So, the first thing I want to talk about in this game is the immersion. This is something we’ve been talking about for the weeks leading up to the launch of the game. It’s the thing that’s drawn me to the game, it’s the thing that’s drawn a lot of people to this game, non-gamers included because they wanted to experience the world of Hogwarts or Harry Potter or The Wizarding World for themselves in a way they haven’t been able to yet before because this is really the first game that’s tackled this on such a scale.
And let me tell you they absolutely nailed this aspect. From the way that your dorm feels in
Hogwarts Castle to your
common room, to the corridors bustling with students and details and puzzles everywhere, to the moving staircases and everything that you will find in Hogwarts Castle when you first begin this game – it’s absolutely mind-blowing. You will never see Hogwarts Castle realized in a way quite like it’s been in this game and it gives me goosebumps just even talking about it right now. I think players are just going to be absolutely mesmerized by it and it’s one of those things where you don’t want to rush through it you just want to take your time and play it and experience it and take it all in like you’re watching a good movie that you don’t want to end.
Beyond that, this continues to extend into
Hogsmeade which has this cozy feeling to it. It reminds you of the movies and the books and you’re gonna love it. Like you’ll absolutely love it if you’re a Harry Potter fan. You’ll love the way they’ve done this but the thing that really got me is not something that I expected, which was that this sense of feeling extends throughout the entire game that I’ve played so far. it’s not just Hogwarts Castle and Hogsmeade dropped in a big open world and they’ve used that to lure you in to play an open world game and those are the parts that you like if you’re Harry Potter and you don’t like anything else.
Literally, everything about the game World feels like it belongs in The Wizarding World. From the way the
puzzles are designed, to the
landscape, to the way you cast
spells, to the way you interact with your
teachers and other students in the game. It all feels like it belongs. Considering that this is the first game from Portkey Studios, it’s absolutely impressive. I cannot think of a stronger word it’s so impressive what they have managed to accomplish. it actually is an inspiration to the gaming industry of what a studio can do if they really put their mind to it.
