Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions Reviewed

Let’s be honest: Quidditch was never really meant to be a playable sport. In the Harry Potter series, its main purpose seemed to be highlighting how special Harry Potter is as a Seeker, making the rest of the team feel secondary. You could almost call it “Harry Potter the Seeker and Everyone Else on Broomsticks” since most of the attention goes to him.

So, when the team at Unbroken Studios took on the challenge of creating Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, they had a big task ahead. They had to stay true to the original Quidditch while also turning it into a real, playable game. Surprisingly, they did a good job, especially with action during matches, which feels exciting and fun. But outside of the matches, game doesn’t offer much to keep you interested for long.

In Quidditch Champions, the gameplay sticks pretty closely to what fans of the books and movies would expect. There are still the four main positions: Chasers try to grab the Quaffle and score by getting it through the opponent’s goals, earning ten points for each successful shot; Keepers are responsible for defending those goals; Beaters knock Bludgers at opponents to stun them, and can even hit players directly with their bats if needed; and Seekers chase the elusive Golden Snitch which is worth a lot of points.

But Unbroken Studios made some tweaks to the rules to make the game flow better, and one of the biggest changes is that the Seeker isn’t the only position that really matters anymore. This makes the game more balanced and enjoyable for everyone, not just the Seeker, which was a smart move.

While the gameplay on the pitch is solid and fun, the game struggles to keep your attention outside of matches. Once the excitement of the game wears off, there isn’t much else in Quidditch Champions to keep you coming back.

In Quidditch Champions, matches end when one team scores 100 points or when time runs out, and they no longer stop immediately when someone catches the Snitch. Snitch itself is only worth 30 points now, instead of 150 points from the books, and it can show up multiple times during a match, usually around twice.

This change makes catching the Snitch more of a fun bonus rather than something that decides the whole game. Another big change is that there’s only one Beater per team instead of two which makes sense since Beaters can still impact the game by forcing other players to adjust their strategies.

All these changes make for a much better game. Now, Chasers are just as important—if not more important—than Seekers, while the hunt for the Snitch still plays a key role, especially in close matches.

The Beater’s ability to knock out opponents by dealing enough damage makes them a strong and strategic player without controlling the whole match. Every goal is more important now and thankfully, matches don’t last forever like in original Harry Potter stories. These changes make game faster, more balanced and fun for everyone.

In Quidditch Champions, matches end when one team scores 100 points or when time runs out and they no longer stop immediately when someone catches Snitch. Snitch itself is only worth 30 points now, instead of the 150 points from the books and it can show up multiple times during a match, usually around twice.

This change makes catching the Snitch more of a fun bonus rather than something that decides the whole game. Another big change is that there’s only one Beater per team instead of two, which makes sense since Beaters can still impact the game by forcing other players to adjust their strategies.

All these changes make for a much better game. Now, Chasers are just as important—if not more important—than Seekers, while the hunt for the Snitch still plays a key role, especially in close matches.

Beater’s ability to knock out opponents by dealing enough damage makes them a strong and strategic player without controlling the whole match. Every goal matters more now, and, thankfully, matches don’t drag on forever like in the original Harry Potter stories. These tweaks help create a faster, more balanced and enjoyable game for all players.

Smart Tweaks Create a Better, More Fun Quidditch

Smart changes definitely make quidditch more fun, but what really kept me coming back to Quidditch Champions was how good the action on the field feels. Flying around the pitch is exciting, especially when you get the hang of the movement techniques in the game.

Managing your boost meter, dodging, and drifting properly can make a big difference. As a Chaser, it helps you avoid speeding past the other team by mistake and lets you fake out the Keeper to score the perfect shot. As a Seeker, learning to make tight turns and dodge Bludgers while chasing the Snitch makes the game even more thrilling. If you make a mistake, you might end up on the pitch for 20 seconds, thinking about your next move.

The commentary during the game, though, is a bit of a letdown. While there are some fun lines from characters like Lee Jordan and Rita Skeeter, most of the mid-match commentary feels stiff and bland. You get a few good lines at the start and end of a match, but the rest is pretty dry.

Each position in the game is fun. As a Keeper, I enjoyed reading the Chasers’ moves, blocking their shots and using Playcalling Rings to boost my team. Chasers, meanwhile, tackle each other, race around the pitch, and test their skills against the Keeper.

Beaters can completely disrupt the other team by knocking out Seekers at the last second or taking out Keepers to open up a chance for a game-winning goal. Seekers have to do more than just grab the Snitch—they need to stay close to it and fill a meter before snatching it, making every chase feel like a real race with the other Seeker.

You can switch positions anytime, so you can try each role as much as you like. This keeps each match exciting. Overall, Quidditch Champions is fast-paced and makes you want to keep playing.

Playing with friends makes Quidditch Champions even better. You can team up with two friends for cooperative play or compete against other players in 3v3 matches online. In these online games, you choose a pair of positions—Chaser with either Keeper, Seeker, or Beater—and switch between them.

This setup limits position choices but enhances team coordination. In my first online game, I mainly played as a Keeper, making saves, using Playcalling Rings, and passing to my friend who scored as a Chaser. Our teamwork helped us win a close game.

On the field, Quidditch Champions is great, but off the field, it’s quite basic. There’s not much to do besides playing straightforward quidditch matches, whether online or solo. The career mode includes four cups to win: the Weasley Cup (a good tutorial), the House Cup, the Triwizard Quidditch Cup, and the Quidditch World Cup.

You compete in preliminary matches and then a single-elimination bracket. However, the Triwizard Cup and House Cup have few teams, making the bracket stage short. Also, if you play co-op, your progress isn’t saved, so I had to replay the House Cup several times to unlock the Triwizard Cup.

Besides the career mode and multiplayer, there’s not much else to do, making the game feel a bit thin. The character customization is good, though. You can customize your team, adjust stats, and upgrade brooms, with many options for your characters’ looks and items. However, due to the co-op progress issue, you might have to grind in single-player to unlock some items.

You can unlock Harry, Ron, Hermione, Cedric Diggory, Draco Malfoy, Cho Chang, and others by earning in-game currency or leveling up your battle pass. The good news is that these items are free to earn through play, with no microtransactions at the moment. But given Warner Bros.’ history, it’s hard to trust that they won’t add a shop or ask for money later.

• Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown Review
• Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland Review: A Nostalgia-Filled Gaming Experience
• The Casting of Frank Stone Review

Conclusion: Harry Potter Quidditch Champions Reviewed

Flying around the pitch in Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions can be a lot of fun. Each position is interesting, whether you’re disrupting the Seeker as a Beater, keeping up with the Snitch as a Seeker, tricking the Keeper to score as a Chaser, or making a great save. The game makes smart changes to the rules to make quidditch more enjoyable and keeps the magic of the Wizarding World.

There isn’t much to do outside of matches, and co-op play has issues that make it hard to progress in career mode or unlock items with friends. While the game does a good job making quidditch competitive, it could use more features to keep you interested.