Hogwarts Mystery

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery is a role-playing video game set in the Wizarding World. Developed by Jam City and published under the Portkey Games label, it allows players to create their own student character and experience life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The game's narrative is set in the 1980s, beginning in 1984, placing its events after Lord Voldemort's first defeat and before Harry Potter's arrival at the school. The central plot revolves around the player character's search for their older brother, who vanished while seeking the fabled “Cursed Vaults” of Hogwarts.

The player character receives their Hogwarts letter and enrolls at the school several years after their brother, Jacob, was expelled for endangering students in his obsessive search for the Cursed Vaults. Branded by the school's faculty and students with the reputation of their disgraced sibling, the player must navigate their school years while secretly investigating Jacob's disappearance. The main storyline involves uncovering clues about five ancient vaults, each protected by powerful curses and guardians, hidden within Hogwarts Castle. The player forms friendships and rivalries, attends classes to learn crucial spells and potions, and confronts a mysterious organization known as 'R' that is also seeking the vaults for its own dark purposes. The narrative unfolds year by year, mirroring a student's progression through their seven years of magical education. (video game)

Hogwarts Mystery combines elements of a visual novel with role-playing and adventure game mechanics. Core features include: (video game)

• Character Customization: Players create and customize their own `witch` or `wizard`, including their appearance and choice of one of the four Hogwarts houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin.
• Narrative Choices: The story progresses through quests where the player makes dialogue and action choices that can influence relationships with other characters and minor plot outcomes.
• Classes and Activities: Players attend classes such as Charms, Potions, and Transfiguration. Completing tasks in these classes requires spending “energy,” an in-game resource that replenishes over time. Learning new `spells` is essential for progressing in the story and for use in activities like `Dueling`.
• Friendship and Relationships: Players can build bonds with a host of new characters, as well as younger versions of canon characters like `Bill Weasley`, `Charlie Weasley`, and `Nymphadora Tonks`. Building friendships unlocks special side-quests and rewards.
• Exploration: Players can explore various iconic locations within `Hogwarts Castle` and its grounds, such as the `Great Hall`, `house common rooms`, and `Hogsmeade`.

The events, original characters, and central plot of Hogwarts Mystery are not part of the primary canon established by J.K. Rowling's seven original novels. The game is an officially licensed product released under the `Portkey Games` label, which is dedicated to creating new gaming experiences that are “inspired by J.K. Rowling's original stories.” (Portkey Games) While the game is set within the established framework of the Wizarding World and features appearances from characters mentioned in the books, its core narrative concerning Jacob and the Cursed Vaults is an original story created specifically for the game. Therefore, it is considered an adaptation and an expansion of the universe, rather than a canonical account of events. (video game)