As a seasoned Quidditch enthusiast who has spent countless hours flying high above the pitch, I must admit that my initial excitement for Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions was somewhat dampened by its launch. While the game offers an engaging take on the magical sport, it seems to be held back by a few glaring issues.
When the news of Hogwarts Legacy emerged, the primary question on every Wizarding World enthusiast’s lips was whether it would incorporate Quidditch. Unfortunately, this feature was not included in the game, although it still managed to boost WB Games’ annual earnings (until the release of Suicide Squad). Despite this success, the desire for Quidditch persisted. Would it be introduced through a post-release update or possibly an expansion? It appears neither option will materialize.
Rather than choosing another studio, Warner Bros. selected Unbroken Studios for the development of “Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions”, a standalone competitive multiplayer game primarily centered around the sport, with less emphasis on the Harry Potter universe compared to its title.
In the game “Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions,” you won’t find an abundance of story content. However, it does feature four cups to play, and one of them, the Weasley Burrow Garden Cup, serves as a tutorial, which is quite good.
It’s clear that concerns about profit might arise, but the concept is intriguing nonetheless. There aren’t any microtransactions at the moment and it costs $30. However, this high price could make it difficult to generate widespread enthusiasm, given the abundance of free-to-play games available. Although the gameplay can be enjoyable, there are some problems that prevent it from reaching its full potential or captivating anyone beyond dedicated players for more than a few hours.
Players transitioning from Hogwarts Legacy might find the graphics and overall presentation less polished. The “cutscenes” are made up of still character art accompanied by dialogue boxes, often used for pre-match banter. During single-player tournaments, there’s little flair aside from individual celebration animations for each team member, which can make the experience feel rather straightforward and devoid of grandeur. While I appreciate a fast pace, the matches can start to feel repetitive after some time, especially during the Inter-House and Tri-Wizard Cup events.
The graphics aren’t at all unattractive, rather they lean towards a lively style that suits the character designs quite effectively. However, the arena structures could benefit from some additional detailing. Aside from well-known characters such as the Weasley Twins, Ginny, and Harry Potter, the voiceovers are forgettable yet competent.
In the game Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, you won’t find an abundance of story content. However, it offers four different cups to play, such as the Weasley Burrow Garden Cup, which serves as a tutorial. The other three cups consist of the Hogwarts House Cup, the Tri-Wizard Cup, and the World Cup, each featuring qualifying matches and brackets.
“Nevertheless, it does a decent job of acquainting you with the gameplay loop. As in the books, there are four roles – Beater, Seeker, Chaser, and Keeper.”
The game is acceptable with varying difficulty levels, but there’s a lack of substantial single-player content overall. Managing a team goes beyond just tweaking individual skills, brooms, and appearances, and it falls short compared to a full Career Mode. Additionally, the voiceovers and conversations between matches are very limited in terms of variety.
Nevertheless, it does a decent job of acquainting you with the gameplay loop. As in the books, there are four roles – Beater, Seeker, Chaser, and Keeper. The Chaser is constantly fighting for possession of the Quaffle; the Beater is in charge of launching Bludgers to stun and knock out opponents; the Keeper is the goalkeeper; and the Seeker is after the Golden Snitch. You can customize each member of your team when starting, which is a nice touch to making them feel like your own.
In this game, each character has a unique playing style. As a Keeper, you’re constantly moving between rings to keep your opponent on their toes, while as a Seeker, you dash through golden rings in an attempt to catch the Snitch. There’s also a fun interaction between roles, like the Keeper creating rings that restore speed for other players or the Beater attempting to eliminate the Seeker. The Chaser can even assist the Keeper in fending off attacks.
Each character class has distinct Skill areas and broom options tailored for them. For instance, a Beater requires durability since they’ll both absorb and deliver blows, whereas a Seeker focuses more on speed and maneuverability to keep up with the Snitch.
As a gamer diving into the world of Quidditch Champions, I’ve noticed an interesting team setup. Although it might seem like there should be six players, the multiplayer mode is actually structured around teams of three.
roles in a match, with each player switching between two roles when necessary.
It’s important to mention that while this game follows Quidditch rules to some extent, there are a few key differences. For instance, each team has six players rather than seven, and the winning score is 100 points instead of the usual 150. Also, catching the Golden Snitch earns 30 points instead of the traditional 150, and it isn’t the automatic match-ender; it is released multiple times during the game.
Although I acknowledge the potential for a comeback, the goal was almost scored but halted just moments before as the opposing Seeker grabbed the Snitch, resetting our positions, which is quite frustrating. It appears that the AI’s task is unduly tilted in its favor – even on lower difficulty settings, it effortlessly catches the Snitch with minimal obstacles or complications.
Granted, the opposing AI has its share of weaknesses – rushing the Keeper when deploying the Quaffle to steal it for a quick goal is easily abusable. At times, they stand in one position, barely reacting, perhaps accepting that you’re unstoppable.
Of course, the limited single-player is only part of the experience. Multiplayer is arguably the main attraction, and when queuing up, you can flex or play two specific roles. Wait, two roles? Yes, because Quidditch Champions’ multiplayer is technically composed of teams of three players, even if there are six roles in a match, with each player switching between two roles when necessary. Considering 6v6 was available during the pre-launch playtests, it’s baffling to see it absent for launch, especially with all the fun chaos it would have caused.
The video game ‘Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup’ doesn’t disappoint when it comes to portraying the magical sport, providing enjoyable gameplay that is rich in strategic elements.
Playing against real opponents can be enjoyable overall, but it often highlights control problems, particularly when suddenly changing direction or drifting. Additionally, there were instances of unusual rubber-banding effect, leading to peculiar scenarios. While these issues didn’t happen constantly, they occurred frequently enough to cause confusion at the very least and frustration at its worst.
Beyond the standard Quidditch games, it’s peculiar that there aren’t any special temporary modes or engaging alternatives to play (even though the developers have some events planned for later in the month). Consequently, the gameplay feels repetitive, particularly given the scarcity of replayable single-player content.
In my excitement for Quidditch Champions, I must share that it’s a game free from microtransactions! Instead, you earn currency through engaging in-game challenges, which reward XP and Gold. The Season Pass offers cosmetics and additional rewards as you advance in rank. If you fancy a little extra flair, you can visit the Store to purchase victory highlights, emblems, or even entire characters like Hermione!
Later, you have the Winged Tickets that allow buying characters such as Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang, but earning these tickets at a slow pace. At present, there are three choices to pick from, and I shudder to think how much repetitive play it’ll require to collect them all.
The video game “Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions” isn’t terrible when it comes to portraying the fictional sport and manages to incorporate some enjoyable gameplay with a fair level of strategy involved. Additionally, the graphics are generally better than average, although other aspects of the presentation might have been improved with a bit more financial backing.
“Even at $30, Quidditch Champions could have used much more to keep players engaged.”
The main concern about the game’s future is its long-term viability, given issues like rubber-banding in multiplayer matches, lack of solo content, Seeker problems, rule adjustments, irritating AI, and so forth. It remains unclear if Unbroken Studios can continuously introduce fresh content and implement quality-of-life upgrades, enhancements, and new features to sustain the game.
At $30, the game “Quidditch Champions” could greatly benefit from additional features to maintain player interest. If you’re a fan of sporting fantasies and can overlook its imperfections, it might be worth checking out. However, while it may not have an exact equivalent, there are numerous more captivating multiplayer competitive games that provide significantly greater value.
This game was reviewed on PS5.
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2024-09-10 14:42