Highlights

  • Hogwarts Legacy successfully recreates the magical world of Harry Potter, providing players with a fully-realized open-world experience at Hogwarts Castle.
  • The game starts with lighter and whimsical tones, but gradually becomes darker as the story progresses, offering a more serious and intense experience.
  • For a potential sequel, it would be beneficial for Hogwarts Legacy to maintain the lighter tone and explore the wonders and curiosities of the wizarding world, while still finding a way to honor the darker themes present in the first game.

Hogwarts Legacy's name is more than just a tagline, as it has the difficult task of upholding the lofty name of the Harry Potter license. It's a game that, for the most part, succeeds in doing this, providing players with a fully-realized and faithful open-world recreation of Hogwarts Castle and its grounds for them to explore at their leisure.

It's a new installment in a franchise that has struggled to find its footing in the gaming space, as film tie-ins and LEGO adaptations have been the only source of virtual entertainment for Harry Potter fans. Hogwarts Legacy is a success, both critically and commercially, but developer Avalanche Software might have to change things up with a potential sequel.

Hogwarts Legacy x Spider Man 2 x God of War
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Hogwarts Legacy Upholds Harry Potter's Serious Themes

hogwarts legacy ranrok

When magic and other supernatural elements are injected in any story, the directions it can go with its tone expand massively. Be it the darker themes explored in The Witcher to the more youthful and uplifting feeling of the likes of Percy Jackson or The Chronicles of Narnia, magic is a catalyst for a great amount of change and freedom. The Harry Potter films evolved the tone as the gravity of the situation escalated, with the first couple being deliberately lighter and more whimsical, and gradually more serious as Harry and his friends find their place in a more far-reaching story.

In many ways, Hogwarts Legacy feels like a smaller version of the same trajectory, as players are introduced to the whimsy of Hogsmeade and the wonderment of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It does so well to showcase the lighter side of the property.

Hogwarts Legacy's Seriousness Extends to the Side Content

However, as the main story continues, the tone drops into something darker. Ranrok's rebellion is a big obstacle to overcome, but away from the main campaign, there's more gloominess to uncover. Sebastian Sallow's surprisingly deep character arc and grappling with the Unforgivable Curses makes the latter stages of Hogwarts Legacy a far cry from the upbeat merriment of the early hours.

Hogwarts Legacy Being Lighter Could be a Welcome, but Tough Change

hogwarts-legacy-snidget-scene

Hogwarts Legacy's follow-up needs to be unique if it is to not only stand out, but also compliment the first game. Instead of dragging it into the darkness, lifting it into the light could push players forward in the story and keep them coming back as it would be warmer and more welcoming than an open-world RPG that takes itself too seriously. The curiosities that litter Harry Potter and the rest of the wizarding world, from the spells, locations, and even the litany of fantastic beasts are ripe for wonderful tales that can help the setting feel like a more light-hearted juxtaposition to the first game.

Hogwarts Legacy is set around 100 years before the events of Harry Potter , and focuses largely on the fight to resist Ranrok's goblin rebellion.

To achieve that feat, however, the franchise would have to somehow unpick the darker themes present in the first game to make the change feel seamless. For a character like Sebastian Sallow who goes down an immoral path or places like the Forbidden Forest which is dark by design, it would be hard to involve them in an upbeat tale in a way that honors their traits. Harry Potter's evolving tone makes it great, and Hogwarts Legacy has to find a way to match what it does well in a lengthy game rather than a fleeting film.