In recent months, I’ve been slowly working my way through Hogwarts Legacy.  I got the game on sale on the Switch because, ironically enough, it has more hard drive space left than my PS4 does (taking into consideration the fact that Switch games tend to have far smaller file sizes).  Ever since my parents bought a Nintendo 64 for Christmas, video games have been a daily part of my life…until adulthood got in the way.  I finally decided it was time to bring back old habits, and with a little maneuvering, my schedule opened up to make room for some good ol’ gamin’ time!  Long story short, I thought I’d write a bit about my recent experiences with this massive Harry Potter RPG. 

Starting out, we were tasked with creating our character.  I’ve never been the type to make a character that resembles myself, but this time, I decided I wanted to see myself in the world of Harry Potter.  At least, as close as the customization would allow.  I played through the opening, and I found myself getting sorted into…Hufflepuff.  I guess you could change the Sorting Hat’s decision, but I just settled for what I was dealt.  (At least it’s not Slytherin.)  Although I was told to take a few classes, I spent the next hour or so just exploring Hogwarts.  It’s crazy how far we’ve come, considering how much smaller and less detailed Hogwarts was in the Chamber of Secrets game I used to play on my GameCube.  Now this is the Hogwarts I always longed to visit, even if only virtually! 

I did finally attend my first set of classes like a good student, visited Hogsmeade for some supplies, and soon enough, I was finally able to explore the world at large.  One thing I really love about this game is the immense freedom it gives you.  A bit like Breath of the Wild, I could go pretty much anywhere I wanted, and I started by following the train tracks north.  I found some Nifflers, fought some poachers, and found the town of Upper Hogsfield, though it seemed that heading any further north at my current level was ill-advised.

At first, I was just content to explore.  At one point, I even saw the kraken peek out a few tentacles from the surface of the lake surrounding Hogwarts.  Eventually, I decided I better get the broom for easier travel, along with access to the Room of Requirement so that I could grow my own plants and forgo the need to purchase mallowsweet or dittany or whatnot.

I eventually grew tired of constantly encountering locked doors, but luckily, it didn’t take long to access the quest that awards us alohomora, the spell that unlocks, well, locks.  In order to level up the spell, however, you need to find demiguise statues, which can be found in Hogwarts and every town.  Every town but Hogsmeade has just one, but it’s pretty easy to find, so I made it my mission to fly to every town and locate that statue.  At three towns left, I found that part of the map was separated from the rest by a mountain that I conveniently can’t fly over.  After a bit of searching, I managed to find a mine that led right through the mountain.

Long story short, I have alohomora level 3, and my newest mission is to collect beasts for my vivarium.  After collecting the three required creatures, I managed to also capture a thestral I had found in a bog north of Upper Hogsfield.  My next mission is to unlock more vivariums so I have room for even more lovely magical creatures.  And that’s where my adventure comes to an end…for now.  While the game’s main story is rather long-winded and not terribly interesting to me, I’m having a really fun time exploring and just enjoying the beautiful and charming world of Harry Potter.  That more than makes up for all the dialogue!

Image from Hogwarts Legacy Steam page