Hogwarts Legacy is one of the most discussed games of recent years. It is accompanied by a fierce controversy. Now, at the release, the first review tests have been published on Metacritic. We at MeinMMO will give you an overview:
Why is Hogwarts Legacy controversial?
- The author of the “Harry Potter” books, J.K. Rowling, has repeatedly commented on the issue of transgender rights since 2019.
- Her statements have been viewed as transphobic for years, which the author herself denies.
- J.K. Rowling is not involved in the development of Hogwarts Legacy, but benefits from the brand rights and the strengthening of the franchise. The extent of her profits is unknown.
- There are calls to boycott the game, with the view that one should not financially support the author through Hogwarts Legacy and should show solidarity with the transgender community.
- A discussion erupted on social media about Gronkh after he stated that J.K. Rowling does not matter to him.
If you want a detailed insight into the controversy surrounding Hogwarts Legacy and the boycott, the colleagues from GameStar have summarized the topic extensively:
GameStar: Why do some want to boycott Hogwarts Legacy? We summarize the controversy.
The first tests on Metacritic praise the game world but criticize the technology
The first gaming magazines have published their tests on Hogwarts Legacy, and there is a first Metascore on the Metacritic platform for PC as well as for PS5 and Xbox Series. This is made up of the different ratings.
The tests evaluate only the gaming experience and are not influenced by the controversy.
How do the first tests look? Hogwarts Legacy has a Metascore of 85 on PS5, 82 on PC, and 89 on Xbox Series X. We show you a selection of various ratings from well-known gaming magazines:
| GameStar | 78 | PC |
| GamePro | 87-92 | PS5 |
| Jeuxvideo.com | 90 | PS5, Xbox Series |
| IGN | 90 | PS5, PC, Xbox Series |
| PCGamesN | 70 | PC |
| Dexerto | 80 | PS5 |
| VGC | 80 | PS5 |
| Game Rant | 90 | PS5 |
| 4Player.de | 80 | PS5 |
| Eurogamer Germany | 80 | PC |
| GamesRadar+ | 70 | PS5 |
However, there are magazines that decided against rating the role-playing game due to the controversy. This includes the Canadian magazine TheGamer. In an interview with Axios, TheGamer provided the following statement.
The reason for this is not that it’s about royalties or financial support for J.K. Rowling, but because we believe that the ongoing popularity of Harry Potter gives her a larger platform and further legitimizes her views, which we regard as harmful to transgender people.
Stacey Henley, Editor-in-Chief TheGamer
What do the testers say? Hogwarts Legacy is praised by the gaming press primarily for its richly detailed game world. The website Video Games Chronicle (VGC) draws the impressive conclusion:
Hogwarts Legacy captures the magic of the Harry Potter world in a brilliant way with its beautiful open world, sympathetic characters, and exciting battles. Although the open-world elements of the game make it feel older than we would have wished, it is otherwise the best that the wizarding world has ever been in a video game.
Jordan Middler via VGC.com
On the other hand, the biggest critique in terms of gameplay for the PC version of Hogwarts Legacy is technical issues. For example, GameStar author Natalie Schermann reports performance drops and graphical bugs. As a result, the game lost 10 points in the overall score.
Here is the GameStar review.
Despite technical issues, the game is praised not only for its game world but also for its varied battles, which IGN author Travis Northup describes as “challenging”. He states that the game kept him captivated for dozens of hours. Even the “uninspired main story” and “lack of variety in enemies” did not diminish his enthusiasm:
Hogwarts Legacy is in almost every way the Harry Potter role-playing game I have always wanted to play. The open-world adventure captures all the excitement and wonder of the wizarding world with its memorable new characters, challenging and nuanced battles, and a wonderfully executed Hogwarts student fantasy that has kept me glued to my controller for dozens of hours. Certainly, there are technical problems, an uninspired main plot, and a lack of variety in enemies, but even those could not nearly break the magic that has captivated me.
Travis Northup via IGN.com
Overall, it seems that particularly “Harry Potter” fans will feel at home in the game world of Hogwarts Legacy. GamePro author Dennis Michel, as a fan, has wished for such a game since the PlayStation 1 era. Nevertheless, he criticizes the story and dialogues of the title: In his detailed review, he writes:
As an early Harry Potter fan, I have so far received the game with Hogwarts Legacy that I always wished for back in the PS1 days. A game world that is bursting with loving details, where countless secrets and little puzzles slumber, and which transports me right into the enchanting fantasy world of the books and movies. […] While magic looked rather dull in trailers, the many possible magic combos are incredibly fun. My biggest criticism so far is the main story.
A final rating for Hogwarts Legacy has not yet been given by Dennis Michel. He is currently wavering between 87 and 92.
Here is the GamePro review.
What is Hogwarts Legacy? Hogwarts Legacy is a role-playing game developed by the American studio “Avalanche Software” in the universe of Harry Potter, which will be released on February 10 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series, PlayStation 5, and PC.
As a player, you not only dive into the world of the pop culturally popular “Harry Potter” franchise but also attend the school named after the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry: Hogwarts.
The popularity of the book series is probably the main reason why Hogwarts Legacy was a bestseller on Steam one month before its release.
