It is an absolutely spectacular re-creation of the Potterverse and that is all that matters.
Meh, there are some good bits but it is basically an underwhelming fantasy RPG.
You will never see me playing this game because of author J. K. Rowling’s comments about transgender people.
And there you have it: choose your option. It certainly seems as if the vast majority of the millions of people who have written or commented about the most anticipated game of the year fall into one of the three camps.
This is not necessarily a good thing, you understand. Games with depth and nuance and surprises can provoke dozens of unique reactions.
That Hogwarts Legacy does not is, I am afraid, a bit of an indictment on the developers of a title that could have been something special but instead is, well ... did someone say "meh"?
Before the Potterheads start preparing to cast one of the unforgiveable curses on the reviewer, let me say some nice things.
This is mostly a fun game, a very pleasant way for gamers of all ages to continue their love affair with all things Harry Potter and Hogwarts and wands and wingardium leviosaahhhhh.
You do not control your beloved Harry, or your less-beloved Draco. Instead, rather oddly, you are parachuted into the gown of a fifth-year pupil just starting at Hogwarts — yep, that is really weird — in the late 1800s, a century before philosopher’s stones and prisoners of Azkaban.
Your character — in my case, Hayden Meiklus, just to make him sound vaguely Hogwartsy — quickly gets put into one of the four houses after donning the Sorting Hat (Ravenclaw for life!), learns some handy magic, meets a bunch of classmates, professors and assorted other folk, and learns about some stuff that here shall remain completely spoiler-free.
Immediately, you receive a thrill at simply being at Hogwarts. And it is spectacular.
The castle just looks beautiful, inside and out. The corridors, the courtyards, the classrooms, the secret doors, the moving pictures — and it goes on and on, and you feel like that little kid exploring an amazing fantasy world.
The common rooms of the houses have unique features, and you can build a personalised living space in the room of requirement. And, of course, when you feel like a change or need to browse the shops, nearby village Hogsmeade has everything you need.
So, as I say, it all looks amazing. Under the hood, though ... well, it leaves a little to be desired.
The storyline is not massively engaging and the gameplay is strangely mediocre.
Yes, there is initial excitement at learning spells — though the process appears to be aimed at gamers aged about 3 — and brewing potions and mastering combat abilities.
But in practice, what eventuates is a long game of "follow these very bright marker points to point A" and "spam the right trigger to fire a bolt from your wand because it’s quicker and more effective than most of the spells". And I think we all expected more than that.
There are loads of quests, of course. Plenty of conversations to be had. But they get very familiar after a while.
And, while the castle is just so wonderfully presented, the character models are a little average, as if they were done first then parked, and the game has regular (if minor) technical issues.
Hogwarts Legacy has been six years in development, and honestly, while the game is absolutely fine and in fact really cool in parts, as a total package it does not reach the heights we had hoped.
But then, what do I know? It sold more than 12 million copies in two weeks after launch.
There is clearly still something magical about the world of Potter.
