Is it possible to make a good combat and exciting gameplay from a game that its only weapon is a wand with various spells?

Can you give Harry Potter fans who have experienced wonderful stories in movies and read in books a story that will thrill them?

Is it possible to attract even those who have not seen Harry Potter movies and books and are just gamers to the game and provide them with an attractive world?

Now we are going to get the answers to these questions one by one.

STORY

The story of the game takes place in the 1800s and begins with the arrival of a fifth-year student at Hogwarts, and on the way to Hogwarts, things happen to him/her and his/her traveling companion, Professor Fig, which makes them realize an exceptional power in the main character of the game.

The main story of the game has flaws that cannot be ignored, but at some points the story reaches a surprising peak and immerses you in the story for a few minutes.

The last stage of the game is one of the most magnificent stages that I have seen so far in the games that I have played, so that my hair stood on end and tears came to my eyes, my heart beat increased and I continued to play in this state for several minutes.

The story of the game is by no means perfect, but it still has a good and exciting story, but it may not be as good as the Harry Potter stories, but it can still be an interesting story for Harry Potter fans.

The characters that are mentioned during the main story or Side quests and direct and indirect references to some stories that are exciting and familiar for Harry Potter fans.

Most side quests also have interesting stories that are worth your time.

CHARACTER DESIGN

There are many characters that you see during the game, but they are all so unique and well designed and it is very difficult to forget them.

The emotions of the characters you see are amazing and the amount of detail in the face and the facial detail when it comes to emotions will surprise you.

It is clear that small laughs and round eyes are caused by the excitement and all the characters you see have all these details, and these are not only limited to a few special characters.

GAMEPLAY

The combat is unexpectedly great and attractive.

Spells with the power to set enemies on fire and prevent the enemy from attacking.

Explosive spells that damage multiple enemies at the same time. Long-range and close-range attacks that throw enemies at each other.

Lifting and levitating enemies, grabbing and pulling enemies toward yourself, rotating enemies in the air, turning them into objects, all of these are well implemented in the game.

But what makes the games combat the most enjoyable is the combination of these spells to lift the enemy from the ground and then drag it toward yourself and then throw it towards the other enemies or turning it into an object and throwing it. you can combine any spell you wish and defeat your enemy in the way you like.

One of the reasons that made the combat lovely for me was throwing various objects in the environment toward enemies, which can create very interesting combinations with your powers.

The variety of spells is great and it gives you different options to create your own favorite arrangement to use the spells you like, although you may be wondering if having only 4 spells at once is not enough? And isn’t it annoying that you have to go into the spells menu and move them around to change your usable spells you made?

This problem can also be solved and avalanche software has thought about this problem.

By buying new talents and spending your talent points, you can quickly change the arrangement of spells by pressing the d-pads of your controller.

But it’s not just spells that are involved in your battles, but there are also some types of potions and plants that you can use in battles, such as mandrake, which produces an ear-splitting sound and confuses the enemies for a while.

The parry and dodge system of the game is also very interesting and a bit challenging.

Defending in limited time and dodging attacks that cannot be defended against makes the fights more challenging and lovely.

OUTFITS

The outfits you find during the game are all unique, beautiful, glorious and impressive.

I spent a lot of time trying on different outfits during the game and it was always difficult to choose between them.

Of course, the game’s inventory is sometimes annoying, but these problems can be solved by doing the Merlin Trials, but I don’t think it is necessary to keep all those clothes, because in terms of the appearance of your outfits, you have an infinite inventory, which by taking the outfit even after selling them, you can put the appearance of that sold outfit on your current outfit.

VISUALS

The game is graphically stunning and spectacular and is well optimized for 9th generation consoles.

I played it on the PS5 on fidelity mode with raytracing and uncapped frame rate, and even though my monitor did not have VRR, I confronted very little stuttering.

Most of the fps drops and stutters I saw happened only a few seconds after fast travel and in my experience did not cause any problem.

MAP DESIGN

Hogwarts Castle is incredibly detailed, with secret doors, classrooms, library, restricted section of the library, living portraits that are always doing their own unique thing, instruments that are played without musicians, and so much more that you have to experience them yourself.

During the day, the environment of the castle is very alive and always full of students and professors, and during the night it is quiet and empty.

The game map is very large and all the game environments like the castle have the same feeling of being alive.

Flying on the broom, hippogriff and thestral is magically amazing so that you just want to fly and see the beautiful world of the game from another perspective.

When you enter Hogsmead for the first time, the game constantly prompts you to talk to the interactive characters and learn more about them.

SOUNDTRACKS

The soundtracks of the game is always caressing your ears, and in different parts of the game, the music matches well with the atmosphere of the game and makes the atmosphere of the game more enjoyable for you.

BEASTS

The beasts in the game are very spectacular. During the game, I spent many hours collecting beasts, feeding them, and taking care of them, and I spent a lot of time just watching them.

Some of them are cute and funny, and some of them are glorious, huge and beautiful.

CONCLUSION

Hogwarts Legacy has a great character design and could have had a great story too but the story is not so strong. the gameplay feels great and exploration is so entertaining. visually its great and Hogwarts castle is so detailed.

Hoyoverse has been on a roll for the past few years. Releasing Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, they have become the kings of the gatcha game. Zenless Zone Zero returns Hoyoverse to their roots of action combat seen in their first game, Honkai Impact 3rd. ZZZ sets itself apart from its other games with its unique setting while maintaining its signature style of great combat and characters.

Future Retro

Zenless Zone Zero takes place in a post-apocalyptic future. Enemies called Ethereals have destroyed most of humanity, forcing people to form cities to survive. You take on the roles of Proxies or support characters that help people explore areas called Hollows where Ethereals come from. You can choose between the male proxy Wise and the female proxy Belle, but both play an integral part in the story. While the world of ZZZ is a post-apocalyptic future, the blend of futuristic technology with retro technology melds together seamlessly. There is an area to place a VR arcade while supporting old-school arcades. The proxies base of operations is a video store with a throwback to the days of Blockbuster. It is a dreary future that is somehow fun to exist in.

As proxies, you encounter different factions with various goals in exploring the hollows. You assist the Cunning Hares in retrieving a briefcase containing a powerful item, which later becomes your AI assistant, Fairy. There is Belabog Corp, which needs assistance retrieving their work robots from the hollows. Many different factions and characters intertwine with the proxies, creating fun interactions with the various factions, with the signature charm expected from Hoyoverse’s characters.

Fight!

Exploring the hollows takes place in two parts. The first part is an exploration phase, which puts the players on a grid made of TVs. It’s up to the proxy to explore every bit of the grid to collect data, which results in a better score and better rewards. The main objective is usually to find something or someone. Proxies can also encounter puzzles, which reminded me of boulder puzzles in Pokemon games. There are story missions, puzzles, and combat-centered hollows for players to explore and get rewards.

When the proxies encounter enemies, you will enter 3D arenas to fight them. You bring teams of three with a bangaboo, which acts as a supporting character. Your characters have a normal attack, charge attack, skill, and ultimate ability. You also have an assist button, which lets you swap between your party members. The main goal in combat is to build up a combo meter. Building up your meter and attacking enemies enough to stun them lets you perform a chain attack. Chain attacks enable you to swap into another character that unleashes a powerful attack before swapping to a third character to finish the combo. Chain attacks are the bread and butter of this game, and being able to perform multiple chain attacks feels incredible. Building up 3000 points in your combo lets you perform your ultimate attack.

Life In New Eridu

What sets Zenless Zone Zero apart for me is team composition and combat optimization. Zenless Zone Zero behaves like a fighting game where figuring out the best ways to combo is critical. Figuring out which synergies I have and finding the best way to use my roster has been a lot of fun. The downside is that it felt like I was mashing one attack button at the beginning of the game, which didn’t feel great. That feeling isn’t helped by enemies feeling like damage sponges until the game lets you loose and you can upgrade your characters’ stats. However, once you get into the game’s flow, enemies die quickly, and it can feel amazing to perform multiple chain attacks into an ultimate.

Outside of hollow exploration, you will find plenty to do to keep you occupied in Zenless Zone Zero. The name of the Hoyoverse games is building up enough polychromes to roll on the characters you want. You have dailies that involve taking pictures of cats, eating ramen, and running the video store. There is a time-gated currency called battery charge, which can be spent by grinding combat trials to gain resources to level up characters. A cafe lets you buy coffee, which can double resource drops and restore battery charge. It is an interesting system that I hope is brought to their other games. There is also a roguelike mode similar to Simulated Universe in Honkai: Star Rail.

Gatcha!

If you are familiar with a Hoyoverse game, then the gatcha system here will be familiar. There is a guaranteed five-star character at 90 rolls, with at least a four-star character every ten chances. If you miss the banner character the first time, you are guaranteed that character next time you get a five-star character. There is a standard banner, a character banner, which rotates between limited five-star options, and a weapon banner. Unfortunately, I felt that the starting roster of characters was a bit thin compared to previous Hoyo entries, so I felt like I wasn’t getting a lot of characters to try different team compositions out. It is a problem that will be fixed with more updates, but the initial pool is smaller compared to Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail.

Something unique to Zenless Zone Zero is the bangaboo banner. The bangaboo banner functions differently than the other banners because they have a different currency than regular banners. You can pick which five-star bangaboo you want to roll for without worrying about winning coin flips. While you can’t buy this currency directly, you will get the currency you can exchange for bangaboo rolls by rolling on the other banners, which can be purchased for real money.

Zero or Hero?

Zenless Zone Zero feels like a fresh take on a genre that Hoyoverse has done already. Its setting feels unique, and its combo-centric combat allows players to experiment and express their playstyles through team compositions and combo theory. All while maintaining what makes a Hoyoverse game unique: its cast of fun characters and stellar combat. The learning curve for this game is steeper, and the roster is thin out of the gate. For those looking for an action game to stick with for a while, Zenless Zone Zero is worth checking out.

“B Project Ryusei Fantasia,” a visual novel that places players in the role of an A&R representative managing a thriving with personality idol group of 14 boys. This game shines with its vibrant visuals, engaging storyline, and dynamic character interactions, offering a thoroughly immersive experience even for those who might not typically gravitate towards visual novels, like myself.

Immersive Narrative

The narrative of “B Project” centres around your character, an enthusiastic A&R representative tasked with propelling a new idol group, B-Project, to stardom. The game plunges you into the bustling, high-stakes world of the Japanese music industry. Where you’ll navigate through challenges, make critical decisions, and build meaningful relationships with each member of the group. The colourful, detailed settings—from recording studios and concert halls to cosy cafes and bustling city streets—add depth to the experience, making the journey as visually stimulating as it is narratively engaging. There are so many wildly different personalities in B project that a deep connection with a few of them is guaranteed for any player.

These visuals are why we have auto play

One of the most striking aspects of B Project Ryusei Fantasia” is its visual presentation. The game is a feast for the eyes, popping with bright colours and beautifully crafted character designs. Each idol is meticulously drawn, with distinct features and fashion styles that reflect their unique personalities. The backgrounds are equally impressive, capturing the essence of various locales with vivid detail. This visual richness not only makes the game a pleasure to look at but also enhances the storytelling by creating an immersive environment that players can lose themselves in.

A visual novel for fans and newcomers alike

Despite not being a typical visual novel enthusiast, I found myself deeply immersed in the decision-making process that “B Project Ryusei Fantasia” offers. The game excels in providing players with meaningful choices that influence the story’s direction and the development of relationships with the idols. There are two primary endings, but the journey to each can vary significantly based on your interactions and management style. This branching narrative encourages replayability, as each playthrough can offer a different experience depending on the paths you choose.

Managing the B-Project group involves a series of interactions with all 14 boys, each with their own distinct personalities and backstories. From face-to-face meetings to phone calls and text messages, every decision you make impacts the group’s dynamics and individual character arcs. This level of interaction makes the game feel alive, as your choices have tangible effects on the story and characters.

14 likeable personalities

The heart of “B Project Ryusei Fantasia” lies in its characters. Each one of the idols is well-developed, with unique traits, aspirations, and personal challenges for you to engage with. Whether it’s the confident leader, the shy newcomer, or the rebellious artist, the diversity in personalities ensures that players will find themselves gravitating towards certain characters more than others. This natural selection process adds a layer of personalization to the gameplay, as the idols you spend the most time with will shape your overall experience and influence the story’s outcome.

Final thoughts

“B Project Ryusei Fantasia” is a standout visual novel that transcends the genre’s typical boundaries. Its vibrant visuals, compelling story, and intricate character interactions create an experience that is both entertaining and emotionally engaging. For those who enjoy narrative-driven games, this title offers a rich tapestry of choices and consequences that make each playthrough unique. Even if visual novels aren’t usually your style, “B Project” is worth exploring for its captivating depiction of the idol industry and the meaningful relationships it fosters. Whether you’re a fan of the genre or a newcomer, this game has something special to offer.

B project Ryusei Fantasia has been released to the western audience, July 15th 2024 and is available on Microsoft windows, Nintendo switch and Android devices.