Hogwarts Legacy Review

Credit to: Warner Bros. Games (Portkey Games) and Avalanche Software

Not me, not hermione, YOAR!

Welcome back, y’all! This time around, we’re taking a look at the brand new video game set in the Harry Potter universe, Hogwarts Legacy! Before we continue, let me emphasize that I’m only focusing on the game itself. We’re not talking about any controversies, nothing like that at all. This is simply a review of how good the game is or how bad it is, it’s as simple as that. If you were expecting a comment on that, you expected it from the wrong ones. We’re The Wolf Den, we do our best to make you smile with the latest and greatest entertainment news and reviews. Nothing political is popping up here, ever. What we will do, is support a group of people that spread love, not hate. We love every single one of you, no matter what your ethnicity, race, gender, belief, or anything like that is. Now, I want to talk about this brand new video game, break it down with some pros and cons, then give my final thoughts. Let’s get the fun going. Without any further ado, let’s jump right into it.

Pros

Let’s start off with the character customization. About a year or so, there was a big fuss about how you apparently can’t pick your own wizard or witch. That’s not the case. The game does in fact have a very extensive customization feature, letting you change your skin color, hair, hair color, body, eyes, extras, and more. You can all breathe now. Furthermore, as you progress in the game, you have access to a variety of different gear. The options are handwear, facewear, headwear, neckwear, cloaks and robes, and outfits. You can even customize your wand handles, your flying broom, and can change your very own flying mount. Also, when selecting your gear, you also have stats attached to them, things like offense and defense, upgrades, and even traits that make you stronger against certain things, stronger using certain attacks and abilities, and more.

Speaking of attacks and abilities, let’s get into that, because this is insane. You can really mix up some great combos with some really cool spell abilities. There’s a pretty sizable variety of spells, but you’re limited to 4, but that’s perfectly fine because they’re of course abilities that can change the tide of battle for you. You can use them to press the attack, defend yourself, use enemies to your advantage, and more. You also have the ability to counter incoming attacks, but that’s really a passive ability, as you can just counter whenever you successfully hit the button when the prompt appears. Beyond this, you have the basic button-mashing attacks that you’d expect, but you can properly string together combos, and chain them with your spell abilities as well to really show an enemy who’s boss. As you progress further and further into the game, you’ll unlock more and more spells, including spells involved in the Dark Arts, but this is if you purchase either the deluxe edition of Hogwarts Legacy, or the actual Dark Arts Pack. Me being me, I did have to dive head first into the deluxe edition, but only because I had to review it… nothing more. Anyway, I did heavily enjoy what I’ve played so far, including the Dark Arts content. I’m extremely surprised by the amount of side quests, especially if you have this pack, and I’m surprised by just how fun the new spells are. There’s three Dark Arts spells, one that kills most enemies instantly, one that makes an enemy your ally and has them attack other enemies, and another that curses enemies and damages them over time. Pretty gnarly, but if you’re willing to face the consequences which can have you face life in prison, then I’d say just go for it and have access to these super strong spells.

Outside of all of that, there’s a couple of quick things I have to bring up. I really enjoyed the exploration. I really, really did. Like, it’s fun enough being able to explore Hogwarts and completely customize your living space, but being out in the world was just really fun for me. No, you can’t play Quidditch, but you can still enjoy flying around the area on your broom, flying on a cool mount, exploring the world outside of the school, and just be free.

Cons

There’s one thing that I can’t really shake, and it’s the lack of variety in the enemies. After a certain point, you already know what to expect, so it’s really nothing to write home about, unfortunately. Don’t expect to fight huge creatures in mysterious dungeons, it’ll just most likely be the spider or troll you fought a hundred times like 5 minutes ago. I understand that this game is pretty big, I get that, but honestly I could’ve waited a little longer if it meant that we’d see some more enemies.

Final Thoughts

I really do enjoy this game. I do have a little ways to go, as I did get distracted by quite a few side quests already, but from what I’ve experienced already, I can confidently say that this game is fantastic. Contender for game of the year? Absolutely, 100%. The story is pretty good, not groundbreaking but pretty good, the combat is fantastic, the exploration is astonishing, and the customization is absolutely phenomenal. I do wish there were more enemies, I’m sticking with my guns on that note, but I still am having a blast with this game. But what did you all think? Let us know on our Instagram, and make sure you’re following to stay up to date with the latest and greatest entertainment news and reviews. But that’s all from me, this has been The Wolf Den!

4.5 out of 5.