Harry Potter Wizards Unite: Five Things We Want To See

I remember when that bogus Harry Potter GO game screenshots surfaced some time ago. As a Harry Potter fan myself, I squealed like a little girl on Christmas day, I was so excited. Up until a few days ago, the only time I had such a reaction, was when I found out that Slash and The Conspirators are going to do a show near me. November 8 marks the third time I let out such a high-pitched sound, when Niantic unveiled Harry Potter Wizards Unite.

So far, very little is known about the new AR title. In its blog post, Niantic said that we will be able to learn spells, battle monsters, and team up with other virtual wizards. If I have to be perfectly honest, this sounds a lot like Pokemon GO, but with a visual overhaul. Yet, I am still hopeful and I believe that Niantic has the chance to make something truly special here.

In order to do so, however, I believe there are several things that the devs absolutely must include. So, without further ado, here are five things I’d like to see implemented in Harry Potter Wizards Unite.

Gesture Controls

This one is pretty obvious, really. Casting Wingardium Leviosa without the “swish and flick” is just not the same. In fact, swiping up and down on a screen will not be immersive enough for me. In the early Harry Potter games for PC, we had to use our mice to draw various shapes with our wand and I would love to see something similar in Harry Potter Wizards Unite.

Actually, I will give Niantic an even better idea. One they will make huge amounts of money off. How about a wand accessory? Just imagine it, a Bluetooth-enabled wand with some gyros and accelerometers inside that you can wave around to cast various spells. I know that I would pay a good sum of money for something like that.

Then again, gesture controls might prove to be a bit dangerous for some phones. There are bound to be some people that drop their handset while waving it frantically about, trying to cast a difficult spell.

Non-Walking Mini-Games

I like Pokemon GO a lot. However, its main selling point is also its biggest flaw. You actually have to walk to do anything.

As someone who works at a desk and someone who lives in a pretty windy city, I do not play Pokemon GO in the winter. It just takes way too much effort and energy to actually “get up and go.” And when the temperature outside drops below zero, there is no way in Hell I am going to chase some virtual monsters to add to my not-real collection.

Therefore, Harry Potter Wizards Unite absolutely needs some mini-games that players can enjoy while stationary. Of course, these will have to be balanced very carefully. After all, if anyone can become a top wizard without moving at all, the main point of the game will be completely wasted. Yet, I believe Niantic can pull it off.

PvP Wizard Duels

There is nothing more exciting than showing your fiancée you are better than her in games. But do not tell her I said that, she’s a bit of a sore loser.

Anyway, the point is that there is no better way to rub that in than to beat her in a face-to-face wizardry challenge. Of course, if Niantic decides to release that external wand I mentioned, the fight will be even more epic. Just imagine two fully-grown adults waving wands at each other in the middle of their living room, while holding their phones and shouting made-up words at each other.

Come to think about it, if we do that, we’re probably going to keep it a secret. Our parents’ jokes might become too harsh to handle otherwise.

Voice Recognition

Speaking of shouting words at other people, how awesome would it be to yell “Expeliarmus” at the top of your lungs and actually see how the spell happens in the game. In Verbis Virtus pulled that off, as well as some other games, so I believe it would be a great addition to Harry Potter Wizards Unite.

Of course, it will have to be an optional feature. Otherwise, people in the park might call the police at some point. Especially if you play the game in the small hours of the night like many Pokemon GO players do.

Yet, I would love to see such a feature in the game. I might not use it all the time, but it will be an incredible tool to have at my disposal.

Potion Brewing

I’m a sucker for a good crafting system in video games. I love blacksmithing in Elder Scrolls Online and I enjoyed the potion brewing min-game in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Therefore, I would absolutely love a detailed potion system in Harry Potter Wizards Unite. In fact, I would be more interested in walking around if I could gather ingredients for various potions, instead of monsters.

That being said, I am pretty sure that Niantic plans for the game to be semi-casual. Therefore, it’s highly unlikely for a rich crafting system of any sort to make its way into the title. Then again, one can always hope, right?