Players would soon run out, and then be asked to pay real money to cast the most basic of spells. Quickly, Niantic added a fix to the game that provides more Spell Energy, but it is still something that players need to keep an eye on all the time. This Internet site leads to the second issue, which is that it feels absolutely ridiculous having Spell Energy in the first pl

While this doesn’t really seem like that big of a deal, it does take some of the personal aspect out of things. The avatar you move around the map as is just a general, gender-neutral witch or wizard with a hat and robes on. They fly on a broomstick, and the Hogwarts House you pick will change their co

January starts off with the highly-anticipated premiere of Community season 5, and then the world of television jumps backs in to gear as all of your favorite shows begin making their return from the holiday hia

In Pokémon GO, you get to choose your appearance and your outfit, which makes it feel more like it’s you in the game. This is something that Wizards Unite is bound to improve on as time goes by, but for now, fans of Niantic's other outing are likely to feel a little disappointed by t

Things get less promising, though, when you read the section after Ron's encounter. The dev team states that Foundables can be found anywhere, but that "certain Foundables may be more likely to appear at various types of real-world locations including parks, banks, municipal buildings, college campuses, libraries, monuments, zoos, art galleries, and mo

With Wizards Unite , however, the items you collect don’t seem as relevant. These items are anything from magical creatures to artifacts and more, so it just feels a little more random and less cohesive. There's a bit less of a push to get out there and nab everything, as a res

Meanwhile, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite fails in this area for two reasons. First, when the game first launched, it was incredibly restrictive with Spell Energy, which is the basic unit needed to perform most actions in the game, similar to Pokéba

The final section of the dev blog goes into the "united" part of Wizards Unite , revealing what are basically raid battles. Just like Pokémon GO (how many times is that now?), you have to go to a special real-world location to partake in these battles. However, instead of fighting legendary Pokémon, you will team up with other players to fight evil wizards and scary magical beasts like Dement

As a small studio, however, Niantic could only do so much. It made sense, then, for Pokéstops to be in the exact same locations as Ingress portals. It even used a lot of the same systems for things like spawn rates and item product

There are even three teams. This seems particularly odd since the Harry Potter franchise has four perfect teams built into its story with the Hogwarts houses. Instead, it seems we're getting Valor, Instinct, and Mystic repeated in the form of three Professions. Wizards Unite players can choose to be Aurors, Magizoologists, or Professors, which totally fit the theme of the aggressive one, the offbeat one, and the smart one. One nice difference is that the three Professions are encouraged to work together, unlike how Pokémon GO emphasizes competition between the te

There is also the issue of how Niantic monetizes the two games. In Pokémon GO, all a player needs to play the game are Pokéballs which are found easily by walking around and visiting Pokéstops. These can also be purchased in the store using currency, however, for the most part, they are never so scarce as to be a concern. In this sense, players can pick up and go, and the game feels as it sho

If you’re a fan of Harry Potter, this game will absolutely feel like it was made for you. In many ways, Wizards Unite seems to expect that people playing will have some awareness of Harry Potter and the world. There are countless references, links and nods to the franchise's expansive wo

There’s something so compelling about collecting different kinds of Pokémon. Since Pokémon GO keeps adding new Pokémon as it goes along, it’s impossible to really catch them all, which makes you want to keep going. The creatures are cute and exciting, and you really feel like a Pokémon trai

This is nice for fans, as it feels like the story is made for you. Pokémon GO is definitely easier for new people to join in, but if you want a game that lets you into an already existing franchise, Wizards Unite does a better job. Series newcomers are sure to have all kind of questions, tho

While Wizards Unite definitely features a continuation of the lore, it does take a while to get acclimatised to what's going on. You’re not a student at Hogwarts or anything directly from the series. In Pokémon Go, however, it’s very clear how you’re a part of the unive

Unlike those initial frenzied months of Pokémon GO where it seemed everyone outside was running around trying to catch their favorite first-generation Pokémon, there hardly seems to be any players looking to become a powerful Witch or Wizard. Why is it one game began so spectacularly, and another did not? It is not as though Harry Potter is some unknown charac