Success seems to be acquired for Hogwarts Legacy which already has a lot of players, even before its release. Press tests, essential information, gameplay… Here is everything you need to know about Hogwarts Legacy.
[Mis à jour le 9 février 2023 à 17h04] The Harry Potter universe has millions of fans around the world. Whether you read JK Rowling’s books, watched Warner’s films or played the famous Harry Potter games from the early 2000s until the end of 2010, the fate of the scarred young wizard is no stranger to you. It is on this unconditional love for a license that has made us all dream at one time or another that Warner Games and Avalanche Software have built Hogwarts Legacy. The first big-budget open-world RPG game in the history of the franchise is also meeting with monstrous success, having exceeded one million simultaneous spectators and already bringing together more than 500,000 players, 24 hours before its release. We take stock of this event release.
We’re not going to cut corners, Hogwarts Legacy’s score with web video game critics is extremely good. The game culminates at 86/100 on Metacritic on an average of 42 reviews. A score that automatically places it in the category of excellent games, and offers it the highest rated game title in the history of the British franchise. Without placing it at the level of masterpieces of writing or gameplay like Elden Ring or God of War: Ragnarök, editorial staff around the world have rewarded the quality of its production. The environments are beautiful, the combat intense, and the adventures engaging.
For JVC this is the best harry potter game ever made, 18/20 : “What an adventure ! Hogwarts Legacy is definitely the game all Harry Potter fans have been waiting for. Beautiful, lively, exhilarating and surprising, it drips with passion and magic and is a real pleasure to browse. But that’s not all ! With its very good ideas, its world that is just waiting to be explored, its artistic direction to die for and its combat system as addictive as it is magical, it is quite simply an excellent action and adventure game.“
Coast IGN Francethe rating is almost as good, with a very good 8/10 : “The classicism of Hogwarts Legacy is not a huge insurmountable flaw, far from it for a mainstream title. You can find some comfort there. Our rating of 8 is like an average, between a 9 for heavy Harry Potter fans who will revel in the lore and exploration in this beautifully rendered universe. A 7 for those who have already made several games of this type in the past and who do not have much interest in HP sauce (but in this case, you might as well avoid the game altogether).“
International side, IGN even gives him 9/10 : “In almost every aspect, Hogwarts Legacy is the RPG Harry Potter that I had always dreamed of. Its open-world adventure captures all the excitement and wonder of the Wizarding World, not least through its memorable characters and nuanced, challenging combat. The fantasy of becoming a student at Hogwarts is very well realized and will keep us glued to our controller for dozens of hours.”
For DexertoIt is four stars out of five possible. The game is qualified “of a magical and immersive experience that does not disappoint“. The newspaper recognizes the immense quality of the work of Avalanche Software in its world-building and its characters, but deplores some technical problems and a scenario which “falls flat” at times. The gameplay of the game is also extremely appreciated by the editorial staff who consider that Avalanche has built “a magical experience that takes us back to the first day we met Harry Potter and all the emotions that followed.”
What is the release date of Hogwarts Legacy?
Probably the most unmissable event of this beginning of the year, Hogwarts Legacy is planned for the February 10, 2023 (February 7 for Early Access holders). After many postponements, the creation of Avalanche Software and Warner Games has definitely settled on the middle of February, an ideal period for video game releases. Gamers around the world are eagerly waiting to roam the halls and classrooms of Hogwarts, but unfortunately for PS4, Xbox One gamers, the game’s release on older generation consoles has been postponed until April 4, 2023and at July 25 on Nintendo Switch.
You have probably understood by reading the few lines above, Hogwarts Legacy will have two very distinct releases next February; the official release on February 10and the early access release on February 7. Indeed, as is now common in the industry, some players will be able to play Hogwarts Legacy 72 hours before its release, on one condition: pre-order its Deluxe version or its Collector’s version. Since the Collector’s version is highly sought after by collectors, we recommend that you opt for the Deluxe version if you want to play Hogwarts Legacy in early access (only on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series).
Of course, the game has long since confirmed its open-world status, meaning that the player can move around the wizarding world as he pleases. Hogwarts will therefore not be the only point of interest in the game since it also intends to take you to Gringotts, on Diagon Alley and in many places left behind in the books or films. Harry Potter. The game intends by all means to bring the Wizarding World to life, by answering questions posed by fans for a while on some of its inconsistencies or on the fate of other European schools of witchcraft, for example.
Regarding the gameplay sequences presented by Avalanche Software, the game does not hide its graphic ambition, offering breathtaking landscapes and changing environments according to the seasons. One can’t help but notice that the open world of Hogwarts Legacy feels authentic, greatly respecting its time and geographic setting with hamlets and villages straight out of 19th century England and Scotland. The player will have the opportunity to explore this universe at will using different means of transport, such as the first magic broomsticks or a hippogriff.
But that’s not all, Avalanche Software also focused on the nature of the fights, and there is something to comment on these few sequences. The game is based on real-time confrontations that can possibly think of The Witcher 3 combat, without the swords. Your character can use a combination of ranged spells while having the option to dodge enemy attacks. Like Geralt, you will have to adapt your gameplay according to the enemy you encounter. You will also have the opportunity to train in a black magic arena, in order to refine your casting of deadly spells.
You can also customize your character in depth, as well as the Room of Requirement. Indeed, the latter will act in game as a base from which you can plan your various adventures. From the architecture to the various pieces of furniture, this magical little bedroom is totally yours, recreating the feeling of an almost conscious room found in the Harry Potter books. It can accommodate different trophies from your adventures.
Hogwarts Legacy took pleasure in teasing fans by detailing certain elements of its fight. The game will have 26 spells in its arsenal. What offer different builds adaptable to all situations. So no, the game does not come close to Elden Ring in terms of magic, the latter having 170 spells and incantations, but still intends to expand the universe of Wizards and its small fifteen spells revealed in the books and the Harry Potter movies. We will find there the great classics, but also the unforgivable spells that it will be possible to use according to your good will.
Hogwarts Legacy in no way intends to resume or continue the plot of the Harry Potter books and films, but rather to offer us a completely new experience. The game is set at the end of the 19th century, in a wizarding world still quite different from the one presented to us by JK Rowling in her works, and takes you into a story taken directly from the studios of Avalanche Software and Warner Bros Games. . You will play as a young Hogwarts student spotted on the eve of his sixteenth birthday for his affinity with magic. Your first year in the famous Scottish castle will therefore be in the sixth year, and you will be confronted there with all the activities traditionally encountered by a student of Hogwarts; magic and potions lessons, practical activities, Quidditch matches, Hogsmeade outings… But also to mysterious events linked to the goblin revolt that shook the wizarding world during this period.
To cut short in our answer to this legitimate question: no Hogwarts Legacy will not have a multiplayer mode. At least that’s what Warner Bros. claimed. Games and Avalanche Software although many fans have asked for this feature in-game. A completely logical decision when you consider the scale of the game’s technical ambition, in particular its open-world RPG format, which is difficult to adapt to the multiplayer mode.
If you were planning to discover the universe of Hogwarts Legacy on PC, you will still need to arm yourself with a foolproof configuration. To tell the truth, the recommended specifications are of an unprecedented requirement, advising you to have no less than 32 GB of RAM to enjoy the game at 60 fps in 1440p, and no less than an RTX 3090Ti (1300 € each). same) if you want to reach 60 fps in 4K. What to blush Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring and honestly all the games ever released to date.
Minimum: 720p / 30fps
- Intel Core i5 6600 (3.3 GHz) or AMD Ryzen 5 1400
- 16 GB RAM
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 or AMD Radeon RX 470
Recommended: 1080p / 60 fps
- Intel Core i7 8700 (3.2 GHz) or AMD Ryzen 5 3600
- 16 GB RAM
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 5700
Ultra: 1440p / 60fps
- Intel Core i7 10700K (3.80 GHz) or AMD Ryzen 5 5800
- 32 GB RAM
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080Ti or AMD Radeon RX 6800
Ultra 4K: 4K / 60fps
- Intel Core i7 10700K (3.80 GHz) or AMD Ryzen 5 5800
- 32 GB RAM
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090Ti or AMD Radeon RX 7900
As is often the case with new triple A releases, Hogwarts Legacy will be available in 3 editions upon release. The Standard Edition includes the base game as well as some cosmetics if you skip the pre-order step, the Deluxe Edition includes a cosmetic pack of black magic, as well as access to the game 72 hours before its release (only for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series players), and Playstation players will be able to enjoy a quest exclusive to their in-game platform. , a Steelbook, and other cosmetic perks.