Niantic's follow-up to Pokemon Go, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, is now available. Like its predecessor, the new Harry Potter game tasks you with walking around, interacting with real-life locations that have been translated into the game world, and collecting things--among other Wizarding World-related activities. And like Pokemon Go, it has an augmented reality component designed to bring a bit of fantasy into your everyday life.
There's a lot to learn in Wizards Unite, from how to take on enemies in combat to what you're even trying to accomplish (it's complicated!). Essentially, magical objects, people, and creatures have been scattered throughout the world, and you're tasked with recovering them before the secrets of the magical word are revealed to the world at large. You'll do this through some rather Pokemon Go-like gameplay, and the joking references to this being "Harry Potter Go" are not unfounded. That said, there are a lot of wrinkles to distinguish the two AR games from one another beyond their respective licenses.
We'll keep updating this article with the latest news, guides, and more on Wizards Unite, so stay tuned. For now, here's what you need to know.
It's Live Now For Free
Set to launch on June 21, Wizards Unite appeared on the iOS App Store and Google Play a day early, on June 20. Those in the US and UK--as well as Australia and New Zealand, which got access even earlier--can now download the game on iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. It's free to play.
- Download Harry Potter: Wizards Unite on iOS App Store
- Download Harry Potter: Wizards Unite on Android's Google Play
Guide For Pokemon Go Players
As noted above, Niantic has undoubtedly derived a lot of the core mechanics from Pokemon Go. Given the level of success that game has enjoyed, that comes as no surprise, but it does mean that anyone who has played that game should have a decent grasp on the basics. That said, all of the names are different--Foundables are like catching Pokemon, spell energy stands in for Poke Balls, Inns are Poke Stops, and so on--and some things have changed.
Microtransactions
Like Pokemon Go, Wizards Unite contains microtransactions. You can spend real money to purchase Gold, which you can then use to buy items in the game. These include potions and Runestones, which are used for Wizarding Challenges in the game.
Impressions
We were able to play the game a bit early during an event. From what we've played so far, it seems like Wizards Unite is dodging some of Pokemon Go's problems at launch by offering a broader array of content right out of the gate.
Friend Codes
If you've been on social media since the game's launch, odds are you've seen people sharing their friend codes all over the place. This is done by sharing a long string of numbers, and adding others to your friends list provides various benefits. At this point, the one upside to doing so that we know about is you'll get bonus Wizarding XP and Wizarding Challenge XP when you complete Wizarding Challenges together.