Despite its delay into 2023, Hogwarts Legacy remains one of the most anticipated releases currently in development. The Harry Potter books offered a look into a world filled with magic and mystery and a fully realized 3D video game will offer a unique opportunity to explore that world. Capitalizing on that idea, developer Avalanche Software has put together a new trailer offering a closer look at the setting of Hogwarts Legacy in the form of an ASMR video.
The Hogwarts Legacy "A Hot Summer Day" trailer is a unique marketing effort for the video game industry. It's recorded in-game but isn't necessarily a gameplay video. It doesn't focus on any features, there are no story details, and there isn't even any voice work within. Instead, the 20-minute video offers a tour of areas beyond Hogwarts' walls. These are quiet areas of Hogwarts Legacy's setting: the farm areas, the streams, the coastline, and rarely visited hideaways.
As an ASRM video, an "autonomous sensory meridian response" recording, the goal of the footage is to provide something that creates a physical reaction to audial and visual triggers. As such, the Hogwarts Legacy video focuses on the sounds of each environment, including rippling water, birds chirping, and footsteps along the well-trod ground. Harry Potter fans can watch the video and imagine they're exploring outside of Hogwarts.
Admittedly, for fans wanting to experience life in Hogwarts itself, the new ASMR video isn't going to deliver that. It does help establish how big the setting of Hogwarts Legacy is, even beyond the walls of Hogwarts. It also shows just how much attention to detail Avalanche has for its environmental sounds. But there are no spells being cast, magical classes being taught, or anything of the like.
The video footage provides more compelling content for Harry Potter fans hoping for something more substantial than the sounds of nature. Several different scenes reveal corners of the map that are intriguing in one way or another. There are a lot of castle ruins, giant industrial cogs sticking out of the ground, mountaintop statues in the distance, oddly-shaped bridges, and more to ponder.
This Hogwarts Legacy video is ultimately a reminder that the upcoming game features an open world for players to explore and enjoy. It's more than just Harry Potter tropes. It's rich with detail, both magical and mundane. ASMR videos are rare in video game marketing, but Hogwarts Legacy's new trailer might help change that.
Hogwarts Legacy releases February 10, 2023, on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with a Switch version also in development.
