If you were a Harry Potter fan during the 2000s, and boy were there many of us, you were probably a fan of the fictional sport of Quidditch. As a result, if you were a gamer AND a Harry Potter fan at the same time, you were a fan of Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup, a faulty but fun take on the sport, and the only time anyone had ever tried to translate it to a competitive gameplay loop. Up until 2024, that was the only way you could play a gamefied version of Quidditch. It took developers and publishers twenty-one years to come up with a spiritual successor to it, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions.

I’ve waited for this moment for the past twenty-one years.

Coming up with a Quidditch game in 2024 is quite a bold move, to be honest. Let’s be realistic: Harry Potter is just millennial nostalgia bait at this point… and that’s fine. I’m a millennial, and I feel nostalgic for it. Even though J.K. Rowling actively tries to make us loathe her own creation whenever she opens her mouth to vomit out garbage and nonsense, I loved playing Hogwarts Legacy. Hell, I even enjoyed playing the shockingly competent Switch port a few months later. What I’m trying to say is that Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions is meant for people like me, a specific niche of folks still giving a crap about Harry Potter in this day and age. Was it worth the wait? Well, yes, but with caveats.

I never thought I’d ever Tokyo drift with a flying broomstick someday, but here we are.

For starters, the most important aspects of a Quidditch game: the gameplay and controls. Unlike Quidditch World Cup, this game doesn’t focus solely on the Chasers (the main point scorers); you can actually play as any desired position, with other players or the AI covering each other position in the meantime. 

Beaters aren’t relegated to solely being a button prompt, as they are fully controllable this time around. In essence, they can “possess” and shoot strong iron balls at the opposition, as well as being able to deflect incoming enemy projectiles. They act completely defensive, all while letting someone with a hard-on for violence to sweep the pitch with fallen players. Goalkeepers are also fully controllable, but I wouldn’t actually recommend playing as them; their roles are very limited, even if performing saves feels cool and stylish.

Somewhere, deep in a dark and ugly swamp, J.K. Rowling is screaming in anger with the inclusion of a pronoun selection in a Harry Potter game.

Playing as a Chaser is an absolute blast, though. The broom handling controls feel less like the ones seen in Hogwarts Legacy, and more like… well, Chamber of Secrets for the Gamecube. I honestly cannot stress enough how good this comparison is. The controls are more arcadey, floaty, and fast-paced. As weird as this may sound, it felt like playing a flying version of Rocket League, complete with the same lock-on system to constantly move the camera towards the ball.

Sadly, being a Seeker (which is what Harry used to be in the books) didn’t feel as fun, as catching the Snitch only gives you 30 points instead of 150. It also doesn’t end the game. In each seven minute match, two Snitches are deployed, so the most a Seeker can contribute per match is sixty points. In the beginning of a match, you’ll just fly around, not doing a lot. You gotta wait until the Snitch is summoned before being able to do anything of actual substance during a match. Stick to being a Chaser or a Beater, as those two rules ended up being tons of fun.

Ugh. These Fortnite-ish character models… they ain’t it, chief.

Underwhelming or unbalanced roles weren’t my main gripe with Quidditch Champions, however. Nor were the Fornite-ish visuals, as much as I didn’t like them at all as well. The problem lies in its lasting appeal, as there’s just enough meat in this package, at least as of the time of writing this review. Even if Warner Bros Games’ decision to make the game devoid of microtransactions (you just need to pay an upfront fee and that’s it) was downright commendable, the overall lack of modes and content is very concerning.

As of now, there is a short single-player campaign which acts like the mini-campaign seen in Quidditch World Cup. Start from the bottom, as a Hogwarts student, and then unlock national teams and Tri-Wizard Tournament schools to play as. Once that’s done, all that’s left is sticking to online multiplayer, in order to earn experience and unlock new gear via Quidditch Champions‘ season pass. My concern lies in this loop’s lasting appeal, as the game itself is fun, but I never felt like playing more than two or three matches at a time. Will people stick to it for long periods of time? Will the game be constantly updated with brand-new skins and gear? Only time will tell, and I really want WB Games to prove me wrong in this case.

The Chaser is easily the most entertaining role you can pick in a team.

I don’t have many qualms regarding the gameplay loop at all, as it’s probably the best thing one could have hoped for from a Quidditch game. Even if the Seeker’s role got massively nerfed, I understand the decision, for balancing purposes. Mechanically-speaking, Unbroken Studios did a great job with Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions. It’s just underwhelming to look at, and it’s lacking in terms of modes and lasting appeal. As of now, it doesn’t feature a lot of teams, modes, or even a reason to keep you entertained for long. I just hope I’ll be proven wrong in the feature, as I’d love for a game like this to become a niche esport. It is, after all, the spiritual sequel to Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup I’ve been asking for the past twenty-ish years.

Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC.

Reviewed on Intel i7-12700H, 16GB RAM, RTX 3060 6GB.