Revisiting Quidditch: Does the magic translate? A review of Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions

Unbroken Studios’ vision attempts to balance Quidditch by allowing players to catch the golden snitch not once but twice or even thrice (in sudden death) in a game, while end-to-end action continues for the chasers, beaters, and keeper

Designing a video game around Quidditch must be a nightmare – with four different balls, 4 unique player roles (seeker, chaser, beater, and keeper), the flight dynamics of speeding broomsticks, the verticality of the sport, and the challenge of integrating all these elements into a cohesive experience.

It’s easier said than done. However, despite the obvious game making challenges, I had lots of fun playing the 2003 Quidditch World Cup on my Gameboy advance as I won the quidditch cup and then graduated to winning the World Cup.

I fondly remember recreating the scenario from Goblet of Fire where I failed to catch the snitch but had scored enough points with my chasers to win anyway. 2024’s Quidditch Champions is not that game though. For starters, catching the snitch here neither ends the game nor grants you 150 points.

Unbroken Studios’ vision attempts to balance Quidditch by allowing players to catch the golden snitch not once but twice or even thrice (in sudden death) in a game, while end-to-end action continues for the chasers, beaters, and keeper. The game also wants you to be adept at more than one position, allowing you to switch between the various roles depending on how the game plays out.

It aims to achieve this by offering players the opportunity to practice each position and its unique moves through the tutorial. The tutorial then leads to a single-player campaign where, in classic 2003 style, you play for the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup, followed by the Triwizard Schools Quidditch Cup (a new addition), and finally a World Cup featuring 16 nations. The single-player campaign is quite smooth, and while you’re expected to switch roles during matches, the overall experience is quite fun.

However, the gameplay is far from perfect. There’s simply too much happening on the screen, and while the game has specific intervals when the snitch comes into play, switching between roles starts to feel like a gimmick due to the sheer amount of action.

Because of Quidditch’s flying nature, it’s impossible to have a top-down view of the action, and the verticality makes it very difficult to judge. In the 3v3 multiplayer format, things become even harder to process – passes are misplaced for no reason, tackles don’t land, and bludgers hit you despite perfectly timing your dodge.

The experience is much improved from the playtest I participated in back in October 2023 (it was unplayable then), but it’s still far from being a polished sports experience.

What the game does get right are the brilliant Durmstrang and Beauxbaton stadia, along with a season pass that offers plenty to grind for with three different currencies and no micro-transactions whatsoever. It’s hard to overlook Unbroken’s honest attempt, but equally difficult to ignore its many flaws.

Play it only if you are a Quidditch fan or if you are getting it for free as part of PlayStation’s free monthly games this month. Else maybe stay away?

Sneak Peek:

Title: Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions

Developer: Unbroken Studios for Warner Bros

Game Type: Fantasy based Sport with Single player, PVP. And Co-op elements

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows

Price: Rs.1,899 on Steam, 1,999 on PS and Xbox Store, free to play from day one on PS Plus essentials tier

………..

Verdict (all scores out of 10):

Innovative Gameplay-  7

Game Handling & Quality- 5

Value for Time- 7

Value for Money- 5

Overall- 6

………..

What Stands Out:

• The individual gameplay aspects of the various Quidditch positions – Keeper, Chaser, Beater, and Seeker – are well designed. The unique playstyles for each role work seamlessly
• The Durmstrang and Beauxbatons stadia are brilliant to look at, the former overlooking the aurora borealis and the latter set against the snowcapped Alps.

Fails to impress:

• There is too much visual and cognitive overload in the game. Player and role switching works well in the tutorial but is nearly impossible to keep track of in the multiplayer format.
• The background music is lackluster, and while the overall experience is fun it is forgettable. This is neither a great Harry Potter game nor a great sports game