Earlier this month we learned that Jam City was planning to release their officially licensed Harry Potter choose your own adventure game on April 25th, and it looks like they have held true to their word. This means you can grab Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery from the Play Store and start on your wizarding adventure as you attend your first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

After a lengthy beta program, it would seem that Jam City has decided that Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery is finally ready for the masses. This past February I did a hands-on with the beta release, and I have to say I came away mostly pleased with the experience, if not a little underwhelmed by the shallow gameplay. This is a casual choose your own adventure game after all, so it's not like there are going to be a lot of deep mechanics for the player to dive into. The story is definitely the main focus, and the high-quality music and intuitive controls simply help to keep the game balanced with an acceptable level of polish.

Everything isn't perfect though, this is a free-to-play release, which means there are plenty of in-app purchases that just so happen to range up to $99.99 per item. You can also expect multiple in-game currencies and pesky wait timers. While I can easily ignore the IAPs and currencies, the wait timers have a tendency to stop your fun dead in its tracks. They don't even take that long to rear their ugly head either. At about the 25-minute mark you will find yourself in the middle of a task that requires you finish it before an 8-hour time limit is up. The trouble is, your limited energy will run out right in the middle of this task, and I assure you this is by design. So now you are stuck, with a clock ticking down that you can do nothing about, at least until your energy levels build back up or you purchase some more.

If you don't mind playing your mobile games casually, then you should have no issue dealing with those annoying wait timers. There is still an enjoyable story to discover that should bring back plenty of fond memories of the Harry Potter universe. The outstanding music and familiar character designs should also fill your nostalgia hole right up to the brim. While it may be difficult for many of us to get past the questionable monetization in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, I doubt hardcore fans are going to pass on the first original mobile game to let you role play what it's like to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

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