For quite some time now, rumors are swirling that an open-world Harry Potter RPG is in the works. Now, these rumors are put to rest after the announcement of Hogwarts Legacy several days ago during the PS5 reveal event. The game is going to be developed by Avalance Software and will be published by Warner Bros. Interactive Studios.
Together with the announcement is the unveiling of Hogwarts Legacy's debut trailer, which gave players a sneak peek on what to expect in the upcoming game. Based on the trailer, players will be put on the role of a student of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, giving players the opportunity to learn spells and explore Hogwarts and other areas in the Wizarding World. Although the trailer was able to give players an idea of what the game is about, specific details about Hogwarts Legacy remains a mystery. Now, here is a breakdown of five predictions and a wish list of what should be included in Hogwarts Legacy.
A Flexible Sorting System
Of course, one of the first big-events that players should expect to participate in the game is the Sorting Ceremony. To the uninitiated, the Sorting Ceremony is where first-year Hogwarts students are assigned to one of four school houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin. The ceremony is done via the Sorting Hat that makes the decision on where to place the student. One way Hogwarts Legacy could approach the Sorting system is to first make players answer a few questions at the start so that the game would have an idea on the player's personality.
After this, the Sorting Hat would give a suggestion to the player on which house they should belong to, but ultimately, players should be able to make the final decision. Some could say that this approach may defeat the purpose of the Sorting Ceremony, but it is worth remembering that the Sorting Hat takes the student's preference into account. A good example of this is Harry Potter himself. During his sorting ceremony, he was almost sorted into Slytherin, but since he asked not to be, he was placed in Gryffindor instead.
Unique and Customizable Wands
Another feature that should be included in Hogwarts Legacy is unique and customizable wands. Of course, the experience wouldn't be quite as immersive if the game would give every character in the game the same wand, and it also wouldn't be faithful to the source material, given that the wands of each witch or wizard are truly unique. Additionally, fans of the Harry Potter franchise would know that the "wand chooses the wizard," so the personality test suggested earlier could also come to play, similar to Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery. Moreover, after the wand is selected, the game should allow players to earn items that would give them the ability to customize their wands to change it for cosmetic purposes.
An Inclusive Character Creation System
Another important feature that should be included in Hogwarts Legacy is an inclusive character creation system. It is no secret that more and more games, such as the upcoming title, Cyberpunk 2077, are giving players the ultimate freedom on how their character should look like in the game. There should be a wide selection of options available that would allow the player to truly recreate themselves in the game without limitations that could impede the player's creativity and self-expression. In the end, it is the player's character, so they should be able to decide on how to make them.
Quidditch!
A Harry Potter RPG game wouldn't be complete without Quidditch. To those unfamiliar, Quidditch is a popular sport among wizardkind that is played on broomsticks. It is still unknown whether the sport will be heavily featured in the game, but it really wouldn't be a full-fledged Harry Potter RPG without it. Given that the game is set in the late 1800s, there may be slight variations on the rules of Quidditch, but it shouldn't be that far from what fans are accustomed to from the Harry Potter books and films.
Mysteries, Secrets, and Hidden Rooms at Hogwarts
Lastly, it wouldn't be a complete Hogwarts experience if players won't be able to sneak out into the night and explore the mysteries and secrets surrounding the famous school. Unfortunately, due to the game's timeline set in the late 1800s, Mr. Filch wouldn't be there to catch students out of bed. However, it is likely that an 1800s counterpart of the Hogwarts caretaker will gladly fill the role. Of course, given that the game's primary story is still unknown, it is difficult to predict what sorts of mysteries and secrets await players in Hogwarts Legacy. Nonetheless, the developers should include exciting storylines that will offer players exciting mysteries to solve and secrets to uncover.
Hogwarts Legacy is currently in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.