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Writing For
TheSixthAxisLatest Reviews
The sights and sounds alone make Hogwarts Legacy the dream Harry Potter game fans have been longing for. There’s an intriguing mystery to unravel, though you’re bound to spend most of your time exploring a wealth of side content, visiting virtual landmarks and roleplaying as a Hogwarts student. That said, it’s more successful in being a sandbox teeming with nostalgia rather than a stand-out action RPG in its own right, let down by gameplay foibles and spellcasting combat that quickly slides into repetition.
The game’s difficulty naturally increases through the wide selection of puzzles on offer, but the game is at its hardest in single player. It’s just a little easier when 2 or 4 players are communicating and providing suggestions on how to overcome an obstacle on the road to solving a puzzle. Local co-operative multiplayer is really entertaining, even when a puzzle seems too complex with gameplay revolving around genuine communication. Surprisingly, there are no online leaderboards which could have pushed players to focus on the fastest time for each level or a further leaderboard for the fewest number of deaths.
With only four main dungeons, a relatively small overworld, and a handful of sidequests and mini dungeons, Secret of the Nameless Kingdom can feel disappointingly short once you take away the time you spent aimlessly wandering about for your next objective. The odd bug can also frustrate, such as throwing your last bomb at a cracked wall only for it to clip through and do nothing, which happened on more than a few occasions. However, if you’re a fan of Adventure Time or The Legend of Zelda, you’re sure to find a lot to love about this game in spite of its shortcomings, and the game’s length is reflected in the price. If you happen to be a fan of both Adventure Time and Zelda then you’re unlikely to find another game that combines the world of Ooo and the gameplay of Hyrule in such an enjoyable way.
It’s surprising that the game finds so much more context here, your ill-equipped gladiator rising through the ranks and showered with gold. This is spent purchasing weapons and armour in an effort to improve your survival odds, whilst also an opportune moment to garb your character in something other than the sweaty loin cloth they start off with. Such items are provided through randomised in-game booster packs, with micro-transactions rearing their ugly head for those that want gold without having to invest their time in grinding through multiplayer matches, not that you ever need to do so.