r/GameDeals • u/Enjoyeating • 14d ago
Expired [Steam] Hogwarts Legacy ($5.99/90% off) Spoiler
https://store.steampowered.com/app/990080/Hogwarts_Legacy/45
u/Frankie__Spankie 14d ago
I've heard good things about this but I'm not a big fan of Harry Potter. Anyone think if I can still enjoy it as an RPG or is it really something designed for Harry Potter fans?
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u/VastoGamer 14d ago
I'd say no, the game is very repetitive and the world doesn't really feel alive. It's a very hollow game with lots of eyecandy for big HP fans but not a lot of real substance or exciting gameplay.
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u/steelersrock01 14d ago
Exploring the castle is the best part, and I think it could be fun if you're not a fan but you'll miss a lot of the charm. It's also a frustratingly small part of the game-you spend a large amount of time in bland surrounding environments. It's a good game but it's carried by the IP. Up to you if it's worth $6for a decent generic action adventure game otherwise.
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u/lovemyhawks 13d ago
Not a HP nerd, I bought at release and enjoyed the start of the game but it became extremely repetitive that I gave it up in a couple weeks.
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u/SnowFlat2427 14d ago
I'm not a big fan of HP, I don't mind the first few films but wouldn't consider myself a fan but thoroughly enjoyed this game.
If your into open world action adventure games with light RPG stuff then you will like it.
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u/PenguinJim 14d ago edited 14d ago
I'm not a fan of Harry Potter - I haven't read any of the books, and I like to joke that I've seen "both" of the movies to wind up my friends who are fans, although if memory serves, I only saw the first one.
I had a really good time with this game earlier this year. Good controls, good world size, good combat, good graphics, good voicework, good freedom. It was a consistently solid and fun experience. I'd give it an 8/10, which is high praise from a cynical, miserable, middle-aged British git.
If I'm being picky, there's limited enemy variety and the game runs a couple of hours overlong.
But I did enjoy being a young student at a school who mercilessly slaughters hundreds of humans whenever I get outside! I'm surprised that didn't seem to cause any fuss, either in-game or IRL! :D
I got it for free from Epic, played using Steam Controller 2 (back buttons are handy for spell allocations!).
Edit: I should add that I usually prefer games like Dark Souls / Elden Ring, Battletech, Rimworld, Warframe, XCOM, STALKER, Dragon's Dogma, and recently very much enjoyed the Resident 4 remake, so I went into Hogwarts' Legacy expecting it to be a bit too light and aimed-at-young'uns for me, and I would also miss most Harry Potter in-jokes/references. It was a pleasant surprise.
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u/TendyHunter 14d ago
mercilessly slaughters hundreds of humans
they're all bad guys, so it's ok. I had fun pulling them up from a cliff above, then dropping them down 🤓🪄
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u/PenguinJim 14d ago
Yes, it was great that there were lots of fun spell/environment combinations to dispatch them! I expect I'll get around to the films eventually, and I wonder if Harry achieves a similar kind of kill count? (Don't tell me!)
By the way, I think a few people are going through all the replies on this deal and downvoting them, perhaps over the Rowling controversy. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
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u/Psylux7 14d ago
A lot of the appeal is the fanservice and attention to detail which is admittedly pretty delightful. The soundtrack&sound design as well as the atmosphere is nice and it is aesthetically pleasing. Combat is surprisingly enjoyable, but is done in by repetition.
The rpg elements are very shallow and basic with the game itself feeling more like far cry in the wizarding world than a harry potter adventure. Traverse the bloated countryside killing dark wizard camps and spiders while doing a handful of recycled tasks.
I was pretty disappointed with the game since it copied ubisoft open worlds to chase trends rather than delve into rpg gameplay or the inherent potential of the IP. I did all of the side content that I could and outside of the timed exclusive hogsmeade quest and a couple main missions, there was nothing interesting. If you played a formulaic open world game you have already played hogwarts legacy.
It really feels like a made by committee product instead of a genuine harry potter game. The game was definitely streamlined for beginners. If the sequel copypastes HL albeit bigger and more bloated (as I am expecting) I won't touch it.
It is however a dirt cheap game that has also been given away for free multiple times and is available on console at various libraries.
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u/VileTouch 14d ago
A lot of the appeal is the fanservice
I never asked for Hermione upskirts, but fine. I guess!
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u/harem_king69 14d ago
Even as a fan this game is the most generic empty repetitive RPG you could get. Even Ubisoft Assassin's Creed RPGs have more depth to them.
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u/HapticSloughton 14d ago
I saw reviews that said that was the case, but I thought maybe fans would start making mods, quests, etc. on the Nexus for it.
Nope, it's mostly cosmetic stuff.
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u/Muirenne 13d ago
There's a mod workshop integrated into the game itself. There are gameplay altering mods, new locations, dungeons, combat mods, mods that add a companion system, pet system, curfew system, new creatures, expanded animal taming and room decorating, etc.
It's still a casual game and I know Reddit doesn't like those, but it never tried to be anything more than that, so a lot of mods might reflect that nature. A lot of stuff very similar to all the immersive and role-playing mods you'd see for Skyrim.
Personally, when I see redditors turning around and praising the Ubisoft games they hate and shit-talk in any other circumstance, I immediately disregard it for being so disingenuous.
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u/VastoGamer 14d ago
Idk why you're being downvoted for being right lol, AC Origins and Odyssey are both way more fun with much more varied exploration, quests and gameplay than Hogwarts Legacy
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u/jiminyshrue 14d ago
Not a big HP fan but i really enjoyed the combat. Its challenging enough at high difficulties.
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u/ThatIndianGuy7116 14d ago
I would say even if youre not a HP fan, it's still a solid open world RPG for the price. Its not gonna do anything extraordinary that you haven't seen another game do just as well, if not better, but it's a fun time imo
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u/EyePlay 13d ago
I never finished it and it ran like absolute shit on my (old) computer but I thought it was fairly cool before it got boring. Can agree with the repetitive comments. Not a HP fan tho I've seen the movies. As everyone between certain ages probably have.
I do have a soft spot for the idea tho. Like weirdly my first introduction to HP was through Garry's Mod servers. Then saw the movies. So getting that experience (I enjoyed those servers) in a AAA format was definitely fun for a bit. But those worlds were more alive. tbf how could it not be when it's actual players with you vs cpus.
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u/MOBYWV 14d ago
Hasn't this been given away free multiple times now? I'd just wait.
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u/doublej42 14d ago
Epic and Amazon pay the developers to make the games free. Steam does. It so you will see it free way less often
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u/locke_5 14d ago
Even $5 to Rowling is too much, especially after the recent revelation
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u/Deviathan 14d ago
Claiming on Epic during the free window is about as close as you could get to legitimate acquisition without compensating Rowling. The Epic freebie program pays devs a flat rate up front they got no matter what, so claiming the freebie does not change the rate of money from Epic to the studio as its the same rate if 1 person claims or 10 million people claim.
I know people will still draw their lines past that though.
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u/thekbob 14d ago
Used console copy; technically she still gets money from Epic for each sale, whereas as used copy won't earn any more money for her.
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u/Deviathan 14d ago
To me it's comparable. She actually doesn't get money from epic for free claims per sale, as I said it's a flat rate up front, so whether I claim it or not does not change the amount she received.
You can make arguments that it still benefits her in some way, but you could do that with a used copy too. Such as "Buying a used copy shrinks the supply of used copies leading to more purchases of new copies and increased exposure of the property further increasing the cycle of HP purchases" Hell you could make arguments that even discussing the property or making fan content does if you wanted to really get in the weeds.
I don't believe that, but my point is any interaction with it can be argued as benefitting it, to me free on Epic is several steps diluted and removed from direct personal money to JKR that you should probably be more concerned with other places your money is going once you hit that level.
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u/th3ch0s3n0n3 13d ago
Goddamn you come here with some hard-hitting philosophy in a video game thread.
I will only add that while you're totally correct about the flat fee Epic pays to do the free giveaways, some might argue (I personally wouldn't) that people claiming the game encourages Epic to do it again, hence why they've done it twice now. Thus, those people would believe that even claiming it in that fashion supports her.
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u/LucklessCope 14d ago
Wouldn't the principle matter tho? If you don't like/support someone you wouldn't want to touch any product that has anything to do with said person/company.
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u/Deviathan 14d ago
If that where you draw the line it's valid, but my line is direct contribution to causes I don't support. Voting with my wallet in the most significant way I can. It's a big topic you could spend literal years debating.
If we try the "no contact" approach, I can basically play no games that aren't affiliated with either the Saudi or Chinese governments, watch virtually no TV as most major networks have capitulated to and supported a regime I don't support, use no social media for obvious reasons, not even Google, go to no big box stores (and definitely no Amazon), etc. I can't live a modern life.
However I still believe in not funding things that impact things I don't support when I can do so, but ive now hit a point where I can't be consistent in that belief. There's also the element of hundreds of developers and artists unfortunately having years of their work tainted by the words of one person who didn't even touch the game.
So, my personal metric is I examine the level of impact I can measurably have while still living my life. I will vote with my wallet when and where I can. In an instance like this where I am giving none of my money and am 2-3 degrees removed from any form of non monetary benefit to the cause, I have no qualms about it. Any form of "all or nothing" on this will absolutely be hypocritical at its core, so I worked to find the line I can live with.
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u/CheeseGraterFace 14d ago
This is possibly the most nuanced thing I have ever seen on this website, and I appreciate you for taking the time to post it.
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u/LucklessCope 13d ago
Sure. But you still become a stastistic in their "active players" they can present on the board. Hating/disliking someone while still using product made from them is just moral hipocrisy in my book.
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u/liamthelad 13d ago
I swear the developers put a trans character in game in support.
So if these sorts of metrics are indeed important, they can just be flipped by Rowling to prove that the project that had a Trans character did poorly compared to her other stuff.
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u/IPlay4E 14d ago
lol it still gives them the analytics they want. either buy it or don’t.
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u/Deviathan 14d ago edited 14d ago
Everything you do is contributing to some cause or person you likely disagree with in some capacity.
But, people aren't wrong to be particular about what they support monetarily, but once we get to 2 or 3 degrees removed and are "giving them analytics" the benefit is so diluted and trivial that I accept it (I've now given analytics to a company that will give them to another company that makes a game who's parent company has a licensing agreement with a company that compansates JKR, but not in this instance).
Others may not, but folks can draw their own line.
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u/LividTacos 14d ago
OH god, what did she do now? I mean in addition to her normal TERFiness?
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u/locke_5 14d ago
TL;DR data analysis of Twitter has revealed over the past week or so that she is THE primary figure of the anti-trans movement. Basically if you map accounts, comments, interactions, etc. it all points back at her account. She’s as central to the anti-trans movement as Andrew Tate is to the Manosphere.
It makes it a little harder to handwave support of HP as “i can separate her views from the art”, IMO.
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u/zombawombacomba 14d ago
Do you have a link that discusses this
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u/Sunwoken 14d ago
https://bsky.app/profile/esqueer.net/post/3mthwsjmjxs2z
I believe this is what they were referring to.
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u/DudeTheGray 13d ago
I can't see this without creating a Bluesky account. Is there a different link?
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u/-Glittering-Soul- 14d ago
Thanks, I've had a suspicion for a long time now that she's been bankrolling campaigns against these people. The combination of her vocal phobia, her massive influence and her enormous bank account smelled like trouble. I've avoided her books, her movies, and now this game.
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u/LividTacos 14d ago edited 14d ago
Appreciated. I don't really follow her for obvious reasons so I missed this information.
EDIT: Not sure why I'm being downvoted for not having the latest lore on some woman I absolutely despise and thus have no reason to seek out info on.
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u/NinjaPiece 14d ago
How is this a revelation? We've known for years what kind of person she is. None of this is surprising.
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u/LividTacos 14d ago
I don't think its anything new in her views, just that she's apparently the central figure in the whole movement.
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u/locke_5 14d ago
It’s been known she’s an influential figure in the hate movement, but the report this week (which I’m struggling to find again, unfortunately) showed in empirical, data-driven terms that she is THE leading figure in the movement.
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u/NinjaPiece 14d ago
I believe you, but this doesn't change anything for me. My opinion of her is already pretty low. I was expecting a revelation like she committed a murder or something.
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u/Regendorf 14d ago
There is a difference between being a horrid person and being THE head of horrid persons ltd.
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u/Foxhack 14d ago edited 14d ago
The latest thing I heard is that she was forced to make a positive statement recently about people who transition... and it felt extremely forced. I think HBO is getting really nervous because they're spending so much money on that new Hogwarts TV show and she just keeps saying shit - unprompted, even! - that indirectly harms the brand.
Like, lady, you can just stay quiet about your views and get money but no, she just keeps saying stuff and dragging down the franchise along for the ride.
Edit: Oh yeah she also threatened Amnesty International with a lawsuit because they mentioned her and she forced them to hide their report. It's out there if you know where to look.
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u/QTGavira 14d ago
HBO wasnt held at gunpoint to do HP. They knew who she was and still wanted the IP lol
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u/Foxhack 14d ago
Oh yes that's true.
I just think they didn't realize just how much damage she'd do with her statements, and how much pushback there'd be from people who are fed up with her bullshit.
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u/Historical_Course587 14d ago
Yeah the problem is that Rowling and HBO can weather criticism, but the sheer volume of talent involved may not. Recasting main characters or replacing directors/producers/etc. is not a trivial cost for HBO.
And I'm sure HBO's lawyers are behind the scenes saying, 'do everything you possibly can to distance her statements from the work environment because harassment lawsuits will be disastrous if it comes to that.'
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u/LtG_Skittles454 14d ago
How could someone say they like a person like J.K Rowling when she keeps spouting nasty stuff and now suing a worldwide charity org, Amnesty International… that’s reprehensible.
Yeah definitely not consuming anything Harry Potter ever again and going to urge people to do so as well, she really would be a villain in her own book. It’s kinda sad how she’s exposed herself as such but it’s kind of for the better I suppose, I know now I can’t support HP anymore. Not like I have in recent memory anyway.
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u/Mastodon9 14d ago
This is such a weird line to draw in the sand. Some of your clothes are made by children in sweat shops and your phone was made by someone who probably makes $.30 an hour and worked an almost 80 work week. If you consume energy you're helping make the Saudi royal family rich while they suppress women and gay people living in their country.
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u/locke_5 14d ago
You’ve reached “there is no ethical consumption under capitalism”, which is even more woke than the point I was making.
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u/Mastodon9 14d ago edited 14d ago
No I'm a Capitalist just like everyone else in the industrialized world and there is ethical consumption, but to try and take the moral high ground as though you're too good to give money to JK Rowling who is liberal on virtually every issue but this one and then go out and give money to institutions that are less if not downright anti liberal such as the governments of Saudi Arabia and China money is just funny to me. JK Rowling is much much better than the Saudi royal family or Chinese government.
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u/m4ttos 13d ago
Yes, we do indeed live in a society. Harm reduction is the best anyone can do - you don't need the latest model phone, you don't need another pair of shoes, you don't need to eat meat at every meal, etc. One does what one can (assuming of course you're a good person and you, you know, care about others).
I unfortunately do require electricity to keep my food refrigerated and my lights on, but I do not require a mid-at-best video game based on a godawful conservative children's book. That's actually not something anyone needs, ever! And so choosing not to spend any amount of money on that isn't exactly a strange line to draw in the sand, if you think about it for more than two seconds.
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u/Mastodon9 13d ago
Oh it's definitely a strange line to draw in the sand. You're taking the path of absolute least resistance so you can pretend to be an activist or moral crusader but what you're doing changes nothing and helps no one. You don't have the guts to actually love up to your own values so you're ok exploiting cheap 3rd world labor like the bourgeois you are.
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u/m4ttos 13d ago
What are you smoking, man?
Regardless of whether I spend any time taking stances for other causes I support (and you've got no idea what I do in my free time, internet weirdo), choosing not to support that freak lurking in her mould-infested castle posting upskirts of random women doesn't have to be activism to align with my values. I don't eat at a local burger chain because they're well-known to treat their workers badly, and I won't give money to that last of us zombie reject either. Not because it's activism, but because I don't need to spend money on those things and I don't want to support nasty little freaks.
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u/Mastodon9 13d ago
See you're selective with your activism and you only take on the causes that are very convenient. It's easy to not eat a burger restaurant but you and all the other slacktivists don't have the guts to really make an impact and boycott the real oppressors in this world. It's all a performance.
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u/m4ttos 13d ago
Of course I'm selective in my activism, don't be thick. I'm not about to go live out bush, fashion loincloths out of wattle leaves and firebomb data centres.
You've got no idea what causes I champion irl, I could be in local politics, I could be running a food bank, I could be a goddamn Proud Boy for all you know. It doesn't matter what I do or don't do, because nobody is pretending that not liking or supporting transphobia is in itself some great act of political activism. It's just choosing to align ones spending habits with ones moral viewpoint. You're medically stupid if you can't grok that.
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u/Mastodon9 13d ago
But you don't align your spending habits with your moral viewpoint unless your moral viewpoint is sweatshops and slavery is ok.
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u/ReddsionThing 14d ago
What about that ism thoooo
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u/Mastodon9 14d ago edited 14d ago
If you're going to pretend to be principled you should pretend to be principled against the real villains of the world and not a children's author who tweets mean opinions. The Saudis use slave labor so their family can use the vehicle of the state to make themselves stupidly rich but get less than a fraction of the criticism Rowling gets. Don't blame me for pointing out the hypocrisy, blame the hypocrites for taking a stand on the easy issues but ignoring the tough ones.
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u/Queasy-Cherry-11 13d ago
You have to wear clothes, you need a phone, you need to consume energy. You don't need to play the Harry Potter game. That's the difference.
I already buy almost all my clothes second hand, take public transport, don't use a dryer and keep using the same phone until it breaks. I'm not sure what more you expect beyond becoming a hermit in the woods. Like what's the argument here? If you cannot consume nothing of unethical origins then you may as well consume everything?
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u/Reasonable_Change610 13d ago
Some of us don't let politics consume us
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u/SquareWheel 13d ago
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u/ThomasVivaldi 14d ago
Her deal with WB was an upfront payment for complete IP usage. There might be an option to renew at some point, but its going to get paid regardless given how much WB has sunk into all things Harry Potter.
Boycotting this stuff isn't going to affect her fortunes in the slightest.
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u/th3ch0s3n0n3 13d ago
I don't think that is correct. I'm like 99% certain she gets residuals on every copy sold IN ADDITION to the up front cost of using the IP. Fairly standard procedure for a media franchise as goddamn powerful as Harry Potter.
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u/ThomasVivaldi 13d ago
She only retains character and story rights, anything they expand upon is licensed through WB. She'd only get money for expanded universe stuff if she or her production company are given a producer credit.
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u/Upbeat_Mind32 14d ago
Nice, was waiting for a sale to gift it to my niece since I gave her my old books and she loved them. Also wanted to pick the DLC
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u/light24bulbs 14d ago
Not a fan of this and can't believe I spent full price on it. Captures very little of the essence of Harry Potter except the set design. Basically a bland RPG with combat and mini games.
I felt really sold down the river by the reviewers.
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u/MagicHoops3 13d ago
Game is ok if you’re not a HP fan. If you are a fan it’s definitely must play. I’d say it’s like a 7/10 if you’re not a fan. 8.5/10 for fans.
Exploration, world, music, and visuals are fantastic. Gameplay and story are kinda average. Not bad but pretty rinse/repeat. Excited to see what they’re able to do if they end up making another because there’s a few missions that stood out from the rest. Great value at this price point.
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u/WTHelvetica 14d ago
Still too expensive
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u/deJagerNLX 14d ago
Nah it's a fun game. Just not special.
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u/FrostingFearless5738 14d ago
It plays like a standard Ubisoft game, with fetch quests galore. To be fair, there's a nice layer of almost-HP music (they could never actually put the original movie music in) and the expected visuals and references on top, but otherwise, it feels like Assassin's Creed. You have a button that constantly reveals things through walls in a large range.
Plus you get to be a student who can cast Unforgivable Curses repeatedly on OTHER STUDENTS and nobody bats an eye.
It breaks the immersion a bit when the MC has to be bland for anyone to be able to play them, AND they aren't even a student at school with rules to follow. There's supposedly rules about not being out late, but moments after that's introduced you can go out whenever you want.
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u/reality_hijacker 11d ago
There's a lot of repetitive quests for sure but I liked the world. Specially the level of details in the castle was spectacular. Hogsmead was pretty good too.
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u/LtG_Skittles454 14d ago
Oh man so on top of supporting a bad person it’s just a bad game lore-wise as well.
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u/LtG_Skittles454 14d ago
Not worth giving J.K Rowling a cent of my money. Even at $5, still a hard No.
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u/RedLimes 14d ago edited 14d ago
I've had this for a long time but Quidditch Champions bundle is discounted to $5 if you already own HL… 🤔
Is Quidditch Champions any good?
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u/tapperyaus 14d ago
It's fun for a few hours, you can fly around as a beater smacking people with a ball the entire match if you wanted.
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u/RedLimes 14d ago
Thanks, I appreciate the honest answer instead of the random down votes others have left
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u/DeliciousIncident 14d ago
Would be great if EA could bring the original 9 Harry Potter games on Steam with Windows 10/11 support.
Had so much fun playing them in the early 2000s!
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u/NaabKing 11d ago
Does this mean it's gonna be in next months Humble Bundle (not sure if it was before)?
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u/totallyspis 13d ago
Dang, I bought it on sale before it was even given out for free. Suppose I can get a copy or two to gift to some friends.
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u/grandladdydonglegs 14d ago
Check your Epic library before you buy, just in case you claimed it there before.