Harry Potter: Magic Awakened is a mobile game for iOS and Android currently available in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.[2] It combines RPG story-telling and card-based combat and its story starts ten years after the Battle of Hogwarts.
The game was developed by Warner Bros. and NetEase under the Portkey Games umbrella and was first announced on 30 October, 2019. It was released in China and Taiwan on 9 September, 2021.[1] It will be released in the winter in Thailand, Philipines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea. For the Americas and Europe, the release date is yet to be announced.
Setting[]
Ten years after Harry Potter's legendary victory over Lord Voldemort at the Battle of Hogwarts, a young Muggle-born receives an unexpected visit from a giant of a man by the name of Rubeus Hagrid, who has come to deliver their letter of acceptance to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hagrid explains to them about the existence of the wizarding world and accompanies them to Diagon Alley where they purchase necessary supplies for their first year. Upon arriving, however, a mystery begins to unfold on the grounds when one of the first years, Ivy Warrington, goes mysteriously missing after the Sorting Ceremony. The player thus starts their numerous adventures at Hogwarts by finding Ivy first.
Gameplay[]
Players will be able to customise their character, select their Hogwarts House, attend lessons, explore Hogwarts, and join the Duelling Club. The core of Magic Awakened's gameplay is a digital-collectible card-based RTS in which spells are in the form of cards obtainable from gacha spins. The game also features ballroom dancing styled by rhythm-action gameplay as well as Quidditch matches fashioned in interactive tap-to-dodge mechanics. House competitions are also introduced in Magic Awakened. House rivalry matches are held twice a day, ranging from duels to group challenges.
Characters[]
Students[]
- Unidentified student - the player's character
- Kevin Farrell
- Colby Frey
- Fischer Frey
- Daniel Page
- Robyn Thistlethwaite
- Lottie Turner
- Cassandra Vole
- Ivy Warrington
Hogwarts staff[]
- Minerva McGonagall
- Filius Flitwick
- Horace Slughorn
- Pomona Sprout
- Brindlemore
- Argus Filch
- Jacob Gorski
- Rubeus Hagrid
- Rolanda Hooch
- Albus Dumbledore (flashback)
- Severus Snape (flashback)
Other[]
Behind the scenes[]
- This title was also used as an early title for the game Hogwarts Legacy for which test footage was leaked in 2018. The existence of Hogwarts Legacy was confirmed on 16 September, 2020 through the PlayStation 5 Event.
- There are large portions of the game mechanics where characters such as students use magic and resources in duels that cannot be seen as canon, as they are often ones that they would either have no access to, or be incapable of using. For instance, to make the combat system more engaging, the game developers have depicted characters as young as first year students using Unforgivable Curses against their adversaries, a crime they would never have been allowed to get away with, let alone able to commit given the difficulty of said spells; as well as spells they wouldn't necessarily know about, such as the ones invented by Severus Snape (such as Sectumsempra) and wasn't common knowledge for younger generations. There are also the option to summon trolls, Centaurs and even Hagrid to fight for you, the former of which would have been disinterested in following the instructions of a wizard in battle, let alone those of a child, and the latter being unlikely to combat groups of first years at the behest of another first year. The non-canon state of some of these is even more obvious when multiple students conjure up Hagrid to fight for them at the same time. There is also no known magic which would allow individuals to summon such individuals in a wizard's duel either. However, it is important to realise that this is simply a video game, which contains numerous elements which are not supposed to be considered canon in any way, but simply exist to create enjoyment for the player.
- In early June 2020, private beta-testing players were reportedly disappointed with the game, criticising its gameplay as repetitive and also being critical of its card-based duelling; however, the artistic design of the game was well-received.[3]
- A formal limited test for Android players launched on 16 June, 2021.[4]
- The release month of September 2021 was announced on 31 July, 2021 (CST), which is Harry Potter's birthday. The precise date, 9 September, was announced 20 days later. The release was sometimes called a "public beta", though there doesn't seem to have a difference.
