Review

Playing Hogwarts Legacy – the best Harry Potter game of all time

10.2.2023

Hogwarts Legacy makes hardcore Potter fans’ dreams come true. The game takes you to an enchantingly staged open-world full of secrets and exciting adventures. Phil, Luca and I embarked on the magical journey to Hogwarts.

Ever since reading the first Harry Potter book, I’ve dreamt of travelling to Hogwarts myself. I wanted to be a wizard; wanted to brew potions, learn powerful spells and whiz around on a magic broomstick.

Unfortunately, I waited in vain for years. No owl ever delivered my Hogwarts letter. Hogwarts Legacy has finally made my dream come true. I spent around ten hours in the magical realm and shared my experience with two of my editorial colleagues, Philipp Rüegg and Luca Fontana.

These timestamps will take you to the individual chapters in the video (in Swiss German):

The story is secondary

In the first-ever open-world game in the Harry Potter universe, you take on the role of a fifth grader who transfers to Hogwarts. As the story progresses, you become involved in a goblin revolution. The little creatures I know from the books mainly as bankers at Gringotts want to enslave humanity. You play a central role in the whole plot. Why? You have a mysterious connection to ancient magic.

But to be honest, after a few hours, the story doesn’t even interest me anymore; I get lost in the incredibly detailed world created by the developer studio, Avalanche. Especially Hogwarts and the nearby wizarding village of Hogsmeade are brimming with attention to detail. There’s something new to discover at every corner.

I can finally live out my childhood dreams virtually in an incredibly detailed Hogwarts.
Source: Avalanche Software

The magical world of Harry Potter has never felt so alive. Time and again, I catch myself intending to follow the main story, but then getting lost in the corridors of Hogwarts and pursuing side activities.

Fight and explore

There’s also a bunch to discover outside the safe walls of the school. The game’s open world is huge – and you can explore it from the comfort of a broomstick or magical creature. You can discover small villages with quirky characters, explore mysterious dungeons and fight bandit camps of nasty wizards and goblins.

Speaking of fighting, I was pleasantly surprised by the magic combat system. After just a few hours of practice, I can pulverise my enemies with ease. You can string together spells to form long combos. My go-to tactic? Disarm enemies with Expelliarmus, then have them float helplessly in the air with Levioso and pummel them with my basic cast. Finally, I have my enemies levitate over to me with Accio and throw in a pinch of Incendio to watch them burn. Magic can sure be fun!

The fact that the brutal magic fights aren’t always believable in the context of the story doesn’t bother me much. I don’t care that I’m merely a fifth grader who’s just learning magic. I feel like the most powerful wizard in the world!

A dream for all Potter fans

Avalanche Software has hit the big time with Hogwarts Legacy. After just ten hours of play, I’ve decided it’s the best Harry Potter game of all time and a hot contender for game of the year. Hardcore Potterhead Luca agrees – for him, too, a years-long dream has come true. Even Potter newcomer Phil is enchanted by the magical world.

You can hear our detailed thoughts on the game in the video embedded above or in the latest episode of the Digitec Podcast (both in Swiss German).

Hogwarts Legacy is out now for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. The game will also be released at a later date for PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

Header image: Avalanche Software