Hogwarts Legacy: this new video game offers a dream stay at Hogwarts

MISE À DAY

No more need to take platform 9 3⁄4 to disembark at Hogwarts! The Avalanche Software studio today invites wizards and Muggles into the Harry Potter universe directly on their console with the magnificent Hogwarts Legacy. A caveat is in order, however: you probably won't want to go home because the stay there is so magical.

Let's face it, we've all dreamed of going to Hogwarts. Learning to conjure spells, brew magic potions, play a game of Quidditch, sip butterbeer with Harry, Ron and Hermione…all those once impossible fantasies now come true. Well almost.

Because it is at the end of the 19th century – so well before the birth of the scarred wizard and his band – that we arrive today at Hogwarts. The player embodies a new student admitted in the fifth year who will have to, through quests, adventures and lessons, learn the basics of sorcery. Along the way, he will face trolls and goblins, build friendships with his classmates and discover all the secrets hidden in the school hallways. In short, it is a complete and complete experience to which one is entitled with Hogwarts Legacy. From the ritual of the Sorting Hat to the duties imposed by the various teachers, we experience step by step the typical journey of a Hogwarts student. 

In constant wonder 

And this is one of the greatest strengths of this game. Its more flexible and malleable structure allows the player to explore the smallest corners of the school and its surroundings at his own pace, all infused with a large dose of magic. and sublime. Even after 10 hours spent in this fully open world, we continue to marvel at it as it is meticulously reconstructed. 

During this trial period, we managed to fill our arsenal with nearly twenty spells and spells, useful both in exploration mode and in combat. These battles, by the way, are even more dynamic than they have been in the many games derived from the Harry Potter saga, released over the past 20 years. 

With such numerous and varied attacks, the affronts of evil creatures leave the player free to choose which strategy to prioritize. Freeze an enemy or set him on fire? Disarm him or suspend him in the air? You quickly find your comforts and your favorite methods as the experience is fluid and instinctive. 

Performance before looks

From a purely aesthetic (and superficial) point of view, however, we are sorry for certain choices of clothes which our character has to dress up to enhance its strength or defense characteristics, for example. We often have to sacrifice good sartorial taste, wearing the protagonist a feathered hat in addition to a garishly colored scarf, colored glasses and gloves that do not match the rest of the ensemble to maximize the effects. In short, a small detail that still annoyed us on our journey.  

Otherwise, we take an immediate and obvious pleasure in walking the corridors of Hogwarts and perfecting our spells, succumbing to the charm of Hogwarts Legacy in less time than it takes to shout “Lumos”. And we are already anticipating the day when we will have to leave its bewitching world after having completed its plot. 

• Hogwarts Legacy ★★★★☆

Now available on PS5 and Xbox Series. The game will be available for PS4 and Xbox One on April 4, then on Nintendo Switch on July 25.