This year will be over before people know it, but thankfully there's plenty to look forward to in 2023. The first few months of a new year are typically jam-packed with new video game releases, and 2023 is no exception. Forspoken, Dead Space, Octopath Traveler 2, and the PlayStation VR 2 headset all come out within the first few months of 2023, but by far one of the most anticipated game of those opening months is Hogwarts Legacy.
Releasing on February 10, 2023, Hogwarts Legacy has been one of the most anticipated games since its announcement, and over the last few months Warner Bros. has showed more details about the game to keep fans engaged. Between story cinematics, character introductions, tours around Hogwarts, and breakdowns of the game's combat, Hogwarts Legacy has revealed a lot to make fans more excited for its upcoming release. But Hogwarts Legacy isn't just targeting a hardcore demographic, it's trying to grab attention from all Wizarding World fans, regardless of whether they've ever picked up a controller or not.
Hogwarts Legacy Needs To Be Accessible for New Gamers
Harry Potter is one of the biggest media franchises on the planet. Though it has been over a decade since the last mainline movie came out, the Wizarding World has lived on through theme park attractions, spin-off plays, video games, and merchandise. The Harry Potter fanbase is still huge, and Hogwarts Legacy looks as though it'll offer an experience people have wanted for decades, putting players directly in the shoes of their own custom Hogwarts student as they attend classes, roam around the grounds, and battle magical foes.
Over the last few years, Hogwarts Legacy has managed to pull in a sizable audience despite controversies surrounding the original author J. K. Rowling. This should result in a lucrative opening for Hogwarts Legacy, but if the game really wants to pull in the biggest crowd possible, it's going to need to target fans who have never really played video games before.
There are bound to be a vast number of Harry Potter fans jumping into Hogwarts Legacy purely for the brand recognition, some of whom may have never held a controller before. To keep that group happy, Hogwarts Legacy is going to need to make sure it's completely accessible for newcomers. This means the game will need to have a clear and engaging tutorial that tentatively introduces new players to the general systems and controls. Hogwarts Legacy should also give players the option to access new tutorials whenever they're introduced to a spell or mechanic. The game's button inputs should also be as intuitive as possible.
One of the best ways Hogwarts Legacy can ensure that players of all skill levels enjoy the experience is providing plenty of difficulty options. At the start of the game, players should have the option to choose from a range of different difficulties, with the lowest being a "Story" mode as in other narrative-focused games - though it should be made clear that this difficulty mode is expressly for newcomers. It's also important for Hogwarts Legacy to be as generally accessible as possible for those with disabilities. Hogwarts Legacy should look toward recent titles like The Last of Us Part 1 or God of War Ragnarok for their accessibility options, and borrow similar features such as text-to-speech and colorblind modes.
Hogwarts Legacy releases February 10, 2023, for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. A Switch version is also in development.
