Everyone who has read or seen Harry Potter has wished that they were born into the Wizarding World. Fortunately for us muggles, we live in a world where technology can do just that. Well almost.
Niantic, the creators of popular games like Pokémon GO and Ingress Prime, have announced their new augmented reality (AR) real-world game based on the Harry Potter universe – Harry Potter: Wizards Unite.
The game starts with a calamity that has befallen the Wizarding World and has led to magical artefacts, creatures, people, and even memories (referred to as Foundables in the game) appearing in the muggle world. As a player, you will be a part of the Statute of Secrecy Task Force and will have to work with other players to solve the calamity and keep magic a secret.
Like Pokémon GO, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will need you to step out and explore the real world. You will have to go to various locations to cast a variety of spells to defeat the confounding magic surrounding the Foundables in order to safely return them to the Wizarding World. You will have to choose from a set of magical Professions like Auror, Magizoologist, and Professor, that have their own set of skills and abilities. You will then have to team up with other wizards and witches to take on bigger magical feats like Wizarding Challenges.
The game is also said to have other elements that will make it addictive and challenging. There are Inns that will let you collect Spell Energy that you’ll need to play the game and greenhouses where you will find ingredients for portions. There are Fortresses where you will encounter Wizarding Challenges and this is when you will have to unite with fellow players. Everything you encounter will be collected in your Vault and recorded in your Registry, which is like a scrapbook that will keep a track of your activity. The game even has Portkeys that will let you travel to places without moving physically – like Ollivanders Shop.
The RPG (Role-Playing Game) side of Wizards Unite will have you choosing a wand, house and creating your official Task Force ID, and choosing a profession. As mentioned earlier, you can choose to be either an Auror, Magizoologist, or a Professor. Each profession has its own strengths and weaknesses and will do better or worse against a given enemy. This is where the “teaming up” part comes in. That said, you will be able to change careers without incurring any penalty.
If you aren’t excited already, here’s the trailer to pique your interest
The game isn’t released India yet, but you can pre-register on the Play Store or the App Store.
