Hogwarts Legacyoffered a great taste ofHarry Potter’s wizarding world, finally allowing players to forge their own path at the famed school of witchcraft and wizardry. However, a glaring omission held the game back from true greatness: the lack of meaningful consequences. While students could do a lot in the game, their actions rarely resulted in more than a fleeting, inconsequential remark from an NPC. This lack of impact significantly diminished the roleplaying experience, reducing player agency to a superficial level.
The idea that players got to be Hogwarts students in theHarry Potterworld felt more hollow as the game went on.The game world remained largely static regardless of morality or choices. It felt like an open-world game with linear progression, and while that works for a first game, it’s not going to work in a sequel. Warner Bros wants to keep the magic ofHarry Potter alive with aHogwarts Legacysequel, but the studio has to do more than just make a similar game.
Hogwarts Legacy 2 Needs To Have Real Consequences
Branching paths And Ways To Make A Mark In The Story
This disconnect between action and consequence is especially jarring in a world built on a rich, established narrative. The Harry Potter universe hasalways emphasized the weight of moral choices, with the unforgivable curses serving as a benchmark for the darkest acts of magic. Their casual use inHogwarts Legacywithout substantial repercussions clashes with this established canon. The whispered warnings about Azkaban and the potential for darkness feel empty when those very threats never materialize. Once players use curses enough, it feels like Azkaban is a boogieman the adults made up to scare younger students.
Hogwarts Legacy Player Reminds You Why You Should Never Skip Potions Class
Hogwarts Legacy’s potion feature can provide some enhancements for players to make the game more enjoyable, especially one particular potion.
The same can be said for missions and classes. Very fewchoices inHogwarts Legacyactually matter; there are so few, in fact, that one of the bigger ones iswhich house to pick. Without the potential for branching storylines or altered relationships based on player choices, the experience becomes predictable and stagnant. It loses its replayability. Also, there’s no such thing as truancy at Hogwarts. Days can go by without the student attending classes, and even when they do, they’re just short missions that don’t fully capture the feeling of being a Hogwarts student.
The knowledge that choices affect a storyprovides a sense of ownership over the narrative. It lets players feel like they’re embodying their chosen role and see the weight of their actions. This sense of weight and the understanding that actions have repercussions are crucial for generating emotional investment and creating a truly memorable experience.Hogwarts Legacydoesn’t have much replay value because there are not many meaningful choices, and the sequel will suffer if it follows the same path.
Roleplaying Is Better When Choices Matter
Hogwarts Legacy Didn’t Have Many Choices That Changed Things
The core of a compelling roleplaying experience lies in the ability to make meaningful choices that shape the narrative and the world around you. This is what gives weight to player agency, transforming a passive observer into an active participant in the unfolding story. When choices lack consequences,the illusion of agency shatters, and the player is left feeling disconnected and less invested. This is particularly true in games set within established universes likeHogwarts Legacy, where fans have pre-existing knowledge and expectations about how the world operates.
10 Hogwarts Legacy Plotlines That Should Continue In Hogwarts Legacy 2
Hogwarts Legacy has a number of unresolved storylines from side quests to the main story that deserve to be carried over into the upcoming sequel.
The power of choice in roleplaying games extends beyond just deciding how the game ends. It’s aboutshaping the journey, influencing relationships, altering alliances, and experiencing the ripple effect of big and small decisions. A well-crafted system of consequences doesn’t necessarily mean punishing everyone for making “bad” choices but instead acknowledging that choices were made and reacting to those choices in a way that feels organic and believable. There’s nothing wrong with letting students miss classes because of gameplay elements. However, consequences have to exist when the lore has consequences for using a killing curse.
While the companions do say some things after a curse is used near them, nothing else happens, so that’s not a consequence.
Casting Avada Kedavra felt no different than any other spell. If anything, it was just an especially easy way to beat every enemy.It undermines the gravity these curses hold within the established lore. The sense of immersion is broken the moment it’s used in front of regular students and teachers because nothing happens. From then on, there’s just a nagging awareness that choices were ultimately cosmetic. Players are left in a moral limbo, where they can commit heinous acts without facing the societal or magical ramifications that should naturally follow.
A Sequel Can’t Coast On Hogwarts Legacy’s Success
Hogwarts Legacy 2 Needs To Be Better
Hogwarts Legacyachievedremarkable commercial success, capturing the imaginations of longtime fans and newcomers alike. However, a successful sequel cannot simply rely on the established brand and the inherent appeal of the wizarding world, and fans expect innovation and improvement with each new iteration. While resting on the laurels of the original is tempting, it’s a recipe for stagnation and, ultimately, declining interest. This initial wave of enthusiasm will only happen once and will be replaced by an expectation for moreengaging gameplay, richer narratives, and meaningful player agency.
Sequels offer an opportunity to refine and expand upon the foundation laid by their predecessors. They allow developers to address shortcomings, incorporate feedback, and push the boundaries of the original. In the case ofHogwarts Legacy 2, this means going beyond the surface-level exploration and embracing the true potential of the roleplaying genre. For example, creating a dynamic and reactive world where choices have tangible consequences and actions shape Hogwarts’s story and fate.
Hogwarts Legacy Fans Attempt To Figure Out Who The True Villain Is Within The Main Storyline
Hogwarts players come to the conclusion they may be playing the real villain in the game as they reflect on how much blood is actually on Ranrok.
Complacency is the greatest enemy of a successful sequel. WhileHogwarts Legacy’s initial success provides a strong foundation, Harry Potter as a brand had a lot to do with that. If the sequel tries to coast and do the same thing the original did, it won’t see the same success.Hogwarts Legacy 2has to give players more than just the chance to be in the world, but instead to live in it. That means embracing player agency in a way that lets players take part in the story instead of just watching it.
Hogwarts Legacywas good because it was the first game in the series, and a sequel will have a great deal of hype because of the original. However,Hogwarts Legacy 2shouldn’t be rushedjust to get a sequel out. Warner Bros needs to embrace the roleplaying aspect that fans want. Otherwise, aHogwarts Legacywon’t see the same success; it will likely be another cautionary tale of why studios shouldn’t rest on their laurels.
