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One of the most anticipated (and controversial) releases of 2023 is already set to be Hogwarts Legacy. Designed as a chance for gamers to explore a fantasy world that's been firmly rooted in the public consciousness for over 25 years, the game -- by Avalanche Games and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment -- works best when it leans into that element. A quick-to-learn game that works best once a full sense of exploration sets in, Hogwarts Legacy is a fun experience that is largely successful in its attempts to fully immerse players in its famous magical world.
Taking place roughly a century before the events of the Harry Potter series, Hogwarts Legacy focuses on the player character, a new student attending Hogwarts for the first time, despite already being technically old enough to count as a fifth-year. But on top of being introduced to the titular magical school and its expansive surrounding area, players are also privy to a mysterious force at work behind the scenes. It turns out their innate understanding of a mysterious form of ancient magic -- that may be tied to the earliest days of the school -- drags them into all sorts of intrigue.
At the heart of Hogwarts Legacy is a sense of adventure and exploration that benefits the title, with players uncovering a truly massive map over the course of the game. Hogwarts Legacy extends far beyond the titular institution. Small nearby towns, as well as the larger location of Hogsmeade, serve as safe zones within a larger world. By contrast, players can find plenty of dangers lurking throughout the woods and within various cave systems, revealing plenty of dark wizards, furious goblins, or carnivorous creatures to discover.
It's that sense of expedition and discovery that Hogwarts Legacy best accomplishes, as a few hours of build-up lead to the players being given a certain amount of freedom to just explore -- confronting enemies, finding lost challenges, and generally just stepping into a world of magic that easily shifts between whimsy and danger. For those who grew up with the series and its world-building, it's a fun expansion chance to explore the expanded world.
The gameplay works well to accommodate all that, with an increasing number of spells making such treks into the Forbidden Forest and beyond easier. Even when the (truly massive) world map is fully revealed to be filled with locations and challenges, it feels less like a chore list and more like an invitation. Side missions are treated as odd jobs and fun excursions into the depths of the world. Spells are easy to pick up and surprisingly adaptable, although some (perhaps most notably Accio and Revelio) will become frequent tools. The game's control scheme is simple and intuitive enough that players will be able to pick it up quickly, but added mechanics like combos, potions, ancient magic, and weaponized surroundings add depth to the combat in a way that makes the often wild (but fairly easy) conflicts more individualized.
The larger cast of Hogwarts Legacy comes into play in multiple ways, from the teachers who assign minor tasks before introducing new spells to fellow students who fill the halls, whose personalities and personal goals often serve as the bedrock for new side-quests. The interactions with the other students work slightly better than with the teachers, giving the story a bit of personality (even if the characters, at least for the first chunk of the game's story, remain relatively standard in their characterization).
Within the school itself, plenty of students can be seen walking the halls and milling about, albeit often in a fairly static way. While the world itself is rendered incredibly well, it can occasionally feel a little too empty. But when the game is firing on all cylinders, those minor distractions get left behind in the face of massive creatures, beautiful scenery, and fun challenges.
For good and for ill alike, Hogwarts Legacy feels like the ultimate chance to explore and tour the Wizarding World from the ground up. In its best moments, it's reminiscent of something like Elden Ring or The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, inviting players to just go and explore a larger world, discovering who they want to be and learning more about the setting in the process. Even when the game slows down, it feels like a fun, open-ended tour through a well-constructed fantasy world, where the solid gameplay and impressive overall graphics do wonders to immerse players into the world. While it may have a few shaggy edges, Hogwarts Legacy is a very solid gaming experience, especially for those who always wanted the chance to explore the Wizarding World.