Harry Potter Quidditch Champions: Not as Fun as I would Have Thought

Harry Potter Quidditch Champions: Not as Fun as I would Have Thought

Release: September 3, 2024
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Genre: PlayStation 5 Reviews, Sport
PEGI: 7
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I have loved Harry Potter for as long as I can remember. I love books. I love movies. I love games. As a sports guy, I always enjoyed the idea of Quidditch, even if the sport itself seemed completely absurd. The thing is, to read about Quidditch and to play a game of Quidditch feels like two different things. I was willing to give this game a try, and thanks to Warner Bros. we got that opportunity over the past few weeks. Let’s dive in!

For the record, I was ready to review this game after a few days, but I decided I needed more time to see if…well more time would change my mind. There are a lot of cool things here to love – there are upgraded robes and brooms to obtain to make your player better, a variety of different positions to play, and so much more. There is something here for hardcore Quidditch fans, but there is also a commitment that is required.

Every single position in the game requires a whole new set of controls to learn. Seakers is all about quick turns, quick dives, and good button pressing. Keepers bounce from ring to ring attempting to stop the quaffle. Chasers move up and down the field with speed, tossing the quaffle back and forth and attempting to score goals. There are concepts that are the same from A to B, but each player on the field has different things you’ll need to remember.

Learning how to play all the different positions isn’t actually all that much work. I have the positions I like and the ones I hate, like most people I assume; it is a lot, but it isn’t overwhelming.

There is a great cast of characters here as well, including all the Wheasley’s, Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, and more. There is so much to want to love about Harry Potter Quidditch Champions. And yes, I know this game might resonate with others like it didn’t with me, so I’m not going to score hits below a 6/10. And a six out of 10 is what I’m going with.

So why? Why would I give a game such a low score from a franchise that I love?

The more I played Harry Potter Quidditch Champions the more I realized that this sport is great to read about, but not as great to play. Rules had to be changed for the video game of course – getting the Snitch gives a team 30 points instead of 150 points and ending the game. And games are over after one team reaches 100. These changes are necessary to make the game work, but once again, it’s more fun to read about than to play. At least in my opinion.

Had this been part of Hogwarts Legacy I think people would have been perfectly fine with it, but as a standalone game, it’s just not fun in my opinion. It’s a novelty for a few hours, yes, but I wasn’t coming back to this sports title like I went back to NHL or Madden.

I’m not going to trash this game, because I think there are people who are going to like it a whole lot. It just happened to be a miss for my entire family.

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