my LEAST favorite part of the game. Your first classes are actually really well done, hands on and everything, but we needed to do this more. I think instead of teacher assignments, we should’ve done an interactive class for the same rewards, which could also give more highlight to our classmates and professors in the classroom setting the same way it was for Harry Potter in the books.
I also have minor grievances with the map, mostly how the map would tell and not show where collectibles are. Like who really wants to chase down those landing platforms? I also don’t like how unlocking the map is because I find that I may fly over an area and revelio the heck out the place and not all the icons for beasts or collectibles will show up and I’m down to one of a specific item and I can’t see on the map where it could be. I wish you go to an area, or say unlock a floo powder, and a section of the map reveals with all the necessary indicators for your exploration.
The Good that I Thought Would Be Bad
Now despite these flaws, there are A LOT of things I like about the game, and some things I like that I didn’t expect I would.
First – the story. I honestly did not give a crap about the story going in. Hogwarts Legacy was all about Hogwarts for me. But in the end, the story our character uncovers about the Keepers and what’s her face were actually really interesting. Poppy and Natty’s stories were also fun to play - the ultimate Gryffindor and Hufflepuff adventures. But ma man... Seb Sallow.... legit would watch a whole ash movie about Sebastian Sallow and Ominous Gaunt. All the story telling effort went here. The rewards for going through his arc are great - all unforgivable curses if you so choose. Your choices have consequences, like which a-hole sent him to Azkaban? You want a good story... play all of Sebastian’s missions.
Going into gameplay, I really thought scaling would hinder the experience. Why are we leveling up if enemies are leveling with us? Talent points It’s all about talent points. Those points are used for skills that can just make you a beast. If enemies were not scaled, the game would get too easy real fast. I also have no problem not being able to get enough points for every talent in the game because you don’t need or maybe not want every talent in the game. It’s easy to criticize this system at first, but believe me, it really does work.
Also, all of you whining about a morality system... please. I would be livid if I couldn’t freely explore the castle at night or if I got into trouble for using avada kadavra in front of someone. The only use I would see with the morality system is for house points or something. Imagine a series of quests dedicated to eaning towards a House Point System. Either way, I feel like Weasley would do a "well done Slytherin however" and give your character enough points for your house to win anyway.
Also also, all of you whining about no quidditch.... please. The flying mechanics suck. Maybe it’s for the best we don’t have quidditch. I actually do not mind it's absence.
What i LOVE LOVE LOVE about Hogwarts Legacy!!!
Starting with the little things first -
- The music. No matter how good or bad you think Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, or Hogwarts Legacy is, no one can deny that the Wizarding World is full of amazing, magical soundtracks.
- The NPCs are well thought out for the most part, ESPECIALLY the professors. Go talk to them for optional dialogue to learn of their pasts. It’s so interesting.
- Sirona is a trans character played by a trans actor. So middle finger to Rowling, checkmate boycotters.
- The combat is so much fun, way better than I expected. It’s totally my vibe, and I actually love that you only learn like 20 spells because you don’t really need more than 8. There are at least 5 spells I simply never use.
- Exploration is fun, can be tedious, but given that I never cared about the world outside of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, I can easily appreciate the different areas, their designs, and the quests within them. Every village is different, it’s fun.
- The Beasts... totally invested. Always putting a lot of effort into the vivariums, taking care of my so called rescued beasts. You can collect their fur and feathers and use them to upgrade gear, which is more useful the harder your difficulty setting is. At the end of the day, the Beasts' purpose is to look cute..... which they are....
The only reason why I wanted this game was to explore Hogwarts. This was a place of escapism for me during my darkest hours, and I was so committed to memorizing the entire map. I totally filled all 4 saves with 4 different House members to explore every common room. Also playing the Jackdaw story line with each house is particularly fun if you're Gryffindor or Hufflepuff. I identify as a Hufflepuff, so I was loosing my mind when I got the opportunity to walk down a hallway in Azkaban with my Hufflepuff character. It was just a hallway...... but the greatest and scariest hallway I’ve ever seen. The devs are spoiling me here.
With the castle being my first priority, I’m not disappointed at all. Hogwarts Castle is why I hold the game so highly. The developers put ALL of their effort into Hogwarts. The details to every room and hallway, recognizable places based on the films AND books, the quirky npc encounters you find when walking around, the murderous armor, Sir Cadagon, the headmaster’s office, the restricted section, the holiday decorations during the fall and winter..... I just...... …..... …... I can’t..... I am in awe.
This is one of my favorite games of all time. All I wanted was Hogwarts - I got Hogwarts in the best way possible. So I could easily say Hogwarts Legacy was EVERYTHING I wanted and more. Not everyone will agree, but it’s just how I feel. Being a gamer who has been a Harry Potter fan for most of my life.... this was it. And I hope, really really hope, that there is sequel, that the devs take what they did right, improve on what they did wrong, and give us another phenomenal experience in the Wizarding World.
The art has become so much greater than the original artist. To the developing team of Hogwarts Legacy.... thank you..... you really accomplished something special.
My Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★
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