Highlights

  • Hogwarts Legacy's use of Ancient Magic detracts from the mystique and world-building of the Wizarding World, as it is used simply for damage-dealing purposes.
  • The inclusion of Unforgivable Curses and other powerful spells in the game leans too heavily into a power fantasy, compromising the unique experience of being a Hogwarts student.
  • The sequel to Hogwarts Legacy should prioritize the immersive and grounded elements of the premise, focusing less on making the player feel powerful and more on the smaller, intimate aspects of the Wizarding World.

Hogwarts Legacy is one of the year's best-selling games, and many players would argue that a major element of its success is connected to its RPG elements, letting players get fully immersed in the Wizarding World. With a sequel to the game likely on its way, Avalanche Software should take a hard look at the shortcomings and mistakes of Hogwarts Legacy and cull some of its less-than-ideal inclusions. Though it's not necessarily the most common subject of criticism, the main character of the game is one of the things that should be reexamined in the sequel.

Hogwarts Legacy is fairly standard when it comes to video game storytelling. The player-made protagonist, a late arrival at Hogwarts, is discovered to be something of a "chosen one," who must embark on a journey to stop a great evil that faces the wizard world. Being the chosen one, the player character has access to unique magical powers, although the specific nature of this magic is left somewhat vague. Though this power is ambiguous, it's made clear that the player character is exceptionally powerful and important.

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Why the Next Hogwarts Legacy Hero Should Be Dialed Back

Hogwarts Legacy (2)

In addition to the many classic spells included in Hogwarts Legacy are Ancient Magic abilities, which basically serve as one-hit-kill moves that the player can invoke upon filling the Ancient Magic meter. The role that Ancient Magic plays runs contrary to how the magic is described in the game and distracts from the central draw of the Hogwarts Legacy experience while making for gameplay that can often be just a bit too easy.

Ancient Magic in Hogwarts Legacy Is Uninteresting

In the greater Wizarding World lore, Ancient Magic is generally treated as something mysterious and difficult or impossible to control. This is echoed in Hogwarts Legacy, as the plotline revolving around Isidora Morganach makes the use of Ancient Magic seem enigmatic and almost otherworldly. The gameplay of Hogwarts Legacy undermines this world-building, as Ancient Magic is used simply to deal a massive amount of damage to an enemy, calling lightning upon them or turning them into inanimate objects or animals—all things that can be done by other in-universe spells. Thus, Ancient Magic, the very thing meant to make the protagonist interesting and special, winds up being so broadly defined that it becomes pedestrian and bland.

Hogwarts Legacy Should Be a Hogwarts Fantasy, Not a Power Fantasy

Some games, like Doom, are designed to make the player feel powerful throughout the entire experience, while others like those in the Dark Souls series are designed to have the opposite effect, pitting players against seemingly impossible odds. Ideally, Hogwarts Legacy should have landed squarely in the middle of this spectrum, but it leans a bit too far into the power fantasy side of things. This is exacerbated by the inclusion of Unforgivable Curses in Hogwarts Legacy, which make the character so powerful that they ultimately break the immersion of the game while making the combat easier than it perhaps should be, even on harder difficulties.

Unforgivable Curse

In-Game Effect

Canon Effect

Avada Kedavra (Killing Curse)

Instantly kills enemies

Instantly kills anyone it's cast upon

Crucio (Torture Curse)

Enemies take massive damage over time

Inflicts excruciating pain on victim

Imperio (Imperius Curse)

Makes enemies turn on their allies

Bends victims to the caster's will and influence

These spells, combined with Ancient Magic and the many other incredibly powerful spells in the game, make for an experience that feels more like an action game than a story-focused RPG. While this may not bother some players, it does detract from what makes the game unique: the Wizarding World lore, specifically Hogwarts itself. Ultimately, this Hogwarts Legacy's greatest strength is how it delivers on the fantasy of being a Hogwarts student. This is the element that sets it apart from other western, open-world RPGs, so a sequel should focus less on making the player feel powerful while mowing down hordes of enemies, and more on the smaller, intimate, grounded elements of the premise.