Avalanche’s Hogwarts Legacy is an exciting IP installment because it lingers loosely in the looming Harry Potter canon. Its late-1800s setting is far enough removed from the source material’s content that it can make some relatively large distinctions and not create any discrepancies within the lore, but instead create new threads for future entries in the IP to pick up on if they choose to. Hogwarts Legacy’s open-world action-RPG is essentially a Hogwarts student simulator on the surface, but its narrative was much more in-depth and emotionally resonant than it needed to be if it was simply going for nostalgia bait, which it easily convinces fans of otherwise.
There are massive improvements that Hogwarts Legacy’s potential sequel could implement in order to represent transgender inclusion better, for example. Still, another misfire from Avalanche is how player choice and the morality behind certain decisions are handled. It seems fairly clear now that a dedicated morality system was in the works for Hogwarts Legacy at some point before being canned, and the story somewhat suffers as a result. Considering how lighthearted and child-oriented Harry Potter content might be for the foreseeable future, Hogwarts Legacy could continue to be unique if it dove headlong into the franchise’s most graphic and disturbing themes.
Hogwarts Legacy Should Lean Fully into Sinister, Mature Themes
Having a macabre or malicious tone isn’t necessarily mandatory for a well-rounded Harry Potter narrative, but it is a thematic shift that helped to distinguish it as a more mature franchise after being oriented around children for quite some time. Mature tones have always been present in Harry Potter anyway between a Dark Lord attempting to murder an 11-year-old, messages written on the wall in blood, bigoted remarks directed toward students, and being an orphan in an unfamiliar and fantastical world.
Because Harry, Ron, and Hermione start their tenure at Hogwarts at such a young age, there is undoubtedly a more carefree, innocent, and playful tone to the franchise in its initial installments. Now that a Max Harry Potter series is in the works, it is likely that its first two seasons will also indulge in a similarly lighthearted atmosphere.
Likewise, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions revels in the fun of playing Quidditch without there being any hint of tragedy or tribulation awaiting players when they leave the pitch and return to Hogwarts’ dormitories. This gives Hogwarts Legacy a fantastic opportunity to truly delve into that important side of Harry Potter and provide a grim narrative.
The game already did this phenomenally through Isidora Morganach and the secret allures of Ancient Magic, as well as through Sebastian Sallow and his distraught pursuit of Unforgivable Curses. Being able to wield Ancient Magic and Unforgivable Curses makes the player feel like an omnipotent witch or wizard along with all the other combat options Hogwarts Legacy offers, but the weight of these magical abilities is not wholly discerned due to there being no consequence for wielding them for terrible means.
It has long been criticized that Hogwarts Legacy did not include a morality system, and it is true that having one would have chosen to cast the Killing Curse, the Cruciatus Curse, or the Imperius Curse much more detrimental. Avalanche might have simply decided that it did not wish to punish fans for wanting to play freely, though a morality system would have been a great way to make those choices feel more impactful.
Since casting these curses would be an acknowledged choice, a sequel could make that darker path much more horrible and damning for the player and the characters they interact with. Moreover, it would be great to see the narrative be more horrific or unsettling, too, as a way to distinguish itself even more from the kind of Harry Potter content that is sure to follow.
Hogwarts Legacy is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with a Switch version releasing November 14.
