It’s hard to focus on finishing your first year of college when you’re trying harder to finish your first year at Hogwarts. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery is the game that’s distracting everyone from finals this week. Since its release on April 25th, the new app has already jumped to number four on the top free games chart for iOS. The game lets Harry Potter fans everywhere receive the Hogwarts letter of their childhood dreams.
(Photo by BagoGames via Flickr)
The game begins by letting you create your own character to go through Hogwarts with. You go through all the regular wizard motions: buying supplies in Diagon Alley, getting your first wand (and yes, it does pick you!), and going through the sorting ceremony. You’re all ready to start your first year at Hogwarts!
While going through all of this, you discover that your older brother has been expelled from Hogwarts and gone missing. Naturally, this makes you some enemies early on, just like Harry had. Your character must deal with bullies and professors alike, make friends within your house, and stand up for yourself.
(My personal character page)
Every choice you make determines who you are and what you can do within the story. Your decisions give you points in one of three areas: courage, empathy, or knowledge. These choices can also cause you to gain or lose house points, so be careful! Losing too many house points means more people against you within your house.
Along with going to classes and making friends, your character must go on quests to solve the mystery of your brother. Use the spells you learn in Charms and the draughts you make in Potions to help you find the mysterious vaults that got your brother expelled. Along the way, you’ll meet well-known characters like Hagrid, Snape, and Professor McGonagall. Unfortunately, you won’t meet Harry Potter, as the story takes place a few years before he comes to Hogwarts. You’ll meet plenty of exciting new characters, though!
(Charms class with Professor Flitwick!)
New opportunities arise the further in school you get, so make your to study hard. There are lots of exciting surprises along the way. Side quests abound, too, so you’re sure to have fun even when you put off going to class.
The game is available for iOS and Android and is completely free. There are in-app purchases, but you can make it through the game without the need to buy any of them if you don’t want to. Try not to let your Hogwarts studies distract you too much from your real ones, but enjoy the game! Remember that we all need study breaks during finals. Good luck!