Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
- April 25, 2018
- Jam City
Get on Apple Store"Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery" is a single-player mystery role-playing game where players create their own character and attend Hogwarts. The game boasts good mechanics, marvelous visuals, and a fabulous soundtrack, but it also has lots of grinding, annoying ads, and is very buggy. Despite its flaws, the game offers a wholesome and hilarious Harry Potter experience. The game is published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment under their Portkey Games label.
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Reviews
- Engaging story and interesting characters that immerse players in the Harry Potter universe.
- Good graphics and animations that enhance the overall gameplay experience.
- Responsive customer support that assists with issues and bugs.
- Energy system is frustrating, with long wait times for energy to refill and high energy costs for tasks, making it difficult to progress.
- Frequent glitches and bugs that cause loss of progress, requiring players to restart tasks or quests.
- Timed events and quests often feel impossible to complete without spending real money, leading to a pay-to-win perception.
- story666 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally praised for its engaging and original narrative, appealing to fans of the Harry Potter universe. However, many players express frustration with the energy system, which significantly hampers progress by requiring long wait times between quests and often resetting progress, leading to a repetitive and tedious experience. While the storyline itself is compelling, the mechanics surrounding energy consumption and quest completion detract from the overall enjoyment.
“It's an excellent game with an original story.”
“The story is amazing, but the main reason for the low score is energy.”
“The story is engaging, the characters are charming, and the ability to make your own choices adds a personal touch.”
“The storyline is juvenile and ill-conceived.”
“The game is severely underwhelming, and disappointing, and isn't interesting enough after a few classes and story points to keep me wanting to play.”
“The story moves a bit too slow than it should, but that's pretty common for free players.”
- monetization101 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 77 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn significant criticism, with many players feeling that it heavily relies on in-app purchases and a frustrating energy system that limits gameplay. Users report that the energy required for tasks is excessively high, leading to long wait times or the need to watch numerous ads, which detracts from the overall enjoyment. While some appreciate the option to watch ads for rewards, the general consensus is that the game feels like a cash grab, with high costs for in-game purchases and insufficient rewards for ad views.
“In-game purchases are criminally high, and it makes me lose faith in humanity a bit, but if you are willing to put in the work and practice patience and watch some ads, you don't have to pay to play.”
“This game has so much potential, but the in-app purchases and the long waiting times are bringing it down.”
“If the game had no energy limit and was just fun with a few in-app purchases like cosmetics, it would have been amazing.”
“The reliance on in-game purchases to get any kind of progress is ridiculous, especially if you want to do all the timed special missions.”
“This game is seriously pay-to-win. Every time I join, these random offers come into my face, and sometimes I can't get rid of them without clicking the OK option. It's super annoying, and plus, every time I immediately run out of energy and have to pay real money.”
“The energy capacity is too small, and it takes too long to refill. If I don't spend money on in-app purchases, I am left waiting around with nothing to do.”
- graphics93 mentions
- 66 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics of the game receive positive feedback, with many users praising their quality, charm, and ability to create an engaging atmosphere reminiscent of the Harry Potter universe. While some reviews mention that the graphics could use improvements, particularly in animations and character interactions, the visual design is generally considered a strong point of the game, enhancing the overall experience despite criticisms regarding gameplay mechanics and energy limitations.
“The graphics are stunning, and I really like the story in the gameplay. My only complaint is that it takes four minutes for one energy to recharge.”
“The game design is fantastic, the story is awesome, and the graphics are spectacular.”
“I love the graphics and the storyline of the game.”
“Well, the graphics need work and the characters need speech.”
“The graphics are barely average, and any sense of choice is an illusion.”
“I like this game since it's something I can do when I'm bored, but there seems to be a graphic issue when I'm doing potions class; when Snape puts the second ingredient in the cauldron, the smoke that comes out is just grey squares.”
- gameplay70 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a repetitive tap-and-wait mechanic that can feel tedious, as players often run out of energy quickly and must wait for it to recharge, limiting actual playtime. While some users appreciate the engaging story and graphics, many criticize the energy system and frequent interruptions, which detract from the overall experience and make it feel more like a cash grab than a fully realized game. Despite its potential, the gameplay mechanics are often seen as broken or overly simplistic, leading to a mixed reception among players.
“The gameplay is engaging and keeps me coming back for more.”
“The gameplay is fantastic with an interesting storyline.”
“Great gameplay experience overall.”
“The gameplay consists of repetitively tapping on highlighted objects and people and then waiting two hours to do the same thing again.”
“Pretty disappointing, the gameplay is frequently interrupted by running out of energy, a thinly veiled attempt to make you pay a far too high fee to progress at anything faster than a snail's pace.”
“However, actual gameplay, if you can call it that, is brain dead tapping on highlighted parts of the screen.”
- stability60 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent glitches and freezes that disrupt gameplay and cause players to lose progress and rewards. Many users report that these problems have made the game nearly unplayable, particularly after updates, and express frustration over the lack of effective support from the developers. While the game has potential, the persistent bugs detract from the overall experience, leading to disappointment among players.
“Sometimes when I'm halfway through, it glitches up on me and takes me straight to my home screen.”
“I even uninstalled and reinstalled, and it's still doing it. I literally can't play the game anymore; it just goes right back to the same thing and freezes the game.”
“Unfortunately, it has so many glitches that it's unplayable a lot of the time, and the prices for in-game items are ridiculously high.”
- grinding16 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly due to the high energy costs and long wait times that hinder progress and detract from the story. While some appreciate the pacing it provides, many feel that the energy system is unfriendly to free players and can lead to a loss of interest over time. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a significant drawback, overshadowing the game's potential enjoyment.
“To anyone wanting to play a good Harry Potter game: keep looking, this game is purposely made to be as tedious as possible.”
“I find myself so into the story but the number of lessons and quests, and the time it takes to get the energy for all these tasks, is so long, tedious, and distracting from the main story, that it makes me lose interest.”
“Because of the tedious and exorbitant wait times, you miss out on side adventures and quests unless you purchase more energy.”
- music9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed feedback, with some players expressing frustration over it being too low or nearly muted, possibly due to a bug. While a few users appreciate the music and sound effects, others have opted to mute it entirely, citing inconsistent audio experiences and long loading times that detract from the overall enjoyment. Overall, the music is described as charming but suffers from technical issues that hinder its full appreciation.
“I love the music, sound effects, pets, the hidden things you can tap and animate to get extra energy, the art and the 3D-ness of it.”
“Music, graphics and world building are charming.”
“Yes, it has nice graphics, music and storyline but it takes fifteen minutes (sometimes even more) to load from one scene to another.”
“The music in this game is very, very low.”
“I would love to hear the music, but I think it may be a bug that makes the music sound like it's nearly on mute.”
“Also, it feels half done; sometimes there's a touch of sound, no music, and then extended times of quiet.”
- optimization5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is inconsistent, with some users experiencing poor performance on certain devices, leading to frustration. In contrast, others praise the smooth gameplay and high-quality animations, indicating that optimization varies significantly across platforms.
“The game runs smoothly and the animation is on point.”
“Inc 5 stars for their hard work and performance on Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery!”
“I'm bringing my review down to 1 star (half of one if I could) due to the poor performance of the game.”
“Unfortunately, it's not optimized for every device it's available on.”
“If it's not optimized for a certain device, just make it unavailable for that device.”
- character development4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is perceived as lacking depth, with repetitive classes and a focus on monetization overshadowing meaningful growth. While players appreciate the character designs and find the story engaging, the limited energy system hampers the overall experience and progression.
“The character designs are impressive, and I've had a lot of fun playing the game.”
“I appreciate the depth of character development, which adds a lot to the overall experience.”
“The variety in character abilities and progression keeps the gameplay engaging and rewarding.”
“But, I guess no one cares about who goes bankrupt so long as you get 95 euros to waste on useless stuff instead of improving your character designs, your energy system, or your grace system.”
“"Classes" are enormously repetitive and while the story and character development pull you in, the actual game is designed to ensure you get involved and spend money.”
“There's not much character development.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game largely stems from its poorly executed facial animations and character movements, which users find amusing despite their flaws. While some glitches add to the comedic experience, others can be frustrating. Overall, the humor is derived from the game's unintentional absurdity.
“The facial animations are hilariously bad.”
“Some of the glitches are funny, while others are annoying.”
“The character's bodily movements are hilariously bad.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its captivating qualities and nostalgic appeal, particularly for Harry Potter fans. However, some players have expressed frustration, indicating that technical issues have hindered their ability to fully enjoy the immersive experience.
“Despite this, the game remains enjoyable with its captivating atmosphere and nostalgia for Harry Potter fans.”
“I have been playing the game from its beginning; I loved the plot, graphics, and was really excited about the atmosphere.”
“I have been playing the game since its beginning. I loved the plot and graphics, and I was really excited about the atmosphere, but now I can't even launch it.”
“The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth that I expected from this game.”
“Despite the promising setting, the atmosphere fails to engage, making the experience feel dull and lifeless.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users express frustration with the emotional impact of waiting to exit the game, as it disrupts their experience and creates a sense of anxiety about losing progress. This waiting period can detract from the overall emotional engagement with the game.
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the game's replayability, noting that frequent events can be enjoyed without requiring additional spending, which encourages repeated playthroughs.
“The game offers a variety of events that are frequent and can be enjoyed without spending any money.”
“Each playthrough feels unique due to the diverse choices and outcomes available.”
“The different character builds and strategies keep me coming back for more.”
“The game lacks meaningful choices, making replayability feel pointless.”
“Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to play again.”
“The limited variety in gameplay mechanics leads to a repetitive experience.”
