If You’ve Ever Dreamed of Being a Wizard, “Harry Potter: Wizards Unite” Is for You
The game Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is about to come out, and it is, in a word, magical. The premise of the game is that an event titled “the Calamity” has occurred, dropping all sorts of magical objects, beasts, and people, called “Foundables,” into the Muggle world. You, as the player, are part of the Statute of Secrecy Task Force, and your job is to find any misplaced magic and return it to where it belongs.
In terms of the actual setup of the game, it is very similar to Niantic’s earlier creation Pokémon Go. So if you’re already a fan of that game, it will be pretty easy to navigate. However, if you’ve never played Pokémon Go, there’s no need to fear. The game is fairly intuitive and very easy to figure out. Plus, as a fun little bonus, some of the tutorials are voiced by some of our favorite characters. Both Harry and Hermione show up to help guide you through the game.
Familiar faces also show up in the game itself, often needing your help. This can mean cutting Hagrid free of some webs or saving Sirius Black from a Dementor. You’re also going to run into some creatures you might recognize from the Fantastic Beasts franchise, such as an Erumpent or a baby Niffler. Whenever you’re near a Foundable, a marker will show up on your screen.
Of course, in order to collect those Foundables, you’re going to need to cast some spells, which you do by tracing the shape of the spell on your screen. Fair warning, though – once you start tracing the spell, the example will start to fade. So make sure you remember what the spell looks like, because the more precise and accurate your spell shape is, the stronger your spell will be. All it takes is one messed up line for your spell to be too weak to work. You do get multiple tries, although it is possible to run out of spell energy. There are inns in the game that serve you food to restore this energy, but you do have to wait at least five minutes between visits. If you don’t want to wait, it’s possible to make an in-app purchase to replenish it.
Each Foundable has a threat level attached to it. Low-level threats are easy to tackle, even for Level 1 players. However, if the threat level is high, you might want to wait to level up before tackling it since it can be capable of overpowering even a perfectly traced spell. If you don’t want to wait, though, you can augment the strength of your spells with potions, which will give you extra power for a set number of tries.
Higher levels also unlock your ability to choose a profession. At Level 6, you can choose from three professions: Professor, Auror, and Magizoologist. Choose wisely since each profession has its advantages and drawbacks. For example, an Auror might be skilled at offensive magic but might have a weaker resolve. You might also want to check with your friends to see what they’re picking as well since it’s important to have a well-balanced team going into a Fortress challenge.
A Fortress challenge allows you and up to four of your friends to work together to defeat a variety of foes. You engage in one-on-one combat, trying to defeat them all within the time limit. Despite being one-on-one combat, it’s still a collaborative effort, with teammates being able to do things such as restore your health or alter the abilities of your foe.
Whether you’re playing alone or playing with friends, the game is a lot of fun. It really does feel like you’ve stepped into the magical world. It also encourages you to get moving, with some items, like Porkeys, only being activated by movement. Make sure to keep an eye on your battery, though, since the game does take a toll on it. The only other real downside is that the game does take a while to load when first opening it. But overall, it’s a fantastic game, and if you’ve ever dreamed of being a wizard, this game is for you.
