With the early access starting up in the morning for players who pre-ordered the game and the full launch set for this week, I have been looking forward to diving into the magical wizarding world myself. Luckily, Avalanche Software and Portkey Games, a subsidiary of Warner Bros Games, have given me access to Hogwarts Legacy today and I was able to get my first couple of hours of gameplay in. While I still have plenty to get through, I wanted to share my thoughts before players look forward to diving in themselves.

Gameplay

I have a few mixed feelings on the start of the game as it does a decent job to fill in some lore and give you the initial basics of control, it is slow-paced and doesn’t fill you in on your own character’s background. I don’t think we will get to see why we are a 5th year student that is attending Hogwarts for the first time this year, but there has been some dialogue from side characters regarding the main character as a new student and confirmation of others being an exchange student as well, so I guess they left that part open as anybody can fill in their own background if they wish.

However, they do throw us right into the story as we immediately interact with the Hogwarts professor that will likely be our main contact for the major plot. With him, our trip to school will prove to be quite adventurous as a few unlikely events take place, all after it is revealed that the professor’s interest in the story’s plot follows behind his wife’s recent passing while uncovering the truth about Ranrok - the main bad goblin of the game.

This whole opening sequence gives us a good chance to try out the basic controls, from movement to interactions, and face off in our first combat. With this, we now know how to heal ourselves, defend ourselves, and the basics of fighting in the game. All of these controls actually flow really well together and the combat itself is very smooth. You will need to be aware of your surroundings during combat as they quickly show you that they will utilize the full battleground in this game.

Once you get to the school, just in time for the sorting ceremony of course, you get your moment with the sorting hat. If you have connected your official fans account then it will talk its way into the house you are meant to be in. However, you can deny the house it offers and ask it to pick a different one - kind of like someone we all know did. Once you are sorted, you will be escorted to the common room through a cutscene and soon after awake to your first official day of school.

From here, you get to wander the halls for a bit and interact with different things as you see fit. Eventually, you will run into Professor Weasley who will show you about your school guide and its useful enchantments that allow you to set up a place marker that guides you to your main objective. This is definitely something that anybody new to the castle will need so they don’t get lost in the maze that is the castle grounds. You will also be able to start gathering information from around the school which will transfer into experience.

Once you are done roaming the halls, your first objective of the day will be to attend a couple of classes. Here you will learn some new spells right away and before you finish your school day, you’ll have a full roster of spells at your disposal. You’ll also have a couple of friends.

Right now, I am just after this part and have just reached Hogsmeade where I will be able to buy a wand and some supplies. It seems the map area here is different from the castle, but the guidebook and system still work the same.

Expectations

They did a good job showing our main bad guy in the light of the role he is apprised in. While I know the story itself is where a lot of the mixed reactions towards this game are coming from, he may be a hard character to side with even if he has a good point. Having good reasoning does not always counter the actions taken for the end result, after all. I am curious how the story will play out and how free our choices are with handling the big turning moments within it.

The spells seem to flow really well in this game and so far, the use for each one is very straightforward. I imagine that once I unlock more, I’ll need to start being selective with which ones I have at the ready for use and possibly a slower yet possible way to use the other spells as well. Even if there aren’t a ton of different spells in this game, they have already shown that you will be able to use the spells they do have in this game in a few creative ways. It all comes down to spell management and how various each spell’s use is.

Equipment seems to play a role in this game, just as in most games with combat. I wonder if the better items will be hidden away or purchasable. There are quite a few places in Hogwarts that are proving to be a challenge to open, so we will have to see where the better equipment comes from and how effective wearing different gear actually is.

So far, when you go to a class you learn a new spell. Is that going to be the standard for the whole game? I can’t imagine that every class leads to a new spell, so I wonder what they will be doing with these classes after we get our full set of spells. Besides, some spells are likely to be learned in the adventure of the game and not all within the school. There was a little mini-game for one of the classes, so perhaps they will utilize managing and improving spells which would be a nice touch.

Verdict

Hogwarts Legacy had a bit of a slow start, but it is definitely picking up quickly with a lot of entertaining moments already! I am really looking forward to diving into this game over the next couple of days and fighting my way through the plot, uncovering some lore, and exploring the castle much further. There is so much to uncover in this game and I feel like I have barely scrapped the top.

Hogwarts Legacy is set to release on February 10, 2023, for PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, then on April 4th for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and then on July 25th for Nintendo Switch. If you plan to pick this one up, be sure to check out all the great pre-order details.