With Wizards Unite, a new augmented reality game from Niantic is coming out this year. We provide you with information about gameplay, the story, the release, and other useful details about the game.
What is Wizards Unite? This game is the latest development from Niantic, the company behind Pokémon GO. In Wizards Unite, everything revolves around the magical world of Harry Potter, which is why Niantic is also collaborating with Warner Bros. Games.
The most important information at a glance:
- Release: Not exactly known yet, sometime in summer 2019
- Beta version: The beta version of the game launched in New Zealand in mid-April
- Platforms: Android and iOS
- Developers: Niantic, Warner Bros. Games, and Portkey Games
- Monetization model: The game is free (Free2Play), but there are microtransactions
Release Date of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite – What is known?
First players can test it: On April 17, the beta version of Wizards Unite went online in New Zealand. There, players can take a first look at the gameplay of the game.
In Germany, the game is not yet available for testing. Whether a beta version will be available here and when that will be the case is not known yet.
This is known: Initially, the developers announced the game for 2018. The game was then postponed to 2019. Now the CEO of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Kevin Tsujihara, revealed in an interview with the Los Angeles Times that the game is expected to be released in summer 2019.
An exact date is likely to be announced later.
A release on Harry Potter’s birthday is possible: Harry Potter is the protagonist of the classic book and film series. His birthday is on July 31, which would be in the height of summer. What date would be more suitable for a release? That is purely speculation.
That’s why it fits so well: For an augmented reality game and typical of Niantic, the game will take place outdoors. Warm summer days are ideal for a release.
You can remember the summer of 2016, when almost every city was overrun by numerous Pokémon GO players. Whether Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will cause a similar hype remains to be seen.
You can reserve your player name: If you have already played Pokémon GO or Ingress, you can already reserve your usernames from these games in Wizards Unite. To do this, you need to visit the website of Niantic.
This is what Wizards Unite is about
This is the storyline: If you visit the game’s website, you immediately get the message “Welcome, Wizard. The Ministry requests your help.”
The wizarding world is in danger. Mysterious objects from the wizarding world keep appearing in our real world. The player must help keep the secret of magic hidden from “normal” people.
You are the character in the game: There are no characters to choose from; instead, you are the figure in the game.
To do this, you need to take a picture of yourself, which will then be inserted into the game. This works with a wizard identification card. Your card will display a moving image of you, which you can decorate with filters and place, for example, a witch hat on your head. Your house, title, and wand will also be displayed on it.
This is the gameplay of Wizards Unite
The focus is on keeping the wizarding world secret from non-magicians, that is, Muggles. For this, you must track magical encounters on the map and resolve them.
What are magical encounters: As you walk through the real world, you will repeatedly encounter magical events. Creatures appear here that you must keep hidden from the Muggle world. However, you not only have to fight but can also free creatures or encounter curious objects.
This is how a magical encounter works: When you have a magical encounter, there is a threat level. The higher it is, the greater the chance that the wizarding world will be discovered. The half-giant Hagrid has a low level, while a Hippogriff has a high level.
The level’s height also indicates how difficult it is to resolve the magical threat. You will need to use a spell to fight monsters or free creatures.
Magical encounters are collected: All collected magical encounters will be displayed in your suitcase. For this, you will earn experience points. Some encounters must be completed multiple times for you to have them permanently in your suitcase. For instance, you need only one encounter with Hagrid, but the Hippogriff Buckbeak requires 8 encounters.
How many magical encounters are there? At launch, there will be nearly 100 magical encounters. This includes magical creatures and objects.
This is how a battle goes: To use your spells effectively, you must hit the circle on the opponent optimally. The better you hit, the stronger the spell. After that, you need to draw a specific line with your finger to enhance your spell.
Potions help you in battle: To perform even stronger spells or strengthen yourself, you have the option to brew potions. This can be done in greenhouses, which are scattered all over the world.
Brewing a potion can take hours. However, an in-game notification will alert you when your potion is ready.
Is there PvP? No. You will not fight against other players. Opponents only exist in the game. Wizards Unite is meant to be a purely cooperative experience and focuses on that. Whether battles against other players will be introduced in the future is still uncertain. PvP was eventually also added to Pokémon GO.
The monetization model of Wizards Unite
What does the game cost? Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is Free2Play. You can download it for free.
Are there microtransactions? Yes. There are coins that you can earn or purchase with real money. For example, you can earn free coins through daily tasks.
The coins can be used to speed up potion brewing. What other uses exist for coins is unknown.
The RPG factor: Skill trees, professions, and dungeons
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite has a strong RPG factor. There is a progression system in which you become an increasingly powerful wizard. This is linked to a skill tree and jobs. There are even dungeons where you fight in teams.
There are dungeons: You have the option to fight together against creatures in fortresses. Up to 5 players can participate in a battle simultaneously. Each player selects a creature to fight against, and then the next one. Between battles, potions or healing spells can be cast.
The fortresses have multiple rooms. Each room must be completed within a certain time to master the dungeon. In the battle, you can choose the difficulty. This way, weaker players can be better supported, and the battle can be completed more easily.
There are professions: There are 3 professions to choose from in total. You can switch between them at any time as often as you want.
- Auror (specialized in spells, more aggressive)
- Magizoologist (strong for beasts and support)
- Professor (a jack-of-all-trades)
The developers explain that only by clever choice of professions can you defeat opponents in the fortress. Therefore, you need to consider well before starting a battle which professions will be advantageous. For example, the Magizoologist has an advantage over animal creatures in battle.
There is a skill tree: Each profession also has its own skill tree that you can expand permanently in the game. Each profession can learn certain abilities only after a certain period.
There is crafting: You can brew potions in Wizards Unite. To do this, you must collect ingredients, which you find scattered on the map. At launch, there will be 10 potions with their recipes, including a healing potion for battles. There are also potions that enhance your spells.
This is how you can level up: By completing battles or magical encounters, you can also earn XP. This allows you to level up as a wizard. This then enables you to improve your skill tree.
So much of Harry Potter is in the game
This is what Harry Potter has to do with it: A trailer shows the Nimbus 2000, the broom Harry learned to fly on.
Moreover, the Golden Snitch and thieving Nifflers are also shown. This was also thematized in the books and films. Ordinary people who cannot perform magic are also referred to as Muggles by Niantic. This term also originates from the Harry Potter series.
Many magical creatures and characters from the Harry Potter universe have made it into the game.
Even Harry Potter has a place: The characters in the game are fully voiced. For Harry Potter, the developers even used a voice changer to make him sound like Daniel Radcliffe. Radcliffe is the actor who plays Harry Potter in the films.
You can encounter characters like Hagrid or Buckbeak during magical encounters and must help them.
What role do the four houses from Hogwarts play? The houses play a minor role. It is possible to choose one of the four houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff. These then appear on the wizard identification card. The little wizard avatar that appears on the map takes the color of the house you choose. If you choose Hufflepuff, for example, the wizard will be yellow.
However, the house has no real impact on gameplay.
This is how augmented reality is integrated
How to play Wizards Unite? The game is an AR game. In such games, you must walk through the real world. The game is played on a mobile phone, not on a PC, and requires you to move.
The developers expect quick reflexes from players with the wand. How this will unfold is not yet known.
That’s why augmented reality fits: Players live in the Muggle world, which is the world that cannot know about magic. It can be assumed that the game is played in real locations, similar to what is done in Pokémon GO. From there, pieces from the wizarding world must disappear.
This is how Pokémon GO could play a role: Niantic’s advantage is that they already have thousands of public locations in their system. This is thanks to their games Ingress and Pokémon GO.
Looking at the trailers, you can see how brooms fly as if possessed on a highway. If Niantic relies on data from their other games, such actions could also be expected at the Brandenburg Gate or Cologne Cathedral. However, this is still pure speculation.
This reminds of Pokémon GO: In Wizards Unite, there are, similar to Pokémon GO, influences from the weather and the lunar phases. Certain ingredients for potions can only be found in specific weather.
Don’t miss the news: We’ve also created a Facebook page for you. There you’ll miss no news regarding Wizards Unite.
