We are finally back in the wizarding world of Harry Potter after what felt like forever. This time, we're separate from the main storyline as we follow and play as an original character beginning their 5th year school who slowly discovers they’re quite different from their classmates. The way the power this character possesses is explored as the story progresses, and we meet interesting classmates and teachers along our journey of self-discovery.

This game perfectly fulfilled the fantasy of being in a Harry Potter movie. Although the school could have been utilized a lot more, diving into this was nevertheless mystical and magical. It felt as though secrets and mysteries were hidden behind every nook and cranny. The spectacle of this wizarding world was deeply immersive and I just couldn't get enough of it. Sometimes I found myself wandering around without any rhyme or reason (whether it be on foot, on broom, or on mount) and just taking in being in this world. Hogwarts itself also is spectacularly designed and brought to life breathtakingly. Give the team of designers a raise immediately. My only minor complaint is that the school should have been utilized more. The main thing you do there is learn spells by attending classes, and there aren’t too many of those. If there ever is a sequel, I hope more things to do in the school get added in!

Speaking of settings, the world in this game is absolutely gorgeous! There is a level of detail put into it that I can’t help but admire, like how the seasons and weather change and affect the gameplay throughout. The world is so vast and in each environment, there are a variety of activities to do! My favorite one might’ve been broom riding, which was everything I could’ve ever wanted. When I fully upgraded my broom, it felt nearly as satisfying as ticking something off my bucket list! There are also plenty of fast travel spots to utilize, but unless the destination was insanely far, I definitely preferred travelling there manually. When a game succeeds in doing that to a player, it has clearly done an impressive job at immersion. 

Adding to the incredible atmosphere is the fantastic gameplay! You can expand to 4 sets of spells, so while you struggle a little in the beginning with your slim pickings, you learn more spells as you progress. Once you have a decent variety of spells, switching between each set seamlessly is almost empowering as you can feel like the badass you always dreamed of being in this world. Yelling incantations repeatedly has never felt better, especially when you chain-kill enemies with Avada Kedavra. No matter how long you’ve played the game, casting spells in battles never gets old since nostalgia always bursts through your veins.

While the game is a visual delight and a dream come true for Harry Potter fans, the main story itself admittedly falls short. There are some qualities to the narrative: it starts off strong and one mission in the main quest actually blew me away! I did not expect such a turn of events in terms of level design. Otherwise, though, the narrative and main quests are both fairly standard and not anything we haven’t seen before. That being said, the side quests more than make up for this. I strongly urge everyone not to skip them because the quests with your companions rock, especially Sebastian’s! His quests are hands down the best storylines in the game. 

All in all, if you're a Harry Potter lover, dive into this nostalgic triumph and become the wizard you dreamt of being as a kid. Even if your preference is open world games, you should still definitely give this a chance. Whether you wish to merely explore secret passages and caves or fly on a broomstick or meet majestic creatures or simply wave your wand to spells you've memorized since childhood, Hogwarts Legacy allows you to do it all and more! 

9/10