There have been many Harry Potter games, but Avalanche Software's Hogwarts Legacy promises to be the most immersive yet. As players have seen, they will get to explore a version of Hogwarts castle that is quite faithful to the source material. However, while the common rooms look quite interesting, the rest of the castle still leaves a lot to be desired. Environments look a tad monotonous, which could make it easy to get lost.
Though gamers have seen a lot of the castle, much of Hogwarts Legacy is still shrouded in mystery. Hence, the castle could still be holding many secrets. A few secret hallways and rooms, along with greater environmental variety would go a long way to making Hogwarts more fun to explore.
The Beautiful Common Rooms of Hogwarts Legacy
Though Hogwarts Legacy has been delayed, gamers have been getting a steady trickle of teasers and trailers revealing more about the gorgeous castle. Evidently, developers have paid a lot of attention to detail when designing the common rooms of the four houses. As developers revealed in the most recent gameplay trailer, an effort has been made to ensure that the common rooms are as accurate to the novels and JK Rowling's notes as possible.
The Hufflepuff common room, which has been showcased, is exactly what Harry Potter fans would expect. It is bright yellow and filled with plants. For players looking for a cozy place to relax, Hufflepuff house is the one to pick. In contrast, the Slytherin dungeons are dark and shadowy, serving as the perfect lair for conniving minds. The common rooms feel more special thanks to the unique soundtracks they all have that adds to their personality. Exploring the common rooms appears like it will be a blast, but it is still unclear whether the rest of the castle will be as inviting.
Will the Rest of Hogwarts Be as Exciting?
Of course, players will not be limited to just the common rooms. The rest of Hogwarts will be available for exploration, including places that will be familiar to fans such as the Room of Requirements and the Great Hall. As players walk around the castle, they will see witches and wizards milling about and socializing, ghosts moving through walls, portraits moving, and even some students riding broomsticks. The castle will also be interconnected from the outside as well, making it a little easier to navigate the maze-like building.
Although Hogwarts castle looks beautiful, it seems to lack as much detail as the common rooms. Though the castle is expansive, it does appear quite monotonous at times, which only makes it seem like it will be incredibly easy to get lost in. The rest of the castle needs something special which, much like the common rooms, makes it feel truly magical. Fortunately, there may be more to Hogwarts than currently meets the eye. As developers explored the castle in the latest gameplay trailer, they pointed the camera at various items and locations, such as the Owlery, but never visited it to avoid spoilers. This suggests that the castle has many secrets that will be uncovered when gamers finally get to play.
Though the game is very accurate to the source material, there are some omissions. Most notably, there is no Quidditch in Hogwarts Legacy, nor are there common magic games like wizard's chess and Gobstones, though they are mentioned. Hopefully, the castle itself is enchanting enough to not make players miss any of these elements.
Hogwarts Legacy is scheduled to release on February 10, 2023, on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.