There's a lot to explore throughout the campus. It's actually the school itself that becomes the most interesting element of the Academy's story. It's hard to care about Sam when he never says anything and his story is almost entirely driven by the wooden dialogue of his friends and teachers. Silent protagonists have their place in games, but that trope does The Academy and its story a disservice. It's really hard to replicate this with Sam when he's a silent protagonist. If there's one thing I remember about the Harry Potter series, a clear influence on The Academy, it's the personality and the jubilance of its main character. That's when it's not an issue of something lost in translation.īut the worst offender is Sam. But they're presented in such a bland manner. I really wanted to get into The Academy's characters, whether they be the students, the teachers, or Sam's friends. Or at least it would be, except the characters aren't particularly interesting. A mystery villain is conjuring up strange magic and causing random mayhem across campus and it's up to Sam and his friends to discover what's going on.Īll of this is great, following a tried-and-true formula. Rowling's series of books, there's something sinister going down behind the scenes. Sam gets a tight circle of friends and attends classes with them, while also learning the ins-and-outs of the Academy itself. Over the course of the game, you'll make friends and you'll start to see more of the Harry Potter influence. There's an eager faculty willing to teach its students, as well as an engaged student body. There are fancy classrooms, labs, a giant atrium, and dormitories. Everything one would expect out of a school of higher learning is here. The Academy puts players in the role of Sam, who's starting out at the titular institution. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot that's magical about this effort, outside of a handful of fun puzzles, because the world that surrounds it is as mundane as a morning in school. The inspiration is clear when one picks up The Academy: The First Riddle. Beyond being about magic and wizards, Harry Potter was about growing up in a magical school environment. Developer Snapbreak clearly has an affinity for the Harry Potter series, mostly its setting and its premise.
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