“Hogwarts Legacy” is an action role-playing game that was released on Feb. 10, 2023. It was developed by Avalanche Software and published by Warner Bros. Games under its Portkey Games label. The game sold 12 million units in the first two weeks of its release, with total sales reaching 1 billion U.S. dollars as of Mar. 2025.
This game takes place a century before the “Harry Potter” franchise, giving a different perspective on the popular wizarding world. It tells the story of the player who can wield an ancient magic and unlocks the secret of the magic to protect it from threats. The player is threatened by the main villain, Ranrok, who is a goblin who wishes to use the power of ancient magic for evil. Over the course of “Hogwarts Legacy”, the player progresses through trials created by old ancient magic teachers, and ultimately battles Ranrok for the magic.
The main reason this game caught my attention was because it was a “Harry Potter” game that didn’t have a childish plot or 20-year-old graphics. “Hogwarts Legacy” is a beautiful game, notably because it is open-world. You can travel via broom, hippogriff, or floo flame if you are in a hurry. You can also traverse the Hogwarts castle—which is apparently accurate to the books—and Hogsmeade.
There is lots to do in this “Hogwarts Legacy”, like quests to fulfill. The more you travel to different villages, the more favors the civilians will ask of you. The rewards will vary from money to potions and plants. Near the end of the game, many players will begin completing the collection. This includes clothing, beasts, traits, and more. There are also challenges that give you rewards. For example, killing a number of certain enemies will give you upgrades that make fighting that type of enemy easier.
My favorite aspect of “Hogwarts Legacy” is the combat. Throughout the game, you will learn a total of 34 spells—including the unforgivable curses. Only some of them are for combat but it makes you think about combos and the enemy’s weakness. Furthermore, enemies fight differently with diverse weapons and some are immune to certain spells. You have to learn and adapt to defeat them.
Even though most of the reviews rant about how great the game is, some mention its flaws. One of the most requested features for “Hogwarts Legacy” is a romance option. In the beginning of the game, you meet side characters that sometimes accompany you on quests. These characters become friends with the player throughout the game, but some players wish for more. It would be interesting to have a romantic relationship with the characters, but the main focus should be on the player’s story and progression.
Another widely disliked part of the game is the story. You start off attending classes and learning spells, but afterwards the plot thins into repetitive circles. Instead of attending school, the player completes side-hustles and starts fights with the local threats. Many other games follow the same narrative, which can seem boring and endless to some players. The end of the story is also short-lived, since there isn’t much to do after the final boss except the collection and quests.
In conclusion, “Hogwarts Legacy” has very scenic and overall amazing visuals, but the story and interactions weigh it down. This game is better geared for players who enjoy fighting games rather than story games. However, it could be redeemed with the confirmation of “Hogwarts Legacy 2”. Hopefully the future installation will include ideas from the endless reviews.
