This week Niantic’s most recent game turns one year old. Harry Potters Wizards unite was released on the 21st of June 2019 for Android and iOS devices. Having been a fan of Niantic’s other two similar games Pokémon Go and Ingress (Now named Ingress Prime) I decided to write my first ever review of something.
Now one year on I’d thought I would take a second look at how the game has got on with its first year live. Looking back at my original review one year ago I was disappointed with the games similarity to Pokémon GO as well as the expensive In-App purchase options. I mentioned that I was going to give the game ago in the summer and not give up on it. So, it’s about time I ask the question.
Is the game still worth playing?
Yes. I actually got into the game and still do play it. I can’t say I’m into it as much as Pokémon GO but over time I have been levelling up (Currently my wizarding level is 28). During normal gameplay you can still enjoy catching Foundables and filling in your registry. If you’ve been playing since the start by now you might of Prestiged several of the pages in the registry. This allows you to get more Wizarding challenge runestones as well getting more scrolls for your chosen profession.
Throughout the year HPWU has hosted several special events (And community days) where you need to complete a series of tasks for special rewards. Along the way there will be a special registry to complete in the events section. Another cool feature Niantic added in the past year was a feature originally released in Pokémon Go called “Adventure Sync”. This allows you to close the game and still be able to unlock your Portkeys during your day. It does this by looking at your step count from the Apple health app.
Was the problem with In-App purchases as bad as I originally thought?
No. Something I spoke about in my original review was how It felt like you were always prompted to spend in game coins and I suppose you still are but if you save it is surprisingly easy to get the coins required by completing the daily tasks as well as the log in bonuses. Not just that but at the start of every special event there is a bumper pack of stuff you can get for free in the store.
How’s it competing with Niantic’s over games?
If your interested in some numbers about how much Revenue HPWU made this is for you.
Looking at data from SensorTower[1] in May 2020 HPWU made a total of $1 Million revenue. Sounds like a decent amount and it is but Niantic’s Pokémon Go made a total of $58 Million.
Summary
I think this game is actually better than I originally wrote about in my first review. I’m glad I gave it some time. If you’re a fan of one of Niantic’s other games, then I defiantly recommended checking the game out if you haven’t already. At the moment there is actually a special event happening to celebrate its first year live. (Called “One Year Later Part 2”)
If you’d like to read my original review on the game from last year you can check it out here. If you have any questions about the game as well, I’d be happy to answer them! Tweet me here @kylewilkinson46
Thanks for reading
Kyle Wilkinson
Read more of my work:
Strava VS Apple Watch’s Workout
My iOS 14 & WatchOS 7 Wishlist
May Activity Watch Journal
[1] SensorTower data was correct on 17th June 2020. Data may have changed on reading date. The figures shown were for both versions on iOS and Android. I did not get the data from Niantic themselves and you can visit SensorTower here: https://sensortower.com
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