What it's about a late start at a wizarding school
You play a student who joins Hogwarts late, in the fifth year, long before the days of the famous boy wizard. You get a wand, a house, lessons and classmates, and a bigger story about ancient magic slowly starts to take over.
It's an open-world action RPG. You wander the castle, the village of Hogsmeade and the huge grounds, learn spells, fight with a spell wheel and brew potions. You can customize your character and your clothes, which I liked more than I expected.
How I got into it late to the Harry Potter party
I got into Harry Potter pretty recently. I'm not a huge fan, but I enjoy the lore like a lot of people do. I'd heard about Hogwarts Legacy and decided I really wanted to play it, so I bought it and started.
The world grabs you in the character creator. You haven't even walked anywhere yet and the mood is already set. Then you get a small adventure on the way to Hogwarts, and a few minutes later you're a student there. I'm 15 hours in and counting, and I've barely seen the map: Hogwarts grounds, Hogsmeade and a bit of the Forbidden Forest around them.
How it looks a castle on a cliff, smooth on Switch 2
It's pretty, and I'm saying that as someone who picked it for the pretty. The castle looks great in daylight on its cliff, and even better at night, with the windows lit up and the sky a deep blue. Indoors it's all candles, old stone and tall bookshelves. Outside there's the misty lake, the pines and the forest.
On Switch 2 with the upgrade, it surprised me by how smoothly it runs. I expected a heavy game to struggle. Reports say it runs at up to 1440p docked and 1080p in handheld, with no loading when you step into Hogsmeade.
How it sounds the movie music, still working
The music is really good. It's the music we all know from the movies, so it's nothing new, but it worked then and it still works now. The dialogue is fine and easy to understand. Good headphones are a plus, but you don't need them.
The story and the people a school full of side stories
Nothing in the story is new, but it's fairly okay and it follows a nice path. I wasn't extra hooked by it. The characters suit the atmosphere well, and I like that I can talk a bit with random characters who aren't part of the main story or any quest. The school is huge, though, and I'd love it if those random characters recognized me after seeing me a few times.
There are four kinds of quests: the main quest, the professor assignments, classmate quests and other side quests. I found them easy enough and fun enough to have a good time with.
After work: effort and challenge easy, with a gentle GPS
This is where the game does best for me. The early quests are easy, and the game takes you by the hand and tells you where to go. I don't have to find my way around the school or outside, and I don't have to pay attention to anything, because the "GPS" takes me everywhere. There's barely any challenge, apart from the few fights, and most of those are easy to avoid. The Merlin trials, which are supposed to be puzzles, were really easy too. So far it's a breeze. Maybe it gets harder later, but I haven't seen it.
The game teaches its mechanics well and organically. Still, there's a lot to remember: the number of spells, and how the other systems work. Coming back after a break is where it gets tricky. If I stop for a while, it's hard to get back on the horse.
Is it chill after work? It's okay for chilling. The side quests and assignments are easy and fun enough for a good evening. It's not a game that hooked me, though. I had a good time, but I never felt I had to play one more quest.
Docked vs handheld which mode I picked
I played docked, and it's the mode I'd pick for the big castle views. The text is fine to read in handheld too.
What gets in the way too easy, hard to return to, never hooked
- Barely any challenge so far, so it can feel like a walk with a guide.
- A lot to remember: the many spells and how the other systems work.
- After a break, it's hard to get back on the horse.
- It didn't hook me. I didn't click with it as much as I wanted to.
- I think an online mode with PvP and PvM against others would have made it much more fun for me.
On Switch 2 a smooth upgrade, not a Switch 2 Edition
I upgraded from the Switch version. The Switch 2 version is out since June 2025. It isn't labeled a Switch 2 Edition, but Switch owners get a discounted upgrade. The game costs €59.99 in the Nintendo store and the upgrade is €10, and for me it's worth it for the graphics, the load times and the controls. It adds DLSS upscaling, reported up to 1440p docked and 1080p in handheld with HDR, better lighting and shadows, no loading when you enter Hogsmeade, shorter loading in general and optional mouse control with Joy-Con 2. The physical copy is a Game-Key Card.
Verdict pretty and easy, but it didn't hook me
Hogwarts Legacy is a big, pretty, easy wizarding world that holds your hand all the way. On Switch 2 it runs smoother than I expected.
For a tired evening it's okay for chilling. Nothing punishes me and I can stop right after handing in a quest, but there's a lot to remember when I come back. Play it if you like the lore and want something with no stress. Skip it if you need a challenge or a game that hooks you quickly, because it never did that for me.
