Funny how an IGN 10 min review feels like forever and a 14 min Gameranx doesn’t seem long enough

Also pathetic IGN put some kind of political messege on the end of review

nerd

I won't be surprised if someday we find out they get paid for their ratings. I mean honestly some games I bought because IGN thought they were 9, were some of the most pathetic games I ever played, and some that they rated at 6-7 were a solid 9+ ... IGN is as fake as NYTBestsellers.

@Hobochokehold13 idc about that , just the facts i have seen over the years

One of the nice touches I noticed was after leaving Herbology class, all my classmates walked the same path to the next class which was potions.

​@Ben Franklin in my country everyone in high school has same class, with same people. It's not in usa but hey there are different countries and things are different. So it's realistic for me.

​@Ben Franklinif its not a matter of difficulty, then why would you comment on the lack of complication? 🤔

Never followed them, I will try that

Devs: whenever you see one of those glitches, a wizard did it.

Love immersive details like that

Your house actually gives you an entirely different subset of side missions obviously some are shared but for example, huffelpuff has the only side mission where you go to Azkaban so there is definetly some variety based on your house and that adds some replay ability too which is cool

@Liam Welsh you're more of a 2K or fifa kind of gamer aren't you. perhaps dabble in abit of racing game but that's about it right

What is the best one

@Blake Plays gaming Like can the sorting hat tell if you have a high likelihood of Avada Kedavraing up the school? They must have patched that feature out : ) before Riddle showed up.

You can also be chosen for Azkaban by the sorting hat

I’ve never been a Harry Potter fan. But this game is great. I love the amount of exploration and puzzle solving. The combat is actually really good. It’s not very difficult and can be a little repetitive but the combat feats help mix things up a bit. Overall, a really great game that I think actually lived up to the hype. 8 or 9 out of 10 easily

@Lokeeyo Little optional objectives to complete during combat. Like killing an enemy with a certain spell. It encourages you to mix things up and not just mindlessly use the same spells/tactics all the time. And you get rewards for completing them

@Lokeeyo it means achievements required by being brave, having skills or strength

what are feats?

same thing here

Your missing out if you've never seen the movies

As a huge HP fan, I can say that exploring the castle is the most fun I have had in a game in years. There are a ton of secrets to discover from the books. The statue of the one-eyed witch was such a joy to find, as was the painting of Barnabus the Barmy, with a stretch of blank wall across from it. Just a ton of nods to the lore.

That was all I really wanted, and they gave us that and a lot more. As a gamer, yeah, there could be some major improvements that I expect to see in a sequel, but for a first AAA outing from this studio? With new content in this franchise? Absolutely stunning, honestly. Virtual Hogwarts totally rules.

it would be really cool if they added a mechanic where if you broke any of the school rules you would have a chase/hide and seek sequence with the janitor, like how Filch was in the books

@SaMePo Gives me flashbacks to the game 'Bully'. I enjoyed it, but dodging the prefects/teachers got old fast.

*Me chortling and lightly jogging away after using 6 dozen classmates to create horcruxes*

that would potentially be a cool side quest but definitely not a permanent mechanic because that would be completely tedious

It sounds cool but trust me, it gets old. Like the other guy said “the gta sh*t is played out”

@Heisenberg they could design it as to promote using secret passages and spells to get by them

The way they perfected the NPC pace while following them on quest is highly appreciable

Also like how if you run the characters sound out of breath when talking

Even if you spam the dash ability they can mostly keep up with you lol it’s great

@kingkongjjs They literally start running when you do unless they're purposely slowed. What do you mean?

The npc T posing? Or the ones with dialogue that don’t match?

@Random Dude one of the trolls escaped from hogwarts

This game never gets boring you can beat the main story and there’s still so much to do and you can play through as a different house and have completely different experiences this game is a 10 out of 10 in my book the only downfall is there’s no quidditch gob stones or wizards chess but that doesn’t mean it can’t be added for a dlc in the future and with how big this game is I would bet my money they’re going to add more to it

@𝔶𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔯 Yeah thats a straight-up lie, I think there is one mission that's different.

Completely different experience? All the houses does has similar paths Except for one or two quests

Very long run-on sentence

@brownhawk415 not as of yet but with such great feedback I wouldn’t be surprised if they add it in the future

Does it has multi-player

I’m not even a HP fan, but I hope they build off this game and make more with advancements that you talked about like some more school stuff and interacting with other students. I hope we get more bc this game is really fun.

@PixieCat do u even know what genocidal means?

Me too I would like a Hogwarts school-oriented game, the all 7 years

I'd rather they make non harry potter based games. Harry potter is cool and all but the author gets royalties with each purchase and we all know what she does with that excess income. At least until rowling stops actively participating in genocidal activity, I gotta swear off potter stuff.

What an amazing game so far. I was just looking for something to play and although Hogwarts seemed a bit childish for me….wow simply wow. The visuals, the music (!), really brings me back to a more imaginative me, a much younger me. I’m only a couple hours in but the devs have done such a wonderful job.

NOTHING about Hogwarts was AT ALL “childish” in the slightest as the Harry Potter world gets progressively darker and sinister as the horror of Harry Potter is actually beautifully adult and breathtaking on how maturely dark the series gets! Especially when you see this more so in the movies which looks BEYOND incredible to see how progressfully darker the Wizarding World gets as the characters age up more and more to highlight the threat their facing and how serious the situation is becoming! Love how dark and serious the atmosphere of the world gets as the world of Harry Potter and eve Hogwarts is FAR from “bIt chIlDisH” AT ALL in ANY way at all!

I’m absolutely loving this game it’s absolutely stunning with visuals all the little puzzles and quests and stuff you can do make the game feel like an actual “Harry Potter” game I find myself just exploring Hogwarts for hours at a time and I don’t even have a quarter of the spells I need to view everything it offer’s. It’s definitely a fantastic game that’s worth checking out even at the $70 price tag

Thank you for some pros some cons and some honest personal opinion, and of course some straight up gameplay

Yo, I think you commented with the secret account you don't want your mom to know about...

@Lance Paitsel bot account, they copy comments that already exist on the video to make it seem like a real person

tf is this account

I just wanted to thank the entire gameranx crew for giving us such informative and helpful content. My #1 source for all gaming info that I look for.

Stop licking his boots

@Robert rowe Dead Internet theory. For all I know I could be replying to a bot lol

@Robert rowe ur sad

Yep. Agreed.

Totally agree! Following these guys for a couple of years I found that the impartial information provided here is very useful. Keep it up guys!

I have been a HP fan since I was a kid and only the first 3 books were even published. This game is what I have been wanting since. It hits all that I wanted (I don’t really care about quidditch). I was concerned about combat but find it enjoyable. There’s are numerous secrets and surprises all over. I have been playing for about 5 days straight and don’t regret using vacation for it.

I agree completely! I was actually dreading quidditch for this game, I could only think it would be a disappointing version of blitzball from FFX, and god was I dreading it. Thankfully the flight system is limited to travel and ring challenges. The game has really hit all of my gameplay wants, while still hitting the nostalgia points that I think fans were hoping for. I also appreciate the slightly more medieval, darker, tone they chose to utilize. Appropriate for an audience that has grown since the franchise began.

Bro I've never played something like this. I'm sure others have comparisons. But I personally haven't experienced an open world game specifically like this. It genuinely feels refreshing. I would like to be able interact with NPCs more but, I'm content nonetheless. I'm excited because this is just the beginning; updates and expansions are destined to come! Great start for the game.

this game feels so nostalgic to me. It’s such an amazing journey and is one of the best games I’ve played in awhile. I teared up when playing it for the first time because Harry Potter is so dear to my heart.

I’ve finished the game. The story is surprisingly interesting and build great depth to the World. I had an absolute blast with this game and am looking forward to any DLCs or added content with more missions. I feel the is still so much more that can be done with this world. ❤🎉

@Acee The Chosen I have no “pRobLem” at all, I’m using reason on how to argue with people who post public statements here, that’s all. That should be easy to grasp here when you understand what I’m saying here entirely!

@Gadget-Walkmendude what is your problem ?

@Acee The Chosen Just because someone has an “opinion” doesn’t mean they can’t be called out for it in anyway in a public setting. Saying “it’s my opinion” is NOT a “get out of jail” free card to say whatever you want without any kind of rebuttal, that should be obvious.

@Gadget-Walkmeneverybody has their own opinion buddy

@Bluejays As far as we know. There still could be.

Oh my lord! This game looks absolutely wonderful! Every inch seems hand-crafted. I'm going to spend most of my time walking (not running) around I think. The effects are cool and impactful, the lighting is incredible. Every chamber seems to be different. I hope the texture pop-ins and T-pose stuff is not on PC, or that it will be fixed through a patch at some point. I might have to buy 10 copies of this game. Don't even need them all, I just want to support good craftsmanship.

The atmosphere in this game is incredible. I spent about 2 hours running around the castle exploring and I was completely in awe

@Drunk Husband show me 1 game 10 years ago that had these graphics ill wait... some people should really think before they open there mouth there is no way this game would ever exist 10 years ago let alone you having any understanding on how game engines work if you think they could just reskin assassin creed and add wands....

@Strapped I have a 13900k, and a 4090....it's not bad looking, just pretty outdated looking

@Drunk Husband  then you should probably invest in a PC capable of running this game at max settings. Or a next gen console, paired with a 120hz TV. I promise you.. this game looks INCREDIBLE. If you say otherwise, you're not playing it to its full capability.

@ADISTOD3MUS Reality

@Aim Nah I just like good graphics, this looks like trash.

As a die hard Harry Potter fan I love what developers did , it's not easy but it really feels like home +the names of characters ,the lore ,everything makes sense!

I really like some of the mods people have made for this so far. There are several shader mods so you can get the look just perfect for what you want it to be.

There is actually a difference depending on which house you pick. Each house has their own exclusive side quests you can do and some cutscenes slightly change.

very very slightly im on my second playthrough haven't noticed a difference yet except for the common room.

I completely agree with this take/review. I thoroughly have been enjoying it! Also I did encounter a glitch a couple times where I got stuck between the planes of the environment. I could get back to normal because the way the saves lined up. So it would save me stuck between the world falling. Thought I was gonna have completed start over. I was able to hack it and time it right to get out of it finally and get it back.

I play on hard because I thought the combat would lead to some tough battles and honestly it can be pretty hard at times dying repeatedly and it definetly doesn’t leave room for much error which is awesome honestly

I dunno about that especially once you unlock certain talents it becomes really easy. You can heal to max HP 25 times too so 25 lives...

Yeah I found the "normal" difficulty was way too easy for normal 😅

@Derrious Hall not that hard save some combats like the last duel with 4 wizards

Yeah, it didn’t feel like the enemies become sponges, just that you have a smaller margin for error.

@Eric Sheehan yes, and I find it hard enough. Fast paced combat. Amazung

This is an awesome game and it’s incredibly detailed, I’ve only seen 1 small glitch on your mentors head. It flickered for a few seconds and that’s it, I’m playing on my Series S Xbox. I hope at some point he devs do an update with the characters in the game and let you interact with them more. The combat is fun and yes like most of these style games combat does get repetitive, it’s still pretty good and fun. I’d rate this game an 8.5-9, you won’t be disappointed with it.

This game has sold well and plays pretty well. It has a lot of potential for an even better sequel, one which I hope follows the "Bully" game school structure a bit more.

I can easily say this is the most fun I've had in a game in a long time. Probably since playing LEGO LOTR. I keep finding myself randomly smiling ear to ear, and I haven't even gone to all the classes yet!

The combat system is one of the best I have ever played with. And btw you can bump into students and they will react. Sometimes you can talk with them a line just like this and still, they are moving, doing things and talking to other students. Even the portraits are reacting to your presence

The fighting system (including the fatality charge feature), the color palette, and the logic of cities and roads resemble so much of the Kingdom of Amalur: Re-Reckoning.

I can't believe how well the developers did. This is basically the Harry Potter game I've wanted since I was 10, and that was a *long* time ago.

@SavageSage more like 24 years

@Goon Tube AssOs Lol yep. Mid 30s.

if you're a harry fan I'm guessing that was 15 yrs ago lol

@Significant Twat HEY don’t disrespect Disney Infinity

Really like the game, the first open world game in years where I don't get bored in a few hours. The world is amazing, graphics are great and runs decent on PC. If you liked the movies or the books this is a now brainer! Did not expect Avalanche to pull it off.

@noobkid12 Played about 20 hours of Elden Ring but it was not really for me.

Elden ring ??

Jake summed it up perfectly. I've read the books 3 or 4 times and seen the movies plenty. I had the same likes and dislikes about the game. Combat can kind of be wonky but you unlock different custom "loadouts" later on. Im really liking it.

Thought I was the only one that noticed some similar things to bully which I love. Thought the class missions were something different from regular side questions or main missions so I liked that rather than just having all the spells in hand you need to work for them

Thank y'all for these before you buy videos they've helped plenty of times, much respect

This is perfect. The first review that has opened with "charming". As someone who enjoyed the movies, but never read the books I LOVE this game. I find myself smiling at each new, fun discovery. It's the first game in a long time I've fought sleep to play. Just a wonderful game! As a PC player, I def noticed the glitches, but a week in and they've been mostly addressed. I really loved that Fig was clearly based on Hurt's Olivander, who was the best minor character in the whole series. Love, love, love this game!

40+ hours in... this game still throws things at me that surprises the shit outta me. The devs did an amazing job

So after 3 hours it’s becoming one of my favorite games of all time it’s just so immersive and fun and the music is just amazing

A few years back I'd probably be all over this as I was deep into Skyrim and following HP with my kids but now? I doubt I'll want to pay this much for an experience I'm pretty sure I won't immerse myself in. Great review and it answered all my questions. Thanks.

Been playing on series X for 16 hours now and can say that I haven't ran into any major bugs. Very minor things that are easy to look over in a game that is this good :)

I was hoping the House selection would’ve been more impactful to the experience. Would’ve added a good amount of replay value.

Atleast they did not market it as such like ahem Cyberpunk. They just market that you can choose your house but never said you would experience things differently

@FancyKetchup96 you are crazy if you expecting something like that. As of dlc there is 0 chance of that happening. And mod community propably won't be there at all. Not all games are getting mods, and they probably wont allow it in the first place.

Think of it this way, if Avalanche make another game, that is something they can add in the next game to make it even more awesome.

I Hate Hogwarts Legacy I Hate Live Action Movies based Games I Hate RPG Game I Hate Action RPG Game I Hate Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment I Hate Hogwarts Legacy I Hate Hogwarts Legacy

No kidding, But I think for that to have as big of an impact they would have to create a lot more interactions with stationary NPCs that aren't part of any particular quest. Like the video said the game kind of lacked in that department.

In my opinion, something a vast majority of games fail is to first make a fun game. Then you make everything else. If the combat is bad, the game will suffer no matter what else is going on. Most games revolve around combat in one form or another, unless they are specifically puzzle/card/dating sims or whatever. That said, this combat looks great.

I read a few of the books and fell off, but this game makes me want to restart and finish the series. This game looks beautiful and is now on my list to purchase. Thank you for your review.

The game looks so relaxing...love it...I love RPG games but never got the urge to stick to the more "realistically" graphic ones. Im actually looking forward to this.

So I've been kind of enjoying this quite a bit, just wondering does it ever start to open up? I just got the broom and I'm wondering if it becomes more adventuring and exploring? It's kind of just been school with a mission here or there. Either way, so far; it's the best fable game since Fable 2.

what makes it truly endearing is that it does no wrong. It might not get everything absolutely perfectly right but aside from the quidditch issue( which im 100000% sure is coming as a DLC), the game plays beautifully and my only complains are about things that I wish we got more of. Potion brewing minigames, a bit more involvement in classes, just a bit more impact out of some decisions. But aside from noticing it here and there, none of those things ever made me want to put the controller down. That's this game biggest thing, you just want to keep going

A game like this is a HUGE undertaking and I'm amazed that the devs made it work, especially in these times of "release it now, finish it later".

@Carlos M Rivera Console never has never will

@notJackspedicy2 It makes sense, with so many different components and configurations something can go wrong. Consoles are easier to deal with as they're offering a fixed setup. Consoles are good value for money even if they offer inferior graphics quality and frame rate.

@Savage Pete thats why console has always been better.... ¨PC master race¨ is a myth

@Something about something Erm try Cyberpunk.

@Savage Pete Nope, I have it on a high rig, no problems what so ever.

Nice review free of drama, wish more reviews were like it.

Thank you for the honest and straight forward review without the nonsense.

I personally get Witcher 3 vibes while out roaming around and during dialog. Obviously, wand battles differ from sword combat, but at the same time feels very familiar. Lots of group battles where you need to parry or dodge from multiple directions. Also, protego straight up feels and looks like Quen. I'm loving this game at every turn 😊

I agree

Even though this isn’t a game I will play myself, I’ve been following the development as it goes along. Seems like a successful game, and I love reading how much players are enjoying it. Thanks for another great video, Gemeranx!

@Neyome_TECH I’m into learning about new games, even if they don’t appeal to me. I just like learning about games and following new trends in gaming in general. I’m not a Potter fan, and this game isn’t my style.

@Neyome_TECH Skyrim and Witcher 3 are one of the most immersive games I played. It seems Hogwarts Legacy would make me feel that way again

@Heather Perkins  I feel that I liked playing skyrim and games like it but my adhd never let's me finish it and I get overwhelmed by choices so I usually just stop playing after awhile

@Neyome_TECH kinda not my thing, franchise-wise, and also it takes me FOREVER to get through the kinds of games I enjoy (open world action adventure RPG). I also tend to play older games. But like I said, I still enjoy news on all kinds of games, and love that we gamers have so many choices.

If you seem to be into why wouldn't you play it?

This game has already spotted nicely into my top 5 games ever. I’m around 10 hours in and just want to keep exploring and collecting everything. Yes it’s a little glitchy and hopefully that can be patched. The amount of dlc they could put out too is massive

I’ve read the books and watched the movies way to many times and I can confirm this game is crazy accurate you can tell the developers really payed attention. I haven’t finished the game yet but love it so far!

@Smart Mouf And Gordon Wiseman is definitely just trolling lol

@Smart Mouf Well I’d say the game is based of the books rather than the films. There are so many things in this game only from the books like the kitchens, the one eyed witch passage, the giant squid and the underground harbor which was only mentioned in one sentence in the entire series and it’s in the game!

@Gordon Wiseman You have a lack of understanding. When we say the game is accurate, we are saying that the *CORE PREMISE* is accurate to the franchise; not every aspect of it. You have to keep in mind that the games are *BASED* on the films, and the films are *BASED* on the books. When something is based on something else, it doesn't necessarily have to be a carbon copy of it. That's usually not the case with any franchise.

@Gordon Wiseman Alright. Could you give examples of things this game does wrong according to you?

@Loui Studios exploration is the worst part of the game and combat is the best so you’re rong about that too

I used to really love this universe, and I used to know every little bit of lore, but it was always easy to get excited about the Harry Potter universe because I felt like I was the target audience. Then with fantastic beasts and cursed child I didn’t feel like the target audience anymore so I became interested in other franchises. This feels like it is targeting me and people like me as the audience again, but it might be too late. I’m not sure. If I somehow find myself with a current gen console I’ll probably buy the game, but I was planning on skipping this gen console since we are like 3 years into a console cycle that typically lasts 5 years and last gen still plays most new games.

My excitement for this game finally got me to read Harry Potter! I've wanted to for a while but finally got started and I'm loving it! By the time I finish the books it'll be on sale.👌 I know this game really won't spoil anything, but I know I'll enjoy it more if I've read the source material!

You'll enjoy them both! It was great when i saw that they included peeves the ghost from the books

About 12 hours in on Series X, and so far, it has been really smooth, with no bugs or glitches. Loving the game. 👍

I was never a diehard Harry Potter fanboy like I am with the Star Wars franchise, but when I saw more recent footage of this game in the past four months or so, I was just so impressed with the graphics and the sense that the devs seemed to have really captured the essence of the Potter-verse, I knew I wanted to play it.

I’m only about 6 hours in and I am finding this game excellent. I think all the “gear” is far too common with too little impact besides adding some skins to your collection. Lots of busy work though. Combat is fine, but also too rare.

Its amazing how they manage to make the hogwarts castle itself they also have a massive map that you can go anywhere you want outside the castle. Ive never been a huge Harry potter fan but damn playing this game put a smile on my face just walking around the castle admiring the attention to detail. Recommend this game to literally anyone.. its been a minute since we had a game like this

Dude that's what I was saying to my friends earlier! The castle itself is a feat of design and engineering! The attention to detail is so great and we could spend hours exploring just the castle itself.

@kukarin “cheers and enjoy the game”- “I want an argument”

Wow. Only if I had a ps5 😢😢

Did you play Elden Ring? Once you eat a better food the lower food doesn't taste as good.

Last time I was that exited was for elden ring. I don't want to compare those 2, elden ring is masterpiece to me, but they are really different and also Miazaki is just god. But this original game, that actually respect and love lore, and is also full game with no bs.

One of the best games I’ve played in a while, combat reminds me somewhat of spiderman ps4 and exploring reminds me of guardians of the galaxy and last of us. Definitely a really fun game. About 16 hours in as a hufflepuff and I can’t wait to replay it as a different house

Not sure if they fixed one of your concerns, but I noticed npcs reacting if you cast a "damaging" spell close to them. I was in the wrong cast tree and let out a bombarda next to a student which said "you should be more careful with that spell"

I'm not HP fan but this game is my best gaming experience since Witcher 3. Exploring is amazing. Battle is intense. Even collecting stuff is great because there's always something to read of think to resolve. No easy and boring "pick ups". Only thing that feels underdeveloped is looting clothes. Since you are able to upgrade you own stuff finding new clothes is just sell stuff. Also transmog makes new items useless. But overall it's AMAZING, MAGIC and somehow cozy-feeling game.

This game was pretty good IMO back in the day. One of the few adventure game that doesn’t make me bored. so I can only imagine what this is like.

This is a great game, so much fun to play, can clearly see some Arkham and mad max influences in combat and that’s cool. I’m just a MOR potter fan but as far as the game goes it’s a fab wizard world game.

disliked your comment. dont think i need to explain why.

So many other franchises need a game like this. Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones. Those would all be incredible.

Middle earth shadow of mordor and shadow of war are pretty fun lotr games.

@horse race cockmeat• 39 years ago There are amazing liner games and open world games. Mfs that say liner games are not good clearly haven't played many games. There are liner games that have better gameplay than any open world game. Dead space is a liner only game, same with all the other souls games. Look at dmc5, has one of, if not the best combat system in a video game. It really just depends on the game. Look at bloodborne and beyonetta 3. Liner, but amazing games. Returnal and FF7 remake, Resident evil franchise. Star wars Republic commando, battlefront 2 and last of us part 1. Tenchu and armoured core

@EXALTED REVERSE yes honestly it does at this point…we’ve played too many open worlds to go back to not having them…it’s a downgrade

@ItsStylun read the second comment I made

@Furry Homunculus if we got a more modern take/something like the Hobbit game I'd be honestly all for it, I love lord of the rings but just like with halo, I let the reviews come in I wasn't waisting my time on something I could would be a flop. Let's just pretend neither of those shows ever existed 😂

Feels like bully with magic and less pranks. I’m in love with it. The combat is really fun imo.

Older fan here, only watched the first 7 movies, but read the books every now and again, and I have to say this will definitely get me back into the series and the lore, I'm a sucker for an open world game and lots of lore, especially if I already know some of the lore.

Theres literally only 7 or 8 movies

I haven't noticed the visual glitches on PC. Other than that, I agree with everything here. Great game so far. Edit: For the record, I am a diehard HP fan and gamer. This game exceeded my expectations as far as lore and feeling like it could really be a story from the HP world.

I’ve less than a handful of glitches or bugs. The worst was when I got shoved under the map when I opened a really out of the way chest. But I was able to fly out with my broom. Loving this game so far. On pc btw.

One of the best games I have ever played. Magnificent touch to details. It really shows how much time the devs have invested in this.

If this is one of the best games you've ever played, you need to play better games. Try RDR2, GOW, TLOU, The Forest, Terraria to name a few

👍🏼

I trust Jake Baldino so much when it comes to his before you buys. He’s just so genuine and honest when it comes to reviews

WE HAVE LIED STOLEN LOOKED PREVERSELY AND USED GODS NAME IN VAIN SO REPENT AND TRUST IN CHRIST FOR HE SAVED U HELL ON THE CROSS

isnt he just the host? it would be nice if he has his own yt channel

Yeah, but I can’t stand the way he talks. There’s something weird about it.

They are definitely the most credible of the big game reviewers imo, I don't bother with any of the other big names (we all know who).

interesting, clearly this is a great first game that i hope will have a sequel at some point adding interactions with npcs and stuff now that the "base" of the game already exist they can add on to it and make it even better

Thank you so much for this wonderful and thoughtful review. I've been interested in this game since I heard about it, but the news and reviews are all so political that it's hard to get an objective opinion on the actual game without someone's personal politics being involved. As a die hard Harry Potter fan, I'm planning on buying an Xbox Series S just so that I can play this game. This review definitely helped me solidify my choice. Thank you once again and keep up the great work.

Looking forward to this game! Never really been the biggest fan of this series but this game might change how I look at this universe 😬

I have never watched nor read any of the Harry Potter series however, I absolutely am enjoying this game. It screams the same energy that Elden Ring and I would recommend it!

It would have been really cool if there was a proper day & night cycle and more of a school simulation. Things like a curfew and have to attend classes or get done for truancy/chased by prefects. Sort of like how Rockstar done it with the Bully game. More NPC interactions would of been cool too. Still looks great though!

Sounds like Bully, I like that game a lot; but Legacy does it right too, both are different but both fun and work imo

@Leeds93 of course I didn't mean those little things like day and night cycle m8. And I also didn't mean it that it can't be done, but realistically it was never gonna happen.

@Gustavo who said anything about expected ? I said it would have been cool. Granted the full on school simulation mechanics would have been tricky but a realistic night & day cycle? More interactions with NPCs and maybe a sleep to save system ?. I don’t think any of those things are unrealistic. Delusional if you think that’s unrealistic for a game of this calibre.

Anybody who expected more than generic rpg are delusional. It is obvious they would focus on exploration and adventure than school simulator.

I'm basically just really excited for a new open-world exploration game, and the Harry Potter universe allows the developers to get really creative with level design. Can't wait to play it

First game I preorder in YEARS. Got it simply because of the controversy, but so glad it looks like it’ll actually be worth the buy. Which will only just further piss off the Twitter mob lol. Good for HP

Imagine being into Harry Potter in 2023.

@Caolán James I admit, I never played that one, only watched gameplay footage a long time ago, so my memory of the past titles is vague. I just remember the sentiment overall.

Think of DBZ kakarot but Harry Potter

@docmars hey don't diss half blood Prince man. Best ps3 game

This game looks so good, I literally had to Google if it was running on UE5 or not. Unbelievable for UE4.

Its ur4? I thought it was 5

Reminds me of when I learned Arkham Knight was created in UE3

Honestly one of the best games I have played in a very long time. Well done

This game looks pretty sick, it has everything I would envision for a Harry Potter game. Often games based on books or movies end up being over produced and dumbed down nonsense.

I just discovered the cosmetics (transmog) 10 minutes ago after missing then somehow. I thought I'd pop in and get to choose the couple i unlocked, and boy was i pleasantly surprised... You can choose anything you've gotten before. I was wearing 10 lvl lower stuff just because it looked 100x better, now i can have my perfect outfit and i love it. Wish that was standard in every game with outfits/armor.

This is an amazing game, have not had this much fun and immersion since witcher 3.

I wanted to see how the story would be as a Slytherin. So far I've played roughly 20 hours and I'm just about halfway through the main story. Been doin loads of side quests. This game is the best game I've played in a long time. I don't tend to stay with a game after completing the story but I will probably go for 100% compete. Highly recommend this game

@Zombie and sir, this is Wendy’s

@Jubei Gore elden ring is dark souls this is Harry Potter

@Jubei Gore Not the same kind of game, although similar elements.

You guys should play elden ring if you think this game is great. I like it too but never was into Harry Potter so there is no nostalgia for me.

@andernew the azkaban section is literally just walking through one hallway and talking to one person. That's it.

Can’t wait to play this looks so amazing I hope it has a long run. People stop hating on a video game and let’s get back to fun gaming!!

Fantastic game; I'm impressed tbh...the delays were well worth it!

This is one of the few games I've seen you be happy with. It's a good change of pace.

I'm loving the game so far, but I'm having an insane amount of seemingly random framedrops. Even if I drop all the settings to medium they still pop up for no reason, my CPU and GPU are hardly being worked according to HwINFO so I think it's just some driver issues or something. But aside from the occasional choppy framerate, the game is really fun and exciting to explore. And this is coming from someone who was not a Harry Potter fan at all - never watched the films or read the books. I can definitely see the appeal after playing.

Honestly, this video sold me on the idea of buying this game. I don’t know much about Harry Potter, saw first two movies and never read the books. But the gameplay here looked like a legit RPG. I’m all for that!

I’m actually surprised at the amount of deep Wizarding World lore that they inserted into this game. There’s a lot of details that you really have to search for in the canon of other potter video games, books, and media that they have seamlessly added into this. You can def tell the dev team really took their time with things like that.

@KNIGHT NXK Brother..EVERY game could be better.

@Aarush Kumar true, but it could be better, let's see if they put out any meaningful updates that are QOL updates

@KNIGHT NXK Yeah I can agree with you on that.. If I expected anything from this game, it was that we could fight any student at any time. Since we already had that in the Harry potter: Order of pheonix game. Just the ability of simply getting in a duel anywhere would have helped so much. Still a great game and a pinnacle of games based on movies and open-world games in general

@Aarush Kumar No no no. I know what you are talking about that's all good and fine. But you cannot interact with them like per say in GTA V. It's like Black Desert Online, you also have NPCs in town. Take Elder Scrolls for example, you can kick anyone's ass. The game is like Lost Ark in terms of the world. But the key difference here being you can take your broom and fly basically anywhere without loading screens.

@KNIGHT NXK That's what I am saying. Its not lifeless. Every single thing..and I mean EVERY SINGLE THING has somethin g to do. Even f*cking books fly around. Paintings move. F*cking stairways move. Even the non-interactive NPCS have something to do. People fly over your head having conversations. students prank each other and surrounding students react to the prank etc. Once the game is out, there are going to ne hundreds of videos just on what NPCs do. And all this is applied to everything on the vast map. Not just the castle. This is the most lively game ever. I am just barely scratching the surface.

I don’t think I’m the biggest fan of the fight mechanics, I find that after I cast my spells in a battle I’m always walking closer to the target after each one, so it makes it really difficult to have control over my positioning. Other than that the game so far is very solid. I’m only an hour in

Really hoping they do add quidditch as DLC. They show too much about it in the world for it to be completely omitted.

Shame it doesn’t have those powerful fire spells, the most powerful spells are the unforgivable ones. Maybe one day they will update the bigger spells. I wonder if I can dress as Depps Grindelwald.

The map is huge and the combat system is sooo good

FUN FACT: The lightning-shaped scar on Harry Potter's forehead was originally intended to be a crescent moon shape, but the artist working on the cover of the first book accidentally made it a lightning bolt instead. J.K. Rowling liked the mistake so much that she decided to keep it in the design.

It does suck that the NPCs dont react all that much. I feel like that would bring a lot of life to the school. At least to spells you may do or even in specific interactions Edit: thank you for the likes! Ive played the game and the NPCs standing around the school will actually dodge out the way of an incoming spell. They may not look at you or be fully interactive, but at least this adds some immersion.

@Will O' Wisp Gaming Like in The Witcher 3, Spiderman, Prototype, Batman, Assassin's Creed... All of those NPCs react to whatever shenanigans you been doing

@Gabriel, GM Having a co-op mode wouldn't ruin the game lmfao, it would just make it more fun to play if implemented properly.

all of hogwarts is more lively than the npc's in forspoken

@egg you want realistc npcs in an open world game? We already have that in RDR2 and look how long it took for the developers to make the game? 8 freaking years.

It is interactive at least one thing in every single passage in the school which is crazy, students also many times say something based on your progress and when you shoot at them too, but not always of course. That mindsetting that you want to them to interact with everything is... interesting. In rdr2 you can say only hello to random npcs, which maybe gives you a little illusion of "interaction"

Gotta say so far been loving the game the graphical bugs aren’t a bother because it lets you see they made sure the story and mechanics were all working before the made the game pretty

As a die hard Harry Potter fan, I'm excited abt it! And the only reason I haven't gotten it yet is that I know once I get it, I'll neglect all my other games 🤣🤣 I might neglect the outdoors even

Great review as always. Now i just cant wait to get my hands on Flipendo, even if there are no snails or turtles around this time :D

The flick it system from skate to this would be a great idea, it would have many possibilities for types of spells

I've been playing on PC, I don't have enough RAM to really turn this up, but with it on default low settings this game is lovely! I have only come across minor glitches like books bouncing on the floor and not spell like more like a stuttering. I'm not a huge Harry Potter fan but this seemed interesting so I pre-purchased it. (something I rarely do.) I've played about 15 hours now and I have to say that your Before you buy video really doesn't do this game justice (so far) even on the lowest settings on PC this game is fun, the lore is incredible (I feel like I really am in the world), the combat while a little repetitive is fun and fluid, maybe a tad clunky. Flying is fun but on keyboard and mouse REALLY clunky, I need to switch to a controller to do the racing time trials, and that is a little clunky. Honestly I would say the flying controls are the worst part of this game so far, and they're not that bad, except for racing. Currently I give this game 8/10.

For a studio who's last games were Cars and Disney Infinity, I'm really impressed with what they've pulled off. Looking forward to seeing it grow and improve on their future projects.

For the record. I worked at GameStop during the Disney infinity days and that stuff sold like crack.