Hogwarts Legacyis still scheduled to release this holiday, though no official release date has been given yet.Hogwarts Legacydoes not operate within its own individual canon apart from theHarry Potterfranchise, but instead takes place in the 1800s and therefore has a lot of leniency with which it can carve its own story beats and iconography.Hogwarts Legacyalready encompasses many ambiguous features in its open-world castle grounds, and it is exciting to see familiar imagery married to new ideas for the IP.
Spell-casting, broomstick-riding, and other exciting activities await players as students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But as an action-RPG, one of the more intriguing aspects will beHogwarts Legacy’s companion system.Hogwarts Legacyhas been confirmed not to feature any online or multiplayer functionality, and a companion system in a single-player title instantly begs comparison to games such asMass Effect,Dragon Age, and more. Therefore, companions have the potential to beHogwarts Legacy’s most important feature if designed well.
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Companions Can Make Players Feel at Hogwarts More Than the Castle Itself
Harry Potter did not have to suffer an unfortunate popularity at Hogwarts alone, nor did he have to brave any of the immense and horrifying feats accomplished in his school years alone. He had loyal companions and other befriended acquaintances who stuck with him and made for some interesting subplots.Hogwarts Legacyshould not strive to emulate the relationships that Harry has, but instead invite players warmly to feel as if they are attending classes as a student who meets like-minded and averse individuals who have their own stories to tell.
One of the reasons whyHarry Potteris so approachable to children and youth is because it mirrors the lives of regular students who have crushes, angst, rivalries, and other relatable tropes that are embellished in a school experience. In terms of how that will look forHogwarts Legacy’s gameplay, players will interact with these companions and likely embark on side quests the more that they converse with them.
Even though fans will undoubtedly havean overwhelming amount of nostalgia carried intoHogwarts Legacyjust being within the castle, companions will ultimately make-or-break the experience’s immersion of a magical school simulation. If done well, players will be excited to attend classes, visit Hogsmeade, and battle enemies with these companions, and it would be a cherry on top if relationships with these characters could develop and lead to other interesting interactions or events inHogwarts Legacy.
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Hogwarts Legacy’s Companions Hopefully Come from Each House
Harry Potteronly ever elaborated on companion characters who also belonged to Gryffindor. This was explained as if fans only had Harry’s perspective, and therefore the characters who were most commonly depicted were students who also belonged in the Gryffindor dormitories. However, this was ultimately limiting, as Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin could have all been harboringinteresting Hogwarts students with their own nuances and problems. Gryffindor’s own Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas should have been replaced with more interesting characters Harry could have interacted with from another house, but no such diversity was afforded.
Hogwarts Legacy, rather, could rectify this. Players will hopefully be able to interact indiscriminately with myriad students from each house. If companions are scripted and limited, there will hopefully be at least one from each house to make companion selection or character interaction more dynamic and organic as a result. This way,if players beginHogwarts Legacyas a Ravenclaw, they will then likely see Ravenclaw’s scripted companion in their respective common room, when as a Slytherin they may not have met them until later.Hogwarts Legacyhas a wonderful opportunity to expand onHarry Potterlore and revitalize the franchise as its own IP, and this is one area of improvement that should certainly be capitalized on.
Hogwarts Legacyis scheduled to be released in the holiday of 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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