Romance in Hogwarts Legacy is a much-debated subject. Although players cannot canonically fall in love with companions like in other RPGs with romance options, players can form friendships and learn more about their backstories. For a brief moment, the player character even holds Natty's hand to comfort her during a hospital visit, as any friend might. However, many players feel there could have been other ways to bring age-appropriate platonic romance into the game, as seen in the Harry Potter movies and books via moments like the Yule Ball.
Hogwarts Legacy contains some signs that an event like the Triwizard Tournament's Yule Ball might have been considered at one point, with dancing ghosts seen throughout the game, a magical moonlit mooncalf dance in the Bird in the Hand side quest, and even a random NPC encounter outside Gladrags Wizardwear with a Hogwarts student busting a move. However, the main advantage of a school dance is it becomes the perfect premise for introducing romance options.
How a Yule Ball-Inspired Dance Could Add Romance Options to Hogwarts Legacy
Although the Yule Ball wouldn't make sense in Hogwarts Legacy's timeline, Avalanche could get around this by creating a new kind of school dance specific to Hogwarts Legacy's 19th Century setting - akin to the Celestial Ball in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery. Dancing is often considered a universal language, so it could have been a great addition to incorporate more representation, allowing players to choose from various kinds of partner for their Yule Ball date or even to attend the Ball alone.
A school dance like the Yule or Celestial Ball could also open up comedic moments and platonic options in Hogwarts Legacy. Some of the funniest moments in the Harry Potter movies include students learning to dance during class, or when students discussed asking other students to be their date for the dance, culminating in Harry wistfully admiring Cho Chang before spitting out his drink. The game's traditional outfits in an earlier setting also make it the perfect time for a clever Hogwarts Legacy Goblet of Fire reference.
How a Hogwarts Dance Could Make More Use of Hogsmeade Shops
Introducing a Yule Ball-inspired dance could also allow players to make more use of Hogsmeade's shops. Players could buy fancy dance clothing at Gladrags Wizardwear, change up their hair at Madam Snelling's Tress' Emporium, or even send their date a fun gift or invitation through Hogsmeade Post Office, with players receiving a response via the game's OWL letter quest system. Hogwarts Legacy's lack of romance options put limits on how valuable many of its shops are, with repeat visits likely dwindling after the first expedition. Including romance or other ways to deepen relationships with companions could make Hogsmeade's experiences more purposeful and increase replayability.
Although Hogwarts Legacy doesn't need romance, having options could help develop the player character's relationships with companions, which don't feel that deep or developed compared to other RPGs. All three companion relationships revolve around uncovering secrets about each one in a predominantly scripted way, so a Yule Ball or similar dance potentially drawing upon Hogwarts Legacy's seasonal changes could have been the ticket to introduce romance and comedic opportunities appropriately.
Hogwarts Legacy is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, with PS4 and Xbox One versions launching May 5 and a Switch port releasing July 25.
