Slinging spells from your wand could have been a tedious affair, but Hogwarts Legacy emphasizes combos and gives you a diverse array of spells that affect enemies differently. It wouldn't be Harry Potter without the magic, and Avalanche did a great job with the combat system. But if you attempt 100% completion, you could easily take triple that time. You can run through the main story in about 20-25 hours. That might sound overwhelming, but you're not compelled to do everything.

At around the 8-10 hour mark, just when you might get a bit stir-crazy at Hogwarts, the world opens up, and you're let loose on a vast swath of the Scottish countryside.

There are myriad collectibles to find, puzzles to solve, and side missions to complete. I was amazed at how much stuff there is to do. Throughout the game, I continued to discover new nooks and crannies, and just when I thought I had seen everything it had to offer, I'd find a new door to yet another area. The school is just as sprawling and eccentric as described in the books and depicted in the movies. Sport all manner of wizardly fashions in Hogwarts Legacy.ĭeveloper Avalanche Software took tremendous care to render Hogwarts in stunning detail. But after years of pandemic delays, the studio managed to deliver on the magical fantasy it promised (with one notable absence - you can fly a broomstick, but you can't play Quidditch!). The team previously worked on the Disney Infinity series and other Disney properties like Cars and Toy Story: projects that weren't anywhere near the scale that Avalanche claimed Hogwarts Legacy would reach. tasked the studio to develop the game back in 2018. It was well worth the wait - developer Avalanche Software exceeded expectations.įans were anxious when Warner Bros. There have been movie tie-ins and LEGO games but until Hogwarts Legacy, out Friday, no studio had attempted to make a big-budget, prestige experience based on the franchise. But unlike that tale from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, the Wizarding World hasn't boasted prolific video game adaptations until now. Harry Potter may be to millennials what Star Wars was for Gen X: a surprise hit that sparked a generation-defining phenomenon. Potions, spells, and all manner of magical mischief await in Hogwarts Legacy.

Hogwarts legacy twitter