Tldr: Yes. For a relaxing story driven new franchise, it’s everything I wanted it to be.

It’s amazing to me how jaded gamers have become. Over the past few years it has been difficult to get excited for new releases, considering most franchises have turned to regurgitating the same formula year after year, or attempted to cash in on some form of battle royale.

This personally was a breathe of fresh air. I’m not a die hard HP fan; never finished the books but have watched the movies (originals and beasts). For someone who’s affinity to the HP universe was mostly driven by exposure while growing up, this game fills in the gaps in lore that a casual HP fan wouldn’t normally learn about. I spent a huge amount of time wondering the game world in search of the lore bits simply because it was presented in a gorgeous and interesting way.

With that said, the game world does have enough explanation for people with no HP knowledge. And honstely, I envy those that would get to walk into this universe with this game being the basis of the introduction to the wizarding world…

The storyline is pretty independent from the original HP story, but does stay faithful to the Hogwarts world. Considering the appeal of this universe is to a very broad audience, wanting it to be Elden Ring or Witcher 3 is unreasonably ridiculous. It’s need to be approachable by both avid gamers and casuals prevents the games scope from ever being that intense. I would compare it to the original Fable, in which I received a feeling of nostalgia for a few times during my playthrough.

BUT, for what it is: an immersive, story-driven starting point for hopefully a healthy NEW franchise…this game is amazing and entertaining. I sit at 89% completion on my first play through, and plan on a new character after a few months. I paid full price at release, and absolutely felt I received my money’s worth.

OH, and the music is pretty fantastic also.