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Credit: Warner Bros. Games / NetEase Games / Portkey GamesThe latest Harry Potter project only debuted a week ago, but the game is already being ditched by fans who are “disappointed” with its final result.
Fans of the Boy Who Lived have been eating well recently. In the past few months, not only have Potterheads received news of a brand-new, book-accurate, seven-series reboot courtesy of HBO, but they’ve also been gifted the smash hit that is “Hogwarts: Legacy” – an immersive game that sees players dropped into a 19th century Wizarding World.
Related: Fans Outraged Following ‘Harry Potter’ Reboot News, Continue to Slam JK Rowling
As if that wasn’t enough, June saw the release of “Harry Potter: Magic Awakened.” This free-to-play mobile game from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment involves players participating in day-to-day activities as a Hogwarts student, such as testing their magical skills and spells in wizarding duels via collectible cards.
Set 10 years after the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011), the game had one huge advantage over “Hogwarts: Legacy” – it features familiar faces from the Harry Potter universe, such as Hagrid, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Flitwick.
However, that doesn’t seem to be enough to make up for the game’s other faults. Fans have taken to Reddit to blast “Harry Potter: Magic Awakened.” Critiques focus on the fact that it’s mostly “pay-to-win,” which makes it pricy to complete the game.
“Anyone else disappointed with how [pay-to-win] the game is?” wrote Reddit user jcam6972. “I really do enjoy this game a whole lot and had high hopes that as a [free-to-play] person it would be somewhat reasonable. I just saw a post where the opponent had a level 17 legendary card and it made me realise how insanely impossible this game would be for a [free-to-play] person.”
They concluded that they’re “likely going to drop this game and not waste anymore time [on] it because of it.” While they’d “considered buying the monthly or season pass,” they no longer feel like they can “rationalise it with how high the card levels go and how limited the gold resource is.”
Other fans agreed. User srona22 admitted that they are “only playing for sake of nostalgia and loving the story,” as well as the artwork.
Meanwhile, HarryPTHD wrote that they had already uninstalled the game. “Tried to have fun, but got tired of the usual gacha grind. Also kept getting ads for cosmetics shoved in my face. On the plus side, It reminded me that I still need to finish ‘Hogwarts: Legacy.’”
This isn’t the last Harry Potter game on the horizon. Another installment – Quidditch Champions – is right around the corner, immersing fans in the action-packed wizarding sport. Considering the response to “Harry Potter: Magic Awakened” (and considering that this isn’t the first Harry Potter game to receive this kind of anti-player spending), here’s hoping that developers listen to the feedback in time for its release.
Have you played “Harry Potter: Magic Awakened?” Let us know your thoughts in the comments!