Hogwarts Legacy Review
Revelio, let the ancient magic reveal the secrets to be discovered in Hogwarts Legacy. You will play the role of a fifth-year transfer student that has quite a bit of magic training under his belt, thanks in part to a certain Professor Fig. Now of course it would be a pretty boring game for many if all you did was go to classes, so you’re going to be thrown into the deep end of something evil and ancient that could upend the world.There is a goblin movement lead by a powerful goblin named Ranrok. This particular goblin is hellbent on revenge against the wizarding race, and he has non-goblin supporters to help bolster his ranks.
You will spend the majority of the game traversing the halls of Hogwarts as well as the surrounding area, and there is a lot to explore. The game is also constructed in a way that you’re going to have to go back through certain areas time and time again. The reason(s) are that you might not have the correct spell or haven’t completed a prerequisite quest. That’s not to say that those moments are going to feel like pulling teeth, most of the time you’re going to be near those specific areas anyways and you’ll have one of your “well while I’m in the neighborhood” moments.
You are going to unlock quite a few spells throughout the game, and some of them are going to be unforgivable curses, that doesn’t mean you have to use them, but they will be made available to you. You will start off with 4 spell slots that you’ll be able to call upon, and don’t be surprised when you’re constantly going to have to switch out a spell here or there to complete a specific task and then switch it right back out. Thankfully, later in the game you’ll have the ability to unlock additional sets of spells that you can toggle between so that you’re not handcuffed to just trying to play through some of the more tricky parts with just 4 spells. Speaking of spells, one thing to keep in mind is that they are color coded, and you’re going to be facing enemies with specific colored shields protecting them. I know this isn’t going to come as too big of a surprise but you’re going to have to match that color to one of your spells to knock their shield down so you can unleash the pain. I also highly recommend chaining a couple of the more devastating spells together for maximum carnage.
One thing that there is going to be an abundance of, in the game, is things to pick up. Don’t be surprised if you have picked up too many items of clothing and can no longer pick anything else up. Also you’re going to want to pick up all the ingredients that you can find in nature or after battles if you have any interest in enhancing equipment, brewing potions, or taking on Merlin Challenges (I still can’t get over the fact that Merlin is a Slytherin (SPOILER?!?! Maybe)).
This game definitely has its difficult moments, but for the most part this is an amazing game from start to finish. I was drawn into the story, I enjoyed the majority of the side stories that evolved between your character and fellow students, and there was just the right amount of challenge to the game. I know there has been a push to boycott the game because of statements and stances made by the creator of the Hogwarts Universe, but that shouldn’t stop you from playing this game that many talented people helped bring into life (and most of them don’t share the creator’s views BTW). So if you haven’t played this game yet and you’re up for a spell slinging adventure full of mystery, danger, and friendship, then you need to get this game today.