There are less than two months to go till Hogwarts Legacy releases, at least for current-gen systems. Sorry last gen and Switch owners, but you’re going to have to wait a little longer. Now Warner Bros. Games and Avalanche Software are in full PR mode to give us some deep glimpses into what we can expect both within and without Hogwart’s hallowed halls. With each gameplay trailer and deep dive video, Hogwarts Legacy has easily become my most anticipated game of the year.
Hogwarts Legacy places you in the shoes of a new student coming into the venerable wizarding institution. The game, however, isn’t set during the modern era but rather during the late 1800’s, some 100 years before Harry Potter begins his legendary journey, essentially giving us a period-piece fantasy game.
The developers clearly understand that the game is, essentially, a proxy for fans to live out their wizarding fantasies. As such there’s a character creator to begin your journey with. The customisation options are light here, but further customisation can be done later in the game with more cosmetic apparel to pick up. You’ll be plonked into one of Hogwarts Houses, each sporting its own visual scheme and ways to access the dorms.
Now, the game is an action RPG and not a complete simulation, so those looking to spend time taking classes are going to be disappointed. This isn’t to say that you won’t be taking any, but rather that classes will be tied to character progression and story. And alongside the main story, there’ll be plenty of sidequests for you to take on and challenges in the world to help you level up.
This time period setting fits in with what is easily Hogwarts Legacy’s most standout feature at this time; its visuals and world design. Hogwarts itself, from the architecture to the atmosphere, has been stunningly recreated from what we’ve seen so far. The school’s iconic locations and items, such as the rotating staircase and the haunted paintings, have been lovingly recreated for this third-person action adventure.
I expect plenty of gamers to be spending a lot of time just running around the school and enjoying its visual sumptuousness, watching as the in-game seasons roll on by and the school changes to reflect this.
That level of detail extends to the world surrounding the school as well. Replete, yet again, with plenty of iconic locations for you to explore and shop through, such as Hogsmeade and there’s a “if you can see, it you can get to it”, feel to the world design. Now while Quidditch has been scrapped, players can console themselves with the various methods of travel. Sure you can walk all over the world, but why do that when you ride your trusty broomstick or jump into a Hippogriff saddle to take to the skies? Exploration looks like it’s going to be an absolute joy.
You’re also going to get your own little magical room and menagerie to manage, in which you can customise the décor and workbenches you’ll need. Stepping into a Vivarium will take you into a little garden of your own that will house any fantastic creatures you decide to collect. This will also be customisable to your liking.
Of course the game won’t be without it’ sets of dangers and for that, you’ll need to learn how to duel. Those spells you pick up from exploration and classes will be put to good use in the game’s combat. As expected, it will be ranged magical combat that embraces some melee combat designs, particularly combos, dodging and countering. You can string combo shots together while incapacitating enemies and there’ll be a marker to help you dodge attacks as they come your way. Enemies will block with magical shields and you’ll need to match the right spell to the right shield colour to break it and continue your assault.
From what we’ve seen so far through both of the game’s lengthy deep dive videos, it’s very clear that it’s merely the tip of the iceberg that’s been unearthed. While we can certainly expect more information to come to light as we get closer to the game’s February release date, I expect that the developers are keeping plenty more secrets for gamers to enjoy discovering. Right now, Hogwarts Legacy is looking both visually gorgeous and gorgeously fun!
Hogwarts Legacy launches for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series machines on February 10th, 2023, while Xbox One and PS4 versions will launch on April 4th, 2023. Switch owners can get their taste of the magical on June 25th, 2023.
Grab your copy here https://www.hogwartslegacy.com/en-gb/purchase
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