‘Hogwarts Legacy’ is the best game of 2022. Better than ‘Horizon Forbidden West,’ ‘Elden Ring,’ ‘Ghostwire: Tokyo’ and every other major release coming in the next few months.
But how could I possibly know that? Obviously, I don’t. The game isn’t out yet. But I’m a Potterhead, and I can’t help but show my bias where this franchise is concerned.
Interestingly enough, I don’t classify myself as a Potterhead on most days because I rarely think about Harry Potter. I haven’t touched the books in over fifteen years.
In fact, on most days, I’m convinced that I’ve moved on from Harry Potter. This happens with most franchises. Your love tends to fade once you stop engaging them.
However, in this case, every time I see anything even remotely related to Harry Potter, my adoration for this franchise returns with a bang. Look at Fantastic Beasts. I HATED Fantastic Beasts 2. I don’t know what went wrong with the film, but it was hot garbage.
And yet, the moment I watched the trailer for ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,’ I was back in. I can’t wait to watch it.
That brings us to ‘Hogwarts Legacy,’ an action role-playing video game from Warner Bros and Avalanche Software that has done more to revitalize my interest in Harry Potter than any other piece of media I’ve consumed in years.
Here’s the thing. I hated ‘Shadow of Mordor.’ Yes, yes, I know. To most people, ‘Shadow of Mordor’ is a stunning triumph. But I lost interest after just an hour of gameplay.
Why? Because I went in expecting a Lord of the Rings masterpiece akin to those older LOTR titles from the PS2 days. I wanted to explore Middle Earth, to live and breathe the world Peter Jackson painted so masterfully in the early 2000s.
But instead, I got the Tolkien version of ‘Assassin’s Creed.’ Don’t get me wrong. ‘Shadow of Mordor’ is terrific. If you took the Lord of the Rings connection away, I would enjoy the heck out of it.
Unfortunately, my expectations are a stumbling block. ‘Shadow of Mordor’ is not the Lord of the Rings game I want. And when I first saw the teaser for ‘Hogwarts Legacy,’ I expected the same disappointment.
I was prepared for an entertaining but ultimately hollow game with nothing to offer diehard Potter fans like myself. However, to my surprise, the footage Warner Bros released a few days ago was everything I wanted and more.
This is it. If you spent as many years obsessing over J.K. Rowling’s work as I did, this game was made for you.
The story is set in the late 1800s. Players must walk in the shoes of a student in his fifth year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as he unravels a dark conspiracy.
‘Hogwarts Legacy’ provides the most immersive gaming experience Potterheads will ever get. That isn’t an exaggeration. Warner Bros. has promised us a magical setting we can inhabit and explore to our heart’s content.
You can attend classes, walk the grounds, and traverse Rowling’s universe on the back of a broomstick. The entirety of Hogwarts is yours to tour, interacting with all the charming aspects that made the books a joy, from the talking paintings and ghosts to the moving staircases and secret rooms.
Like the best RPGs, this one uses a morality system that relies on your decisions, the relationships you forge, and the actions you take to shape your path.
You can either remain in the light or descend into villainy. The combat system has a level of depth I did not expect. You can delve into each of the primary fields of study at Hogwarts, using potions to enhance your attributes, magical animals to level the playing field, herbs to give yourself an edge in combat, etc.
The game won’t restrict us to Hogwarts. We can leave the grounds, venturing into the haunting landscapes in the vicinity, an avenue that creates opportunities for exciting quests and plot threads.
This…I have no words. This is everything I wanted and so much more. Warner Bros. is trying to kill me. My heart can’t take this excitement.
GEEKSTUFFPRO 