Clang! I have to say that, while not it’s primary function, anvils do make an extremely satisfying sound as they smack into the face of an enraged troll. Actually, the fact that the troll is enraged might not only be because of its natural malevolence, but also the fact that, for the last thirty seconds or so, I’ve been hurling everything I can point my wand at, at its oversized head. Sacks of flour, empty barrels, exploding barrel, boulders, and, yes, anvils. I’ve even tried unleashing my ancient magic at it – and while I’m sure that the explosion should have ruptured something important, it doesn’t seem to have. Back and forth the battle goes, with the troll trying to hurl boulders at me or squash me flat, and me hurling the boulders back and gradually whittling down its health with my largely ineffectual attacks. Finally, a well timed Flippendo charm causes the troll’s club to rotate viciously around its axis and connect with its owner’s head. Cue victory dance, and a chance to collect some rather rare potion ingredients (specifically troll bogeys, which I seriously hope are not simply there to add flavour). [As a side note, Google ‘natural vanilla flavour + beaver’ - Ed.]
Hogwarts Legacy is clearly a labour of love, made by those obsessed with JK Rowling’s world, for those who are equally obsessed with it. Cast in the role of a late-starting student with the rare ability to perceive and wield an ancient form of magic, the player gets to explore some of the iconic locations from the books and films, whilst sampling life as a Hogwarts student (complete with lessons and broomsticks) and attempting to avert the outbreak of a new war between Goblins and Wizard-kind.
With one of the best openings I’ve seen in a game for a while – which culminates in a spectacular ride through Gringotts Bank’s subterranean vaults, the level of care and attention to detail is truly staggering. And no more so than the huge, ridiculously detailed castle of Hogwarts itself. This is, simply put, a Harry Potter fan’s dream come true.
Pretty much the entirety of Hogwarts Castle is there for players to explore, backed up by all the art design from the films. That strange, rickety bridge from the last film? Check. The ridiculously ornate Prefects Bathroom? Check. Each common room? Yup. Even the kitchens are there for students to peruse. And the detail is simply astounding. Walls are plastered with moving paintings, suits of armour argue and hit each other, students can be seen literally walking up the walls, and Peeves the Poltergeist makes more than one appearance as you explore. It is literally impossible to round a corner and not find something weird, eye-catching, or simply breath-taking – such as the marble-clad Defense Against the Dark Arts Tower. Actually, this game is also a dream for those who like a variety of ornate architecture, as Hogwarts is a smorgasbord of different styles: Baroque, Neo Classical, Mediaeval and Rennaisance and Romanticism all exist here in gloriously detailed, movie-quality asset form.
Players also get to fly brooms, rescue magical animals, decorate the Room of Requirement to their taste (great fun all by itself), and explore the world and villages around Hogwarts. They also, of course, get to engage in magical battles.
The battles themselves perfectly capture the look of the film. Spells slice through the air leaving glittering trails, and explode in showers of sparks as they make impact. The game also doesn’t shy away from the more vicious spells, with all the Unforgivable Curses being open to players to use, should they wish it. That said, the player also has access to ‘Ancient Magic’ – a slowly charging ultimate attack, which does some pretty wild and random things which make the Unforgivable Curses look rather tame. (Seriously, one of the attacks causes the foes to detonate, with a horrified scream, into small purple bits of ash – this is not a game for the very young.)
As a virtual realization of Hogwarts and its surrounds, this game is absolutely amazing and a real delight. When it comes to the open world gameplay, however, it ultimately suffers from simply not having enough varied or meaningful content for the amount of game the developers have tried to supply. This becomes evident when quite a few of the activities dotting the larger world-map which start off as fun, start to feel like busy work. This is especially so when you see the same Merlin Trials repeating again and again. Perhaps the best example of this is the lock-picking mini-game which players have to complete whenever casting Alohamora. Instead of simply waving the wand and watching the lock spring open, players have to rotate to wheels until a corresponding set of smaller wheels start to rotate. While this is cute the first time you see it, there is no challenge, no brainwork, and after a dozen or so locks it becomes downright tedious. To make matters worse, most locks can safely be ignored as the rewards hidden behind them really have limited game value. That said, it’ll probably be around the 30 hour mark before this sense of fatigue sets in. Also, it’s worth noting that this is the only game I’ve ever played to suffer a major visual downgrade thanks to a patch which introduced texture-streaming problems which, as of the time of writing, still have not been fixed.
Really, this game isn’t for the person who wants a stiff combat challenge, deep and meaningful exploration and character progression, or even loads of loot. Rather, it’s for the person who wants to explore Hogwarts, fly on broomsticks, or simply while away the hours collecting and tending a virtual magical menagerie. As such, Hogwarts Legacy has something of a mixed identity. And while it is merely decent as an open world game, for those who love Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, this game is a simply must have and a real delight to play. ■