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Warning!
At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. As such, spoilers will be present within the article. For gameplay-specific information, please see the relevant article on the Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Wiki! |
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is a mobile game presented by Pottermore in collaboration with Warner Bros. Interactive. Part of a new series to be released under the Portkey Games label, the game is described as being a Harry Potter version of the hit augmented-reality game Pokémon Go and made by the same developer, Niantic.[1][2]
On March 11th 2019 it was made available for users to pre-register, However that has recently been taken down. On April 16, a beta version was released in New Zealand for Android and iOS devices.[3] Originally due to release on June 21, 2019, the game was released a day early on June 20, 2019.[4]
Plot
When unpredictable traces of magic appear all over the Muggle world, the Wizarding world faces potential exposure. To avert this calamity, the Ministry of Magic begins recruiting witches and wizards to join the Statute of Secrecy Task Force.
Gameplay
The gameplay is similar to other Niantic game, such as Pokémon Go and Ingress. As an AR game, the main aspect of the game is to interact with the real world, which is provided by a map of the player's location.
Niantic released the first beta testing version of the game in New Zealand.[3] In this version, all features presented in the game are playable, although some content is not yet available. The following appear in the beta version.
Foundable and the Registry
The other objects the player can encounter are Foundables, which can be a variety of things: wizards, creatures, items, memories and so on. The player must accurately trace the suggested spell to 'return' the Foundable to the Ministry and add it to the player's Registry.
The Registry is divided into 4 categories and display the captured Foundables:
- Exploration is the main category and it is divided into Care of Magical Creatures, Dark Arts, Hogwarts School, Legends of Hogwarts, Ministry of Magic, Magizoology, Magical Games and Sports, Mysterious Artefacts, Wonders of the Wizarding World, Oddities.
- Challenges.
- Mysteries, which present the game's storyline regarding the Calamity. It is divided into chapters.
- Events Info, not currently available.
Map and Locations
On the map, the player can see their own character, various locations, Foundables and random potion ingredients. Owls and letters can be seen flying in the background, and if the player moves too fast, they will ride a broom.
Locations are static, real-life locations present on the map and taken from Niantic's database (based on Portals in Ingress and PoKéStops and Gyms in Pokémon Go). There are three types of buildings:
- Inns, which the player can visit to regain energy. Inns appear as small buildings and often have different colour. Once rewarded energy, a 5-minute cooldown period is activated until the Inn can award more energy, signalled by smoke coming out the Inn's chimney.
- Greenhouses, where the player is rewarded potion ingredients. Similarly to Inns, there is a 5-minute cooldown once ingredients are rewarded.
- Fortresses, where the player can battle wizards and creature alongside fellow players to gain experience and rewards. To access Fortresses, the player needs to possess a Runestone.
Ministry ID and Suitcase
The Ministry ID displays information about the player's character. The player can customize their name and surname, title, Hogwarts House, profession, wand and wizarding achievements. Hogwarts Houses do not have an impact of the gameplay, other that changing the character's robe color.
The Suitcase is used to access the player's information. It contains the following:
- Vault, which contains potions, ingredients, utility and Runestones.
- Profession, where the player can advance their character's statistics. The current professions are Auror, Magizoologist and Professor. Each profession has access to different lessons which improve the character in different ways. Changing profession freely is permitted.
- Potions, where you can brew up to four potions at the time.
- Registry, where collected Foundables appear.
- Portkeys, were Portkeys are stored.
Tasks
The game feature two types of daily rewards. Daily tasks currently include returning Foundables, collecting ingredients, visiting Inns and such. Daily treasure takes into account daily log-ins.
Special tasks are in-game events, not yet available.
Weather and Moon Phases
The game feature different weathers and moon phases, which mirror real-time weathers and moon phases based on the player's location.
The following weathers are in the game: Clear, Fog, Overcast, Partly Cloudy, Rainy Snow and Windy. The follow moon phases appear: First Quarter, Full, New Moon, Third Quarter, Waning Crescent, Waning Gibbous, Waxing Crescent and Waxing Gibbous.
Both features influence Confoundable appearances.
Characters
Several characters appear in Wizards United through dialogues, usually to give advice and explanations to the player. They do not appear on the map.
- Constance Pickering
- Harry Potter
- Mordecai Berrycloth
- Minerva McGonagall
- Mathilda Grimblehawk
- Gareth Greengrass
- Hermione Granger
- Grim Fawley
- Regina Rowle
Spells
Most spells are used against Confoundables to free them. The spell is suggested by the game. Another spell, Combat Bolt, is used as generic combat spell in Fortresses.
The following spells appear in the game to free Confoundables:
- Boggart-Banishing Spell
- Ebublio Jinx
- Exploding Charm
- Fire-Making Spell
- Freezing Charm
- General Counter-Spell
- Meteolojinx Recanto
- Patronus Charm
- Severing Charm
- Slowing Charm
- Summoning Charm
- Unlocking Charm
- Water-Making Spell
- Weakening Hex
Potions
Each potion requires the right ingredient to brew, and the brewing time differs from potion to potion. Performing the right Master Notes (want movements on the brewing potion) will decrease the brewing time.
- Baruffio's Brain Elixir
- Bountiful Brew (not available yet)
- Dawdle Draught
- Draught of Perception (not available yet)
- Exstimulo Potion
- Felix Felicis (not available yet)
- Healing Potion
- Invigoration Potion (not available yet)
- Memory Potion (not available yet)
- Scintillation Potion (not available yet)
- Wideye Potion (not available yet)
- Wit-Sharpening Potion
Objects
- Dark Detectors are items placed at Inns to increase the frequency of Foundables encounters.
- Portkeys are items that allow the player to visit familiar Wizarding places. They are stored into Portkey Portmanteau, which are unlocked by walking.
- Runestones
Media gallery
Notes and references
- ↑ Psencik, Katey (November 9, 2017). "A Harry Potter version of 'Pokemon Go' is coming to your smartphone", WHIO-TV, via Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved on November 9, 2017.
- ↑ New augmented reality mobile game Harry Potter: Wizards Unite announced at Pottermore
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Beta Testing Begins in New Zealand".
- ↑ Statt, Nick (June 20, 2019). "Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is out now for iOS and Android in the US", The Verge. Retrieved on June 21, 2019.
External links
- Harry Potter: Wizards Unite official website
- Harry Potter: Wizards Unite on the App Store
- Harry Potter: Wizards Unite - Apps on Google Play
- Official Facebook page
- Official Twitter account
- Official YouTube account
- Official Instagram account