Hogwarts Legacy hands-on preview: an open world RPG by fans, for fans

It’s fair to say Hogwarts Legacy is the game Harry Potter fans have been waiting for their entire lives.

Trailers and pre-launch hype have promised we’ll have the chance to attend Hogwarts and carve out our very own story our way. We’ve heard tell of a massive open world, multiple classes, tons of side content, and a story that plays out differently depending on the choices you make.

What I’ll say now is that it’s hard to convey that level of freedom in a hands-on preview that runs for less than two hours. Having finally spent some time with Hogwarts Legacy, I can say there’s definitely a certain magic there… but there are some caveats.

Let’s start with the game’s character creator, which is just as robust and free from gender restrictions as the developer had previously promised. You can be whoever you want to be, although I will say the male-presenting voice option sounds alarmingly like Daniel Radcliffe for a game that’s trying to move away from Harry Potter.

A brief (but surprisingly brutal) prologue immediately assures fans that Avalanche Software knows its Harry Potter lore. I can't say much at all about it, but you're thrown into the deep end of wizarding lore and should be immediately at home if you know your Hippogriffs from your Hinkypunks.

The grounds of Hogwarts itself are everything you’d hoped they’d be. This is a brilliant looking game, and the developers stress they spent years planning out the castle alone, making sure it’s full of secret corridors and secrets to discover. I’d love to tell you how true that is, but my preview was very much restricted to one floor and a handful of rooms. What I did see was stunning. A gorgeous entryway with a living stone fountain welcomed me in, with a large stone archway that descended into a stunning Herbology room filled with strange plants and colourful wildlife.

I was also allowed a quick peek in the library, a grand space filled with flying books and ancient wizards looking down imperiously from their paintings (of course the paintings move). Oh, and I strolled down one corridor and saw Peeves the poltergeist leap out of a wall and harass the nearest student. A random event that gives the school a little more life, I’m told.

I understand the Hogwarts Legacy team not wanting us to see too much of the school in the preview, of course, but with so many corridors and stairways leading off in all manner of tantalising directions, it was a shame not to be able to fully explore properly. What I saw was excellent… but it was very much a strictly guided tour. Surely the antithesis of what the game is about?

This same approach went for the school grounds. We were allowed to explore the immediate area around the castle - including the Quidditch pitch and lake house - but anything beyond was strictly off limits. Again, I can’t help but feel it’s an odd choice to so heavily limit what we were allowed to do and see in a game that’s supposed to be all about freedom.

What I will say is that being able to leap on my broomstick (a seamless action that can be performed with a single button press) and fly up to get a birds-eye view of the castle was pretty breathtaking. The actual act of flying also couldn’t be simpler. It controls beautifully, which is honestly something I was dreading. How many open-world games have been let down because their vehicles control like crap? I’m looking at you, Watch Dogs.

We also weren’t really able to fully test out the game’s RPG mechanics during the brief slice of gameplay we were offered. Learning new skills and becoming a better witch or wizard is all tied to completing quests and attending classes, which makes sense given that this is a game all about going to school. But getting a feel for how well this approach works is, understandably, something we weren’t able to do in just under two hours. However, we were able to get a good feel for the game’s combat, which I’ll admit plays much better than I thought it would from previous gameplay clips.

The best way to describe Hogwarts Legacy combat is long-range melee. Your wand has a standard attack spell that can be used by pressing the right trigger, and it’s essentially a flurry of sword strikes. Things get more complicated as enemies introduce their own curses and counter-curses. Some attacks can only be dodged by rolling out of the way, while some can only be blocked by throwing up a magical shield.

Combat can be pretty chaotic, but certainly not too hard to get the hang of. And if you’re not a massive gamer but you are looking to enjoy a Harry Potter game, you’ll be glad to know the Story Mode difficulty couldn’t make combat any easier. Button prompts appear to tell you if you need to dodge or block to avoid attacks, and enemies will of course deal out much less damage.

I also enjoyed the extra-powerful finishing moves I was able to deal out after I’d done a certain amount of damage. Pressing L1 and R1 together triggered a pretty crunchy attack that let me slam my opponent around like a ragdoll. Who needs Avada Kedavra when you can just break every bone in their body?

If all-out action isn’t for you, you can also approach a lot of situations stealthily. You can make use of a certain spell to make yourself semi-invisible, although you can still be caught if you make too much noise or stand right in front of an enemy for too long. But sneak well enough and you can get right behind enemies to perform an instant takedown, completely paralysing them with Petrificus Totalus. I will say I didn’t feel great about the one guy that turned completely rigid and toppled off the edge of the cliff we were standing on. I also accidentally turned one fella into a chicken. I can only assume he’s started a new life in the forest.

Is Hogwarts Legacy the game you’ve been waiting for? I honestly haven’t played enough to say for sure. Early signs point to yes, though. If the game’s open world and RPG mechanics can deliver, and if the game’s combat can continue to evolve and grow as the game progresses, then I think Harry Potter fans have something quite special to look forward to.