Hogwarts Legacy
Reviewed on PlayStation 5
An immersive Wizarding World experience that's a bit too light on RPG innovation. Dualshockers was provided a copy by the publisher for review purposes.
- Remarkably Immersive
- Detailed Worldbuilding
- Tons Of Quests & Minigames
- Spell System Can Feel Sluggish
- Repetitive Enemy Encounters
- Lack Of Innovation
Twenty years ago, I was gifted my first console: the PlayStation. Included with it was a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which wasn't just my introduction to the wizarding world of Harry Potter, it was my very first gaming experience. Now, as a fully grown man with actual responsibilities, I was ready to relive my childhood. Unfortunately though, I'm a tad more critical now than I was then!
Much like the dreams I used to have in my younger years, Hogwarts Legacy begins with your acceptance letter to the infamous school of witchcraft and wizardry. You are, however, accepted as a fifth-year student, which means you've got some catching up to do. But thankfully, there is more than meets the eye — your character has an incredibly rare ability to see and use "ancient magic." Your special ability to wield this ancient magic is what sparks our rather lacklustre story in Hogwarts Legacy.
But, before you set off on your adventure, you must create and customise your character. I was under the impression that Hogwarts Legacy would have an extensive array of customisation options, and although there are plenty of hairstyles and skin colours to choose from ... that's pretty much it. Facial structure is determined by a few default presets, so you can't go full Elden Ring and create a character so ugly that it doesn't even belong in a world full of trolls.
Throughout your journey as a fifth-year Hogwarts student, you will be joined by your right-hand man, Professor Fig. Together you will attempt to unravel the mystery of why this ancient magic is making a sudden revival, and to stop it from getting into the wrong hands. Although it sounds interesting enough, Hogwarts Legacy's story is its biggest downfall.
When you're developing a triple-A video game set in one of the most popular universes of all time, creating a new story that is equally as unique as it is gripping is no easy task. If you're a die-hard Harry Potter fan, you are always going to be comparing new villains to "he-who-shall-not-be-named." Lord Voldemort has always been depicted as a menacing figure that, even throughout seven books and eight films, doesn't get boring. So, in the same way that the Fantastic Beasts films did, Hogwarts Legacy had big shoes to fill.
Not only does Hogwarts Legacy fail to grip you into its story, but it also introduces one of its main villains in such a nonchalant way that I questioned how on earth I was ever supposed to feel intimidated by them. After attempting to confront my character in Hogsmeade, Victor Rookwood and his cronies scarpered away with their tails between their legs after being warned off by the owner of the pub. Needless to say, this was not exactly the menacing introduction I was hoping for.
Despite the clear amount of love that has gone into recreating this wizarding world, there are some basic gameplay elements that let it down.
But, let's face it, are we here for another eight-part storyline, or to finally feel like we've been accepted into Hogwarts? As the majority of my excitement was formed around the latter, I could let the rather empty storyline slide when held up against the sheer amount of detail and immersion Hogwarts Legacy had to offer. From floating watering cans in Hogsmeade, to gigantic trolls in the Forbidden Forest, everything about this game feels alive. The chatter of students fills the halls of the infamous school, while every single shop in Hogsmeade is not only accessible but also beautifully crafted. You could spend hours upon hours exploring the world in awe.
Despite the clear amount of love that has gone into recreating this wizarding world, there are some basic gameplay elements that let it down. Navigating the map feels clunky and often frustrating, having to switch between three different sections of the map — separated into Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, and the remaining world — requires you to select three different tabs, whereas having the ability to simply zoom in and out between the three would have felt much smoother.
Hogwarts itself is then broken down into various different sections and wings. Again, trying to click on the correct wing of Hogwarts to view further details, such as quests or floo flames (fast travel points), just didn't feel smooth and often led to me clicking on things I didn't want. Sadly, this wasn't the only element of Hogwarts Legacy that felt clunky.
Throughout your journey in Hogwarts Legacy, you will learn various new spells, with some being more useful than others. There's a wide array of spells that can be learnt throughout the game, but the system in which you equip them often ruins the flow of your adventure. There are four slots available for spells, with a total of four different "sets" available to unlock as you progress through the game. But even with the ability to switch between different spell sets with the push of a button, you can't always guarantee that you'll have the spell you need at a given time. This leads to a pause in the action as you are forced to bring up all of your spells and equip them to an assigned slot.
Given the extensive universe Hogwarts Legacy is set in, I was hoping for slightly more variation in enemy types.
But, with that being said, there is plenty of fun to be had when it comes to actually using those spells. Although there's nothing inherently unique about the combat, I did find the process of putting together combinations of different spells in battle to be rather enthralling. Chaining together various spells to pull your enemy towards you only to light them on fire was worryingly satisfying, although I'm not too sure why your character feels the need to lunge forward every time you attack.
Given the extensive universe Hogwarts Legacy is set in, I was also hoping for a bit more variation in enemy types. Certain enemies will be surrounded with a coloured shield, which corresponds to a certain set of spells required to break the enemy's protection and leave them vulnerable to any follow-up attacks. It was one of the few unique additions that Hogwarts Legacy had to offer to the RPG genre, and added a more strategic approach to how you engaged in combat.
Thankfully though, there's more to do than just fighting trolls and spiders. Hogwarts Legacy offers a huge array of side quests, mini-games, and classes. But don't go in expecting the classes to be something out of Rockstar Games' Bully, as they are actually vital to the progression of the story. Certain quests will have requirements attached, with many of these requirements revolving around the spells you know. You'll be able to do some shady underground dealings with another student by the name of Sebastian to learn some dark arts magic, but attending classes will be the main way to learn new spells and progress through your quests.
Sebastian is one of the many faces you'll meet throughout the course of the story, but it's incredibly difficult to form a bond with any of them given the deadpan expressions many of them have. Piercing eyes and minimal facial movements made me feel as though I was playing Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone on the PlayStation all over again — and not in a good way.
Prior to its release, much of Hogwarts Legacy's marketing revolved around the ability to "form your own legacy." But despite the fact there are three different endings and a fair bit of variety in terms of dialogue options, I felt as though I was railroaded onto the same essential path as millions of others.
Even when attempting to go down the more snarky and abrasive route in terms of NPC interactions, I didn't feel like it really had any effect on my progression. The house you're enrolled in at the start of the game is determined by a surprisingly straightforward set of answers, which in turn decides which traits your character has. But, again, regardless of which house I was in, there was no sense that it really made any sort of difference past the outermost surface of the experience.
Avalanche Software has meticulously re-created Hogwarts down to such minute details that it's sure to bring out the child in most of us — it is, doubtlessly, a gorgeous realization of the Wizarding World. Attending classes, taming beasts, exploring Hogwarts, and learning new spells could keep you occupied for hours, but it's nowhere near a groundbreaking experience. If you strip the Harry Potter IP away from Hogwarts Legacy, you're just left with another standard RPG that we've seen countless times before.