The Wizarding World ofHarry Potterhas been one of the most popular franchises of the last two decades, with both a book series and movie series that are universally beloved. Despitesome terrible takes by the series' creatorand theFantastic Beastsseries not really hitting the mark, the love for the Wizarding World is very much still there, but it is waning. As Warner Bros. attempts to keep the franchise at the peak of popularity, it’s looking to tap into some significant nostalgia, and the upcomingHogwarts Legacylooks to be doing just that.
Releasing at the end of the year,Hogwarts Legacyis aiming to be the ultimate Hogwarts/Harry Potterexperience. From the trailers released so far,Hogwarts Legacyis seemingly all about freedom and letting players loose inthe Wizarding World. It will allow them to live out their wildest fantasies, from riding on a broomstick to fighting magical creatures to walking the echo-y halls of Hogwarts. But while freedom and fantasy are the main aims,Hogwarts Legacyshould still force players to complete certain objectives, one of which should be attending classes.
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Classes Are an Integral Part of the Hogwarts Experience
Based on every trailer, screenshot, and press interview released so far, Avalanche Software seems to be designing the ultimate Hogwarts simulator. Every piece of marketing forHogwarts Legacyputs the titular castle at the very forefront, with the vast majority of the action being located somewhere within Hogwarts, whether that’s the grounds, the common rooms, or the great hall. On top of this, the game’s role-playing nature has also been a focal point ofHogwarts Legacy’s marketing, with the developer pitching the idea that the player is a student at Hogwarts, and though they get entangled in a wider mystery, they’re still a student.
To fully capitalize on this core concept,Hogwarts Legacyshould make its classes mandatory, just as they would be if the player was actually to attend the school of witchcraft and wizardry. Though this technically goes against the game’s other core principle of complete freedom, making classes mandatory is a fairly vital aspect of the Hogwarts experience. After all, the player-character wouldn’t be much of a Hogwarts student if they didn’t actually attend Hogwarts.
But ifHogwarts Legacyis going to make its classes mandatory like it should, then the game will need to make them worthwhile experiences, and something that players actually enjoy. A great way to do this is by having each of the lessons take on a different mission structure. For example, for potions class, the player could participate in a cooking mini-game. ForDefense Against the Dark Arts, they could take part in some combat challenges, while broomstick practice would see the player would experience flight gameplay. By keeping these classes on rotation, just as they would be in an actual school, the player should never get bored, as each class offers a different type of gameplay.
Similarly,Hogwarts Legacyshould incentivize its classes by providing a reward at the end of each one. This could be something simple like a big chunk of XP that can be used toward new skills, or this could be entirely new abilities and spells. For instance, finishing up a charms classunlocks a spell like Wingardium Leviosa, and completing broomstick practice unlocks the broom for use outside of classes.
For inspiration on this,Hogwarts Legacyjust needs to look at the back catalog of previousHarry Pottertitles. While not all of them have been great, some earlyHarry Pottergames did manage to capture the Hogwarts experience very well, withChamber of Secretsrequiring the player to stick to a schedule of classes.Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabandid a great job of making its lessons stand out, with each one being essentiallyaZelda-like dungeonwhere the player needed to use their newly unlocked spell to complete a series of puzzles and combat encounters. Variety is really the key to making each lesson inHogwarts Legacystand out, and by taking inspiration from the past, that should be fairly easy to accomplish.
Hogwarts Legacyis scheduled to release Holiday 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
