Hogwarts Legacy

Hogwarts Legacy is a pretty decent open world action game of sorts, and an absolutely marvellous Harry Potter game. I've played older HP titles, watched the movies and, while I've never been a diehard fan of the franchise, I do like it in general. Therefore, although I enjoy certain musical cues and references, I mainly judge the game on its own merit.
Graphically, it's incredible with some caveats. The game has stunning breath-taking scenery, and spell effects are sharp and satisfying. However, the models and animations can be a bit stiff, and I constantly dropped FPS for some reason. I played on medium even though my PC should be able to handle ultra according to the specs; the game itself set everything to ultra after an auto-detect.
The game also features a day-night cycle, which changes the appearance of the location. For instance the Forbidden Forest at night looks as haunting as it rightfully should.
Moreover, there is also a season cycle with the entire map changing depending on the time of the year. Not only that, but the Hogwarts itself has different decorations for different seasons. Really cool attention to detail.
In terms of sound, it's OK. I enjoyed the female VA for the MC quite a bit, and the rest of the cast are also pretty good. I don't think it reaches the heights of, say, RDR 2, but it's definitely good enough and even excellent at certain points.
The OST is charming, though it might be my nostalgia talking since it utilises certain themes from the movies or older games.
Moving on to the gameplay and the world in general, as I mentioned, it's an open-world game, which means there are hundreds of collectibles, optional secrets, quests, etc. I found them pretty fun, but the sheer number can be a bit too much if you're a completionist. One pet peeve of mine is the level scaling: as you level up, the enemies level up with you. There is a per-area cap, so you will eventually outscale them, but I'm not a fan of this mechanic in general. It did not ruin the game, but I don't think it's particularly necessary either.
The gameplay itself is pretty fun. It mainly consists of attacking the enemies with your basic attacks while weaving in additional spells. Higher level enemies have shields around them which you have to break with a specific "type" of spell and cannot break with regular AAs. The enemies, in their turn, also attack you with basic AAs, which you can block with your shield, or with spells, which you cannot block and have to dodge.
To help you out, there are usable plants and potions, which, in my experience, can completely trivialise an encounter even on the highest difficulty. I actually think it's a plus since paying just a bit of attention to potion-brewing and herbology gives you a huge advantage.
I would not say it's the deepest or most challenging gameplay loop ever, but it's flashy, aesthetically pleasing, and does provide some challenge, at least on the hardest difficulty.
When it comes to the narrative, it's passable. As usual for me, I guess, I did not enjoy the main story as much as the side quests, specifically Sebastian's questline. It was not terrible and had its moment, but it also had some pretty dumb plot points at times.
Before summarising, I'd like to mention certain neat features the game has, which are not crucial, but are very welcome and show stellar work from the devs:
1. You can choose your house (a given, really) and there is actually house-specific dialogue, such as a character bad-mouthing Slytherin and apologising if your MC is in said house. It comes often enough to feel as if your house choice is acknowledged by the game and isn't just a checkbox in a save file.
2. Characters react to you with specific dialogue after their side-quest completion, although it can get a bit repetitive after a while.
3. There is an entire system to decorate your "base" with hundreds of cosmetic items to place, such as chairs, banners, statues, etc. I went for a more utilitarian approach and simply conjured things required to brew potions, but it's still a welcome feature.
4. You can capture beasts to care about them and periodically harvest magical ingredients. In addition, you can breed said beasts and sell the offsprings to get a bit of money.
5. The ingredients from the beasts can be used to upgrade your equipment and weave in special traits, such as "more damage with spell X".
6. An amazing feature: the way your clothes look is decoupled from what you're actually wearing, meaning you don't have to choose between min-maxing the stats or fashion, you can have both.
7. There are hundreds of snippets with HP lore about certain items, locations, people to be found in game.
To conclude, I think Hogwarts Legacy is a wonderful game. It can stand on its own without the franchise appeal, even though it does lose to titles like God of War in that regard. Taking the franchise into account, it's a must-play for any HP fan. For a non-HP fan, it can also be fun, albeit to a lesser extent.

Overall, I enjoyed it. But some downsides
-Your choices don't really matter at all(no alignment or anything)
-Can get really repetitive if you like to 100% games(looking at you Merlin Trials) with very little pay off
-While the outfits can be fun, it becomes a chore after a while
-Very little time is spent in classes and almost zero time feeling like you are part of whatever house you are sorted into
-NO QUDDITCH
-A very big drawback is that the world is empty and there is nothing to see except Hogwarts and Homesmead...but I understand that's what they were aiming for
-It's literally like you're playing a spin-off from the HP movies
"After all this time?"
"Always." ❤

A Beautiful Yet Shallow Dive into the Wizarding World
Hogwarts Legacy invites you to step into the shoes of a wizard or witch in the late 19th century, delivering a visually stunning and magical experience that captures the atmosphere of the Harry Potter universe. From the moment you enter the Hogwarts grounds, it’s clear the developers poured immense effort into crafting an environment filled with charm, wonder, and nostalgia. While the game excels in creating a vivid magical atmosphere and engaging combat mechanics, it falls short in terms of narrative depth and quest design.
Summary
Pros
✪ Magical Atmosphere: The world is brimming with enchanting details, from secret passageways in Hogwarts to the lush landscapes of the Forbidden Forest and beyond.
✪ Combat Mechanics: The dueling system is surprisingly robust and engaging, offering plenty of spell combinations and strategies that make every encounter thrilling.
✪ Visuals and Audio: From the detailed interiors of Hogwarts to the ambient sounds of bustling Hogsmeade, the game’s aesthetics are phenomenal.
Cons
✪ Predictable Storyline: Despite its potential, the narrative lacks depth and often feels like a missed opportunity to explore more nuanced or surprising paths.
✪ Repetitive Quests: Side missions often boil down to fetch quests or simplistic tasks, failing to provide meaningful engagement or variety.
My Experience
As someone who values immersive gameplay, I was delighted by the fluid and satisfying combat system. The ability to mix and match spells in dynamic ways added an extra layer of strategy to encounters, keeping me hooked for hours. Exploring the castle and its surrounding areas was equally enjoyable; every nook and cranny seemed to have a secret or collectible waiting to be discovered. The atmosphere and attention to detail were so strong that I found myself simply wandering around, soaking in the magic.
However, the quests and storyline left much to be desired. While I expected the narrative to weave a complex web of intrigue, it instead delivered predictable and shallow outcomes. The main questline lacked memorable twists, and side missions often felt like filler. I kept hoping for more significant consequences to my actions or surprises along the way, but they never materialized.
Final Thoughts
Hogwarts Legacy is a visual and gameplay marvel that captures the essence of the Wizarding World but misses its mark on storytelling. If you’re looking for an immersive and visually captivating adventure with solid combat mechanics, this game will surely enchant you. However, if you prioritize deep narratives and meaningful quests, you might find the experience a bit underwhelming.
Rating: 8.5 /10
A must-play for fans of the franchise, but with room for improvement in its storytelling.

I’m not a Harry Potter fan, but Hogwarts Legacy is hands down one of the best games I’ve played in a long time. The open-world design is incredible, reminding me of the sense of wonder and freedom I felt when Skyrim first came out. Every corner of the world is filled with detail, and the game offers a rich, immersive experience that kept me hooked for hours.
One thing I kept thinking while playing is how amazing this game would be with a co-op or multiplayer mode. Imagine exploring Hogwarts with friends, tackling challenges together, breeding beasts, grinding or just roaming the world side by side. It would take an already great game and elevate it to a whole new level.
If you’re on the fence because you’re not into Harry Potter, don’t let that stop you. Hogwarts Legacy is a mustplay for any fan of openworld games. It captures that same thrill and excitement that made Skyrim a legend, and I can’t recommend it enough.

I would like to start off by saying - has anyone every played the classic Harry Potter games on PC? I'm talking about the old school games, like when you used to be able to collect as many Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans before the clock runs out, or when they used to give you SOME simple freedom as a young Harry Potter to be able to explore the castle before moving on to your next puzzle.
This game has scratched an itch I've had for probably 20+ years since playing those games as a child. Hogwarts Legacy gives you freedom to explore as MUCH of Hogwarts as probably physically possible. We have all seen scenes in the movies we may or may not have dreamed of exploring like the common rooms, hogsmeade, the forbidden forest, and even the kitchens underneath the great hall that were only mentioned in the books. I have waited so long to be able to finally explore as much of the castle as possible and could easily see myself putting hours into just the castle which is breathing with new life.
I know there have been a lot of talk in the past about Hogwarts and the like, but being a fan for a very long time, and having fond memories of playing the retro games my parent's extinct "computer room", and remembering my dad standing outside of Walmart for every book release, I can proudly say that I am a fan and always will be of games like Hogwarts Legacy that literally bring magic to life.

This review is a little biased because this is the first Harry Potter universe game I’ve fully completed and gotten 100% achievements in.
First of all, I’m so glad this isn’t another game where you just play as Harry Potter. Instead, you get to create your own character and fully experience the world of Hogwarts. That alone made it worth playing for me.
Gameplay
The developers clearly put a lot of love into this game, and it shows. Hogwarts Castle is absolutely stunning so much so that it actually made me tear up at times. Everything feels alive, from NPCs casually using magic to paint pictures or prank each other to weird potion experiments happening in the bathrooms. I could spend hours just listening to NPC conversations.
The game has three main areas:
- Hogwarts Castle – Easily the best part of the game, full of detail, personality, and magic everywhere.
- Hogsmeade – A charming, lively village that’s fun to explore and next to the castle.
- The Open World – This was hit-or-miss for me. It has some interesting moments, but compared to Hogwarts, it feels less polished and emptier. It honestly felt like two different teams worked on these areas—the castle is bursting with life, while the open world feels weaker in quality. Most collectibles and side quests take place in the open world, which was fine, but I personally would’ve loved more focus on the castle itself.
That said, side missions were actually fun and never felt like a chore. The Forbidden Forest, while well-designed, didn’t feel as scary as I imagined it would be.
This game also has a ton of collectibles and optional content for 100% completion. Unfortunately, three of the achievements require replaying the game three times up to a certain point, which felt like a grind and should honestly be removed.
Spiders. Spiders everywhere. Every five minutes, the game throws you into another cave full of horrifying spiders. Thankfully, the devs included an Arachnophobia Mode for those who can’t handle them.
Combat
I’m absolutely in love with the combat. It’s even better on Hard difficulty, but Normal strikes a great balance between fun and challenge. Honestly, this game has ruined traditional mage/wizard combat for me nothing else feels as good after playing this. The spell combos, dodging, and enemy variety make every fight feel pretty dynamic.
Although opinions on this are mixed, I personally really vibed with it.
Story
The story was okay nothing special. It’s your typical "kill the bad guy to save the world" kind of plot. The side quests and relationship quests were way more engaging than the main story, and I actually found myself more invested in those.
❌ Cons
- Major Lighting Issues in Interior Areas :
(As of new update on January 30th 2025)
Many caves and rooms are blindingly bright, like a flashbang directly to the eyes—completely white screens that are painful to look at. If you have epilepsy, be careful. This is a weird bug since these areas are fully enclosed with no sunlight source, but the moment you step into certain spots, it’s like staring directly into the sun.
- Performance Issues :
I’m running this game on an RTX 4060 at 1440p, and while it looks great, it has some serious issues:
Texture Pop-in / Loading Issues – My biggest complaint. This is a well-known PC bug that happens even on the lowest settings. NPCs, grass, and objects suddenly pop into existence right in front of you, completely ruining immersion. What’s frustrating is that the game used to run way better at launch, but the last update (around six months ago) broke a lot of things, and they never fixed it.
Some examples of texture pop-in issues:
- NPCs suddenly appearing a few steps away when I turn the camera.
- Half-invisible cows in Hogsmeade.
- Grass abruptly loading every time the camera angle changes during a conversation or cutscene.
- Even opening the menu and returning to the game makes textures freak out.
>Edit : As of the new update on 30th January texture pop in issues is mostly fixed, its still here and there but nothing immersion breaking.
Ray Tracing is a Mess – Turning on RT causes micro-stutters and makes texture pop-in even worse. It’s simply not worth using in this game currently, it used to be way better before.
>Edit : As of the new update on 30th January, they added ray reconstruction, DLSS 4 to this game. RT performance is a bit better but its still a mess in open world areas.
Winter Season FPS Drops – For some reason, when it snows, my FPS gets cut in half. It’s a massive bummer because winter in Hogwarts should feel magical, but instead, it just lags. (I have not checked this in the new update)
- Low Replayability – While each house has an exclusive quest, replaying the whole game just for one extra mission isn’t very appealing. However, the upcoming PC modding update should help with this issue. I'm honestly depressed this game is over I want to experience it more :(
>Edit : New mod update did not help with this but there's rumours about them adding possible new story content to the game, nothing concrete tho.
If they ever fix these issues, this game would be so much more enjoyable.
Final Thoughts
I just want to thank the devs for creating such an amazing game. It was one of the best gaming experiences I’ve had. Despite its flaws, I still highly recommend it. This game is worth picking up at full price and even more so at a discount!

Great, immersive, fun and disappointing game.

Graphics are beautiful, the characters are really well done, the environments are very detailed and gorgeous, the creatures look fantastic, there are plenty of places to stand and just enjoy the beautiful views. The different spells look amazing and unique, and the casting animations are great.

Sound effects are amazing, the same can be said about the music and voice acting. Sounds in general are really well done. From exploring the castle, to flying on your broom, to caring your beasts, to fighting dark wizards and spiders, everything sounds great. The music also follows you on the different activities you do, sometimes a bit repetitive (for example in combat) but for the most part is really immersive too. The similarities to the original HP soundtrack are a nice addition. Finally, the voice acting is great, they give a lot of personality to the different characters, and it's a lot of fun interacting with some of them.

On the gameplay side, there are really cool things, and some disappointing things too.
To start with the cool things, the world. If you played any of the old HP games where you could explore Hogwarts, this game is the best iteration yet. It delivers that same magic that those old games did, but with a more realistic and lore accurate view. You can fully explore the castle and it's grounds, the forbidden forest, Hogsmeade, and even a lot of places around the school.
To continue with great things, combat and spells interactions. Combat is really fluid and fun, you have different type of spells which you can combine in different ways to make combos on your enemies and break their defenses.  Later, when you unlock your talents, you can further enhance your spells to have additional effects that drastically change the combat. Spell interactions also work outside of combat, with a lot of puzzles, in which you can use different spell combinations to solve them.
Speaking of puzzles, that's another great thing in this game, there are lots of them, some harder than others, but for the most part, if you stop for a minute to think and observe your surroundings, you can solve them easily, also try every spell you know, some puzzles have some interesting results with some spell interactions. The only thing that is a bit annoying is that many of them are just copy-paste, it's cool to do a puzzle once or twice, but coming across the same puzzle 10 times, it's just annoying and also without any reward for doing them.
Another awesome feature, is your very own room/player housing, which surprisingly is not your dormitory in the common room, but the room of requirement. This place is truly awesome, the more you advance in the story, more features and things unlock in this place. You can fully customize this room, add decorations you unlock all over the world, build different things, etc. But the most amazing feature, is the vivarium which is the place where you take the magical beasts you rescue. You can catch many magical creatures in the world, there are even shiny ones (like in pokemon) that are very rare, and you can take them to these different vivariums, each with a different biome.
There are many other things that are really cool, but they are a bit disappointing because of the wasted potential. To name a few, flying. Flying in this game is truly awesome, but for some strange reason, the only thing you can do is only 3 time trial races, where you have to fly from ring to ring and beat a timer. I mean, you could have done so much more with flying, not even talking about quidditch, which even the first HP game had quidditch in it.
Another thing is the school life, the classes are a joke, there's no way of failing a class, it's just press a couple of buttons, and you made the most difficult potion, or cast the most difficult spell. I mean, come on! Even the old first HP game have more interesting lessons with actual puzzles you could fail, and even get points for your house if you succeeded. There's not even exams, which are the perfect excuse for a challenging puzzle combining all the spells you learned, and the professors even reference the OWLs in the game like it IS a thing you will have to do at the end, but nothing. Also, there's not even competition with the different houses, no matter what you do, you always win the house cup.
This game had the potential to make a full 7 year school cycle, I mean even the mobile game has the seven years, come on!!
Furthermore, tied to the classes, only ONE class per teacher? The game tells you all the time you have to catch up with all your classmates that had 4 years ahead of you to master a lot of things, and you get only a single class with each professor, and the amount of spells you learn is just underwhelming. Brewing potions, if there is something that could be really cool from a gameplay perspective, has to be brewing potions, but here is just: press button, move the mouse, press button, move the mouse, there you have it, brewed the most difficult potion in the game perfectly, without a single mistake.
Another very disappointing thing is the character's gear progression, you have different rarities, that are meaningless, because you can easily get access to the legendary pieces, and you will never use any of the others, and that's ok if the legendary pieces were hard to get, but no, you can just buy them from the vendor with perfect stats in no time. Also, further in the game, you unlock the ability to customize your gear with different traits that you can find in enemy camps, which is cool, until you realize there's no real choice, you just put the max damage for the type of spell (or plants) you use in all slots, I mean, you can put other things, but you will be making your game time and fights harder for no reason. This issue could be easily fixed by limiting the type of trait you can put in different pieces of gear, that would make the trait selection a little more interesting and also giving the player a more interesting choice of gearing.
There are many more things like these, that are cool things, but they only scratched the surface and wasted a lot of potential.
The only bad thing I can say about the game, it's the unskippable wall of text and the unending loading shader bar EVERY SINGLE TIME you start the game.

The story is really cool, very engaging. Full of interesting characters and great moments. The only disappointing thing is that you have no agency at all in it, no matter the dialog choices or the things you do, there are no consequences and also nothing changes (except for one little thing in a side quest). You are just watching a movie, in which you can select a few dialogues, but with no impact. Don't get me wrong, the story is really cool, but it's sad that there are no choices, because the story certainly leaves a lot of room for choices and player agency. Not even the house choice, which it's supposed to be the most interesting choice you can make has any consequence, just a cosmetic difference in the attire and common room, and a little variation in one quest. They could have done different side quests for different houses, different relationships with different characters, even the professors could also have acted differently depending on your house, but no, all the same for everyone. Also, there are no character relationships, you can't romance any of the characters, or become rivals, or anything. You just do side quests for some of them, and that's it.

In short, is a really cool game, with amazing things, but with a lot of wasted potential in most of them. If you are a fan of the HP universe, you will definitely have fun with it, but also probably will be the most disappointed in the wasted potential of most of the things the game has to offer. I recommend getting it only on sale, because it's not worth the full price.