19 February,2023 10:15 AM IST | Mumbai | Jaison Lewis
Hogwarts Legacy
The first Harry Potter books were published in 1997. Let that sink in for a while. The movies did a good job of capturing some of the glories of the wizarding world. As is with all movies, it was limited by time and pacing to let people live out their Hogwarts fantasy. The video games were no better. Most of them focused on the movie series and did not give enough attention to the world. Hogwarts Legacy changes this. It puts fans front and centre, offers you every opportunity to build a character and has them live the student life in Hogwarts.
Hogwarts gets a lot of things right, but the story isn't one of them. That's a bit of a bold something to say for a game that has scored so well, but that's the truth. The story is the most tedious part of the entire experience. It involves listening to a whole bunch of people talking to you about what you need to do. There is no substance to any of it. Also, surprise, surprise, you are special. You have an ability that puts you in a position to take down a super-powerful goblin and his allies. It should be noted that the story was not written by JK Rowling, which explains a lot. Now that that's out of the way, let's focus on everything Legacy has got absolutely right.
You start as a fifth-year student at Hogwarts; why that is isn't entirely explained, but that means you don't have to start from scratch. However, since you are new to the school, you have to learn how everything works. The game lets you choose your look, gender and other aspects of your personality. There is a good set of options to make your wizard genuinely unique. You can't make Harry Potter, though, because the lightning bolt scar is not one of the options. The voice acting for the lead and all the characters in the game is absolutely top-notch. It is joyous to interact with your fellow students as they go about their life in Hogwarts. That is the crux of why this game is so brilliant.
It gives you a way to live out almost all your Hogwarts fantasies in the most amazing way possible. You can fly around the entire campus and forest area on a broom. Have meaning full and fun sparing contests with your wand, explore Hogwarts or the nearby town of Hogsmeade, visit all the shops, capture fantastical beasts and engage yourself in a whole lot of side quests. Honestly, the side-quests are a lot more enjoyable than the main game. All the students and characters in the game are superb to interact with and have a Hogwarts feel to them. The dialogues and the back and forth will give fans nostalgia as the kids are always up to some mischief. In comparison, sometimes your character seems more of a Hermione. Along the way you have to learn spells and the more spells you have in your arsenal the more fire power and combo attacks you can perform in combat.
Speaking about the combat, I don't think anyone could have made a more fulfilling way to get your wizarding combat on. The spells need to per learnt only once, on account of your character being a genius and all. Thereafter the spells can be loaded on your right-hand buttons if you are playing on a console. These can be quickly shifted and triggered as and when you need them. You will also notice while playing, especially in duels, that some protective shields are made of specific colours. This means that you can only use a particular type of spell to shatter them, for example, fire, water etc. So, it makes sense to collect all the spells you can. Combat with beasts isn't as challenging as fighting other students because it is very repetitive and predictable, that said it isn't mind-numbingly awful, just not as good as the rest of the game.
Hogwarts Legacy is essentially an open world, even though some areas behind doors need to load before you enter. So, the graphics are very good but not cutting-edge. It is pretty fluid in most places, and you will often find yourself just taking in the thrill of seeing all of this as something interactive. I think it will sell like hotcakes if they manage to get a VR version of this game out.
So, who is this game for? Most Harry Potter fans, both young and old, would really love how this game draws you into the fantasy. There is a lot to do, and the developers have given the game the love and attention it deserves. It is a game that any fan must play. If you have suffered through countless other Harry Potter games, this is what you were waiting for in every shape and form. Go ahead and buy it.
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