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Hogwarts Legacy review in progress – often magical, usually troubling…
archived 6 Feb 2023 11:59:23 UTC
Hogwarts Legacy review in progress – often magical, usually troubling
Hogwarts Legacy is authentically magical inside the castle walls, but loses itself in the formulaic open world format it adopts and troubling main narrative.
Kyle Wilson
Updated: 39 minutes ago
Hogwarts Legacy
Hogwarts Legacy has been billed as the ultimate game for fans of the Harry Potter franchise. Avalanche Software is bringing the Wizarding World we all know to life with an open world action RPG that promises a castle full of secrets to uncover and sensational spell-slinging with a selection of the series’ most popular incantations. At a glance, this seems like the perfect game for a Potterhead and, in many ways, it is. However, the context of this game’s release and the troubling subject matter of its main narrative are impossible to ignore.
So, I went into my playthrough of Hogwarts Legacy with both scepticism and a hope that, at the very least, the goblins fighting for their freedom wouldn’t be vilified quite as much as I expected they would be. Nothing Hogwarts Legacy does can mask the exclusionary comments made by Harry Potter series creator J. K. Rowling; they leave a sour note on every moment of enjoyment this game offers. However, this is still a chance for Hogwarts Legacy to promote a message of equality – even if it isn’t the one we all hoped they would rally behind and promote pre-release – in spite of this universe’s creator.
However, while I am yet to finish a full playthrough of Hogwarts Legacy’s main narrative, this just does not seem to be the case right now. While not every goblin character in Hogwarts Legacy is vilified, those who stand with Ranrok – the one who’s leading the ‘rebellion’ for goblinkind’s equality – are beyond a doubt.
For every option Hogwarts Legacy offers you, seeing Ranrok as a villain isn’t one of them; your positioned in unwavering opposition towards Ranrok and his Loyalists, whether you like it or not. He isn’t the friendliest character in Hogwarts Legacy, sure, but from what I have seen so far, the perceived evilness of his agenda doesn’t quite stack up with the severity of your fight against him. Ranrok is using violence to achieve his goals, but this is a world where non-violence has clearly been ineffective. There might be a twist to come that does justify this vilification, but so far it has not landed well with me at all. You may be discovering your connection to an ancient magical power, but you’re also working to keep goblinkind as second class citizens in the Wizarding World – and, as far as I can see, you can’t change that.
In moments where you veer off of the main story and explore, the Hogwarts Legacy characters, side quests, and additional activities hit the notes I wanted this game to hit as a Harry Potter fan. Avalanche Software has done an excellent job of pulling you into the fantasy of being a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with an impressive level of detail. The multitude of paintings adorning the stone walls surrounding the ever-moving Grand Staircase are almost always animated and you’ll find yourself passing more than one humming suit of armour on your way into the Great Hall. Whether you’re a Potterhead or not, exploring Hogwarts Castle is a delight.
Not only this, but almost everything you do in Hogwarts Legacy has a level of interaction built into it that takes advantage of the game’s core mechanics. From playing a game of Summoner’s Court with one of your competitive classmates to brewing your next batch of Wiggenweld potion ahead of a trip into the Forbidden Forest, you’re always presented with a chance to take advantage of all the tools at your disposal – in this case, the spells you’ve been learning – outside of combat.
However, combat is where this game shines – and where the spells come in handy the most, as you might imagine. Right from the start, the combat in Hogwarts Legacy is fun and engaging; it’s challenging enough, throwing a variety of enemies at you while implementing a colour-matching shield system that forces you into using a variety of attacks, without becoming too complicated. This only continues as you expand your selection of available spells and unlock new ways to support yourself in combat; the stunning scream of an un-pocketed Mandrake is a personal favourite.
However, as refreshing as I found this combat after spending more than enough time playing hack-and-slash third-person open world games, I feel as though Hogwarts Legacy does suffer from implementing so many typical open world RPG mechanics – even if they’re integrated well into the lore of the Wizarding World.
Some are definitely necessary and enhance the experience. There’s a fast travel system, which is quite useful when you consider the impressive size of the Hogwarts Legacy map, presented to you as a series of Floo powder flames. You can also try out some time trials, which are presented as a hopeful broomstick maker trying to perfect his craft, and several upgrades to unlock. Avalanche Software has even gone as far as to introduce three spells that facilitate your customization of the Room of Requirement – so, even when you’re decorating a new Herbology planter or setting up some chairs, you’re presented with something that feels authentic to the Wizarding World.
But then you come to things like the game’s gear system and the mirage supported by your use of a wand soon fades. I know you can’t expect to play an open world game without one, and I knew Hogwarts Legacy had one going into it, but you’re more reliant on it than I expected to be. It also feels like a wholly unnecessary addition to the game when you consider the fact that the rest of the experience is trying so desperately to pull you into the fantasy of being a student at Hogwarts. Continually needing to swap out a pair of gloves with another to ensure your spells are going to be as potent as possible is a bit of an immersion-breaker.
This, along with a main narrative that overshadows every magical moment with prejudice, is where Hogwarts Legacy is lacking. Inside Hogwarts Castle, when you’re sneaking through the restricted section of the library or helping Zenobia find her lost Gobstones, is the enchanting experience Harry Potter fans have waited a long time for in a videogame. Outside Hogwarts Castle, when you find yourself continually fighting against a cause you shouldn’t (without choice) while clearing yet-another Dark Wizard Camp in the hopes of finding a hat that offers you two or three more points of defence than the one you’re wearing, is a little lacklustre.
Hogwarts Legacy is a victim of context – both, when you consider J.K. Rowling’s deplorable comments, and the unavoidable fatigue that comes with playing yet-another open world game with hundreds of collectibles and a never-ending gear system where having the right level equipment equipped is just as important as choosing the right attack. I haven’t finished the main narrative yet, so I am still hopeful that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel; but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m just not enjoying progressing through it right now.
Hogwarts Legacy isn’t a student simulator for fans hoping to throw themselves into the charming Wizarding World where chocolate frogs jump from their wrappers and tea leaves tell the future, but perhaps it should have been.
Hogwarts Legacy has drawn considerable criticism during its development, largely due to the fact that the creator of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling, has made a number of transphobic remarks on social media in recent years.
While Avalanche has confirmed that J.K. Rowling is not “directly involved” in the development of Hogwarts Legacy, it is working with “her team” and Portkey Games, a Warner Bros. label dedicated to launching new experiences inspired by J.K. Rowling’s original stories. It is currently unclear whether she will earn any royalties from the game’s sale, but it is likely given it is based on her original body of work.
If you would like to learn more about transgender rights or lend your support, we’d encourage you to check out the National Center for Transgender Equality in the US and Mermaids in the UK.
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