After years of speculation and anticipation, Avalanche Software has finally pulled back the curtain on the highly anticipated Hogwarts Legacy fully. At Sony’s latest State of Play event, dedicated specifically to the open-world multi-platform Harry Potter title, roughly 22 minutes of PS5 footage was showcased. While it’s going to be impossible for the studio to separate itself from the transphobic views that the franchise’s original creator holds, what was on display suggests that Avalanche cares about the IP and its fan base.
Thanks to the promise that players will be able to explore a diverse array of classes, activities, and locales, Hogwarts Legacy is shaping up to be the virtual realization of the Harry Potter universe that fans have been dreaming about for years. What was particularly surprising about the State of Play trailer though, was just how many creatures from the franchise’s bestiary showed up on screen. For several reasons, it looks as though Avalanche is going to fully utilize Harry Potter’s eclectic array of Fantastic Beasts to the game’s benefit.
Hogwarts Legacy’s Classes
When Hogwarts Legacy launches this holiday season, players will be able to immerse themselves in a Harry Potter RPG that appears to be heavily channeling Rockstar Games’ Bully. Considering this and the IP that’s being adapted, it’s perhaps unsurprising that attending magic-themed classes will be a large part of the experience. During the recent State of Play presentation, it was briefly mentioned that a "Beasts" class option will be available to the player's witch or wizard character.
This is presumably Hogwarts Legacy’s version of the elective "Care of Magical Creatures" class that’s featured in previous Harry Potter media. From the brief description that was provided by the presentation’s voiceover, it sounds as though players will learn about most of the magical creatures that live within the game’s open-world. An adorable Niffler, made popular by the recent Fantastic Beasts movies, was shown at the same time to underpin this. The fact that Avalanche feels the need to provide a controlled environment for players to learn in this manner, indicates that these creatures will play a significant role throughout the rest of the game.
Hogwarts Legacy’s Story
Since its reveal back in 2020, there’s been subtle hints that the Fantastic Beasts of the Harry Potter universe are set to have a big presence in Hogwarts Legacy. The recent State of Play presentation confirmed this in a major way. Not only did the game’s full unveiling feature a wide array of creatures, it also often put them front and center of proceedings. Hippogriffs, mooncalves, and fwoopers, have all been spotted by fans already, alongside a curious assortment of dragons. With the game set to be an expansive open-world RPG, it stands to reason that this will just be the start of what's on offer as well.
Thanks to Hogwarts Legacy’s 19th century setting, the franchise’s classic villains like Voldemort and Grindelwald are more than likely going to be absent from the game. Aside from the dark magic that’s been teased so far, it looks as though some of the Harry Potter universe’s magical creatures will fill part of that void.
In one of the cutscenes shown during the trailer for example, the player character was seen confronting a gang of centaurs. It could be argued that the Goblin rebellion that’s been named dropped as a plot point is also leaning more towards the beastly side of things too. The sheer variety of creatures bodes well for the game in multiple respects either way though. Not only will the diversity make the world more believable, it should also enhance its combat and tactical systems.
Creature Side Activities
At one point in the State of Play trailer, the player character can be briefly seen capturing one of Hogwarts Legacy’s creatures, in a manner that evokes Newt Scamander from the recent Fantastic Beasts movies. In a surprising twist, Avalanche has created a system where players will be able to capture and tame certain endangered species. Thanks to the Room of Requirement, several Vivariums will be unlockable which can be used to then house and heal these creatures. Several interactions will be subsequently available after this, such as petting and riding.
The fact that Avalanche has made the interactions with its Fantastic Beasts so meaningful, bodes well for the overall quality of Hogwarts Legacy in general. Even though adding a diverse array of creatures is almost expected from a Harry Potter game, making them a rewarding part of the experience is something that older titles have sometimes failed to achieve. The fact that the game even features a companion who’s focused primarily on raising magical creatures, serves to underline how the studio has seemingly got most bases covered on this particular front.
Hogwarts Legacy will launch holiday 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.