With Hogwarts Legacy, players have the chance to live the life of a magical student in the famous wizarding castle. In addition to attending classes, players can make friends with their peers, tame magical creatures, engage in duels, explore the castle, and even visit Hogsmeade Village. With so much to do, it is very easy to get lost, even with a map. Fortunately, Avalanche Software provided gamers with the handy Field Guide. Its pages are scattered everywhere, encouraging players to explore while learning more about the wizarding world.
Hogwarts Legacy benefits greatly from the Field Guide pages, and it would be fantastic if other games adopted similar features. It is fun to have sprawling open-worlds to explore, but getting lost can get frustrating, and it can get hard to keep track of complex lore. The Field Guide is a wonderful example of how to solve these issues in a way that does not ruin immersion.
Hogwarts Legacy Wonderful Field Guide
In Hogwarts Legacy, gamers play as fifth-year students attending Hogwarts for the first time. This poses some problems, as everyone in their fifth year has already gotten used to how things are run in the magical school. Professor Weasley gives players a Field Guide to help them get acquainted with the castle and its surroundings. It is a vital aid, as it has several features that smoothen the gameplay experience. Using it, players can access their gear, talents, and their quests.
Players can also find pages of the Field Guide hidden around Hogwarts castle and its surroundings. Upon retrieving these pages, players learn more about the world around them and gain experience points. Collecting the Field Guide pages is quite fun because there are often little challenges behind them. Some pages require players to learn the Revelio spell, while others have players using Accio to yank it out of the air. Other pages will have players scratching their heads for a bit before they find the solution, like the pages which requires players to use the Lumos spell to attract moths to empty portraits.
Other Games Should Emulate Hogwarts Legacy's Field Guide Pages
The Field Guide pages of Hogwarts Legacy work because they solve several issues at once in a fun way. By having a hundred pages scattered widely, players are encouraged to explore, and in the process, they are likely to discover other secrets and side quests. The pages also expand on the lore and lead players to iconic Harry Potter locations, which is a treat for die-hard fans. The process of collecting the pages also tests the player's wizarding skills, as spells often have to be used to acquire them.
The Field Guide pages should be emulated by other games, which often waste their collectibles by making them not worth seeking out, or only loosely connected to the main game. This is especially true for open-world RPGs, which are often bogged down with heavy lore. Having collectibles that both expand on the lore while testing gameplay skills would be the most elegant solution, as Hogwarts Legacy has demonstrated.
There are plenty of things that Hogwarts Legacy does right, but there are still some things that have left gamers dissatisfied. The game lacks a dynamic HUD, and while broomstick racing is possible, Quidditch is conspicuously absent. Some of these features could be included in a future Hogwarts Legacy game, which seems very possible judging by the game's astronomic sales. Regardless, the field guide pages are something that other games should look to as a source of inspiration.
Hogwarts Legacy is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. It is set to release on PS4 and Xbox Series X/S on April 4, and on Nintendo Switch on July 25.
