For the first time in my life, I think I want to play a sports game. Well, that’s if you count Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions as a sports game, which I certainly do, because as the new gameplay reveal has confirmed, it’s basically Mario Strikers on a broomstick.
There are a few extra steps thrown in, of course, by way of the actual rules of the Wizarding World’s most beloved competitive sport. Still, I’m willing to learn those ropes all over again if it means getting to experience something that was cruelly left out of Hogwarts Legacy and is eerily reminiscent of my favorite Harry Potter PS2 game.
There’s something special about Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for the PS2 that makes it one of my favorite old-school games to get nostalgic about. The inclusion of Peeves is up there, but the real winner is probably the fact that the Quidditch sections are so much fun.
Sure, they pretty much boil down to high-octane racing minigames filled with cheesy one-liners from a sneering Draco Malfoy as he once again threatens you with his father hearing about this. But there was something so satisfying about soaring through hoops to gently nudge the score counter in my favour, eventually beating Ravenclaw or Slytherin at this most complicated of feats and being absolutely insufferable about it in classic Potter fashion. Now, imagine those minigames, but as the entire game. That’s essentially what Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions is all about, as you can see from the latest gameplay trailer.
From the telltale golden hoops to the bright, whimsical cartoonish graphics, everything about Quidditch Champions is screaming Chamber of Secrets throwback. While a little bit of a one-trick pony, this is not necessarily a bad thing at all, easily ticking the boxes when it comes to pure rose-tinted nostalgia. What’s more, it looks like the character creator will add a level of personalization that was markedly absent from the PS2 and PS1-original Potter games, and the variety of pitches to choose from should keep the environments looking fresh.
But all the crocheted house-specific hats and equally novelty scarves can’t dress up one glaring fact: I’d have much preferred to see a Quidditch DLC for Hogwarts Legacy.
The absence of it in the sprawling RPG feels especially suspicious given how the game is an otherwise pitch-perfect love letter to the lore of the franchise. Add Headmaster Black’s flimsy excuse of an “accident” being the root cause of this school-wide ban, and it’s a veritable conspiracy. Quidditch is hardly a safe sport as is – it’s basically magical dodgeball with extra steps, after all. And remember that time there were literally dementors on the pitch? To that student “hurt” in an accident, I think I speak for us all when I say “walk it off, rookie.”
As eagle-eyed Hogwarts Legacy players might have found while scouring the castle, however, a certain handwritten note in the hospital wing suggests that darker motives might have been the real culprit behind the Quidditch ban. Ultimately, I know that it’s probably connected to the game’s overarching plot, but even that assumption gives way to the vain hope of seeing quidditch implemented in a future DLC.
I know that WB Games probably planned the overlapping nature of the two games from the beginning, but a part of me will always be a little bit salty about it. I’m still looking forward to delving into the more granular Quidditch systems in a dedicated game, of course, but even looking at all the cosmetics, brooms, and other character customization tools has me thinking back to how we already have all of them in Hogwarts Legacy. The plethora of gorgeous sporting robes and snazzy new broomsticks I’ve acquired will have to wait, though, as right now, it’s full steam toward Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions as it warms up for a September release.
The release of Hogwarts Legacy was the subject of criticism and debate due to J.K. Rowling’s public stance on gender identity, which continues to challenge the inclusivity at the heart of the Harry Potter community. Here is our explainer on the Hogwarts Legacy controversy.