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Harry Potter: Magic Awakened Game Review

Harry Potter: Magic Awakened is a 2023 collectible card MMORPG video game developed by Warner Bros. Games and released on mobile phones. It’s an incredible game.

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“Hopefully, none of you will ever face such evil.

But should challenges arise, know that together

you are capable of much more than you might think“

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This game was released worldwide in 2023 and I played the Android version on my tablet. I am still playing it as I am trying to make my way to the highest league. It’s an extraordinary game that failed to garner much interest outside of the HP community, which was disappointing and frustrating as it’s an underrated gem that is one of the best mobile games that I’ve ever played.

There is so much to talk about here as Magic Awakened is an absolutely massive game. It’s so huge, in fact, that it makes you realize how long we’ve come that Android games are now much bigger than PC games were fifteen years ago. It’s a big, versatile and diverse game that functions within multiple genres all at ones without feeling muddled. It has its own identity, which was crucial in making it feel lived in and enjoyable.

This is my first ever MMO and I loved every second of it. It works because it mixes the RPG genre with the card collectible genre while also containing some strategy elements. All of these elements worked and they made for a truly authentic experiment unlike no other. It can offer multiple hours of playthrough both in the main dueling section and in many other options.

There is a story here, and although it was the weakest part of the gameplay, it worked because the voice acting was so incredibly charming and authentic and the characters very likable. They don’t have a lot of personality, but eventually I’d come to really care for Lottie and other friends. The professors also were so well utilized with Hagrid faring best. The storytelling is endearing albeit slight. I loved that it was structured into years in Hogwarts. Ultimately, the storylines in the seasons were much more interesting than the regular ones.

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Yes, you have seasons here, each new one being about something else with the current one focusing on werewolves. This addition made the game constantly fresh and exciting. You can also roam around the castle and explore it to your content and seeing not just NPCs, but real players walk beside you made for such a wonderfully communal experience that no other HP game has provided so far. The dancing was another solid addition, though this could be tweaked to be even more polished and fun.

Of the classes that you can attend, the ones that do not focus on dueling were the best. Quidditch was so well done as basically an endless runner type of experience. It was fast, exciting and so much fun. Other highlights include Divination that is a fun guessing game, Ancient Runes that is your standard memorization game but done so well, and History of Magic, which is a full-on quiz with some tough questions that make it more interesting. Other classes are mostly duels with some even having a solid tower defense mechanic incorporated.

The Forbidden Forest was a mixed bag for me. This is basically a raid section of this game and it worked, but it was also too difficult during the later parts, and way too often there was too much waiting for other players to join and at times there wasn’t anybody in the forest, so I couldn’t play it. I wished that they got around this issue somehow.

Let’s talk about the crux of Magic Awakened, which is undoubtedly dueling. It was superbly realized and so original that it felt groundbreaking in a way. This is a card game. There are 82 cards to collect. Now, you can buy cards with real money, which made the game definitely pay to win, but thankfully there are other ways to earn money through raids and quests or even by chance, so you can certainly go far as a free to play player, which made the game universal.

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When you summon each card, a battle ensues. However, you can influence the battle by using Echos, which are these power-ups in a way with the Bellatrix echo faring best – it summons Death Eaters that help you out in the second half of the duels quite a lot. There is one crucial element of these duels and that is the movement card. Yes, in what was a rarity for MMOs, you have the option to move all over your side of the screen, and as somebody who is a fan of platformers and who has strong reflexes, my clever usage of this card gave me an extra edge that gave me wins quite often. It is by far the most underappreciated, but important element of dueling.

There are spells, summons and companions. Companions function as a power-up, helping you out significantly throughout the battle. I personally used Grawp, who was quite powerful when he charged but clumsy, Ron Weasley, whose first charge deals incredible damage, and I also loved using Hagrid during the last part of the duel. Jumping on his motorbike gives you strong defense that was crucial in those last moments of the battle.

All of these cards can be upgraded by getting another card and using it as upgrade material. This is similar to other mobile games, but thankfully the process is faster and more free player-intuitive. When it comes to summons and spells, I have my favorites that I am now going to list. Crucio was the best unforgivable curse. It required close combat, but when done right it dealt significant damage. Orb of Water is of course awesome, but a bit too powerful when compared to others. Protego Diabolica was crucial for both defense and attack and quite underrated overall.

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Tebo can be easily evaded, but if not, it deals enormous damage. Piertotum Locomotor is absolutely crucial for defense and it got me out of the sticky situation quite often. Incendio is absolutely overpowered, thus it was also crucial. Erumpent is a hugely underrated card as this creature almost cannot be evaded in its first and most powerful charge. And of course Obscurus was ridiculously powerful and just perfect as a finisher.

You are given the option to either play solo or partnered duels. Solo duels are self-explanatory while partnered duels are both easier and harder. They are easy if you get a competent companion, but quite difficult if you do end up with an idiot. Syncing with your companion is crucial here, especially as players can be brought back to life by their companion, so killing both opponents off at the same time is of the utmost importance.

I loved that you can befriend and chat with other player and the choice to put your country’s ranking in your stats was welcome too. Achievements function well here and the same goes for clothing and other options. The Room of Requirements was another welcome addition and having the portraits be alive and able to talk to you was lovely and I wished that this was included in ‘Hogwarts Legacy’, which was overall stronger, but much less charming than this underappreciated gem of a game. Having the option to trade cards with other players was also wonderfully intuitive and fun.

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Magic Awakened fares worse in audio-visuals than in gameplay. The score is superb and quite atmospheric and the sound is excellent, but the graphics left a lot to be desired. While the anime and almost stop-motion-inspired character designs really worked for me as they gave this game authenticity, the backgrounds were quite rough and they looked dated. The world building and voice acting are the highlights while the visuals could have been better and the game overall should have been less buggy.