There is no doubt: il 2023 it was the year of the rediscovery of Harry Potter. At the exit of the spectacular Hogwarts Legacy of February (by the way, here all our guides on the game) followed the announcement of a reboot TV series: one season for each book. In April, news broke that Warner Bros. would be developing a new Quidditch game. Meanwhile, just last week, the studio released Harry Potter: Discover the Magicthe subject of our review.
Harry Potter: Discover the Magic is a free-to-play mobile game, available for free on iOS and Android. The title is developed by NetEase and distributed by Warner Bros. which, as with all content set in the Wizarding World, has relied on its sub-label Portkey Games.
But how is the game? Is it worth downloading? Let’s find out in our review of Harry Potter: Discover the Magic.
Harry Potter: Discover the Magic takes us back to Hogwarts, this time for free – The review
Taking up the winning formula of Hogwarts Legacy, the new mobile game puts us in the shoes of a Hogwarts student (first year this time), grappling with a new adventure. As well as for the PC and console game, Discover the Magic is infused with references to the franchise’s books and filmsincluding some characters and creatures from the Fantastic Beasts spin-off.
Yes, because unlike Hogwarts Legacy, whose events take place about a century before the birth of Harry Potter, Discover the Magic is set four months after the Battle of Hogwarts from Book Seven (eighth film). In fact we find ourselves in a school with Minerva McGranitt come presideHagrid as a Care of Magical Creatures teacher and an orphan of Dumbledore and Snape.
Not only that: through some quests of the main story we will be called to relive some iconic moments of JK Rowling’s works, such as the battle at the Ministry of Magic between Dumbledore and Voldemort.
Everything Hogwarts Legacy was missing: multiplayer
What enhances Harry Potter: Discover the Magic, to the detriment of the obvious limitations of a game designed to run on mobile, is the ability to play in multiplayer. The title is indeed a MMO of even quite important proportions: it will be possible interact with other students (it’s up to you to decide whether to dance with them in the Social Club or duel in the ever-present Dueling Club).
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IThe game leaves us free choice: on the one hand we will have the story missions to play alone, on the other an entire castle teeming with players like us. As we progress through the story we will unlock cosmetic items and cards (essential and we will understand why shortly), while wandering around the castle will allow us to make friends and climb the global duel rankings.
The game mechanics – The review of Harry Potter: Discover the Magic
The title offers us different game mechanics, although the main one will be the battle. Clashes take advantage of the classic card game mechanism: each card is equivalent to a spell (or a summon) and we could use it to defeat real opponents in duels or the AI in specific missions. PvP duels are available both in singles and in pairs, with the relative global rankings guaranteeing several awards.
Those who prefer dancing to fighting can attend the Social Clubwhich provides the opportunity to try a rhythm game. Well yes: even at Hogwarts there is dancing, and not only during the Yule Ball.
Every day, just like in a real school, we will have some lessons to follow. Here the developers have made a real Fritto Misto The Mini-Game in Co-Op, a choice that we really appreciated. In divination, for example, we will have to draw an image provided by the game. Once the drawing is finished, we will have to guess what another player has drawn. History of Magic, on the other hand, is a Huge quiz for Harry Potter fanswith questions about the events of the films and books.
In short, in Discover the Magic you never get bored.
Also noteworthy is the exploration component, both in free-roam and in the Forbidden Forest missions. The latter is a PvE mode (also in co-op) with unashamedly elements roguelite. We will face procedurally generated levels in the form of creatures from the Hogwarts forest, in exchange for cards and echoes (specific upgrades to decks of cards).
The game world is certainly not as vast and fully explorable as in Hogwarts Legacy, but even here we have at our disposal the flying broom and the possibility of visiting the territories outside the school walls (such as Diagon Alley and, further on, also London).
Bottom Line: Is Harry Potter: Discover the Magic Worth Playing?
In general Discover the Magic does not come even remotely close to that little gem called Hogwarts Legacy, whose comparison is inevitable. But the difference is also and above all given by the gaming device. To be a free mobile game, Discover the Magic it is absolutely worth playing, especially if you are a fan of the little boy who lived to Him-who-must-not-be-named.
Card duels are fun, and sometimes even exciting. The story continues very slowly, with considerable forcing, but it doesn’t matter: you will still find the incentive to log in daily to complete the daily, weekly and seasonal missions. Missions that will give you access to keys (also purchasable with microtransactions) to personalize your student and access better cards. From this point of view, one can glimpse, like the shadow of a Death Eater, l’alone del pay-to-win. However we have not, at least in our limited experience (the game came out a week ago) encountered problems of this nature.
It is worth saying a few words about graphic style, decidedly well cared for and very interesting, even if far from what we would expect in a Harry Potter game. The effect is therefore alienating, but the thing is not sorry at all.
The most interesting part of the game is certainly the MMO aspect, with chats divided by region and the possibility of make friends in the game with which to face the many mysteries that have permeated the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for centuries.