Several weeks ago, Warner Bros. Interactive surprised the gaming community when it announced Hogwarts Legacy, which is the long-rumored RPG game set in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Given that the game was just announced, there are still tons of information that players know nothing about, but based on what was shown in the debut trailer, it appears that Hogwarts Legacy is shaping to be the dream game of Harry Potter fans.
Now, several days ago, a video of an alleged gameplay leak surfaced on YouTube, but the quality of the footage isn't really that great. Of course, leaks in the video game community are not surprising especially with highly-anticipated games like Hogwarts Legacy. However, as players wait for an official gameplay trailer, here are some elements of gameplay that players should expect to see based on everything that has been revealed so far about Hogwarts Legacy.
A Full-Fledged RPG Experience
Now, of course, a full-fledged RPG experience may be too obvious, given that Hogwarts Legacy is being marketed as an RPG. However, it is worth noting that the mobile game Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery was also marketed the same way, which led to disappointment among fans who were expecting a deeper experience. Now, given that the trailer of the game showed that Hogwarts Legacy will be different from Hogwarts Mystery, then players should expect a true RPG experience that is much closer to the Harry Potter games based on the movies rather than the 2018 mobile game.
It is also worth remembering that Hogwarts Legacy is an open-world RPG, so while it may be closer to the Harry Potter video games that Hogwarts Mystery, the upcoming game will differ from the movie-based games in a big way. Given that Hogwarts Legacy is set in the late 1800s and is not based in any existing story within the Wizarding World, the upcoming game is expected to offer a bigger experience than just following the events of the Harry Potter books and movies, allowing players to freely explore Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, and other areas.
A Seamless and Authentic Combat Experience
If Hogwarts Legacy will truly live up to the full-RPG label, then its combat system should reflect just that. In the Harry Potter video games, combat is pretty much limited to players clicking on a mouse or a button of a controller to cast spells. Several spells can be selected via a spell wheel, and that's pretty much it. However, if Hogwarts Legacy is aiming to stand out from the Harry Potter video game franchise, then it should offer a more complex combat system similar to other RPG games such as The Elder Scrolls, Dragon Age, and more.
Instead of just pressing a button to cast spells, Hogwarts Legacy should include traditional skill trees, attribute points, and more to hone their magical abilities. Although there are no separate races in the Wizarding World, the game should still include specializations that would give each player a unique ability in combat. While no one knows how Warner Bros. will approach the possibility of specializations, it wouldn't be unlikely to see paths such as Herbology, The Dark Arts, Potions, and many others.
Better Interaction with Non-Playable Characters
Another trademark of a true RPG game that players should expect to see in Hogwarts Legacy is a deeper interaction with the game's NPCs. As previously mentioned, Hogwarts Legacy isn't based on the books or the movies, so the developers have every opportunity to bring the story of the game wherever they want. Of course, players should expect to see choices being an important feature that drives the game's story. It would be nice to see several dialogue options where players must choose the best response that could have rewards or consequences later in the story. Additionally, designing Hogwarts Legacy with player choices at the forefront would allow fans to weave their own perspective in the Wizarding World, making them feel that they are truly in control of their destiny.
Hogwarts Legacy will release in 2021 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.