Can developer Niantic surpass the hype of Pokémon GO? With the universe of Harry Potter as the playing field, there is in any case plenty to experience in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. But does it manage to spark such a magical frenzy as its predecessor? You will find out in this review.
Harry Potter: GO
If you’ve been out and about in recent years, you’re no doubt familiar with Pokémon GO. Millions of people were captivated by this smartphone game, in which you build your own Pokémon collection by taking to the streets and catching the digital critters in a Pokéball in augmented reality.
Now Niantic returns with Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, a game that, despite the completely different world in which it takes place, bears a lot of similarities to Pokémon GO. For example, to play the game you have to take to the streets again, you walk past buildings to earn energy and interactive objects continuously appear on the screen that you can do something with.
With an intro movie and speech bubbles from Harry Potter and Hermione, among others, Wizards Unite explains why it’s time to dust off your wand and head out the door. As a wizard, you are tasked with returning magical monsters and objects to the magical world, so that the Muggles (people without magical talents) do not discover the existence of this magical world.
Enough to do
Unlike Pokémon GO, however, it is a lot less obvious in Wizards Unite what exactly the intention is. If you’re familiar with Pokémon, you know that you catch the monsters by throwing a ball at them, so the whole idea of a game where you take walks to find the critters makes a lot of sense. Also training your Pokémon and competing against others is something that almost needs no explanation.
Because this is not the case in Wizards Unite, the game feels a bit messy. If you don’t pay attention and miss some explanation, you suddenly find yourself with a laundry list of things to do. You can make potions, pick up ingredients from the ground, send monsters back to the magical world, replenish your magical energy so you can continue to cast spells, level up and complete challenges, fill a magical scrapbook, unlock chests by walking and your ID create card.
Fortunately, many of these things can be traced directly to a feature in Pokémon GO. Which at the same time touches on a Wizards Unite pain point: if you think away the Harry Potter jacket that this game is put in, you’re left with practically the same game as Pokémon GO. For example, the scrapbook is an alternative to the Pokédex, Portkeys are the eggs that you open by walking and houses and inns are the Pokéstops of this game.
Magic with spells
Once you come across a magical creature or wizard who needs a one-way ticket to the magical world, things are a little different. At that moment a spell appears on the screen that you must trace with your finger as quickly and accurately as possible. If you do that right, you can do a lot of damage or send the monster back. This proves to be quite tricky, especially since drawing the perfect spell requires a lot more finesse than throwing a Pokéball. In fact, some challenges are so difficult that you will need the help of other players nearby to overcome them.
In battles with other wizards, you also have to defend yourself and keep an eye on your life bar, where a good potion can do wonders to emerge victorious. These battles are a nice variety, but also become more of the same over time. Just like Niantic’s previous game, Wizards Unite will have you doing a lot of the same to level up, which takes longer each time. It will vary from wizard to wizard how long that will last.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite review conclusion
So have you enjoyed Pokémon GO or are you still playing it? Then Wizards Unite is a great alternative, especially if you are a fan of Harry Potter. However, if you are looking for something new or if you want a new game that does more than its predecessor, this game is unfortunately too much of the same. That doesn’t change the fact that we’ve spent many hours defeating monsters and other magical scum since the game’s release, although the chances are very small that Wizards Unite’s spell will hold us in its grip longer than Pokémon’s. GO.
Also read: These 6 tips will help you become the best wizard in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite