Harry Potter fans all may have a particular idea for how they would like to see wand-based combat in a game. Early Harry Potter games had a basic but competent premise, casting an exchange of spells across from an opponent while also being able to deflect incoming attacks. It is only natural, then, that Hogwarts Legacy would take that premise and design it in a more modern approach. This way, players will encounter multiple enemies at once in an elegant pirouette of chained attack strings, parried counterattacks, and environmental interactions with an abundance of spells in Hogwarts Legacy.
The combat loop that has been shown thus far seems engaging, especially with how many spell combinations players will eventually have at their disposal. The basic rhythm of combat in Hogwarts Legacy is defined by a juggling combination of attacks that keeps enemies suspended in midair for follow-up attacks. Rather, there is one component of combat that was announced, but not explained or shown since. In Hogwarts Legacy’s State of Play presentation, it was revealed that players would have combat finisher animations, which surely deserve their own gameplay showcase.
Hogwarts Legacy’s Combat Has Already Teased Finishers
The State of Play presentation explicitly states that players will be able to "devastate [their] enemies using various finishers." This is demonstrated in a short clip where the protagonist levitates a goblin before repeatedly slamming it into the ground. It is exciting that such animations do exist in the game, but it seems like they are not automatic or at least frequently seen in Hogwarts Legacy.
Indeed, no showcase since has depicted any finishers, or at least not any that were discernible as such. It is possible that this is because finishers take a long time in animation, and with other opponents around a finisher could potentially be interrupted. If so, finishers may be ideally triggered for the final enemy in an encounter, when the player will have nobody suddenly attacking them from behind.
Either way, it seems like a strange mechanic to introduce and then keep quiet about. In the meantime, Hogwarts Legacy’s gameplay showcases have been busy sharing a lot more from the game, and finishers may have been put on the back-burner for the time being as more of the fundamentals are depicted, instead.
Hogwarts Legacy's Finisher Could Be Satisfying Conclusions For Its Combat
Finishers in combat have hopefully not been omitted from the game for whatever reason, and in order to clarify what state they are in, it would be great if Avalanche Software reserved a segment about them in a future gameplay showcase, like the one about Hogwarts Legacy's Dark Arts Arena. Combat has been a large part of both gameplay showcases from Avalanche Software thus far, and it would make sense to see combat expand further with finisher reveals.
Having finishers in an action RPG or action-adventure game is not necessarily a reason why combat may be more satisfying or engaging, but active finishers are a great way to stimulate excitement, especially if players are normally staring at back-to-back standard attacks. These finishers would obviously be limited and players would see the same ones often, but that would offer an engaging way to conclude Hogwarts Legacy’s strategic duels.
It would be excellent if finishers were associated with which spell players cast that defeated their enemy, such as if the levitating ground-slam animation was triggered after casting Wingardium Leviosa. The potential is endless with animations and how they could be designed, and fans will hopefully see them in Hogwarts Legacy’s combat sometime soon.
Hogwarts Legacy launches on February 10 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X, with PS4 and Xbox One versions coming on April 4 and the Switch version launching on July 25.