You’d be forgiven for thinking that Hogwarts acceptance letters were sent out on February 10, with Potterheads worldwide celebrating the release of Hogwarts Legacy — an open-world game set in the Harry Potter Universe. Despite being set in the 1890s and lacking many of the familiar names from the bestselling book series, the majority were overjoyed at the opportunity to explore the fantasy world of their childhood. Fans spent hours exploring the infamous castle and its grounds, after previously only being able to imagine it through the eyes of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. I was one of those fans, and after clocking in nearly 60 in-game hours and completing all available game achievements within four days of the release date, I can genuinely say that this is one of, if not the best extension to the Harry Potter franchise since the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 in 2011.

Hogwarts Legacy is unbelievably immersive, bringing out the curious child within players and rewarding those who explore the game of their own free will. It presents a mixture of in-game gear, references to the main Harry Potter series, new lore about the Harry Potter Universe, and everything in between. The suspense created from the danger of an imminent Goblin Uprising as well as hints at ancient magic are only superseded by the excitement for a chance to freely explore Hogwarts and its surroundings. In the game, the player starts as a fifth year student and is immediately notified of the unusual circumstances of their acceptance to Hogwarts. This pretense allows the start of the game to be sped up compared to previous Harry Potter games, as it canonically unlocks a wider variety of spells and access to more areas of the map. Once they arrive at the castle, players experience the sorting ceremony that every Harry Potter fan once craved, although there is the opportunity to go against the sorting hat’s instinct in this game and select your own House, somewhat similar to Harry’s choice in The Philosopher’s Stone. From there, you are given your castle orientation by a professor of a very familiar name — Professor Weasley. An older relative to the well-loved Weasley family from the main franchise, her warm and welcoming demeanor is a direct nod to the cherished characteristics of this family that we have grown to love.

Although some may find the introduction to this game a little long, it sets the pretense for how the developers want the main and side quests to be treated — done at your own free will. There is a minimal amount of side quest gatekeeping, meaning the game will warn you of the difficulty of certain side quests if the player is not of a sufficiently high level. Otherwise, the player is encouraged to explore and complete these quests at their own discretion. You are able to choose a certain type of “evil” path through your interactions with characters in side quests, often involving bargaining for a larger reward or sometimes even keeping lost items that belong to other characters. This allows players to customize their experience in this game.

The gameplay, namely the combat, has been highly praised for its aesthetics as well as its smooth mechanics. Parrying and blocking attacks feels powerful, and learning combination attacks using the 30 available spells is encouraged through in-game challenges. The flying can feel a little unintuitive at first, but is very easy to learn and master to almost feel the wind rushing through your hair as you fly over Hogwarts. As an open-world RPG, you can opt to take more quiet, deliberate approaches to enemies, or walk in blasting spells at your own leisure. Both types of play are supported and players can improve this through unlockable abilities as they level up in the game.

As the game progresses, players unlock the ability to explore the Room of Requirement, collect magical beasts, fly around the Scottish Highlands, cultivate magical plants, fight dark witches and wizards, and even learn the unforgivable curses. Certain actions do change the outcome of the game’s main storyline, namely those pertaining to the unforgivable curses, as well as how the player chooses to handle their character’s gift of controlling ancient magic. However, they do not change one’s ability to explore the game and complete side quests once the main storyline is over.

Even after completing the game and all available challenges, I still found myself flying around on broomsticks, exploring new enemy dungeons, and making potions in the castle — simply to enjoy the life in and around Hogwarts that I once so desperately wanted to experience. Playing this game is an incredible experience and should be experienced by all those who felt the magic of Harry Potter flow through them in their childhood.