After over a year since the official Hogwarts Legacy trailer dropped, Harry Potter fans have been waiting with about as much patience as Fred and George Weasley had for graduating from the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But now, we finally have our first official look at the Hogwarts Legacy gameplay, in an epic 15-minute gameplay overview...
Hold onto your broomsticks, because this gameplay overview is bursting with magic. Check it out below:
Wow! As you can see, this special look promises a truly epic, open-world RPG game set in the iconic Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but long before the Boy Who Lived ever steps foot inside, finding you in attendance at the school during the late 1800s.
After receiving a late letter of acceptance to Hogwarts, you'll begin your time at the school as a Fifth Year, and you'll have the option to fully customize your character, and choose whether they're male or female.
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Once you're at the school, in true Hogwarts fashion, you'll be given the option to choose your house with the Sorting Hat in the Great Hall, and each of the four houses is up for grabs - Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, or Gryffindor!
As a student, you'll have full access to your common room where you'll interact and socialize with your fellow Fifth Years. Classes will include Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Potions, and more.
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You'll learn to cast an array of familiar spells, grow magical plants, brew potions, and more, while also practicing how to duel with fellow students, a skill you'll definitely need throughout the game, as the footage promises some exciting and complex combat systems.
As it's the 1800s, never-before-seen professors will populate the school, but the overview does promise some familiar faces while teasing the ghost of Nearly-Headless Nick! You'll also work alongside a new character known as Professor Fig.
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We see the enormous castle in all its glory, which, between classes, you'll be able to explore in its entirety, discovering familiar locations, as well as ones are never before seen, such as dungeons, secret passageways, and even the ever-changing Room of Requirement.
There also appear to be several environments beyond the school - we see the Forbidden Forest, the caverns beneath Gringotts, and also Hogsmeade, where you'll be able to shop for essential items and even customize your character even more.
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At the heart of the game's story are rumors of a mounting Goblin rebellion. The Goblins are said to be in alliance with dark wizards, so you might meet the 1800s answer to the likes of Gellert Grindelwald or Lord Voldemort throughout your journey. But seeing as you'll be able to choose your own destiny, it could even be you.
Your character is described as a student with a "unique ability to manipulate powerful, ancient magic hidden in the Wizarding World, and that "You'll need to uncover what's behind the return of this forgotten magic and who is seeking to harness it to destroy wizard kind."
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It is also revealed that you'll be able to learn how to master broom flight, which will allow you to travel around the Wizarding World more quickly than by other means. We also see a glimpse of someone playing Quidditch, but it hasn't yet been confirmed whether you'll be able to do so in the game.
Throughout your journey, friends you make at school will be able to accompany you. Your fellow students will each have names and backstories of their own and will be able to aid you during some of your missions and battles. You'll also be able to form unique relationships with each of these students.
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As for the education side of Hogwarts, naturally, you'll develop as a witch or wizard, whether it's crafting potions, dueling, taming fantastic beasts, and more. Side assignments, which will be part of a "special curriculum", will give you the opportunity to catch up with other Fifth Years, as you've missed out on the first four years at the school.
The Wizarding World is bursting to life with witches and wizards, with many who are also dotted up and down the countryside, each of whom offers side quests, fantastic beasts, enemies, friends, and even a weather system that includes seasons and climates, snow, storms, sun, and rain. The game will also include night and day.
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The end of the trailer says "Live the Unwritten Holiday 2022", so it's fair to say that we finally have a release window for Hogwarts Legacy, which will be some time at the end of the year. Whenever it's out, it certainly looks like 2022 is going to be a big year for Harry Potter, with Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore set for release on April 8.
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