3/5 ★ – Oodlemeister's review of Hogwarts Legacy.

Reviewing the game entirely on its own merits and removed from the rightfully-justified vitriol against She Who Will Not Be Named, fans of the Wizarding World will find a lot to love about Hogwarts Legacy. Exploring Hogwarts, learning spells, taking classes, flying your broom and partaking in the many activities on offer are what fans have always wanted in a game based in that universe. The world has all the trappings of the Harry Potter universe, but with the exception of Hogwarts itself and Hogsmeade, the world feels rather empty. Villages and other places of interest are spotted throughout the map, but there is almost nothing noteworthy in between, except for a few roaming enemies and collectibles. The game’s story of a goblin uprising and a search for ancient magic is largely forgettable. This could have been forgiven if the developers had allowed more player agency in who they wanted their character to be. There are occasional dialogue choices that are basically a “good or evil” response, but they have practically no impact on the story or your character. The game would have been much more interesting if the story had pushed this idea into a Paragon/Renegade system. Alas we are stuck with being a square. The combat is at least engaging. It does however take a few hours to learn enough offensive spells to make it interesting. But the spells are plentiful and the various upgrades available to enhance them add further variety and punch. You can even learn the Three Unforgivable Curses and use them at your leisure if you so choose. And if you’re into collect-a-thon games, there is plenty on offer here in the form of collectibles and challenges to complete. There are some minor annoyances that can take you out of the moment. Certain doors will take a couple of seconds of loading before opening, while others open instantly. And while the visuals are fairly good, there are some graphical glitches here and there and the character models aren’t overly pretty at times. This normally wouldn’t be worth much of a mention, but this is supposed to be a big-budget game. At its most fundamental level, Hogwarts Legacy fails to reach the lofty heights of becoming a great action adventure game. It’s an average game that is somewhat elevated by its magical world and enjoyable combat. And though my experience started to wear thin around 20 hours in, there is probably enough here to keep one interested, especially so for the hardcore Potter fans.