As someone who spends quite a bit of free time playing video games, there recently seemed to be a drought of interesting and new games (at least to me), and I found myself bored. After looking for something to play for a long time, I ultimately decided that I would invest in Hogwarts Legacy to see what all the buzz was about. Even though I am no longer a big Harry Potter fan (that phase ended a few years ago), it seemed nostalgic, and I was interested in seeing a more modern take on the Wizarding World that filled a big gap in my childhood.

However, before I dive into the review, I would like to mention a few disclaimers for those worried about spoilers and other topics about the game. I am simply reviewing the game as a whole, so I will not dive very far into the main story, but I will be mentioning parts of the early story and some of the combat and other features that are an integral part of the game, along with talking about parts of the Wizarding World. Along with this, I am not that far into the game (about 20 hours total), but I have been picking it up a bit more recently as I have a bit more time, so if you are later into the game and have a different experience, please just note that I am not that far and please do not spoil anything else if you have a comment. If you are concerned about any spoilers and/or anything else concerning the game itself, you might not want to read this. And with all of that out of the way, let’s get straight to the review.

I will be breaking this up into a few different categories, and I will give quick descriptions of each mentioned part of the game, followed by my opinion and experience.

Stories and Quests

Quests are broken up into a few sections: main quests, side quests, assignments, and relationship quests. Right below this is the quest list, containing a few different kinds of quests. The main quest is just that: the main story of the game. These quests tend to take a little bit longer than the others, and they are a bit more detailed and tend to focus on the same topic. Sometimes you will need to complete other parts of the main quest that are not directly related to the same topic as the actual main quest to continue playing the quest.

Then there’s assignment quests, given by your teachers in Hogwarts, that you can complete and often lead to you learning a new spell or other rewards. Next we have the relationship quests, and these are quests between you and some of the friends you will meet during your time at Hogwarts. They are not directly related to the main quest, but they provide some more time with other characters that you do not get to see in the main quest. Lastly, there are the side quests, and these quests are given by NPCs from Hogsmeade or other people in the game. These often consist of a swift task that provides some kind of reward.

One thing I have noticed so far is that I am certainly busy. Sometimes, after completing a section of the main quest, I will suddenly get assigned up to five or so quests at once, and this can get a little bit overwhelming. However, there is actually a lot of content for a game that came out not too long ago, and I certainly like that I have not even come close to running out of things to do yet. I also find the main quest really interesting in this game and I highly recommend paying attention to it. Another part of the game that keeps me busy is the fairly big map to explore along your quests and just outside of quests to collect loot and see the entire Wizarding World. You can find some enemy camps throughout the world, along with ingredients needed to brew potions that buff you in combat and in other ways. Plus, the graphics in this game are great, so seeing all of these new places can be really interesting. I really like the big map and I am excited to really explore every nook and cranny of the world as I continue to progress. I also like how the quests get you out of Hogwarts and exploring other parts of the world, it is very engaging and never fails to captivate me.

Combat

As a wizard/witch in a world full of monsters and evil people, you are bound to get into some fights in your travels. There are 26 spells in total so far, and most of them can be used for combat. You can arrange the spells into groups of four to really bring out synergy and unique spell combos that do the most damage to enemies while keeping yourself safe. The other spells can be used during quests and for other things such as decorating your Room of Requirement, where you can brew potions, discover mystery gear, and other things.

Overall, I do like the combat, but I wish there was more diversity. In fights, I find myself using the same 6 or 7 spells throughout, and I wish there were different classes or more combat-type spells. Something like elemental reactions might be cool too, such as the fire spells doing more damage after you freeze an enemy. There are also not many utility spells, such as a combat boost or a healing spell, and I think those would prove quite useful and good for the game as well. I also think that some of the fights are incredibly easy. You have an ability called “Ancient Magic” that you can charge by getting combos with spells and auto-attacks, but it one-shots a lot of the enemies that you will fight, even some that get their own special cutscenes.

Character Customization

When you start out, you are given a large range of preset character designs that you can customize in many ways, including skin tone, eye color, eye size, hairstyle, hair color, and more. Along with this, you get certain clothing for the house that you choose to join upon arriving at Hogwarts. You can let the Sorting Hat choose your house, but if you do not like what you get put into (in my case, I got put into Slytherin, but switched out of that), then you can select your own house that you want to be a part of. You can also collect gear along your journeys, with many different designs, that you can equip on your character. Along with this, if you just want the stats bonus, but you do not like the style of the gear, you can equip a different visual, but keep the stats on. You can also change your appearance any time at a place in Hogsmeade for a small fee.

Honestly, this is quite a refined and detailed character customization feature, and I really like it. They give you lots of options and you can change the look of your character in many ways, and the in-game cosmetics do not cost any money themselves. Also, you can buy cosmetics for money, but I do not see any purpose for this and I will likely not be purchasing anything other than the game itself. It is also all very easy to handle and understand, as a lot of things in the game are after a little bit of experience.

Overall, I have had a very positive experience with this game so far. The story, combat, and many other features of the game are quite good. The graphics are high quality, it is fairly simple in parts, and I really have just enjoyed the amount of content and interaction there has been so far. All things considered, I would rank the game an 8/10, and I am only docking points due to a few minor visual glitches and a lack of combat variety. I would definitely recommend it if you have a lot of spare time and are looking for a good game to put some solid time into.