‘Hogwarts Legacy’ is everything ‘Harry Potter’ fans want, but it’s too ambitious, according to early reviews

The most famous video game “Harry Potter” lives up to its high expectations. Three days after its premiere, ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ premiered on Metacritic with an average score of 85 out of 100 according to the criticisms of the specialized media, full of flattery.

A few days ago, the video game-focused media had access to an hour of gameplay and their comments indicated that ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ was on the right track, unanimously highlighting the magical combat system and the possibilities it offered. This idea is reinforced: Hobby Consolas guarantees it “With a little ingenuity, surprising results can be achieved [en los combates]. I am convinced that the most skilled players will get crazy combinations that not even the developers had foreseen”. But what critics have highlighted the most this time around are the countless opportunities and options that the game offers, as well as its immense open world. IGN assures that “Hogwarts Legacy” “offers an incredible amount of content”while IGN Portugal gives it a perfect score and describes it as a “masterpiece”.

The level of customization ranges from designing rooms to crafting potions or raising animals. “If you are a fan of ‘Harry Potter’ and passionate about interior design, this is for you”says Hobby Consolas, good “both the Room of Requirement and the nursery are basically two more games within the Hogwarts Legacy”. The international press agrees, with Screen Rant stating so “where the game really shines is in its beautiful recreation of Hogwarts and its surroundings”. IGN Spain ensures that the level of recreation of the universe is “incredible”while Hobby Consolas admits it “The feeling of being inside the Harry Potter universe is total”.

Game Rant writes that while it looks like the mission design could be improved, as soon as players pick up the broom and can explore the open world by flying “it becomes almost impossible to pause the game”. Despite being a traditional open world, it is one of the great wonders of video gaming. “There’s definitely a ‘wow’ moment where players realize how big the map is”says GameRant. On the other hand, ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ stands out for its level of interaction within this open world: puzzles, tests and mini-games, also to access countless collectibles.

However, there is a problem with the ambitious scale of the game: some aspects are therefore overlooked. French outlet MGG believes it “‘Hogwarts Legacy is so vast and ambitious that sacrifices have been made. It’s not perfect in its finish, but that’s no penalty – it’s truly the game that all potterheads dream of, but it’s also too classic an RPG for those who don’t knows him with the universe of ‘Harry Potter'”. “Most of the side quests in ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ are nothing more than paperwork and the developers have clearly chosen to prioritize quantity over quality”points out GameRant.

By and for the fans

IGN Spain is clear: it is “a gigantic love letter to one of YA literature’s most beloved and relevant universes, and one of the best games of the year”. Hobby Consolas joins his words, stating that “it’s a true monument to the wizarding world” from ‘Harry Potter’. The media underline that the fans of the saga are the ones who will appreciate the game the most: “If you are a fan or have ever been (as in my case), you will have a great time”. Otherwise it is “a good game”but it won’t have the same impact. ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ is designed just to touch fans of novels and moviesfrom the owl that delivers your letter to recreated scenes from movies.

Game Reactor reveals it “almost everything he tackles he does brilliantly, and by far the adventure of the “Harry Potter” universe that fans have been waiting for so long”while promising that even those unfamiliar with the franchise will enjoy it. The Guardian, like others, does not share his opinion. The British medium is one of the most critical of the video game, rating it 3 out of 5 stars, considering that taking away the enthusiasm of the fans, the game is not that admirable, although he admits that they are “Magic moments [como montar en un hipogrifo] and the setting that saves him from mediocrity, but only if the wizarding world still has a spell on you.”.

Another trick: useless interactions

Several reviews also point out that one of the disadvantages of the game is the main character (you), since the interactions available to him are not really necessary: “Although we have choices in conversations, they rarely affect quest development or story”says IGN Spain. “‘Hogwarts Legacy’ is a game that could have benefited from using a non-speaking protagonistsince the main character has no discernible personality and cutting interminable dialogue (which was usually “Yes, I agree” or “No, I disagree” with a few extra words) would have lightened things up.writes GameRant. Thus, it seems that one of the downsides of ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ is that including these decisions into social interactions to such an unnecessary degree only slows down the pace of the game, rather than gaining greater immersion.

‘Hogwarts Legacy’ comes to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X | St this Friday, February 10, but starting February 7, Deluxe Edition owners have early access. For other supports we will have to wait a bit: the PS4 and Xbox One versions will be available from April 4th, while the date for Nintendo Switch has been set for July 25th.