Geek Review – Harry Potter: Magic Awakened

Fan service is the name of the game with Harry Potter: Magic Awakened. It’s perfect for fans who want to experience a new Wizarding World era and the game, which hails from Warner Bros. Games and NetEase Games, packs plenty of references to the beloved franchise – even if it can sometimes be rather heavy handed – and has made sure to cover all bases from action to education, including classes that players actually have to study for. 

The free-to-play, collectible card role-playing game fosters a vibrant community of players from all over the world, giving players the chance to build teams, interact (both in and out of story mode), and face battles together. Set 10 years after the Second Wizarding War, it sees players taking on the role of a black-haired, bespectacled individual as they get whisked into Diagon Alley to shop for their Hogwarts essentials. 

Stepping foot into Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions marks the start of their journey, where they get to redesign their avatars, obtain their wands, and choose a winged friend. Almost immediately, a card duel occurs, and players will find themselves squared up against an enemy, but don’t worry – the game gives instructions to avoid an early demise. 

This will be the format for the most part, with players having a brief explanation on a new card before having to use it in a ‘sink or swim’ situation. Other core characters (Ivy, Daniel, Robyn, Kevin, Lottie, Colby, Fischer) are introduced on the way to Hogwarts, and it’s only later in the game that the secrets behind their fresh faces begin to unravel. The game will take players through the Hogwarts curriculum, adding subplots to save their friends and the Wizarding World that most students would not have to face.

The first year at Hogwarts starts off relatively normal, with players getting sorted into their Houses (players can pick their House or let the game do it for them). However, things take a turn for the worse when Ivy suddenly goes missing, prompting a quest to uncover the truth behind her disappearance and unusual behaviour when found. As the story progresses, players can find exciting nuggets from the franchise. On top of greeting familiar faces, they also get to revisit and take part in iconic duels, including an epic showdown with You-Know-Who. 

For all that the references are well and good, they do become a little too heavy-handed as the game progresses. Life as a second-year student exudes a sense of deja vu, with the arrival of a new professor setting the stage for a journey to the Chamber of Secrets, where a big battle occurs (familiar, much?). The frequent nods to the original franchise seems more of a rethread, and chips away at the immersive element of this new storyline, diminishing the excitement of what lies next as players can more or less guess where the story is heading.

The hand-drawn design of Harry Potter: Magic Awakened is a breath of fresh air from the realistic rendering of past Harry Potter games such as Hogwarts Legacy and Hogwarts Mystery, especially when it comes to the magical creatures and spells. The extensive use of colours and shading also adds to the magical flair of the Wizarding World.

There’s novelty in its card-battling system, too, which acts as a core gameplay element and the only means of moving through the school year. Like most trading card games, the cards are classified under different grades: Common, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Mythic, and Dark. Each card in the player’s chosen deck represents a creature, spell, or item that can be summoned to flip the favour of the battle. Players have to choose 8 cards to build their deck, and there is no limit on how many cards per category can be used (with the exception being Dark cards not being allowed for most story mode battles).

Close attention must be paid to the health bar at the bottom, as a certain amount of energy is required to play each card. As expected, more powerful cards require more energy (which regenerates over time), so it’s imperative to balance when to call upon devastating spells, and when to play defence. After all, defence can be the best offence sometimes, and a calm, strategic mind will take players far in climbing the ranks. Players should check their spellbooks, cards are stored, before they go into battle as one is able to level up cards that they have drawn more than once, and could increase their total damage power. 

Movement cards are a standout feature of Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, adding a layer of strategic planning. Each battle only grants a fixed number of moves for players to step out of their opponent’s attack radius, or to situate themselves in a better position to build an offence. Once they run out, the player will be left as a sitting duck, dooming themselves to whatever their opponent sends their way. 

The Duelling Club allows players to hone their skills, pitting them against other players or non-player characters (NPCs), to progress further in the main storyline. A tip would be to play the training simulation before going in head-first into real-time duelling as there are valuable tips (such as double tapping a card for the game to direct it to the area it is needed the most) that can drastically up the odds in their favour. Additionally, players should join the correct server to find teams in the same time zone, and of course, to reduce lag (if you are in Singapore, the server name would be Ashwinder).

Dark curses are fair play in the Duelling Club, where players get the chance to take their dark magic spell cards, like the Cruciatus Curse, out for a spin – something that they can rarely do when duelling in story mode. Besides earning bragging rights and titles, the Duelling Club also rewards players with keys (both silver and gold) to increase their chances of drawing rarer and more powerful cards from the Magical Studies lucky draw. 

Where some desire power, others find comfort in completing their collection. Fantastic Beasts enthusiasts would delight in knowing that Harry Potter: Magic Awakened pays homage to the franchise with its creature summon cards, which include beasts from the films, such as the Thunderbird and Manticore, along with a short excerpt of Newt Scamander’s encounter with them. Character lifelines are also introduced, where players can call on new and old characters to take some of the heat off them during the duel.

Aside from the main storyline and card-battling action, the free-to-play experience offers a wide variety of side quests and activities that brings more excitement to the schooling life. The dance club, for instance, serves as a change of pace, inviting players to relive the Yule Ball by dancing with others. Taking after the format of Rayark’s rhythm title Cytus, it involves them hitting the correct notes and executing the on-screen prompts to the beat of the music.

The constant addition of events, meanwhile, allows the opportunity to earn more gold and gems, two of the three most used currencies in the game, with the latest additions being 

The Colouring Pages and Forbidden Forest Treasure Hunt. In line with the usual practice for mobile games, there’s a push for players to spend money to get rarer cards by purchasing chances and special keys. Doing so gives access to multiple lucky draws, as there are limited options to purchase specific cards. 

When it comes to obtaining more powerful cards, there isn’t much else to do besides taking part in the lucky draw or waiting for one of the daily Magic Studies chances to bear fruit with a higher damage-dealing card. Players are also able to level up their cards if they have duplicates, but will have to part with their gold to do so. 

In general, gold and gems can be earned more easily by completing daily tasks, completing side quests, and progressing through the story as compared to jewels, the last of the currencies. Harry Potter: Magic Awakened rewards more gold and gems to eagle-eyed individuals who are able to spot and break little jars and chests littered all around.

For those seeking a challenge, the game opens the Forbidden Forest for them to explore,  either by themselves or as a team, fight more ferocious opponents,and gather more golds or potions. Echoes, memories from a character in the Potter-verse, can also be found here. Equipping them to a card deck grants benefits, such as a power boost or improved health regeneration. Outside the premises lies Ron’s Flying Ford, waiting to reward players with various goodies that have been picked up from the wilderness.

The school curriculum, in particular, is a refreshing addition to the Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, as weird as that sounds. The game makes players feel like they are back in school with classes like History of Magic and Divination, only available on certain days like an actual school timetable. Be prepared to put your thinking caps on when you sit in – these classes put many real-world skills to the test, such as drawing proficiency, general knowledge (both of the Muggle world and the Wizarding World), and memory recollection. 

As is the case with a relatively new game, there are bound to be bugs that need fixing, such as sensitivity issues and the navigation in the duelling space, resulting in a loss of moves. This can mean the difference between winning or losing a battle, as players can only end up as a sitting duck when they run out of moves. To their credit, the developers have acknowledged these issues, and are introducing updates based on player feedback. 

Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, with its intricate world-building, leaves players spoiled for choice when it comes to side-quests and other activities. The main plot is initially immersive, but the constant reference to the Harry Potter franchise begins to take away from the excitement. However, players, especially fans of the franchise, are able to work their way in through the Wizarding World, enjoying everything the movies touched on, such as the lessons and magical creatures, but did not quite flesh out