Harry Potter fans may disagree about some things, but everybody loves pets. Especially Hagrid. Jam City and Portkey Games have announced the first major update to mobile RPG Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery. The update lets players take a pet to the magical school of witchcraft and wizardry.
Players can own up to four pets based on the most popular pets at Hogwarts: Owl, Rat, Cat, and Toad. You can have up to one of each kind. Your pets will hang out in your dormitory, and you can equip one at a time to join you on your quests around the school. Equipped pets provide an energy boost when they’re awoken.
Hogwarts Mystery released earlier this year on iOS and Android. It’s set in the 1980s, about a decade or so before the events of the first Harry Potter book (or movie).
Players can customize their own budding witch or wizard and join one of the four houses. Students attend classes, make friends (and enemies), brew potions, and cast spells. Familiar faces are in the faculty, including several actors and actresses from the movies reprising their roles such as Michael Gambon (Dumbledore) and Dame Maggie Smith (McGonagall).
While its production values are impressive, the game has been heavily criticized for a particularly egregious energy mechanic, taking a long time to do any task unless you pony up real cash.
The pets update is available now. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery can be downloaded for free on the App and Google stores. It’s rated 12+ for Intense Fantasy Violence and Mild Horror Themes.
