Hogwarts Legacy's Spells Are A Sad Homage To The Movie Tie-In Games

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is by far the most in-depth game that the community has ever received, but it could learn a thing or two from its predecessors when it comes to spell mechanics. Of course, in the wizarding world, nothing is more important than learning and mastering spells (regardless of whether they're used for good or for evil). Despite the significance of this process and its open-ended possibilities, though, unfortunately leaves much to be desired therein — especially for those who have played the previous movie tie-in games.

In most ways, is a step up from previous games. Its open-world design finally allows witches and wizards to explore Hogwarts to their hearts' content, and being able to make impactful choices on the story lets them live out a personalized, meaningful story. But ultimately, can't compete with PS1's or spin-off games, at least in regard to learning spells.

Related: Watch Out, There's Hogwarts Legacy Spoilers Everywhere

To learn a spell in, players need to complete a one-time skill check. They're required to trace a shape with their mouse or joystick, as well as time a few button inputs that appear along the track. It's a clean and straightforward system that's easy to understand, and one that clearly draws inspiration from previous games.

However, its oversimplified, minimalist approach ruins what should have been one of the game's coolest mechanics. In the game, for example, there was at least some sort of tension involved as players needed to repeatedly and accurately draw a pattern, all while a ticking timer hastened their pace.

Although it's possible to fail the minigame — or even to miss out on getting 's Avada Kedavra curse entirely — there's virtually little to no excitement or anticipation involved in