A New 'Harry Potter' Game Is Coming To Your Phone, So Start Practicing Spells

Who else has amazing childhood memories of the Harry Potter PC games? Back in the days of dial-up internet and no social media, we entertained ourselves with endless hours of directing Harry through Hogwarts and setting spells on terrifying creatures kept in the depths of the school. Now with this generation of old-school gamers grown up, the creative minds behind the Boy Who Lived are giving us the next best thing when it comes to magical games. A "Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery" mobile game is in the works, and I'm ready to channel my inner Hermione Granger and spend way too much time immersed in this.

A teaser trailer for the game, scheduled to launc this spring, honestly brings back major memories of the old Potter games for me. The game's website, which is officially affiliated with Warner Bros. Entertainment, described the upcoming game:

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery is the first mobile game in which players can create their own character and experience life as a Hogwarts student. The game will launch under Portkey Games, a new label dedicated to creating experiences inspired by the magic and adventures of J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World.

While the PC games required you to play from the perspective of Harry and travel through the same events as in the books, the new trailer boasts of a player's ability to be Sorted into any Hogwarts House, make new friends, and learn how to cast spells. Essentially, it allows you to become one of those poor anonymous kids who just wanted an education while Harry and his friends were off fighting mortal danger.

However, it does look like players can still get into some of their own Hogwarts mischief during the game. After all, the game is called "Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery," so there must be an element of suspense. Similar to the challenges Harry often had to face after certain classes in the original games, the sneak peek promises the discovery of "new magical mysteries." It shows a player's avatar caught up with Devil's Snare and later exploring an icy, frozen-looking chamber.

Apart from the same Hogwarts professors appearing in the game, the trailer also seems to promote brand new characters that a player can befriend. I also can't help but notice that a long-haired, redhead Gryffindor named Bill is introduced to the player. Seeing as the website confirms that that the game takes place prior to Harry's time at Hogwarts, this must be Bill Weasley. It looks like the game is supposed to take place in the late 1980s when the eldest Weasley was in his last few years of school.

As someone who loves the concept of having fictional boyfriends, I'd happily marry a Weasley boy, so I'm totally up for pursuing a school romance with Bill via the game. Might as well live as vicariously as possible through this, right?

I'm definitely excited for this updated blast from the past, and the majority of fans on Twitter seem to share this anticipation for the game's arrival.

A few fans even somehow received early access to the game, but their views about it seem rather mixed. Another user claims that the game has been available on YouTube and that it's actually nothing special. Well, don't ruin the fun for the rest of us!

The game will be available to download via the App Store and Google Play, and its official site allows fans to pre-register for access to the game. If you submit your email address to the site, you'll get updates as its debut approaches and receive immediate notification when the game officially drops. Despite the naysayers out there, I'm totally ready to don a set of Hogwarts robes and practice my wand flicking in preparation for the game.