The world of Harry Potter is getting the Pokémon GO treatment
By Ariba Bhuvad
Harry Potter fans are about to lose hours and hours of their days to a new game called Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. There’s a lot to unravel about what this game will be like, but it appears to be very similar to Pokémon GO. You remember the phenomenon that briefly took over the world and managed to pull people of all ages out of their house, where you walked around in the real world and “found” Pokémon on your phone? It’s hard to know if Wizards Unite will have the same impact, but it’s very exciting for hardcore Harry Potter fans.
Niantic, a software development company that specializes in augmented VR mobile games and the studio behind Pokémon GO, is behind this project. (J.K. Rowling isn’t involved, nor are any of the actors from the movies, for what it’s worth.) Some in the media have been able to play Wizards Unite later this year at Niantic’s San Francisco headquarters, including Tech Crunch.
The first impressions are pouring in, and people seem to agree that the game is “ultra-fun” and will most definitely take up loads of your time. Some are dinging it for being overly complicated, but that’s unlikely to deter diehard Harry Potter fans from enjoying the heck out of it.
Being a huge Harry Potter buff and not knowing anything about Pokémon GO, there’s a part of me that’s freaking out right now. Other fans will understand once I explain what the game entails. Similar to GO, Wizards Unite will populate our world — you know, the muggle world — with items/objects/people from J.K. Rowling’s marvelous wizarding world, which we can view on our mobile devices. And while we as muggles are thrilled about this, the Ministry of Magic is not, and has hired you to fix this issue. Here’s the official description from the official site:
"A calamity has befallen the wizarding world, causing artifacts, creatures, people, and even memories to mysteriously appear in the Muggle world. Witches and wizards from across the globe must come together to solve the mystery of The Calamity, overcome the confounding chaotic magic that surrounds these ‘Foundables,’ and return them to their rightful place, keeping them safe from Muggle eyes."
So the players will essentially be policing the muggle world for magic interference. Along the way, you’ll be a part of battles and casting spells which earn you points as you level up. Rare objects will also be a big part of the game and push the narrative forward.
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While no official release date has been announced, you can head to the Harry Potter: Wizards Unite official site and sign up for updates and more! The game will be available in 17 languages, although we’re not sure exactly what regions will be included yet.
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