Hogwarts Legacy Switch 2 review – I dumble-adore this port

I can’t say I’m the biggest fan of Harry Potter, at least, not until my wife made me marathon the movies a few years back. However, the release of Hogwarts Legacy in early 2023 threw me into the Wizarding World, and I donned my sorting hat and understood why the world is so magical. Now, two years later, I got to relive the action RPG with the Hogwarts Legacy Switch 2 port, and spoiler, it’s a great time.

It may not be the best RPG released back in 2023, and honestly, it’s not this year either. Many of my minor issues are comparable to our original Hogwarts Legacy review on the PS5. A lack of enemy variety, and still skipping the immersion of Hogwarts’ classes, is disappointing, putting a focus on a brewing uprising of some evil goblins. I won’t be going too in-depth on the core experience, as you should read the original review, and this will focus primarily on how it runs on Nintendo’s new handheld console.

For a brief overview, you play as a new Hogwarts student, but one who is joining the mystical halls of the castle-school hybrid as an older teen. That means you’ve got a lot of catching up to do compared to your peers, giving you a goal of passing the O.W.L.s at the end of the year in an attempt to become a full-fledged wizard or witch. However, like any great ARPG, things quickly go awry as it turns out Ancient Magic – a powerful, mysterious form of magic – is found.

There’s a huge variety of spells to learn and master as you progress through the story, most of which exist in ‘spell sets’. These are basically combinations of buttons to press in order to cast a specific spell, with each spell set containing four spells of your choosing. Each spell has a color and can destroy enemy shields with a matching color, adding a layer of strategy for when and why to cast your magic. It’s a bit basic, but it does the job well and gives a rock-paper-scissors vibe to it.

This is also where the single-player game falls a little flat. While the story is as whimsical as any of Potter’s adventures, with it getting darker as it goes on (much like the difference between Sorcerer’s Stone and Deathly Hallows atmospheres), it’s not exactly diving into the Wizarding World in a way that feels tantalizing. There are themes of class differences, slavery, and more that are certainly adult subject matters, but it does little but skim on the surface.

However, considering how well Cyberpunk 2077 runs on the handheld, as well as our overall opinion on the Nintendo Switch 2 review, it should be no surprise that Hogwarts Legacy is a truly impressive port on the console. Compared to the original Switch’s limitations, you can explore most of Hogwarts without a variety of loading screens, and it’s a similar situation to exploring the open world and Hogsmeade. Visually, it also looks stunning, whether it’s in docked or handheld mode, and I had a similar smoothness to the PS5 version.

It feels right at home on the new console, and despite my concerns with the experience still being far from the current-gen platforms, Hogwarts Legacy is surprisingly great. Having the Wizarding World in your hands is nothing short of impressive, and while it runs well on Valve’s handheld, as well as the best Steam Deck alternatives, it’s still an impressive feat, especially since Portkey Games’ efforts on the original Switch version were nothing short of a miracle port.

If you didn’t enjoy the core gameplay or story from Hogwarts Legacy, there isn’t much hope for you to fall in love with it again here. It’s still the same adventure, regardless of platform, but if you’ve played the original version on Switch, you’ll see groundbreaking improvements to visuals, frame rates, and the overall immersion. Hogwarts Legacy feels better than ever before on Nintendo Switch 2, and honestly, it’s my go-to version for a quick tour around Hogwarts’ iconic vistas.

Even as the upcoming Switch games list grows with new and exciting titles, Hogwarts Legacy has me excited for the potential sequel to join the ranks of the best Switch games. If there’s a port for the next Harry Potter game on the Switch 2, I’ll actually focus on that over the PS5 or PC version, purely because there’s something breathtaking about getting on a train, playing Hogwarts Legacy, and pretending you’re on your way to Hogwarts – I can dream.