Highlights
- Hogwarts Legacy solidified its place as a major gaming event in 2023, recreating the world of Harry Potter and offering an expansive open-world experience.
- The game's immersive space and faithful presentation make it truly shine, but there are missed opportunities in utilizing certain elements like Hermione's Time Turner.
- The inclusion of the Time Turner could have provided gameplay benefits and added narrative depth, giving players more access to the rich history of Hogwarts.
Hogwarts Legacy's immense commercial sales solidified its place as one of the biggest events of the 2023 gaming calendar. It's a game that wonderfully recreates the world presented in the Harry Potter books and films and allows players to roam around an expansive open world, attend classes, and get up to mischief, all while journeying along a story that adds something new and unique to the IP.
The narrative does enough to justify its existence, but it's the immersive space and faithfulness of the presentation that makes the Avalanche-developed game truly shine. From horrors in the Forbidden Forest to wonders in the halls of the iconic castle, Hogwarts Legacy deserves a place in Harry Potter's wider universe, but there are some bits and pieces that are left on the cutting room floor, or not utilized at all. Hermione's Time Turner is one such item, which could have had benefits in both gameplay and presentation.
Hogwarts Has a Rich History
Harry Potter is a franchise that leans into the past to better flesh out the world, its characters, and its key storylines. From the founders of Hogwarts to the exploits of the Marauders, and the rise of Voldemort, the school has a checkered past, but one that is fascinating. Hogwarts Legacy takes place in the late 1800s, long before anyone in the Harry Potter saga was around, but while it is a history piece in and of itself, Hermione's Time Turner could have gone even further, giving context to even more of the castle's rich heritage.
So much could have been explored, teased, or referenced with its presence in the story. It didn't have to be a substantial inclusion as Ranrok's evil deeds have to take up most of the hero's journey, but just using it as a means to dip into the past could have been fun. The field guide pages in Hogwarts Legacy give some clarity on the history of Hogwarts, but they can feel awkwardly placed around the map and their reason for being there isn't properly explained in a memorable way.
Using the Time Turner to justify these discoveries would have attached another beloved piece of Harry Potter lore into a game that is great at finding ways to tie itself to the IP. Looking back to the past would have given welcome context in all corners of Hogwarts Legacy, and Hermione's trinket was the perfect catalyst to make it plausible.
Turning Back Time Could Have Been Fun in Hogwarts Legacy
Though the 2023 game is charming and exciting as it is, the inclusion of Hermione's Time Turner could have presented gameplay benefits that could have been both fun, but also very useful. Like the rewind feature in Forza Motorsport, having the ability to go back and correct a potentially game-ending mistake could have helped improve the game's accessibility greatly and given players not looking for a challenge a means to enjoy the story with limited resistance. It would show the developer's commitment to ensuring everyone can get lost in Hogwarts Legacy's immersive open world, making all Harry Potter fans eager to get invested.
Narratively it could have benefited the experience, too, especially in some of the well fleshed-out side stories. Deciding to turn back the clocks after Sebastian Sallow treads too far down the path of dark magic could have served to give players access to all sides of the situation, and a peek at the other options in the game's sparing, but well-implemented choices could have been the perfect way to bring Hermione's Tine Turner into the fold.
Hogwarts Legacy is out now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with a Switch version releasing on November 14.
