DISCLAIMER:
This review is entirely for my own sake. You are welcome to read it but it may or may not contain spoilers for the whole game.
NOTE: I am completely aware of the controversies surrounding the writer of this series and it is because of this reason and because of my unstable monetary situation that I resorted to piracy to acquire this game and therefore its price won't be a factor in this review. I will limit myself to talking about the game as a piece of media.
Having only been able to play this months after its release on other platforms, I had plenty of preconcieved expectations based on other people's comments and reviews. I basically went in expecting a AAA slop game with a basic Harry Potter skin on it. As it turns out, reality wasn't that far off.
The game does have an open world riddled with collectables, some of them cooler than others. For instance, the Merlin Trials are interesting enough the first few times you see them, but they start to get repetitive after a while, a couple of them try to innovate a bit but they are the minority. The Ancient Magic Hotspots are a good oportunity for some platforming mazes, but most of them can be circumvented once you have the broom. Chests in enemy camps are a good idea, but the rewards are not good enough for anything other completionism or minor aesthetics.
Speaking of aesthetics, The character customization is ok, but what I really appreciate is being able to change the appearance of any equipment without having to sacrifice stats. Upgrading armor is ok in concept, but it using drops from animals you have to farm in real time is not great. It also, feels like you unlock it too late.
The game has a lot of mechanics and they are unlocked slowly over the course of the game and many arrive way too late to be useful or leaving you with no time to enjoy them. Avada Kedavra is only unlocked a couple of missions before the end of the game, for example, which makes some sense since it's very overpowered.
All of the curses are very strong, really. And using them feels like cheating or like activating an easy mode. The rest of the spells were fun, I just wish there was an easier way to switch between all of them or more incentive to do so. Using stealth was too easy and too strong, but satisfying. I also wish there were more utility spells, even if they were just "keys" for "locks" and I also wish there had been more enemy types.
The story was mediocre protagonist is chosen one. Bad guy is evil and racist. He has powers because of a misguided young student from the past. But I did enjoy the characters. The teachers with their personalities and optional backstories were interesting and the classmates and their questlines had fun setpieces and stakes.
Exploring the castle and finding the pages with lore was probably one of my favorite activities as well as decorating the room of requirement even if the controls for it were quite clunky. I made a whole section for plants and potions that I never used becuase I never had the need to get a boost in combat.
Overall, yes. This is a AAA slop game with a Harry Potter skin, but the game is okay enough that if you are a fan of the saga I think it's worth to live through this magical power fantasy at least once. Otherwise, it's okay to skip it.
This review is entirely for my own sake. You are welcome to read it but it may or may not contain spoilers for the whole game.
NOTE: I am completely aware of the controversies surrounding the writer of this series and it is because of this reason and because of my unstable monetary situation that I resorted to piracy to acquire this game and therefore its price won't be a factor in this review. I will limit myself to talking about the game as a piece of media.
Having only been able to play this months after its release on other platforms, I had plenty of preconcieved expectations based on other people's comments and reviews. I basically went in expecting a AAA slop game with a basic Harry Potter skin on it. As it turns out, reality wasn't that far off.
The game does have an open world riddled with collectables, some of them cooler than others. For instance, the Merlin Trials are interesting enough the first few times you see them, but they start to get repetitive after a while, a couple of them try to innovate a bit but they are the minority. The Ancient Magic Hotspots are a good oportunity for some platforming mazes, but most of them can be circumvented once you have the broom. Chests in enemy camps are a good idea, but the rewards are not good enough for anything other completionism or minor aesthetics.
Speaking of aesthetics, The character customization is ok, but what I really appreciate is being able to change the appearance of any equipment without having to sacrifice stats. Upgrading armor is ok in concept, but it using drops from animals you have to farm in real time is not great. It also, feels like you unlock it too late.
The game has a lot of mechanics and they are unlocked slowly over the course of the game and many arrive way too late to be useful or leaving you with no time to enjoy them. Avada Kedavra is only unlocked a couple of missions before the end of the game, for example, which makes some sense since it's very overpowered.
All of the curses are very strong, really. And using them feels like cheating or like activating an easy mode. The rest of the spells were fun, I just wish there was an easier way to switch between all of them or more incentive to do so. Using stealth was too easy and too strong, but satisfying. I also wish there were more utility spells, even if they were just "keys" for "locks" and I also wish there had been more enemy types.
The story was mediocre protagonist is chosen one. Bad guy is evil and racist. He has powers because of a misguided young student from the past. But I did enjoy the characters. The teachers with their personalities and optional backstories were interesting and the classmates and their questlines had fun setpieces and stakes.
Exploring the castle and finding the pages with lore was probably one of my favorite activities as well as decorating the room of requirement even if the controls for it were quite clunky. I made a whole section for plants and potions that I never used becuase I never had the need to get a boost in combat.
Overall, yes. This is a AAA slop game with a Harry Potter skin, but the game is okay enough that if you are a fan of the saga I think it's worth to live through this magical power fantasy at least once. Otherwise, it's okay to skip it.