It is difficult to find someone who does not know the world of Harry Potter. For many, it was a trait that grew with them, with book and film series remaining up to date for decades. It is confusing that it has taken so long to create a game that promises to fulfill the fantasy of becoming a wizard or a witch in this universe. Attend classes, learn spells, do mischief and explore the splendor of Hogwarts Castle. The legacy of Hogwarts keeps this promise to a certain extent. The adaptation of this universe is undoubtedly the most extensive to date, so you can really explore Hogwarts and its surroundings like never before. But it’s also too stuck in the present (and sometimes the past) of open-world game design, reducing much of what you do to repetitive checklist activities in a disappointingly sterile world.

The legacy of Hogwarts takes place in the after 1800s, although you may find it difficult to notice by the way the characters speak or by the clothes they wear, taken directly from the films of the after 1900s. You play as a lost witch or a wizard of your own creation, this time actioning a revolt of goblins led by a particular villain named Ranrok. This results in a predictable and surprisingly sporadic narrative, where the main moves and progression only happen every few hours as you complete the necessary quests around you, often barely linked to each other. For many main characters, there is so little screen time left that they find it difficult to get a sense of their motivations, especially in the matter of Ranrok, who seems to provide only a line or two to some subordinates before disappearing for a few hours. This deprives him and the story of any sense of emotional tension, ultimately reducing him to nothing more than “a good talented student eliminates the powerful evil imp”.

As they try to stop a potentially disastrous riot, they must also fulfill the duties associated with a newly introduced fifth grade at Hogwarts. Being both a new and an older student means that you will enjoy the pleasure of learning familiar spells from previous years, but that you will also have access to a variety of advanced spells throughout the year. The first introduction to each class is captivating, from participating in defense duels against the forces of evil to submitting to a screaming Mandrake in herbalism. These are some of the moments when the legacy of Hogwarts is strongest, rediscovering the sense of wonder that made this world so attractive to so many people. However, the mechanical components of each class are miserably inadequate. The small mini-game used to transmit wand movements for each spell feels ripped from the very first video game entry in the series almost two decades ago, while many of the activities introduced shortly after are short, uninteresting and usually used as a way to fill in your card.with many more instances of They are quickly extinguishing any glimmer of hope that the academic aspect of their stay at Hogwarts will be as exciting as many of these courses may seem from the outside.

After their introduction to each class, their engagement with each teacher and his profession is relegated to even less interesting tasks. You are tasked with achieving two goals before casting another spell, since sometimes the tasks in question do not even make sense for the class for which they are needed. Some will naturally finish you off when you explore or interact with other quests, such as those that require you to use certain spells on enemies or acquire certain potions. However, others will regularly force you to step away from the fun, such as goals that ask you to buy or grow a specific plant in the needs room (which can take up to 15 minutes in the real world, not so different from the artificial timers that you would find in a free mobile game). It was confusing that progress was regularly stifled by these activities, since most of the main quests usually required a specific spell before they could be cast.

This growing collection of spells is most useful in the Battle of Hogwarts Legacy, which leaves a strong impression at the starting. The basic action and protection spells can be fired effortlessly, with the action flow mimicking a familiar arrangement of timing blocks and parries when you press the action catch in in the middle. Advanced spells rely on a four-slot weapon wheel, so you can cast them with one of the four face catch. They are filtered into red, yellow and purple classes, each of which informs you of your overall goal in battle. Purple spells like Accio and Descendo are manipulation actions that can control and move enemies, while red spells like the Incendio fire spell and the expelliarmus disarming spell revolve entirely around damage. Cleverly used together, the action has a rhythmic flow that shines the most when you pull off Combos. Throwing an enemy into the air, launching basic actions, and then exposing them even further, makes you feel incredibly powerful, but it’s also an effective way to eliminate enemies lucky enough to absorb the damage from your basic action.

This type of use of Magic is alien to the representation in the rest of the Potterverse media, but it rarely feels out of place here. There may be a certain narrative dissonance in thinking about it for too long – why are the Hogwarts teachers so comfortable with students actioning thousands of harmful goblins and black wizards and witches right next to the school, for example-but it’s quite easy to suspend disbelief from the satisfaction of being able to However, sometimes it’s a little too surprising, especially when it comes to the many unforgivable curses that you can acquire. Although it is considered to let you choose to use them at all, there is nothing really punitive about regularly using some of the worst spells known to this universe. Characters can express their dissatisfaction with using them, but letting them exist as another tool in your toolbox never makes a noticeable difference to the procedure when you need them.

As you continue to get more spells, you are forced to assign them to alternative equipment, with a maximum of four once you have unlocked them all. The way you switch in the middle each equipment and, in turn, reassign the face catch assigned to each spell is incredibly clumsy. Outside of the battle, you will have to dive into a menu again and again and rearrange which spells are where, because you will quickly get more than you can hold at once. Switching from one spell to another during action also muffles the captivating rhythm of the action, and you can easily action more against your memory of spells in which equipment than against the pressures that surround you. This ends up blending into the repetitive nature of action, as it becomes much easier to stick to four basic spells that you never have to get away from, especially since they evolve generously with your level and your improvements, while the enemies don’t really change.significant over the hours.