WB Games have recently invited a number of YouTubers out to their studio in London in order to test their game. This has meant a number of content creators have been able to create new videos with actual gameplay and thoughts of how the game runs and plays, as well as some additional information.
During the playthroughs, many of the content creators were allowed to roam the world, play some side missions and interact with the characters. Honestly, I think it looks incredible. A lot of people have spoken about the hype surrounding the game and whether it will live up to it and although we cannot fully say just based off some gameplay, it’s definitely increased the hype, at least for me. The open world looks sensational with plenty of opportunities for combat and looting, as well as interaction with various characters. Let’s look at what we learned from these videos:
Swimming
Cool, right? We hadn’t actually seen any footage of this but you can swim across from islands if really necessary. Although there isn’t much to it and not much underwater exploration, the fact the ability is there if you would like to utilise it is great and adds to the game.
Spells & Combat
In a video from AndyReloads, he shows us the spells available and although it’s not revealed whether this is every spell, the likelihood of it being the full list is pretty much certain as he explains in the video:
There is also the spell, Revelio, which will essentially find any hidden chests or items for you around the world and I imagine will be one of the most used spells during playthroughs of Hogwarts Legacy, since you will want to ensure you don’t miss out on anything in the game. As well as this, you will need to use the Incendio and Leviosa spells as these will all be used to interact with elements around the world in order to gain scrolls and various other items.
The combat looks great overall. As explained in the video, he found the combat “fun” and “challenging”, rather than it being simply repetitive and boring. From the multiple content I have seen from creators, I feel the same. The combat looks fun and different for each battle you take part in and I am sure will become more exciting as you unlock new spells and become more powerful.
During the video, Andy speaks about how there is an option to be stealth and although the game isn’t a “stealth” game, it can be used to avoid enemies and essentially assassinate them when needed using petrificus totallus. It is echoed however that this game isn’t for those just looking to creep up on enemies and take them out, like you may do in Dishonored.
The above shows the unlocking mechanic which will be used to unlock doors and chests during the game. Similar to other RPGs, it involves almost like a lockpick system which involves a little bit of guess work, as well as luck to crack the code. This will be done using your spell, Alohamora.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get too much else regarding the spells as WB Games have not allowed creators to reveal the name of all the spells however that makes the unknown a bit more exciting.
Customisation
The customisation in the game was as expected. Unfortunately, as confirmed previously, you cannot change wand or house within the game after picking it initially however there is plenty of other things you can alter. You are able to amend your gear wherever you are in the world. There is no having to fast travel or move around the world in order to change what you are wearing. You can simply pause and click gear then change your appearance. As expected, different items around the world will give you various bonuses and these can be upgraded to, for example, “reduce the damage from dark wizards”.
Items will be upgraded similar to how other open-world RPGs do it, which is by collecting items around the world and then using these to upgrade your items to a particular point. For example, you can use fur that is collected to upgrade the bonuses available on your clothes. You may also collect unidentified items, which can be identified once you get back to your Room of Requirements. These will then show bonuses and stats.
The above shows the first window you will have when creating your character. There is quite a few different hairstyles you are able to have, as well as customising the colour and so on. You can even go as far as customising scars, moles, complexion and shape of your eyebrows! So it’s fair to say the character customisation isn’t lacking. In addition, it will then give you the option of changing your tone and the pitch of your voice, to further suit exactly how you want your character.
Open World
The open world seems a lot more immersive than we first thought. The grounds of Hogwarts are filled with students having their own conversations, casting their own spells (at the expense of others) and some who can be interacted with and will often provide you with quests in order to progress through the game. The game includes endless amounts of exploration. There are several mysteries and puzzles located around the map, which is where your spells will come into play in order to identify those.
The Hogwarts castle looks and seems to feel exactly as you would expect it to be. People casting spells and the beautiful decor is just half of what you will find. There are plenty of little passages and places to explore and feel free to hop on your broom and explore every last inch of what Hogwarts has to offer. One thing which completely blew my mind was the audio within the game. Every single place you explore in Hogwarts will have audio to match and gives you that truely immersive wizard feeling. The design team behind this game has done an incredible job.
If you get bored of exploring Hogwarts, which I know will take some time, then there are plenty of camps and parts of the world to explore which will have various combat scenarios to take part in, as well as loot to take. As part of one of the side missions, you will have to explore a camp and use one of your spells to identify various loot, as well as taking out various Dark Wizards.
Missions
As mentioned previously, as part of one of the missions which content creators could play, you were set on a mission with Poppy Sweeting to work together and find some Dark Wizards. This was only a side quest however involved various use of spells, including the stealth spells in order to take down enemies unnoticed. If that doesn’t sound like you, then don’t worry, as you can also go in “spells” blazing if you really want to. As the mission went on, you found out the Dark Wizards were in control of several dragons and using them for an arena battle for entertainment. After going in quietly and taking a dragon egg for yourself, you had to defeat several Dark Wizards in order to free the dragon. I mean, if this is how most of the games side quests will play out, then we could have a game on our hands.
The overall setup of the mission seemed pretty fun and hopefully this is a common thing within the game as if you’re like myself, I like to take on all of the side missions, as well as the main story missions. I do think the dialogue seemed a bit repetitive at times however it’s a side mission and often you find the real work goes into the story.
Summary
Overall, Hogwarts Legacy is looking increasingly promising. You can see the dedication and commitment from the devs and how much they care for this game. I instantly feel like the game gives you the immersive Harry Potter feeling everyone is hoping to feel and the amount of features will leave you with endless amounts of entertainment. I’d like to put huge credit to Hollow and AndyReloads for the gameplay videos as there is where the idea of this piece came from.
