Sometimes games are getting released with way too much hype. Forspoken, as an example, would be such a game. Either is it because of bad optimization or misinformation by the studio, the disappointment can end up being immeasurable for people who already pre-ordered these games, or people who have those games on their wishlist for months. Sadly, we had a lot of those lately. Don't even get me started with license games in general....

Hogwarts Legacy, on the other hand, shows that sometimes the hype train can be true.

I don't usually pre-order games anymore, but the premise of being the best game based on the fantastic world of "Harry Potter" made me buy it in an instant.

The following review won't contain any spoilers! I also want to mention that I am not even close to the end of the game, because I have way too much fun exploring.

Also I know about the controversy, but it won't be part of my review (Not even as a meme!).
https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2929913613


Story:
So far so good. It starts off with a generic "You are the chosen one!" scenario, but it is going to get better and better the further you go. You just have to trust me on this one, because I don't want to give away too many information. All I can say is that the story fits the HP universe very well. If this game would be a book I wouldn't be able to stop reading it until the very end.


Gameplay:
Overwhelming, would be the right word. There are so many mechanics in this game it is amazing and exhausting at the same time.

First off you have the exploration part, where you can move around freely and explore every inch of Hogwarts and its surroundings. I tell you there is a lot to discover and to collect. Mysteries that need to be solved, locks that need to be picked and information about special places that need to be gathered. The amount of collectibles are insane and you will most likely spent hours over hours getting everything to 100%. The puzzles you can find are very well-made and solving them is fun.

Then you have your main quests and side quests. I really love the side quests in this one, because they involve your fellow students. You learn to know them a bit better every time and the most of the quests are very creative.

Also: You don't get exp by fighting enemies! You get exp by discovering new locations, doing mini games or other things like that.

If you want to get from one point of the map to the other, you can also use the "Floo powder" fast travel service, or use your good old broom! I prefer the last one. It just feels great to fly around and enjoy the world. It might even sometimes happens that I just fly around aimlessly just for fun.

Decorating, Crafting and Fantastic Beasts are going to be part of the game as well. But it would be way too spoilery to mention anything more!


The Combat:

What would be a wizard/witch without a magical wand. Most of the time you might be using it for puzzles, lighten up the area or scanning your surroundings, but the further you go the stronger enemies you have to face. Good that you start to learn attack and defense spells very soon. There might just be a handful of them, but the key is that you can combine them. Hit an enemy with 3 basic spells, pull it towards you, hit 3 more times, set it in flames, push it back and hit it ones again. Different combos cause different effects, combining them makes them stronger. You learn those combos as well, but you are also free to experiment on your own.

Fighting the enemies also never gets old. Some of them might have shields and you need the right spells to break through them and others can only be dealt with when they get attacked by fire.

For your defense you can also use a shield spell or dodge roll out of the danger zone. It should be clear that you can't really deflect a power attack by a troll. It has something of a Souls-Like, because it also comes with a parry button and more.
The further you go the further you can upgrade your spells as well, for extra effects and power.

As a sidenote: You also don't need to fight most of the time, if you don't want to. There is always the option to sneak past enemies, or silently stun them.


The RPG Part:

There is not that much RPG in this game as I hoped it would be (And this is my only negative point.). I feel like that you don't really can control most quest/story outcomes. In dialogues you can be mean or friendly, but there is not as much difference in both as I wished it would be. You might get more Gold out of a quest by asking for a better reward or by blackmailing, but that also doesn't fit your overall appearance during cut scenes. I mean you can create your own character and choose the house you want to join and also have a skill tree, but thats about it.
I just want to throw in that the voice actors are doing and amazing work!


The Atmosphere:

Just wow!
Hogwarts alone is gigantic and it feels amazing to get lost in all those beautifully handcrafted and unique halls, rooms and dungeons. The living paintings, the ghosts and the students running around in the halls is so atmospheric. The neighboring villages and landmarks do the same trick. You maybe want to walk all the way to Hogsmeade and drink Butter beer, just to lose yourself in that weird looking, but fascinating architecture of the buildings. Don't even get me started with the Forbidden Forest and other locations, you would be able to recognize from the movies and books.


The Graphics:

I play this game on a mix of medium to low, on my I7 4790 and my 1060 6 GB and the game still looks amazing. As a passionate screenarcher (screenshoter) I won't be able to make any good screenshots in the game, but just for playing it is more than enough. The fps are stable and I never noticed any pop-ins or any texture loading. The Unreal Engine 4 does a wonderful job and just shows how good it can still be (Compared to UE5)!


The Soundtrack:

Simply magical!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAesuW6qZU8
I also love that they mix new composed songs with the soundtrack from the movies. It just feels right!


Conclusion:

You know you want it! For me it is already GOTY. Not a single game in the last months kept me so occupied. Now if you excuse me I have to collect more things for my potions and maybe get lost on my way in a random ruin hunting for treasure.