Hogwarts Legacy is slated for a Feb. 10 release but reviewers have been granted early access to the game. This has resulted in several players heaping praise for the game’s design choices and faithfulness to the lore of the Wizarding World that was made famous by the Harry Potter series of books and movies. The game’s aesthetic of portraying Hogwarts in the early 1800s, way before the days of Harry Potter, has been nothing short of astounding.
For players wanting to try out the game early, purchasing the Deluxe Edition will allow you to play Hogwarts Legacy on Feb. 7, three days before the rest of the Standard Edition players gain access to the game. Hogwarts Legacy is available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. While PC players are still waiting for the game to be available for pre-load, console users have downloaded the game and are ready to play it when it launches.
From the pre-release footage, and the leaked content that has been circulating online, we can see that the game does, in fact, look as gorgeous as expected. While the graphics may not be on par with the likes of Cyberpunk 2077, the game is meant to elicit a reaction of whimsy and wonder, thus negating the need for overly-polished and super-realistic textures and models. The game still looks breathtaking, however, especially during those long flight sequences we have seen.
But with great graphics comes dropping frame rates, at least in the most recent cases we’ve seen in a variety of AAA games. Hogwarts Legacy aims to alleviate that problem by providing players on consoles, including PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, access to two different modes that tweak the gameplay experience depending on preference.
The two modes are as follows.
- Fidelity mode: This mode locks the game’s frames per second to 30 fps, providing a reduced frame rate in exchange for more polished graphics. While this may not be ideal for every situation, especially in high-speed duels or clashes with several units in the area, it is a great mode to switch to if you want to record footage or screen grab some of the glorious scenery.
- Performance mode: This mode unlocks the game’s frames per second and lets it go up to 60 fps. The graphics slightly diminish in comparison to Fidelity mode, but the game feels much smoother to play. This mode is ideal for exploration and combat and will probably be the mode players will be using for the majority of their journey through the game.
Unfortunately, the game locks out at 60 fps. While several modern games have uncapped framerates that allow them to go up to 120 fps, that is currently not the case with Hogwarts Legacy. It is yet to be seen if this will change in the future, but if it does, we will keep you posted.
