‘Hogwarts Legacy’ receives rave reviews despite the obvious controversy

The review embargo for Hogwarts Legacy has just lifted, ending the long wait as we discover whether this much-discussed game is worth playing, or easily skippable.

Reviewing this game sounds like strolling into a minefield as the ongoing furor over J.K. Rowling’s transphobia has cast a long shadow over its release, though it’s clear that those who’ve been playing it over the last few days have tried their best to judge it on its own merits.

Our reviewer acknowledged the ethical quandary over whether buying the game puts money into the pocket of a woman whose opinions have caused many to argue for a boycott. However, his job was to evaluate the game rather than the controversy, and having wrapped credits on it, judged it as “great” and awarded a four-star review.

So, how’s it going down on other sites? Well, the Metacritic rating currently sits at an impressive 88 and OpenCritic has it at 85%. Here’s the rundown of prominent gaming sites’ scores:

IGN: 9/10

Screen Rant: 9/10

Metro GameCentral: 8/10

GamesRadar+ 3.5/5

Attack of the Fanboy: 4/5/5

Game Rant: 4/5/5

Push Square: 8/10

PlayStation Universe 9.5/10

PlayStation Lifestyle: 9/10

PCGamesN: 7/10

Xbox Achievements: 88%

Scores like this will have Warner Bros. Interactive and developers Avalanche Software breathing a sigh of relief. Even so, almost all the reviews we’ve read qualify their praise by saying it’s up to individual gamers whether they want to support the game.

That Hogwarts Legacy is apparently a very fun game will make it that much more difficult for Harry Potter fans opposed to Rowling’s beliefs to put their money where their mouth is and stay away. If it had been outright terrible, the decision would have been made for them, but delivering on the promise of letting players take their character through the Wizarding World means we suspect at least some will quietly pick it up and hope they’re not called out for being hypocritical.

With the game officially releasing on Friday, expect the critical reaction to fuel a new wave of debate over whether you can stomach playing Hogwarts Legacy. The discourse is already approaching white-hot levels on social media, and a whole new bunch of fuel has just been poured on the fire. Expect more drama to come as people get their hands on it and more impressions land.

Hogwarts Legacy is released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, and PC on Feb 10, with PS4 and Xbox One releases on Apr 4, and the Nintendo Switch on Jul 25.