A goofy look at law from a TikTok influencer - HerrAnwalt: Lawyers Legacy Quick First Impressions

Some confessions: First, I am very American, which means I have a supremely limited grasp on other cultures. Second, I am in my mid-thirties, much closer to my forties than my twenties, which means I’m not necessarily the most hip to Gen Z trends. And finally, I am a dad, which means I am eternally uncool.

With those facts in mind, perhaps I can be forgiven for having no clue about Herr Anwalt (aka Mr. Lawyer), the alias of Tim Henrik Walter, a German YouTube and TikTok star who makes videos about law issues for a younger generation. Although I may be ignorant, Herr Anwalt is a big enough star that he has inspired an indie game based on his personality: HerrAnwalt: Lawyers Legacy.

THE STORY

Lawyers Legacy opens with Herr Anwalt being phoned by a German school student who is seemingly trying to blow the whistle on a cruel headmaster. But rather than summon the school officials to court like you’d expect, Mr. Lawyer decides to take a more direct approach: He heads to the school and proceeds to beat up any teacher who gets in his way and rescue every student he finds.

PLATFORMS

HerrAnwalt: Lawyers Legacy is available on Android, iOS, and PC. I tested the game on both Android and PC. If you’re planning to check it out, I strongly recommend either playing on PC or making sure that you have a controller you can connect to your mobile device.

TIME PLAYED

I’ve spent about three hours playing HerrAnwalt thus far, which was more than enough to run through all of the content that’s in this version of the game.

WHAT’S AWESOME

• Simple, old-school vibes. From its solid pixel art visuals to its stripped-down platforming and punching mechanics, HerrAnwalt: Layers Legacy is a decidedly retro experience. As long as you’re looking for something classic, you shouldn’t be too disappointed.

• Mobile monetization. The PC version of HerrAnwalt costs $5.99, which is debatably too much to pay for what it offers at this point. But the mobile versions, on the other hand, are completely free and, as of now at least, also totally free of monetization. I didn’t run into any ads, the game doesn’t feature a store with either gameplay or cosmetic purchases, nothing! Just download it and play.

WHAT SUCKS

• Mobile controls. Touch screen controls can be tough to get right, especially with games like this that have fairly demanding and fast-paced platforming and combat. Unfortunately, HerrAnwalt falls flat in this regard. The jump and attack buttons on the screen just aren’t responsive enough for how quickly enemies move, nor precise enough to make difficult wall jumps anything other than an exercise in frustration. Either pay up for the PC version or bring a controller, trust me.

• The amount of content. Early access strikes again! With only maybe two hours of total game to play through right now, plus an endless mode, it’s hard to justify even the small price that developer Yannick is asking for the PC version. Said developer has committed to continuing to expand the game over the next year or two, so it’s entirely possible—hopefully even likely!—that this problem will be fixed in time.

SHOULD YOU PLAY IT?

As someone who went into this game with no knowledge of the social media star who inspired it, I feel ill-suited to warn away folks who might really love Herr Anwalt’s content. Lawyer’s Legacy is a strange, slight game, and I’m still a little baffled as to how a video account that’s all about the law makes sense transformed into a cute pixel platformer. It’s not bad, though, and if you really love Herr Anwalt, or if you plan to wait and see how the game looks as it continues through early access, it might be worth your time.

💬 Do you have a favorite video game lawyer besides Pheonix Wright? Share it in the comments.