As much as I didn't want to start with negativity, I had two choices - either to publish the review as it is or for it to never see the light of day.
The initial idea was for it to be a video review, but since I didn't record anything during my gameplay, you'll receive it in the form of text/audio.
I hope you won't be too harsh on me for what you'll read, but this is my opinion and I can't go against my conscience.
After spending over 50 hours playing, I decided that I have the right to express my opinion and attempt a review (my first one, by the way). First, I want to say that I'll try to refrain from spoilers, but still keep in mind that if you haven't played the game and want to, it's possible to stumble upon some. Additionally, I'll be talking quite a bit about gameplay-related aspects.
The game has enjoyed great success, a lot of positive reviews, and a high overall user score, which unfortunately I don't think is entirely justified.
The game definitely has its positives, especially in terms of visuals and audio, and the perfectly recreated Hogwarts.
However, it seems that most of the resources allocated for its creation have gone towards these aspects. Because the game falls short in some other areas, which I want to discuss.
If you're a devoted fan of the Harry Potter world, have read the books, and watched the movies multiple times, then most likely just the presence of Hogwarts and its excellent recreation will be reason enough for you to give the game a 10 out of 10, so this review is more aimed towards other gamers (including myself) who are simply looking for a game with an engaging gameplay, story, and visuals, in which they can spend tens of hours. In this case, perhaps Hogwarts isn't for you. Or maybe not at this price.
Now, we've already briefly talked about the positive aspects of the game - the graphics, which are definitely impressive (although I wouldn't say they're revolutionary except for the PC requirements, which are likely due to the weak or rather almost nonexistent optimization). As I mentioned before, the audio is also very high-quality, so overall, I have no complaints in these regards. The game also has some very good ideas such as searching and capturing beasts or animals (or whatever they're called), preparing potions, improving items, and generally the fighting system.
But where does the game fall short? Things that were not shown to us in the trailers, things that many fans choose to ignore. Things that personally make me think that the game is somewhat overrated.
And it is precisely because of two things:
- the artificial intelligence of the NPCs and enemies as a whole
- the lack of adequate content.
So now the idea is to try to examine both points in more detail.
The first point we'll focus on is artificial intelligence, or more specifically, the behavior of NPCs and enemy units. Unfortunately, it's completely lacking.
It's truly disappointing that in a game like Hogwarts Legacy, released in 2023, they didn't even try to dedicate some time and resources to this extremely important element in every open-world RPG game.
The world in Hogwarts Legacy is full of magic, seemingly alive, but at the same time so empty. In the over 50 hours that I've spent in the game, I never once felt like a part of this world. Quickly, the player realizes that their actions and decisions have no impact on the game. The NPCs that you encounter are so lifeless when they're not in some kind of cutscene (and even when they are), that they're more like decoration. You can't interact with them in any way, nor do they take notice of what's happening around them. You can cast dark magic, enter their homes and search their chests, all right in front of them, and they won't even react. Most of the time, NPCs stand in their "favorite" spots and do "nothing." Of course, I didn't expect them to have a complex AI system like Red Dead Redemption 2, but they could have at least made an effort.
So, talking about AI, let's also talk about how your enemies behave. For the most part, they're as stupid as the friendly NPCs, with the difference being that you can cast spells on them.
And now let's talk about the fighting in the game. Overall, it's done well, and with more practice, you can learn to do some pretty good and flashy combos. But here's where the problem comes in with how the battles actually play out. Well, generally speaking, it's weird. At times, I feel like I'm playing a turn-based game. Sometimes my enemies just stand there and watch me, waiting for me to cast a spell so they can decide and possibly retaliate.
But the main problem is that the battles can become slightly boring and cumbersome, especially because of their repetitiveness. Because the truth is, for almost the entire time, you're either fighting spiders in caves, bad goblins, or dark wizards. Ah, yes, and here there's another wolf you've encountered in the forest, or a troll.
When I first unlocked my first opponent in the "collection" section of the game menu, and saw that it was only the first out of 67, I was extremely excited. I imagined fighting different dragons and other epic monsters, but in the end, after playing for another 15-20 hours, I realized that it wasn't actually going to happen.
How did I understand it? Let's look at the second point, namely "lack of adequate content".
What do I actually mean by "lack of adequate content"?
Well, precisely the lack of various types of enemies and bosses to fight.
Because there is content if we measure it in hours, but it is not adequate because it is simply copy/pasting and repeating the same thing - opening chests and exploring another cave. Literally the entire world in Hogwarts Legacy is just a copy/paste of different buildings and objects. That's why often while flying and exploring the world, I don't even notice that I have moved from one area to another simply because they are exactly the same.
(However, I want to open a parenthesis here and say that flying is one of the few really fun things in the game.)
In a moment, I stopped following the quests so much and decided to focus entirely on exploration. First, I was extremely disappointed that there is only one adequate city, in most cases they are rather some kind of camps or small villages where you always do the same thing - there might be a merchant from whom you can buy something and dead houses to loot.
In fact, the game is often compared to Elden Ring, perhaps I also expected them to be similar in terms of gameplay. Of course, not in terms of difficulty, but in terms of bosses and locations, which in the end we did not get.
The creators just focused so much on the Hogwarts castle, on the animations and effects, that they forgot about the actual gameplay.
Because of this, the rating that I give to the game is 7 out of 10. The lack of these two points is significant because they are actually at the core of a good open-world RPG game.
It turns out that after all I've said, I'm rather negative towards the game - no, I'm just annoyed because it could have been an incredible game that would stay in history, and now after a month, no one will probably remember it, except for the die-hard fans of the Harry Potter world. Yes, in this video I mainly talk about the negatives of the game, but you can hear and read the positives in the hundreds of reviews that you can find online.
In the end, would I recommend you to buy and play it - maybe, but not at this price.
Of course, everything I said is entirely my opinion. I expect to be attacked and criticized, but honestly, I stand behind my words because that's just how I feel.
I hope that my review has been helpful to you! See you next time.
harry potter
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