In just a few days we will have with us Hogwarts Legacy, the new title from Avalanche based on the Harry Potter universe. The game will be released this Friday, February 10, on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One and PC, although owners of a Deluxe edition will be able to play Hogwarts Legacy three days earlier, on Tuesday, February 7.
After several months of waiting, a few days ago the launch trailer was released, where we have been able to see new details, such as the strange ability that our character will have to “see whispers of ancient magic” and the existence of an ancestor of the Weasleys: Matilda Weasley.
While the rest of us mortals will still have to wait several days/hours, the specialized press has already been able to play it and has published their reviews. Are you interested in knowing what the critics say about Hogwarts Legacy? We’ll tell you.
A fantastic open world with highly versatile and fun combat
“Hogwarts Legacy has turned out good” is the phrase that colloquially might come out of our mouths after reading the media reviews. If you like numerical ratings, the OpenCritic website, which compiles the notes and reviews coming from many media from different countries, gives it an average score of 86 out of 100 at the time of writing. On the other hand, in Metacritic (with a similar operation) the game has a rating between 83 and 86 out of 100, depending on the platform.
While media reviews focus more on some aspects than others, or point out some experiences that others do not, there is a certain general consensus on one important aspect: it is the Harry Potter game we all expected. Yes, that game we all imagined reading the books when we were little or wished we could play when we saw the movies in the theater. It is real.
The media notes the high level of detail in the game’s design, as well as the “brilliance” in the recreation of the magical world. “You’ll find yourself exploring the cobblestone corridors and secret passageways of Hogwarts, flying through the Forbidden Forest on a broomstick and exploring dark caves lit only by the glow of your Lumos spell,” comments IGN.
Media such as HobbyConsolas also say that the combat with magic is very versatile and allows very diverse combinations that “reminiscent of a hack’n slash type Devil May Cry”. That is, you can use and combine the effects of different spells to defeat opponents almost as we want.
The side quests are generally very fun (some better than others), including those in which we improve our relationship with various friends, and the characters have great charisma and are “memorable”. According to MeriStation: “the characters connect the magical world, expand and perfume the details with shades of color”.
Finally, there is talk of some minor bugs (characters who give the pirouette while we talk to them or suddenly fall into the void while you’re walking, for example), which may annoy a little, but not “break the game”. There are also performance issues in the PlayStation 5 version related to on-screen elements and lighting, so it would not be strange to see a patch on release day or later this week to fix these problems.
If you want to know more, we encourage you to read the full reviews, as well as the article where we explain everything you should know before playing or buying Hogwarts Legacy. Remember also that there are exclusive rewards if you link your Warner Bros. Games and Wizarding World accounts, and if you play on PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5.
