Hogwarts Legacy review: What a Harry Potter fan really thinks of the spellbinding new game
If you grew up with Harry Potter, then Hogwarts Legacy is the taste of nostalgia you've been dreaming about for decades.
Some 20 years ago, I remember dragging my poor dad out at midnight to queue up with the gaggle of kids – brooms in hand and round spectacles firmly on – outside a supermarket, all waiting for the new Harry Potter book to be released.
I finally got to relive some of that magic only recently, with my PS5 playing an on-screen countdown until Hogwarts Legacy was available to play at 12am on the dot. Sure, clicking "start game" wasn't quite as thrilling as being surrounded by a group of Potterheads gearing up to read if Voldemort lived or died, but it was a thrill nonetheless.
NOTE: Prices are accurate at time of publishing.
The game itself is an an immersive, open-world, role-playing-game set in the 1800's wizarding world – decades before Potter himself existed. You play as a fifth-year transfer student, one of whom has some mystical talents which will prove useful as you journey through Hogwarts and beyond.
But is it worth the hype, and does it live up to the expectations of Potter fans everywhere? Without any big spoilers, let's dig in.
The good
The choices
Oh, the choices! Within seconds of playing Hogwarts Legacy, you get to create your protagonist from scratch. You can quite literally make a carbon copy of yourself if you fancy it, choosing your name, hair colour, ethnicity, style – even the pitch of your voice. The attention to detail is truly mind-blowing.
Then, of course, you get to choose whether you're a Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin or a Gryffindor. From then on, you can only enter your specific common room in Hogwarts, and there's even quests that are exclusive to your house. Choose wisely.
The game itself is so vast, and after 20 hours of gameplay I still haven't ventured everywhere.
The open world gameplay
If anyone remembers the old school PlayStation One Harry Potter games, terrible graphics and all, Hogwarts Legacy is simply worlds away from that. You're given the ability to venture through Hogwarts, head over to the village of Hogsmeade and even have a whole world map of other locations to discover. The game itself is so vast, and after 20 hours of gameplay I still haven't ventured everywhere.
Perhaps I was delirious after staying up so late to play, but wandering around the magnificent landscape truly made my jaw drop within the first few hours of Hogwarts Legacy. The attention to detail in every hamlet, street and forest is just... astonishing. The explorable houses, the atmosphere, the memorable places from the books (The Three Broomsticks, anyone?) – and that's not even discussing Hogwarts itself.
The castle features so many hidden dungeons, classrooms and mini-quests that will keep you occupied for hours. When you eventually get your very own broom stick, you can zoom around the world while gawping at the palatial castle in all its glory, and that alone is an experience like no other.
The quests
Without giving too much away, you'll never get bored in Hogwarts Legacy. As well as the main story, there's absolutely dozens of side quests with gripping plots that will have you on the edge of your seat – some of which will even teach you dark magic.
Like a real school, you're also given assignments to do so you can cast better spells, and you can even rescue wild beasts and breed them in the Room of Requirement. Pretty magical stuff.
The combat
The overall combat in Hogwarts Legacy is, in a word, gripping. You get the opportunity to use a wide range of learned spells against different enemies, which melds together the perfect blend of strategy and stunning visual effects. Watching your enemies crumple in front of you from a spell you've cast never gets old, and only gets more exciting as the game continues.
The bad
No Quidditch
Being the staple sport in the Harry Potter books, you might have thought it was obvious that Quidditch would at least play some part in Hogwarts Legacy. But it doesn't. It's not like it's completely ignored – early on, Headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black tells the students that an "unfortunate injury" on the pitch has meant that the game has been cancelled. But still, it would have been nice. At least you can fly a broomstick, right?
The NPCs can be slightly lackluster
I won't lie, there's not a lot I can fault in this game. But I did think that perhaps the non-player characters (NPCs) could have been a little more... three dimensional? Maybe they could react when I'm charging full-throttle at them down the hall, or if we could see them heading to bed after a long day of classes for a bit more realism, I don't know. It's a small thing, but could have made the game feel more immersive than it already does.
Managing gear
While it's great that you can pick up a wide variety equipable accessories to boost your character's statistics, sometimes you'll find yourself with six of the same robes with barely any difference in stats. It's tiring having to go and sell some of the same items for next to no gold, or even destroy them because you have no room.
The verdict
Look, the game has had some mixed reviews online. But apart from some minor details, I just cannot fault it. It's incredibly fun, completely magical and all-enthralling and has been the talk of the town between me and my friends since the moment it was released.
It's an absolute slice of nostalgia that will bring you to the forefront of a world that encapsulated billions not so long ago. It's a spell-binding, wonderful RPG which, like the books, leaves you wanting more with every turn.
If you were a fan like I was, you'll be in absolute Hogwarts Heaven.
Hogwarts Legacy officially launched on February 10 on PlayStation 5, Windows PC and Xbox Series X. It will be released on PS4 and Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
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