![]() The world is crammed full of fun little puzzles, engaging micro-interactions, collectibles, and more, each of these activities keeping you occupied for anywhere between a handful of seconds to a couple of minutes, and ensuring that you never go too long without spotting something interesting to do or engage with. Every nook and cranny of the famous school of witchcraft and wizardry is crammed full of obsessive details and neat little touches and flourishes, making it come alive in ways that surpass all expectations."Įven so, exploring the game’s world, whether you’re in the castle or not, remains deeply engaging and consistently enjoyable throughout the experience. "The star of the show is, as you may have expected, Hogwarts Castle itself. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still plenty of fun to be had in the dimly lit and eerie Forbidden Forest, or the charming and whimsical Hogsmeade Village, or the many, many other locations that comprise the game’s world- but they do sort of pale in comparison to the incredible atmosphere and obsessive attention to detail that you see in Hogwarts itself. Hogwarts Legacy is a massive game, with a map that extends far beyond the boundaries of the titular school, and while the areas outside of Hogwarts are still well-designed in their own right, they don’t boast the sort of intricacy and staggering level of detail that Hogwarts itself does. It’s no surprise, in fact, that the open world loses some of its charm when you’re not in the confines of the castle itself. A number of moving paintings of musicians together play a bouncy melody that can be heard only in one corridor, Peeves the Poltergeist annoys and harasses students as he floats through the walls, students on brooms fly over bridges as you walk over them, house elves apparate and disapparate as they go about their work in the background. ![]() Iconic locations are lovingly recreated, from the Great Hall to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, from the Room of Requirement to the Groundskeeper’s hut, and there’s something magical to see around every corner. Every nook and cranny of the famous school of witchcraft and wizardry is crammed full of obsessive details and neat little touches and flourishes, making it come alive in ways that surpass all expectations. The star of the show is, as you may have expected, Hogwarts Castle itself. An open world Hogwarts game has been a dream for millions for years, and though Hogwarts Legacy doesn’t check every single box on the wishlist, it does check the overwhelming majority of them. But Hogwarts Legacy frequently uses and contextualizes them in wonderful ways, using the Harry Potter property to great effect. The elements it has in place are ones that we’ve seen in countless western-developed RPGs since The Witcher 3 re-revolutionized the genre in 2015, which means the underlying systems and mechanics in place here are far from original. At its core, it’s a fairly standard modern RPG- it’s an open world game that’s brimming with side quests and optional activities, loot mechanics and a cursory progression system, dialogue choices and more. In fact, unsurprisingly, it’s the Harry Potter veneer that elevates Hogwarts Legacy above all else. "Everybody will have to make their own decision on whether or not to play the game, but if you do choose to play it, however, you’ll find it to be a dense, well-made open world RPG, and one that serves as an impressive adaptation of the Wizarding World universe." If you do choose to play it, however, you’ll find it to be a dense, well-made open world RPG, and one that serves as an impressive adaptation of the Wizarding World universe. Ultimately, in light of all of this, everybody will have to make their own decision on whether or not to play the game. WB Games and developer Avalanche Software have, on their part, tried to distance themselves from Rowling’s problematic views, confirming that she has had no involvement in the game’s development, while it seems they’ve also attempted to make their own stance clear with the inclusion of a trans character in the game, and a character creator that’s decidedly trans-friendly. ![]() Rowling’s transphobic views and rhetoric – which she has continually broadcast, including right up to this game’s release – as well as her transphobic actions, both she and anything related to Harry Potter have been a topic of massive controversy, in light of which many have been forced to consider how or if they want to engage with art that is so intrinsically tied to her. Hogwarts Legacy is a massive release, and one that has been high on many “most anticipated” lists for years, but the context surrounding its launch has been troubling, to say the least.
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