The world of Harry Potter is massive and over the last few years has expanded massively with the Fantastic Beasts movies and once again is set to expand this February 2022 with the release of Hogwarts: Legacy.
Hogwarts: Legacy is set in the 1800s and follows a student starting at Hogwarts in their fifth year. You play as a character who you can customize who holds the key to an “ancient secret that threatens to tear the wizarding world apart”.
But why am I excited about it?
Classes
As you might not know, in Hogwarts Legacy you can take classes. These classes will assumingly unlock more spells for you to be able to cast on your journey throughout the world. Some classes include Charms and Defence Against the Dark Arts. Herbology, and Potions.
I’m excited about it. I think for any game to include being able to go to class just makes a school game even more better. Take Bully for an example, I loved going to class on that game and doing the mini-games to unlock stuff.
The Open-world
The open world in Hogwarts: Legacy seems to surpass that of any previous Harry Potter game that we’ve had. I remember back in the day playing Order of the Phoenix and The Half Blood Prince and just exploring. I had countless hours just doing that. I can not wait to expand that with Hogwarts: Legacy.
Familiar locations from the Harry Potter Franchise will be explorable such as the Forbidden Forest, Diagon Alley, and Hogsmeade Village. Other areas as yet unseen visually in other media are the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw common rooms. when you progress the game, the interior and exterior of the castle change visually to match the seasons. This is amazing and such a great feature to add.
The Customization
In Hogwarts: Legacy you are not set to one character that looks the same. You get to create your own student which will give the player-base some uniqueness to the characters that they create at the beginning of the game.
You are able to choose their appearance, house, and gender. Players will also be able to customize their character’s voice and body type. Level progression will allow the player to access and upgrade different spells, talents, and abilities. The game will also feature environmental customization elements, Players will be able to modify the Room of Requirements as they level up through the game.
Magical Beasts
Throughout the game, players will be able to same, care for, and ride different magical beats including Hippogriffs, and Thestrals. Dragons, Trolls, and Nifflers are other interactable magical creatures. Some of the creatures can be used in combat such as the use of the Mandrake to stun your enemies.
Dark Arts
As seen in the recent trailer, students can learn to use the Dark Arts and to use dark spells such as Crucio. I’m very interested in this as I’m actually a Slytherin so you just know I’m going to be rocking this spell quite a lot in my journey through the game.
Morality System
Players can establish friendships with interactable NPC characters throughout your story. As a player grows these relationships, these schoolmates will become companions who can accompany players throughout their journey, expand their abilities and offer unique dialogue options as players learn their stories.
Honestly, I just can not wait for this game. I think this game is going to be the best game set within the Harry Potter universe that will honestly give us our best look, feel, and love of the world of Hogwarts and I’m all for it.
Will this be the game of the year? Hard to say but it will give anything a good run for it’s money.
We can not wait to play through and review this game. Portkey Games and WB Games Avalanche have a huge hit on their hands.
