Hogwarts Legacy | An Honest Review

[@Th3Birdman]

Thanks for watching my review of Hogwarts Legacy. Yes, I was made aware of the controversy surrounding this game. No, I do **not** care about it. As always, we don't do politics on this channel. Yes, that includes the politics *you* like. This is not a Bread-Tube channel, nor is it a right wing mouthpiece where we dunk on those on "the Left". You will not find that kind of stuff here, and I don't allow it here either. That means if you have a problem with people playing (or not playing) this game, keep it to yourself, because nobody here cares. The first warning is free My full playthrough of this game: kzbin.info/aero/PLkbODR_gyOj9hHwN7HOpm-uLdgPpggCWH Twitter: twitter.com/Th3birdman15 Instagram: instagram.com/Th3Birdman15/ Discord Invite Code: nQZRn5m Subreddit: reddit.com/r/Th3Birdman Facebook: facebook.com/Th3Birdman15

[@senpaishade]

Well said 👏

[@zaksharman]

People who say they're apolitical always lean in one very certain way?

[@John-Doe-Yo]

@@zaksharmanshhh

[@Th3Birdman]

@bird of the abyss Thought about it, but 6 doesn't neatly divide into 100, and most games don't warrant the topic in the first place, meaning most games will receive a less than perfect score simply because their audio and sound design are normal/ par. This game's audio was really good, as I LOVE the music. All of the music you hear in this video is from the game's soundtrack. Only negative was my character's voice lol

[@Fresh4]

@@Th3Birdman audio could have a score out of 5, and another existing category that may not fully warrant 20% weight could be taken to 15, but it's not as neat/even. I think graphics could be out of 15.

[@garrettwhite5943]

I never really felt like a student. More like a guest teacher or something because there's no curfew at night, the Forbidden Forest is just a forest. And the killing curse just gets you side-eyed. Still fun though. 7/10

[@garrettwhite5943]

@@Jake-nl3er Students at Hogwarts do in the books and the films. The Wizarding school system isn't the UK school system lol

[@shl6367]

Datamine showed that curfew was a feature that was later scrapped

[@DrDoompenguin]

I haven't progressed very far in the story yet. So far the gameplay loop for me has basically been "Explore the map and ignore the story". To put it in perspective just how much I have done this, I have explored half the map and am level 27. I only just got my first broom. Having said that, it's good to hear that the story is also really good so I look forward to engaging with that when I get there.

[@Th3Birdman]

Haha holy shit!

[@Xoulrath_]

The leveling system in the game rewards you for actually just enjoying the world, as opposed to grinding enemy kills. I had the entire map explored and most side missions done before I bothered to do the last few missions to wrap up the main story. I was level 39 when I beat the game.

[@MephiticMiasma]

I've seen a mod out there that adds the facial hair, so you're obviously not alone in that.

[@Wynnie1121]

While I'm trans with a Jewish girlfriend and I don't personally agree with this game or anything like that, I can appreciate an honest review.

[@Wynnie1121]

@@PanzerShrek94 nah trans and non binary Jewish partner is where it ends

[@scottgust9709]

Thanks for the great review...so many other reviewers were apathetic, boring twits whining about how its a generally boring game that doesnt have multiplayer....I feel sorry for those pathetic fools, Hogwarts is easily one of my fav games :)

[@Wheelchair_Gamer]

I think the whole thing with the killing curse being unforgivable is that other spells CAN kill while it DOES kill. it's literally its effect. Other spells were created for other reasons and uses while it only has a single purpose. It's why Harry surviving it was so amazing to the wizarding world. Because it's the one time the spell failed to complete it's purpose. At least that's how I interperate it.

[@BRJuker04]

I think you've got it right. Although one could easily kill another wizard with the likes of fire spells or even levitating them off a cliff, the killing curse is made only for that. You can levitate someone with the killing curse, nor start a fire with the killing curse, only kill. Even in a self defense scenario, a wizard would have a multitude of options to protect themselves such as Stupify or even Petrificus Totalus, so killing should never be the only option, and opting to deliberately do so is unforgivable.

[@MIKUIEL]

It failed twice I think which is crazy plot armor

[@Wheelchair_Gamer]

@@MIKUIEL I meant pryer to the 2nd wizarding war, but you're right.

[@XManium]

The thing that separates the killing curse from spells that kill, is that there is no way to defend yourself against the killing curse. There is no counter charm. No lawful society would want that kind of power out in the public.

[@aqueousvessel8]

Plus the unforgivables can only be cast while experiencing almost objectively negative emotions. The killing curse can only be cast if you want to really kill someone. The torture curse can only be cast if you want to cause someone unbelievable pain. You need to hate someone to cast these curses. I don't really feel like I need to explain imperio. Bellatrix even scolds Harry about how he didn't hate her enough to truly use the torture curse on her after she killed Sirius in OotP.

[@troymartin4260]

I loved the game but my biggest complaints are: 1: The game plays loose with the rules of hogwarts. On certain missions it tells you that you can't be outside your dorm at night and you fail if you are caught but after the mission you can roam at night all you want 2: you don't automatically get challenge rewards. You have to go to the challenge menu, find what you unlocked and claim it. 3: There are 95 freaking Merlin trials!!

[@wariolandgoldpiramid]

yeah, a sim curfew system was probably a scrapped mechanic,

[@troymartin4260]

@wariolandgoldpiramid I can kind of understand. Having to avoid detection to hunt for those collectibles you can only get at night would get annoying

[@FrarmerFrank]

1) Between the "mark" and the field guide they know where you are all the time and are giving you leadway because the Goblins and Dark Wizards are after you and you are left to find out why in your free time 2)seen to many streamers forget to claim their rewards,Item slots,and skill points😹 3) for 48? Item Slots as a reward though wearing the close with the best offense/defense bonus,hovering over item slot to change it look to any item look in it category you collected then quick traveling to sell the rest(why would you keep a downgrade?) means is its treasure collection spots separate from potions,plants,collections,seeds,recipes,etc........the gear storage being updatable and PCs field guide disappearing under the arm suggests a type of Wizard storage spell as your PC has no Physical backpack(its called "deep pockets" in D&D, not sure what its called when Charles wand disappears at his waist area in first memory )

[@incurabletrickster1191]

@@troymartin4260 then maybe scrap the collectibles? The game was advertised as an RPG where your choices matter and you can choose to be the witch/wizard you want to be. Instead your choices didn't matter at all and the game ended up being one big tedious collectathon.

[@AnyFlowers.]

Story wise, the biggest weakness of the game is its antagonists. Is unfair to compare them to Voldemort because he had seven books to be developed as a character and villian, but still. The only moment when we learn about the why for Ranrok doing what he’s doing is during a side mission through dialogue with a character that heard the story. We didn’t even got a flashback. And Rockwood, for me at least, felt like he was just there, and his boss battle lacked pizzazz.

[@RespectedGamer72]

SPOILER: I think the real villain in the game was Isadora Morganach. Ranrok and Rookwood were both after her "illegal" magic, but she's the one that created it in the first place, and dragged the goblins into it by using their metal to contain it, which means the goblins would of course come to claim it, since they have strict ownership rules with goblin-made metals.

[@justinwan3173]

i was a bit overleveled when i went into his fight, but dialogue wish it didn't feel like it was suppose to be a 'final battle' with him, legit when I killed him I went, "Am I close to the ending?" because it felt so anticlimatic at that point with his story

[@abihamati1458]

Omg thank you for mentioning Lodgok's performance! I think you're the first to mention it! The story he tells the player about how he met Miriam genuinely moved me. The scene was so well constructed and the way the VA portrayed regret, surprise, and sadness in that scene was phenomenal.

[@AlphaOmega08922]

*Spoilers below* Oh my god, I didn't expect to end up actually caring about a goblin in this game. Goblins have never been one of my favorite creatures, they always seemed more like props than characters to me, at least until Griphook in TDH, and even then, he wasn't an especially great character in my opinion. So imagine my surprise when Lodgok comes around, and even just his intonations as he tells the story... Not even the words he's saying, but his VOICE as he says them moved me half to tears. The catch in his throat as he mentions his surprise at having her ask him to sit next to her, at politely asking for his help. It's such a small thing, but it made him one of the best characters in the game for me, and I actually cried a little when he died.

[@starklord25]

No lie I was hesitant about this game but when it was about to launch I decided I should try it out and I honestly love it for it's simplicity. It's a feel good game that lets you envelop the world and just have fun playing, over stressful quests. I wish we had better interactions but for Harry Potter/wizarding world games this definitely is a peak!

[@cosmo8720]

I have to say, we need more videos like this in your channel. Did it Suck, Let's Talk, and Honset Reviews are so well done and edited unlike other reviews I watched.

[@RunninBackchic44]

I've used so many unforgivable curses in this game, I would be locked under Azkaban 😂

[@Taz.K]

1:50 that’s just a fact. I had a guy in my school who, at 10th grade, had a full on beard!

[@luigiboi4244]

I almost constantly have to shave my face, and I’m 18. Wait a minute…

[@pookaverse]

goddamn

[@Taz.K]

@@luigiboi4244 I’m 19 and had a mustache already in 6th grade lol. I also would need to shave my face everyday if I want to look clean. It takes only 2 weeks for me to grow a very noticeable beard

[@johnce6853]

We all agree it is a good game, my highlights are the castle and the creatures, but i have my complains too, it was expected to fullfill the feeeling of going to hogwarts as a students but to be honest i felt more like an spectator or a guest, because there is no rules to what you can or cannot do, if you wander at night there is no problem, or stealing, or not using the uniform or the killing curses, or the restricted areas, also you are alone all the time, and go to class when you feel like it, to and i think the common rooms of each house you only see them like a couple times because you really dont need to go, i think your room should have more emotional impact at the end, on top of all this, you are out there all the time doing the hard work but nobody acknowlegde that you saved the wizard world aand kill more goblins and poachers than anyone in history, it sounds like i didnt enjoy it but i did haha

[@xx-wp3mq]

I'm really hoping the sequel fixes this

[@darnellleake405]

I've never been into Harry Potter. Always felt like I was a little old for it but I did enjoy the last 2 movie. Bought this game for my wife and kids and I'm loving it. I play more than them.

[@Palmer132]

Personally, as a Trans person, I don’t think there’s any issue with people playing it. While JK may receive royalties, she didn’t make this game, and there are most likely plenty of people who worked on this game who aren’t horrible. Just like how the movies were made by other people aswell, this game was too.

[@piplup10203854]

The thing that makes me most glad about this game is the development time and team. It was full of super fans and there has been a love for Harry Potter games for decades it was just a matter of time when super fans could develop the skills they envisioned and dreamed about through every iteration of the games before this one so it’s like you said it’s almost as if the world was envisioned as a game from the start it’s probably not too far off a thought considering how fantasy even exists in the world today thanks to those who take inspiration from every form they can see before them 🥹 my complaints about the game is also very similar. The amount of things that break immersion suck like when I did the summoners court matches and Samantha Dale says she thought she could beat us because she saw us struggle against natty but in my playthrough I got perfect scores on every summoners court section so I was completely thrown off like what do you mean i literally never struggled with it so things like that are just one of the issues and incidents of that.

[@peateargryfin844]

A review of Hogarts Legacy that doesn't either spend the whole thing ripping apart JK Rowling before giving it -100/10 or spend the first half apologizing for liking the game? Say it ain't so.

[@mattb5222]

great review. I absolutely love this game. i just finished my first playthrough of the main story (still need to complete my field guide and some side quests though so not totally complete), but im eager to do a playthrough in each house and use different responses during quests to make myself feel like a different sort of wizard even though i know how things play out in the end

[@clarimm6675]

Regarding the "suggested spell section of the quest log": Once you reach an area and see whether the enemies are ashwinders, trolls or whatever, you can check your enemy collection and it'll give you hints about most effective spells. This was such a nice and honest review! Maybe not completely unbiased, but I actually prefer watching HP fans because I love seeing people being happy that the source material was so well implemented into the game

[@greendemon905]

I REALLY hope this game performs well on Switch, cause I want it SO BAD!

[@lloyd8499]

Same here, but with how many PS4/XBOX1-era games are also on the Switch, it may be of a lowered quality when you compare it to PC/PS4/etc., but I think it'll still be good when it gets ported later this year.

[@rolfhenning8793]

Wow, I enjoyed this video very much because it gave me some different perspective. As a long time major Harry Potter nerd I have to say I was rather dissatisfied with the game. It’s interesting that two people who come from the same place when starting the game can come off with so different views.

[@Evanz111]

Was excited to see you cover this! On the topic of magic games: you ever consider reviewing Forspoken? I’m of the strong belief that it’s incredibly underrated. It’s a flawed game for sure, but has the same kind of broken charm that Dragon’s Dogma does. Including some of the greatest magical combat in any game I’ve played, towards mid to end game. Keep up the great work! Love how in depth you go with these

[@Th3Birdman]

I haven't played it yet, and after that demo, it looked underwhelming, so I skipped it 😅 Glad to see you enjoyed it though!

[@RakdosMC]

Lmao

[@jamiebards3338]

The Shaun of the dead line got me. ‘Scribed and liked. I’m a simple man.

[@curie1420]

good fun game, terrible optimization and performance 7/10

[@matthewcarroll2533]

This was an excellent review without being bloated with excess information - thank you very much for the hard work! Honestly surprised I haven't stumbled across your channel sooner and you've definitely earned the sub my man.

[@Th3Birdman]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@destructo-pizzatv2263]

Day 151 of telling th3birdman I appreciate his content

[@drangbone6062]

Same

[@davidvila5053]

Yes it has flaws and things that could be improved but it's one of the best immersive videogames experiences I ever had, and specially if you like the magic world. The atmosphere, graphics and soundtrack are top notch. The first time I flew over Hogwarts precisely with the song "Soaring over Hogwarts" was and will be one of the best moments in my gaming life experiences.

[@mellow3995]

I didn't play this game cuz my PC is bad and I hate playing consoles but everyone else in my family did, including my mum who is far from an avid gamer. She loved it, my siblings loved it, this game is fill of detail and love for the book series. I'm grateful for your playthrough birdman so I could see the best highlights of the game. Thanks a lot for streaming it

[@DonDadda45]

You must have a Nasa PC the way you talk about the stable framerates. Still haven't really played the game because it's borderline unplayable even on lowest settings. My actual FPS I get is 40-50 which would be fine for me, but it drops to under 20 constantly because of memory issues. All other AAA games I can play just fine at mostly 60FPS

[@Th3Birdman]

Specs: NVIDIA 3090 FE, 10900k, 128 gb RAM. Everything was on Ultra settings with DLSS turned on. Yeah, my PC is powerful, but it's no longer the top of the line. What are your specs???

[@DonDadda45]

@@Th3Birdman gtx1080, 6700k, 16gb ram. I know my specs are outdated by now but it's way above the minimum recs and also I can play most other AAA comfortably on 2k medium/high with the PC. I think the main culprit is the 16GB Ram because this game has like 95% ram usage as soon as I start it. This should absolutely not happen and there is clearly a developing issue there, maybe the anti-crack software. Also if you check up on reddit or other forums, you can see that even people with your kind of specs have many issues regarding FPS for whatever weird reason. I think you kinda should have mentioned it in the review because it's one of the biggest complaints about the game in general.

[@Th3Birdman]

Yeah, your PC should run this game no problem. If the game is heavily RAM dependent, though, 16 might not be enough. I haven't run 16 gigs in forever 😅. Hell, I'm looking into buying a mobo that lets me do 256 or more. That being said, I don't do reviews based on other people's experience. My review is my own, and I can't possibly take into account another player's experience. At that point, it wouldn't be MY review. As you can see, I streamed this game live in front of thousands of people, and you can not only see my settings in the first stream, you can see the kind of performance I got in this game in my 25 hours playing it live. All of this footage was from my rig, and 99% of it was from my live streams. The results speak for themselves. I'll say one last thing. PC gaming is interesting in that we all have different builds and that can cause variance in performance. I know this extremely well, as I have three gaming capable PCs. However, this game is currently on PS5 and XSX, and from what I've heard, they run perfectly fine. So if I were to base my review on other players' experience, at least according to you, I'd have to take those into account, and their experiences line up with my own. I don't really go looking for complaints (that's mainly because I don't read or watch reviews until I've completed my own review) but people in my stream were telling me they had no issues on console. As I was having a pretty smooth experience on PC, my assumption was that the game was well optimized, as I said at 17:20, which was the second stream (about 6 hours into the game)

[@coreydunlap5260]

I really liked hogwarts but I think I was expecting more…..choices don’t matter, the dialogue is pretty bland and generic.

[@michaeldrake798]

Beautiful game and every HP fan loves it. Myself included. My childhood has come alive and I feel complete. Thanks BM!

[@cy-one]

I think there are quite a lot of shortcomings. Especially in the storywriting, gameplay and "story vs gameplay" areas. With the latter I mean such things like the player character being _enthusiastically surprised_ that they've _beaten an ashwinder alone..._ ... on "dead ashwinder #24528." :D What the studio definitely nailed however is the environment and general feeling of immersion. And imho, that's the more important one to nail. They can always become better in other parts for the next game, but it would be hopeless if they didn't "get" the HP world. However, I did have a bit higher an expectation for an RPG in 2023, considering there's literally a crapton of RPG features that Skyrim (which is now over 11 years old) did better.

[@JustinProper]

That's so funny how you mention the star levels from GTA. I really wanted to play this game & just use the one of the curses on an NPC & steal their broomstick, yet there are no opportunities to do that. That's the one area where this open-world, Harry Potter sandbox experience fails.

[@zacaryjohnson4668]

I enjoyed the game but i think it still has 2 major flaws. 1) the story wasn't that engaging to me. not bad just not great. the whole goblin rebellion just felt like an after thought to me. we never really learned ranroks motives so i had a hard time connecting to him as one of the villains. Rookwood also felt like he was just there. no explanation as to why just that he was there. I'm not saying that i don't like the idea of a goblin rebellion story. i just felt like they should've saved it for the next game and focused on the keepers storyline in this one. 2) the open world content reminded me a lot of Ubisoft. the content was split between merlin trials, poacher/goblin camps, popping balloons, and side quests. i have no problems with the first three other that they get very repetitive quick. what i did have a problem with were the side quests. most of them just felt like your typical open world filler quests. they mostly boiled down to getting sent to retrieve someone's lost/stolen item, clear out this cave/camp, or collect a certain amount of an item. I wouldn't say bad just very generic and repetitive. there were still some side quests i enjoyed. the haunted Hogsmeade quest(PlayStation exclusive quest) was one of my favorites. the relationship quests with Poppy, Sebastian, and Natty were great even if Nattys was the weakest of the 3. for me i would give the game a 7/10. a game that im not against playing through again when the inevitable sequel. but will be a while time before I play through it again

[@conradsmith9441]

want a nostalgic game with interesting gameplay play Hogwarts Legacy. Want a game where choices ACTUALLY matter and replayability is practically endless then Play Balders Gate 3. Loving BG3 and just bought Hogwarts Legacy. I think I'm gonna put a lot of hours into these.

[@masteroftheassassins]

This is one of the most fun games I’ve ever played. My fiancée and I are already playing our second playthrough and we’re having so much fun playing in the other Houses.

[@VaultMAN-xn4dv]

One major thing I want in games is life, starfield fallout 3 and new vegas feels bland and the characters feel like lifeless dolls/robots, I love how they did the African accent and how they added real personality to the characters.

[@cendresaphoenix1974]

If I had to describe Hogwarts legacy I would call it childish. The reason the movies were so believable was because it actually felt like a school AKA slightly uncaring teachers that sometimes shined but were more so teachers than magical tourists. Bully is the comparison I'll make here as the techers in bully are actually really awful teachers but that's what most teachers are awful whereas it feels like every class but the potions and history class are fake.

[@unofficial_computer]

shaun of the dead is a good film watch it

[@ragingraichu219]

What would you rate the music score of the game, out of curiosity? I feel like most reviewers leave out the music of a game, even though it can make or break the atmosphere the game is going for.

[@Th3Birdman]

Well, I think the fact I literally only used music from this game's soundtrack in this video speaks volumes...

[@arthurbiniss5432]

It is pretty glorious, mostly original with some tastes of the movie scores sprinkled in.

[@thembanitheone]

Hogwarts is something of an English private school. A lot of those have rules around having facial hair and typically forbid it unless it's for religious or medical reasons

[@Drazil232]

not really an excuse since a) videogames don't have to mimmick reality and b) it's a magical school with completly different rules than a normal english school

[@FranWest.]

It's a Scottish high school (all have to wear a uniform) The MC starts with a uniform, but you don't have to wear it at all if you choose not to. So what's one more rule breaking...LOL

[@AlphaOmega08922]

​@@FranWest. Not to memtion; breaking curfew, entering the Restricted Section without permission, sneaking into the professors' private quarters, going into the Forbidden Forest, leaving school grounds to explore the Scottish highlands, and (what's the other one? OH YEAH!) casting the Unforgivable Curses! At this point, our characters have breaking school rules down to an art form. The Marauders and Golden Trio would be proud. If, you know, we weren't 100 years before any of them, that is...

[@jlinus7251]

I didnt like how the unforgiveables were implimented. Feels like an extremely forgivable spell when literally no one cares that youve used it.

[@VaultMAN-xn4dv]

I’m so glad I found this guy, if I wanna buy a game I’ll just watch a video of him reviewing it

[@andre_601]

I agree on the open world stuff... I don't mind it too much as long as there is a clear path you should take to progress. But if you have to make countless side-quests to get the main story forward, it becomes tedious. Kind of why I dislike MMORPGs and alike, as they are way too open for my taste and why I dislike Zelda Breath of the wild. WAY too many open objectives you can takle and no clear line of progression (outside of the 4 giants you can/should free before fighting the main baddy).

[@vickissv3]

Boarding high schools don’t allow facial hair. Amazing video!

[@voidwhale8062]

This game was phenomenal. Sadly, I didn’t really care for the main story. I found Ranrok to be a boring villain that I feel we never really got to know. He sort of just popped in and said something «evil» or did something bad and went away again. The final bossfight was stunning from a visual point of view, but dragged out and annoying. For me the secondary quests with Nati, Poppy and Sebastian was what made the game so brilliant

[@AlphaOmega08922]

You di get to learn a bit more about him during a side quest (I forget which one), which actually explains why he hates wizards so much. It adds a little bit of nuance to his character, though it doesn't actually change anything. You can't, like, convince him not all wizards are bad, or anything. But it does at least help you understand him a bit more.

[@lerhap3320]

Great review Mr. Bird. Your gaming content is refreshingly great. If I may I would recommend you checking out Elden Ring, your insights on that game would be great to hear. Much love my man.

[@TheYodelingViking]

The way I made my evil Slytherin was someone who hid their evil intentions to those that would cause trouble for them to find out like teachers. Kind of like Voldemort did it. They're evil, but not stupid. I also see it where they appeal to people emotionally is more like just manipulating them.

[@spoofy8804]

Anyone else just completely ignore that gobstones mission 😅

[@barisbal7782]

hello birdman, looking forward to see your shazam 2 review.

[@Verulen22]

Gameplay and World design were amazing, way above my expectations! I found the story a bit bland, but it's fine. One thing that I couldn't get over was how you are forced to be friend with onai and sallow. I played every single quest with sallow trying to make him stop, only for the game to disregard my choices and just nudge him on, albeit slightly reluctantly. It was quite frustrating.

[@Xoulrath_]

That's about as real as it gets, man. You can try your ass off to persuade someone away from a negative situation, but it doesn't amount to anything if they don't want that for themselves. I actually found it refreshing that me selecting a single line of text didn't entirely change Sebastian's conviction for trying to help his sister.

[@TheRustDominatorTN]

I'd like to see more consequences for your actions, don't know why they make you pick a certain choice but doesn't have a effect makes me kinda boo, i love multiple choice ends cause its more realistic and overall cool

[@TheFirstAtom]

Definitely wish we got reprimanded or punished for being evil. Such a missed opportunity, since we can’t really be evil, anyways.

[@kingswellybelly8446]

OK, fine, I'll go complete the game again 🙄😂

[@johnwick8756]

I agree with you on the open world for this game and the castle. When I played GOWR after beating it the amount of grinding it took to get all worlds to 100% was insane. I do recommend everyone doing the demiguise statues quest all the way through as soon as you can to unlock the highest level of alohomora. It will save time later in the game not having to come back to unlock something after you get lvl 2 and 3

[@syncerejames8307]

I been waiting for ur review!!!! I love the game and yes, I’m Slytherin but I still love your opinions and you’re funny as hell, even though you’re a Slytherin hater lol keep up the content plz… and FUCK Cinema sins lol

[@Tillyard86]

It’s really quite remarkable how playing this game for just an hour or so, gives you a more satisfying window into the expansive lore of the Harry Potter universe, than ANYTHING in all three Fantastic Beasts films. As to your point about the unforgivable curses, keep in mind this is set 100 years before the events of the books, that law might not be in place yet.

[@Courier-Six]

I love Harry Potter. One of my most cherished memories is going to see the first film opening night in theaters with my mom as a kid. That being said, while this game is fun in short bursts I have one solid problem with it. The gameplay feels extremely surface level and repetative. Given Portkey games was a mobile developer, it isn't that surprising a lot of quests feel like busy work. Their Hogwarts Mystery game was full of that stuff. What I mean by surface level though is that there are multiple choices like what broom you ride, your wands wood and flexability, and your house. These choices feel like they are going to matter. Like you will have to solve a riddle to get into the Ravenclaw common room only to have the character to know it. The wand could have effected your gameplay. Different wood and core combinations making spells more or less powerful, the flexability make you decide between faster and weaker spells or slower casting spells that will hit like a semi going downhill with no brakes. Even the brooms all feel the same. If they had just made little variations like each one make you choose between what you want like speed, cornering, or more boost, it would have been so much more satisfying working your way up to the best broom instead of buying the one you like the look of. Hell, you can't even go to classes. The one thing most people would want to go to Hogwarts for and the one good thing about Hogwarts Mysteries and they cut it out? So stupid

[@Lupinemancer87]

I personally think Open World games are the future. It makes it so much more fun to traverse when you are not limited in where you can go.

[@Th3Birdman]

Can't be the future if they are the now. Pretty much every game these days is open world. Grand Theft Auto created a monster.

[@zacaryjohnson4668]

@@Th3Birdman i think its more just the ubisoft approach that has become tiresome. if companies took the fromsoftware or rockstar approach to open worlds i dont think we would be complaining as much.

[@christownsend552]

Thank you for an honest review birdman

[@Ro-Ghost]

[Insert meaningful message here]

[@Drazil232]

Am so happy to see someone agree that Open World Games are a disease, lol. Am honestly sick of devs using open worlds to create an uninspired, copy pasted world that is more or less empty, while also having no/a bad story and just use "let the player explore instead" as an excuse. Ffs, bring back linear AAA games, I rather follow a good story and a few well designed places than a generic world that is as full as a chips bag

[@Th3Birdman]

Hear, hear. 🍻

[@demonicsamurai9214]

I want a Harry Potter vr game

[@begaydocrime288]

My Random Thoughts 1. I personally think that the harry potter franchise is actually quite poorly designed video game wise but I think the people who made this game made a phenomenal job with adapting it to a game. 2. This games gameplay loop reminded me of the Insomniac Spider-Man games for some reason. 3. The opening scene where the dragon attacks and kills the guy and you see the thestrals is one of my favourite moment from game I've played recently

[@mellow3995]

I think a Bully style version of this game without the main plot could totally work, focus on the classes and character quests. It kinda did a lot of it but it had the ancient magic stuff and the memories of the past users.

[@mellow3995]

Also yea your second and third point I completely agree with, the Thestrals appearing was SICK NASTY

[@Leto85]

This game takes place in the past. I don't know how the rules and regulations about forbidden spells were, but perhaps the rules within the Harry Potter universe got changed over the centuries?

[@b1akn3ss93]

Maybe the unforgivable curses weren’t illegal at this stage of the lore So that’s why we are free to use them in game?

[@Cinemabu11]

They were actually. This is an inconsistency unfortunately. Unless it's simply a retcon, and they decided to change when using those curses would become illegal.

[@michaeldrake798]

No unforgivable curses? Oooh Birdman, just you wait. FB will straighten you out

[@grammysworld5449]

I just wish it were fleshed out a bit more.. I was hoping for lore and some world building at least similar to fallout

[@s0litaire2k]

No Quiddich to play, plus no plans for a Quiddich DLC = so that's an automatic Fail for me! :D

[@sydhamelin1265]

I'm not a fan of the IP. I liked 2 or 3 of the movies, but really didn't like the other ones. Like, really didn't like. Specifically I couldn't stand the first 2, (long story as to why I continued watching), loved part 3, hated 4, liked 5. The rest were "ok". With that, this game is amazing. It fully works as an open world, action RPG. The IP, while being in the same universe, is so distanced from the HP story, that it doesn't break immersion. You don't have that "Hi, I'm Harry Potter, good to meet you!" weird moment, where you're like "oh yeah, books and movies." I agree with about 80% of this review. The main disagreement I have is, funny enough, graphics. I thought the graphics were stellar. They do use a bit of a muted tone, but I really like that style. It's one of those games where you'll stop in awe several times. The environments are incredibly immersive, and seamlessly put together. So you can walk from your bedroom, through the castle, up to Hogsmead, into the Forbidden Forest, and it really grabs you. So much so that I didn't use fast travel, or flying, 'that' much in the game. And it was never a chore to uncover new mysteries, areas, unlock new fast travel points. It never felt like 'oh, shoot, I have to go over there...." It was actually the opposite. "Oh hey, I didn't get that Merlin trial, sweet! Wonder what it will be." Great review, great channel!

[@s3studios597]

Why is everything open world now? Simple. People asked for it. A bunch of people on the interwebz complained that linearity is bad and boring and they want more freedom and then BotW came out and people wanted everything to be a BotW clone now everything is open world and it sucks.

[@CrackedPropane]

I was impressed when the missions actually paid attention to the houses you chose. My girlfriend thought i was ahead of her because I had a ravenclaw mission opposed to her hufflepuff one.

[@CharlesM2]

This is just a tiny observation, but Avada Kedavra would be a lot more menacing if it was expanded upon just immediately killing someone. As you said other spells kill people, so the answer here would be to make a reason WHY it’s so bad compared to like Confringo-ing a mf to ash. Perhaps when someone is killed with AK they’re denied the ability to go anywhere after death. Ghosts are canon so surely an afterlife is as well, so ripping that opportunity from someone would warrant the punishment of its use. It’s so easy to put in an explanation like this that I don’t understand why they didn’t.

[@TheFirstAtom]

I always wanted Avada Kedavra to keep people from entering an afterlife. It would make it that much more menacing.

[@zacharyjackson1829]

It's a shame this game didn't get more praise that it 100% deserves just because just because it uses J.K. Rowling's IP and she's just hateful, egotistical bigot. She already got her payday long before this game sold a single copy, and it's not like she was involved with it's creation at all. Avalanche did an amazing job with this game and none of their work on the project gives any sense of malicious or hateful ideas worth critiquing.

[@vampbat]

You “Almost immediately you get a broom!” Me, Level 12 or something 9 hours in waiting for the broom and animals I have seen: :’D Fast travel is so cool once I get there. Thanks you Hogsmeade for being a shortcut-!

[@cy-one]

Just for shiggles, I'll do my own (short, cause I'm technically at work) Review in reaction to yours. (very, very mild spoilers, barely) *Graphics: 15* for more or less all the reasons you mentioned. It's not the highest graphics fidelity, it's not sht, the character creation is lacking, but the castle and environment looks awesome. *Gameplay/Controls: 12* the "4 spell slots, but you can switch them around" was _very_ tedious and unfun - I found WoW better in that regard. Skyrim is worse, though. The quest design as part of the game play loop felt very 2007 RPG and therefore rather underwhelming. I really disliked the flying controls, although I had worse. Additionally, the character customization from a game play perspective was... eh... not really a huge thing either. Additionally, there's an inconsistency to things that I really dislike, the killing curse being one of them. With _no_ explanation, it just flat-out either doesn't work on some enemies OR "defeats them" but doesn't kill them. While "having" the spell is cool because other games often shy away from it (oneshot mechanics) due to balancing reasons, here it's just... literally broken at times: "Nope, doesn't work on this enemy" or "Kiiiiinda, you've won, but he's still alive." What I'll also put here (could also be in Story) is the - IMHO - at times jarring disconnect between what the characters/story/environment says and what the game play says. Prof W at one point expresses concern for our "extracurricular activities" ... and has the teachers give us tasks where we actually have to go do combat. Students are "encouraged to get their own ingredients" (phrased in a way that doesn't mean "just go buy in Hogsmead"), which immediately means "go into the wilderness where there are poaches, giant spiders and wolves and the odd troll" and of course one of my favorites: Us being repeatedly enthusiastically surprised about defeating some random ashwinder after we've killed(!) hundreds of them gruesomely with Bombarda or Diffindo. *Level Design: 18,* similar to Graphics, my own opinion is very similar to what you've said. And yes, Hogwarts is one of the reasons why I can excuse all the other things I disliked. It's just such an awesome and _obviously_ love-inspired and artful crafted school we've all come to imagine and adore over the years. And in contrast to other games and adaptations in general, _their_ recreation doesn't feel "off" or "different from what I've had in my mind for a decade." While it could use a little more "life" in some regards, it's nevertheless wonderful. *Plot Structure: 10* It's fine. I disliked the "here, have a secondary quest _as main quest"_ kinda thing. Or the "Well done, now do some mostly irrelevant secondary quests until you can continue the main quest." Played worse, played better. The absolute lack of consequences (for stealing, for casting spells in the middle of a group, for using the unforgivables, etc.) is one of my major gripes with this game. Effin Skyrim did that better over a decade ago. I also am very disappointed that both "a children's game" (kinda :P) as well as a Harry Potter-adaptation doesn't allow for any kind of nonlethal combat. Cyberpunk did this better. Deus Ex did this better. Dishonored nailed it. A "100% death rate magical slice and burn" (instead of hack and slash) wasn't what I had hoped for. As for a morality system... A German reviewer said it well. The game allows you to be "generally nice or generally shice" ("shice" in this regard could be best translated to "bitchy") ... Which I find once again rather jarring compared to both Bombardageddon-slinging teenagers or adolescent Avadakedavra-mass-murderers. And while this might fit better with the story, I am absolutely disappointed about the whole "crux of the matter." With how much "can't get into false hands" that's thrown around, there is absolutely _no_ real difference between playing as a power hungry "I want the power for me" kinda person and the responsible "we should keep it locked away" bandwagon-follower. Not only that, the trials are worthless, realistically speaking. They train you to think a little logical (puzzles) and beat the sht out of automatons. And, of course, your "test to see how good you're with beasts" can also be passed by just - once again - beating the sht out of said animal. How exactly does that "test" for someone to be worthy of the power? "I can puzzle a little and destroy _everything_ that stands in my way in the most brutal of ways... Now gimme more power!" Seems worthy to me /s *Story: 10* Can't really go into details due to work ending now :D But, yeah. Rather ... whelmed. Overall 65/100, although that is "worse on paper." The environment, the characters, Hogwarts itself, the area around it... It's so very easy to get immersed and loose yourself in it for hours. But it's a bit "despite other things" for me.

[@billdawson9471]

Not one that read the books or watch the movies, I just did not find them interesting. That said, when I saw the game play on "Open World Games" I thought it looked like a fun game. I was not disappointed, I still like playing the game, on my 3rd play through, though I find the content way less than Cyberpunk 2077. I also liked how they most of the way kept the feel of Victorian era UK and its styles, but does drop the ball on some areas. For example a relationship was mentioned in the game that would not of happened, they goofed on the boys swim suit (it is still female) and some hair options esp. for the girls are way to modern. The game is set in 1890-91, and even mods for the PC forget this.

[@siyano]

personally I cant say I liked anything about Hogwarts really and I dont understand the huge praise its getting, the game is so lack luster, extremely repetitive and boring, there is no good reason to do anything and so much quality of life improvement are missing, so many design choice are non sense in a AAA game status. Sure, its beautiful, works well, but that its, the story is meh at best and having to hear spell names all the time irrates

[@roscosauce]

The players sound did annoy me, but overall, I thought the gameplay could have been better. Like do I really need a spell slot for feeding and brushing the beasts, personally no o didn’t think so. It was a waste for me. I did thoroughly enjoy the game.

[@TheEdward39]

I absolutely adore the game, but to me everything feels kinda shallow and POC-ish. As if it was just a big experiment they made to test out the waters. But, the thing is... it WAS a POC; because it did prove the concept and then some. Most of the issues aren't really glaring, and it does have the potential for something truly astonishing.

[@quinnmcdonald3763]

The graphics are okay....as compared to what? I don't think the ps5 console has any games with the utmost supreme graphics as on PC.

[@ASLTheatre]

Thanks for giving a review of this game and not fearing the rebuff from people saying you agree with JK Rowling’s opinions regarding gay people.

[@RealCaptainAwesome]

Congratulations, Birdman. You are the first reviewer that I have seen talk about the game without spending several minutes complaining about the problematic nature of the author. 👑

[@lilacswan111]

i didnt find pulling off a hard mission particularly rewarding when all you get is a scarf or something, personally wish i got something else more rewarding or satisfying to mark accomplishments

[@Ruddigore]

Have now played two characters, a Slytherin Wizard and a Ravenclaw Witch all the way through to 100%. Having got my first character to unlock every available achievement, it was my intention to play the other three characters I had made, up to the 'House Special' achievement point to obtain all 45 'Steam' achievements, but was enjoying the second run through so much I took it all the way to completion too. I will now most certainly just play my Gryffindor Wizard and Hufflepuff Witch up to the special achievement point of the game. Only one gripe, I do wish they had left out the Alohomora puzzles you are forced into doing a gazillion times.

[@ianwinter514]

question is: when was it decided that imperio ,crucio and avada kedavra were a oneway ticket to askaban? could have been after the first world war or so.

[@Chas_Hesse]

"You get the broom almost immediately"...dude it took me almost 10 hours before I got it haha, spend like 7 running around the castle getting my bearings

[@sydhamelin1265]

The suggestion for a bounty/wanted system - *chef's kiss*. Love the notion of having dementors join in if you really go too crazy. I wonder how you'd 'pay' your bounty. It's weird to think "Hey, you used the killing curse, that'll be 50 gold please". But I guess that's how it works in GTA - "hey you blew up an armored car, killed half the city, and committed every single criminal act possible, so we're gonna take $500 from you."

[@mfvicli]

I pre-ordered the game and don't regret it, even if there's not much replayability. I put in 50 hours, though I did not complete all the little side thingies. I'm not sure how different our experiences were, though you didn't sound as though you had much issues on PC. For me, there was considerable stuttering even on my 3060. This has been improved with newer patches, but at launch it was awful in some parts of the castle and Hogsmeade. I'll probably pick it up again when I get another hankering. There's a few mods to check out too. Even one that allows you to fight Aurors and be sent to Azkaban for using the Unforgivable spells on non-hostile NPCs.

[@anthonymcdonald2378]

The best way I can describe mechanics of the castle alone is; the castle feels as big outside, as it is inside. Which vla lot of open worlds games done do. Many games have you run to a door, and there's a load screen. With HL, you go to a door and it opens up without having to wait for it to render or load. That's the absolute best feature of the game is how little load screens the entire game has, besides floo travel or the select number of areas l, like a cave, that have their own underworld that's separate from the big overworld.

[@simple-commentator-not-rea7345]

We have to give Avalanche this; there was no telling how well the game would sell, which is why they probably opted for a pretty basic linear story within the Harry Potter universe. But man, can you imagine if this game had you playing through every year at Hogwarts? Natty, Sebastian, Poppy and even some other characters, DO feel like characters you'd journey with through 5 years of studies at Hogwarts

[@gergokerekes4550]

I can not get past how a group that made a cars game, no not a car racing game (technically yes) a Cars the animated movie game made this. goddamn insane. you are fine using unforgivables as long as it is not on another human, soo feel free to send the spiders to the next realm fast. also cool how youtube thinks this is dragons dogma XD

[@isiahturner1416]

Only thing irritated me was that every side mission the npc all say i cant ask u to do that ur to young grab an adult and i do the shit anyway

[@aubreymcpeak8935]

So I have to admit that I have never seen your channel before. I saw your review pop up and had to watch. Lets just say you earnd a like and subscibe today, well done.

[@christ-abel8774]

"If I had to describe the gameplay in Hogwarts Legacy with one word, it would be... er... Help a brother out, Harry!" "I think it's brilliant." "Exactly. The gameplay in Hogwarts Legacy is brilliant." Well said, Birdman -and Harry. Honestly, I totally enjoyed watching you play the game mainly because of the gameplay. And now that I have it, I'll enjoy the experience. 😊

[@miafarmer1328]

I totally agree about the male facial hair! I'm female but created a male character for my second run just to see how certain scenes might play differently, but I wanted my character to look like a baby Geralt of Rivia and instead he kind of looks like Legolas ☹🧝‍♂

[@worstwordmonger]

I had facial hair in middle school when I was 12-13, so I do hope people wouldn’t have an issue with the facial hair in the game

[@solvseus]

Neat

[@eliseiburai675]

Love the honesty of this video he doesn’t exaggerates and says this game is perfect he has good points

[@blturn]

One thing I would say is that the PC controls had to be tweaked for me. I have no idea why 'switch target' is on the arrow keys.