The wizarding world of Harry Potter is a vast one, spanning an entire eight-part series, a soon-to-be trilogy of spinoff movies, a designated theme park, and even a whole Broadway show. Right alongside every movie release, a video game tie-in would also appear, starting with the very first Harry Potter movie over two decades ago.
Though the quality of these video games did vary quite significantly between entries, and the gameplay style changed dramatically over the years, these games were the closest things fans had to feeling as though they were actually in the magical world of the Harry Potter movies. The early Harry Potter games, in particular, managed to capture the fantastical atmosphere of the books and movies surprisingly well, and that's mostly down to their depiction of Hogwarts.
Magic Around Every Corner
In the first few Harry Potter games, the first three specifically, players take control of Harry as he goes through his day-to-day life at Hogwarts. In The Sorcerer's Stone, this means that players will chase Malfoy on their broom, journey to Hagrid's hut, and use magical crackers to defeat enemies.
In The Chamber of Secrets game, this daily life gameplay is given more of a free roam emphasis, giving players a checklist of activities to complete before the day ends. These activities often involve attending classes, where new spells and abilities are learned. It's up to the player to make it to class on time, and find their way through Hogwarts' winding corridors and hallways.
Although Prisoner of Azkaban takes a slightly more linear gameplay structure, with the player being encouraged to head straight to an objective, the ability to free-roam around Hogwarts is still present. The freedom given in all three games helps to make Hogwarts feel like a truly magical, life-like place, filled to the brim with eager students.
The presence of magical creatures also helps to make Hogwarts feel appropriately fantastical, with Cornish Pixies and Salamanders appearing in the castle's more hidden areas. The abundance of secret rooms, often hidden behind moving paintings, also serves to convey this magical and mysterious atmosphere.
Of course, these games also allow players to stumble upon some of the movies' most iconic locations. The aforementioned Hagrid's hut, the clock tower, the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, the dungeons, and the Gryffindor common rooms can all be found and explored freely, with collectibles like Famous Witch and Wizard Cards, Chocolate Frogs, and Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans incentivizing player exploration.
Flying Through Hogwarts
In The Chamber of Secrets game, and later in the re-worked version of Sorcerer's Stone for Xbox and PlayStation 2, players could find a Nimbus 2000/2001. Once the broom was found or bought from fan-favorite characters Fred and George, players could use the broom to traverse the Hogwarts grounds.
Though the graphics are a little outdated now, flying over Hogwarts' iconic towers and ramparts back in the day was an absolute dream come true for just about any Harry Potter fan. Although there were no activities to partake in, or anything to really do once players were up in the air, for many fans, just begin able to freely explore the beloved setting was enough.
The sheer scale of the castle, while not technically accurate, still did a good job of making Hogwarts feel like a larger-than-life setting. The addition of iconic characters littered throughout the grounds also went quite a way in making the castle feel authentic.
What Hogwarts Legacy Needs to Learn From The Early Harry Potter Games
Despite not having an official release date yet, Warner Bros. Interactive has been fairly adamant that its upcoming Hogwarts Legacy game is going to release this year. But, with just one single trailer shown so far, Harry Potter fans are left wondering just what this game will actually look like.
The trailer seemed to showcase a whole slew of recognizable Harry Potter iconography, from flying around on a hippogriff to battling a troll. It seems as though the game will allow players to take on the role of a student at Hogwarts, attending various magical lessons and uncovering a wider mystery over the course of the academic year, similar to the structure of the first few movies/books.
This possible gameplay loop may allow Hogwarts Legacy to take inspiration from the early Harry Potter games in one form or another. For instance, taking The Chamber of Secrets' daily checklist system may be a good way to structure the game, with players being given a certain number of classes to attend per in-game day while also having to take time out to unravel the central mystery of the game.
The early games' abundance of collectibles should also be present in some form in Hogwarts Legacy, encouraging players to explore every inch of the castle's grounds. These collectibles could be the same as those present in the early games, with Every Flavour Beans acting as the game's currency, or Famous Witch and Wizard Cards being used to unlock new areas or upgrades. Alternatively, Hogwarts Legacy could use other magical items as collectibles, as there's plenty of inspiration to draw from.
The ability to fly around Hogwarts is an absolute necessity for Hogwarts Legacy. It may be a little tricky to pull off, with flight controls always being difficult to make intuitive, but the concept of freely flying around Hogwarts, able to explore every nook and cranny, is extremely exciting for fans of the franchise. Hogwarts Legacy already has a solid base to work from, it just needs to take the foundations laid in those early Harry Potter games and bring them to a modern day AAA experience.