As a long-time Harry Potter fan, diving into Quidditch Champions was like stepping onto the pitch at Hogwarts for the very first time. The game’s sound design, with its authentic John Williams-inspired music and punchy Bludger hits, sent shivers down my spine, transporting me back to those magical moments of Potterverse immersion.
As a dedicated gamer and die-hard fan of all things Harry Potter, I have to admit that the past few years have been a bit rough for the magical universe we love. However, when it comes to the gaming world, it seems that J.K. Rowling’s brainchild has managed to shine brightly. Last year, the release of Hogwarts Legacy was not just another game; it became the best-selling title of 2023, a feat worth celebrating.
On September 3, 2024, the game titled “Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions” will be launched, allowing players to grab a broom and soar through the skies as they engage in the legendary Wizarding World sport of Quidditch. With Quidditch missing from “Hogwarts Legacy“, many enthusiasts were eagerly waiting for a Quidditch video game, and it’s expected that “Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions” will meet those expectations, although the duration of its availability remains uncertain.
Almost The Quidditch Game Fans Have Waited 11 Years For
In the initial hour of the game “Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions”, players participate in the Weasley Burrow Cup – essentially a beginner’s guide for the four different roles available. These roles include the Keeper, Seeker, Beater, and Chaser, each with unique elements that set them apart from one another. Although the flight controls remain consistent across all roles, the Beater can hurl a Bludger at opponents, while the Keeper can dive in front of goalposts for defense.
In these four roles, there’s a blend of simplicity and excitement. Players can grasp the role’s intent swiftly, yet becoming fully proficient takes some time. However, when all the components align, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions offers some truly enjoyable gaming experiences. The sensation of soaring through the air as a Chaser, tackling rivals, evading Bludgers, and slipping the Quaffle past the opposing Keeper to score a goal is precisely the kind of swift, rewarding action that fans have been yearning for since 2003’s Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup on the PS2.
Quidditch Champions Has Some Caveats That Stop it From Feeling Like the Complete Package
Initially promoted as an online multiplayer game, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, focuses predominantly on this aspect. At the moment, it offers only one main game mode for PvP multiplayer battles, specifically the Quidditch Champions‘ 3-versus-3 matchup. In this setup, players are assigned two roles that they must alternately play, with a constant Chaser role. However, the current system seems unbalanced as it pertains to the distribution of roles.
It’s simpler for a player to juggle their Seeker and Chaser roles because the Seeker doesn’t need to be on the field until the Snitch appears. However, managing both Beater and Chaser roles is trickier since they are both essential throughout the game. The task becomes even more challenging for a Keeper who must quickly switch between their defensive responsibilities as the primary line of defense and their offensive role as an important tool.
For some gamers, the challenge of maintaining balance in this game could prove intriguing; on the other hand, others might find it exasperating. The developers have announced plans to introduce a 6v6 multiplayer mode prior to 2025, which is a significant draw for many. However, it’s a notable downside that this feature won’t be accessible from the get-go.
Although the player versus player (PvP) aspect in Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions could use more variety, its player versus environment (PvE) content is more robust. In this game, players can participate in three tournaments: the Hogwarts House Cup, the Triwizard Cup, and the World Cup. Additionally, they can arrange an Exhibition match between any team they’ve earned by completing these tournaments. It might not be the most expansive sports game out there, but it caters well to fans of the 2003 Quidditch World Cup game, providing them with almost everything they desire.
As a devoted Harry Potter fan, I must admit that while I appreciate the inclusion of single-player mode in “Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions”, there’s a significant catch. The game offers five AI difficulty levels, but only the highest one truly tests your skills. Regrettably, even this level might not keep seasoned players engaged for an extended period.
Playing solo can be challenging due to the fact that as difficulty levels increase, both teams become more aggressive. Interestingly, this heightened aggression often results in a standoff between the two sides, a situation known as a stalemate. To illustrate, on the highest difficulty setting, it becomes harder for you to score against the opposing Keeper, but your AI-controlled team’s Keeper also becomes equally difficult to bypass. This means that despite the increased difficulty, there is no real change in the gameplay.
Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions’ Progression Is Fine, For Now
In the game “Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions“, there are two primary advancement methods: Career Advancements and Seasonal Rewards. Career Advancements provide players with new brooms, currency to improve them, and points to enhance their custom team. These points can be used to upgrade the player’s unique team by choosing from different skill trees, each having three distinct branches. This provides a good level of depth as it includes both stat increases and new abilities.
One limitation of this ability system is that players can merely allocate up to ten skill points concurrently. This restriction allows for a balanced gaming environment by preventing advanced players from overwhelming beginners, yet it also implies that after the acquisition of these ten skill points, no further character advancement occurs within the game. It’s worth noting that achieving these ten skill points requires only a few hours of gameplay.
In simpler terms, certain individuals who make money from both Career and Seasonal awards have the option to spend it on decorative items like character skins, some of which are inspired by popular Harry Potter figures such as Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy.
Season Rewards can be likened to the Battle Pass from the game “Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions.” It’s beneficial that players can obtain all these rewards without investing real-world money; however, the pace at which they are given out is quite slow. After approximately 13 hours of playtime, I had only managed to unlock the 12th tier of Season Rewards.
In summary, although Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions boasts promising advancement mechanisms on the surface, similar to many other aspects of the game, their practical implementation could use some improvement.
Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions Looks, Sounds, and Feels Pretty Magical
As a dedicated fan, I’d like to highlight one aspect of “Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions” that truly hits the mark – its captivating presentation. Unlike the realistic visual style of “Hogwarts Legacy”, “Quidditch Champions” takes a more artistic and stylized approach to its art direction, which, for the most part, I find incredibly effective.
As a dedicated fan, I can’t help but appreciate the lively, cartoony aesthetic of “Quidditch Champions,” which seems perfectly fitting for a game rooted in the magical realm. Remarkably, despite having multiple maps (three Hogwarts and four Weasley Burrows), each one manages to feel unique due to subtle variations in weather effects and lighting. However, at times, character faces might appear somewhat unnatural or lifeless under this style. Yet, during gameplay, this is hardly a consistent or glaring issue.
The audio design in Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions stands out as a notable feature. The music used during the loading screens and menus of Quidditch Champions echoes the original score by John Williams, adding authenticity to the game. Moreover, the sound effects in the game are impactful; a Bludger hit resonates with a satisfying thud, while a broom’s boost sounds impressively powerful. These audio elements are further enhanced by the game’s particle effects that create a burst of vibrant light and color when a player scores or passes through a Snitch’s power ring, adding to the overall enjoyment of the game.
In terms of gameplay, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions functions smoothly on PlayStation 5, with minimal glitches during game sessions. The visual presentation of a game is crucial in distinguishing a decent game from a good one, and the visuals of Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions push it into the latter category. However, it’s worth noting that some of the English accents, especially those for Fred and George, can be rather poorly done and even comically bad at times.
The Quaffle-Shaped Elephant in the Room
Currently, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions offers a fun, though not perfect gaming experience. Much like many multiplayer games today, this is likely a preliminary version. Although the fundamental structure, gameplay mechanics, and visuals of Quidditch Champions might remain unaltered for some time, its live-service nature suggests that it’s set to receive updates with fresh content in the foreseeable future.
The main concern is about what kind of fresh content we can expect in the upcoming season of Quidditch Champions. As per the current plan, a new season is set to launch during Winter, with several themed events unfolding between now and then. These Season Rewards will certainly add to the delight of those already playing Quidditch Champions, but they might not be sufficient to retain players in the long run or attract new ones.
In simpler terms, the Harry Potter brand remains powerful, but games like Quidditch Champions that operate on a live-service model need a substantial and dedicated player community to thrive over time. Unfortunately, the current plan for Quidditch Champions doesn’t seem to be engaging enough to keep players coming back. Additionally, its $30 price tag might be a significant hurdle for gamers who can only access it through PlayStation Plus without additional payment.
there’s a lot of potential hidden beneath the exterior of Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions. If they manage to fix any issues with the game, it could turn into an extraordinary experience. However, achieving this might be challenging given the high expectations and the lengthy development process.
Rating: 7.0
Pros:
- Intuitive control scheme with some engaging mechanics that distinguish each role
- Great presentation in terms of art style and sound design
- Some fun, but flawed progression systems
- A good amount of single-player content
Cons:
- A lack of multiplayer modes at launch
- An unbalanced role-swapping system
- AI difficulty could use some work
The game “Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions” can currently be purchased on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and personal computers (PC). In writing this review, we were provided with a PS5 code by Game Rant.
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2024-09-12 04:14