When Niantic released Pokémon Go, lovers of the franchise everywhere were thrilled. For those who grew up on the game, holding a Gameboy in their hands and only ever able to interact with others by using a now seemingly ancient cable to connect the consoles, this was revolutionary. A dream come true.
Although the hype has somewhat depleted in the years that have gone by since its released, it was overall a smash success, encouraging Niantic to announce the release of the Harry Potter version. Scheduled to be released into the world in late 2019, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is becoming an anticipated and buzz-worthy mobile RPG.
It Will Be Available On Android And iOS
Niantic have confirmed that Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will be available on both Android and iOS, so no need to rush for that upgrade to change your phone system — unless you aren’t already part of one of these major softwares. There’s been no mention of anything outwith the two cell phone giants, so people operating a something less notorious may not be able to jump in and play. At least not right away.
The Gaming Mechanics Will Be Similar To Pokémon Go
The first thing that Niantic were clear about was that the mechanics of the game will be similar to Pokémon Go. The game will require the player to go outside, roam around, and discover locations. It’s not something that can be played by sitting inside, hunched over a cell phone and tapping away to progress. This game is going to be dependent on real world locations, although they haven’t yet specified if the amount the player walks will matter as much as where they are. Pokémon Go, for example, counts steps even if the player isn’t near a notable location and uses them to hatch eggs or provide buddy candies.
Hopefully, their Harry Potter RPG will have something similar, or those who live far away from the locations used in-game won’t feel particularly encouraged to join in.
It Presumably Won’t Feature Harry Potter Canons
Although Niantic haven’t actually said this, word for word, it can be assumed at this stage that the game won’t feature the Harry Potter canons the fandom knows and loves. It seems to be focused more on the world and plot and, in terms of characters, the other users: no player is going to be walking down the street and stumble across Minerva McGonagall perched on their garden wall.
The Goal Is To Keep The Magical World Hidden From Muggles
Only the basics of the plot have been released. The game revolves around something known as “the Calamity”. Although Niantic have been vague enough to keep the excited fandom guessing, the premise seems to be that the wizarding world is in danger of being revealed to the Muggle one. Beasts, objects, and other magical things have been scattered across the globe and need to be contained by the players. They’ll be surrounded by confounding magic, and the player will have to dispel this and retrieve whatever needs retrieving before a Muggle can catch sight of it.
The Ministry of Magic seem to be the ones in charge of directing the player, which would make sense considering it’s their Statue of Secrecy that keeps the worlds separate. It’s unclear yet if Niantic will differentiate the different ruling bodies of the wizarding world based on the country the player is in, or if it’ll just be the British Ministry overseeing all.
The Player Will Choose From Three Professions
There will be three professions available to choose from in-game: Magizoologist, Auror, or Professor. These have been chosen pretty well, since Auror was the profession Harry Potter himself went on to pursue, Professor is what a lot of the beloved canons from the books chose as a career path, and Magizoologist was made popular by the Fantastic Beasts movies. There should be a pretty even split in what people choose.
Each profession will have its own strengths and weaknesses, and one of the player’s goals will be to progress in their area of expertise.
Hogwarts Houses, Sadly, Will Not Be Part Of The Game
We can assume that Hogwarts houses won’t be a part of the game (or Ilvermorny’s, or any of the other schools). Since the player is choosing a profession, they’re starting out on the basis of being an adult. This will disappoint a lot of fans, who love to take the quizzes and self-assign themselves a personality box, but it’s understandable to leave this out in what seems to be an adult-geared game. At least to an extent.
Inns Will Provide Energy To Use For Combat
Inns: one of the important landmarks that will be dotted around. These are where players will be able to gather food, and this food can be used to replenish magical energy. They can be used every five minutes, and different dishes (picked at random) will provide different levels of energy.
The energy, since it’s used in combat, and the five minute wait time suggest that inns are this game’s version of Pokéstops and they’ll need to be visited on the regular to play effectively.
Fortresses Will Be Home To Challenges
So if inns are Pokéstops, what are fortresses?
Fortresses seem to be the equivalent of gyms. Or, more accurately, raids. Fortresses seem to be the place to go to team up with other players, as the challenges can’t be completed in single player mode. Players will use rune stones to enter the fortress, and will then be able to take on the tasks. Each fortress has ten layers, and has to be fought right to be the end to be beaten.
What exactly these challenges will entail is still a mystery.
Portkeys Will Exist In This Game
Portkeys can be found within the game! When located, the player can step into an AR portal and will then be transported to a memorable wizarding world location. Dumbledore’s office is rumored to be one of them, but a complete list is not yet available. These portkeys will not be able to physically take the player to somewhere else in the world (i.e., if you’re in London hoping to remotely play in New York City, that won’t be a thing). They’ll only create a virtual environment somewhere in the wizarding world.
No date has been specified for Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, but with the developers guaranteeing it in 2019, it’s only a matter of time before fans can immerse themselves in the wizarding world in yet another fashion. Please hurry, Niantic!
