We tested the Harry Potter mobile game: Hogwarts Mystery

2 weeks in the shoes of a wizard at Hogwarts

   The fans of the Harry Potter saga are not their first versions of the universe in video games. The first volume Harry Potter at the school of wizards had been entitled to its title on the Playstation One in 2001. If it does not rejuvenate us, the experience offered by the various titles on console was nothing transcendent and s even proved faded by both the gameplay and the script. But console games are old story for Wizarding World (authored by author JK Rowling and Warner Bros. Pictures studio) as the release of Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery is an original mobile creation (smartphone and tablet).

The universe of the game

 Let's start with what fans of the Harry Potter saga will surely be looking for. Yes, I'm a sorcerer's apprentice at Hogwarts in Slytherin House, I'm currently in the second year and classes are linked without too much stress ... For the uninitiated (not to say fans), we could pass for a remained, but that's what you actually experience in the game Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery. Indeed you find yourself for the delight of the fans, in the shoes of a sorcerer (or a witch of your choice) who arrives at the Hogwarts School as a first year. Until now, only the "browser game" on PotterMore offered a similar universe experience: being in the shoes of a sorcerer's apprentice. Forget about Harry Potter, and experience your own wizarding experience. This is surely the highlight of the game.

 

Second element in favor of the game: the story and its plot. Without wanting to spoil the readers, the story and the plot in which our character evolves are for me the only mechanism of retention of the game. Indeed, as the title of the license indicates, the story of your sorcerer runs on the same principle as the Harry Potter saga. That is to say, a common thread that will follow the years of study at Hogwarts, all interspersed with courses of potions, spells and other subjects and the social relationships that are created with other students. In short, you will understand, I take pleasure to return to the benches of a fanciful school that has punctuated my imagination ...

Focus on the gameplay: it's not wizard

 After the magic, returns to the harsh reality of gaming: gamplay. This is where the spell launched Wizarding World loses much of its panache. Unlike console licenses whose gameplay was on platforms with related difficulties, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery has none. The only block we encounter is the lack of activity points. The whole gameplay is based on reward mechanics over time spent. We start the game with about twenty activity points that are used for all the interactions except the movements in the different parts of the castle. So once the twenty interactions to advance the story and follow the course, you will have to wait 2 minutes 30 seconds to get a point.

Screenshot of the game where the activity point system is displayed at the top right of the screen.

The objective of the game is to advance in the story and the plot of the game illustrated in the form of chapters that can be done only through learning through the different subjects taught. This can be redundant when you are in second year. The reward system suffers from the same defects. You are rewarded with coins (game currency that they could have called "Gallions" to refer to the monetary system of the universe), skill points (Power, Empathy and Knowledge that can evolve) and sometimes gems (we'll come back to it in the "business model" part of the game) or activity points.To conclude, the RPG aspect of the game is very interesting (and pleasant for fans), but too limited in the choice of actions that are linear and by the system time-activity points. Imagine asking a fan of the saga to have to close the volume "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" after 5 minutes of reading ...

What is the business model of mobile gaming?

La réponse a la question est déjà connue des joueurs habitués à télécharger des jeux en free-to-play. Le business modèle pour rentabiliser et créer un profit sur une licence comme celle-ci est basée sur le pay-to-win. On l’a dit plus haut, les points d’activité et leur limite sont frustrants pour le joueur, mais il possible d’acheter ces derniers avec des Gemmes, elles-mêmes consommable avec la monnaie réelle.

En plus des Gemmes, il est possible d’acheter des Pièces d’or qui servent quant à elles à déverrouiller ce que l’on appelle dans le jargon du gaming : des « skins ». Vous pouvez personnaliser votre personnage en lui changeant de coupe de cheveux, lui rajoutant des lunettes (HP likes this…), l’habillant d’une autre manière que la traditionnelle robe de sorcier. Bref du « skin-gadget » qui ne vous fera pas avancer plus vite, mais vous donnera une satisfaction personnelle. S’il est possible de gagner facilement des Pièces d’or en avançant la trame scénaristique, il est possible d’acheter cette monnaie avec votre propre argent (Gringotts likes this…) 

 

 At present, I have not seen any release on the commercial success of mobile gaming, but it is still too early to analyze it. The model has proven itself on old titles like Candy Crush, Clash of Clans or newer with Fortnite on mobile. But even with known licenses like Harry Potter, profitability is not necessarily at the rendezvous. As evidenced by the success of half-tone Super Mario Run on smartphone.

Harry Potter : Hogwarts Mystery   test conclusions

 

Being a big fan of the original Harry Potter saga (an annual reading of the seven volumes is a routine since I was 12 ...), it is hard for me to judge such a license. However, I have always been disappointed by the games released on PlayStation, PlayStation 2 - 3 and 4 with the cross-over of the Lego universe. Even the experience on the PotterMore community site is quickly bland after passing the Magic Choipeau test (especially if you find Hufflepuff ... No, I'm kidding). So Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery on iOS and Android has many faults that gamers will notice in terms of gameplay and frustration related to activity points. As for the fans, some fans will have noticed historical inconsistencies in the work of J.K. Rowling, but that do not in any way disturb the universe and the joy of being in the shoes of a sorcerer's apprentice. Here are my conclusions

Positive points :

- We take a real pleasure to frolic in the universe of Harry Potter,
- The plot of the game prompts us to progress in the chapters (levels) of the game,
- The characters are based on the facies of the actors of the saga,
- We feel the (positive) control of the parent company Wizarding World on the development studio.

Negative points :
- The play-to-win system roughs the gamer,
- Gameplay too simplistic that creates no challenge,
- An RPG system that is too limited 

 In summary, the fan that I am is happy to see a new story fit in the universe of the saga, but the gamer (who I am too) would have preferred to spend 25 dolar in a mobile application and see a license with a gameplay more worked and complete. With that, I still return to finish my Potions class ...