A Playful Take on Character Progression in Hogwarts Legacy's Possible Sequel

Article Key Points

Hogwarts Legacy has received commercial success and critical acclaim as one of the standout gaming experiences in 2023, demonstrating its potential in the gaming space.

Taking inspiration from popular franchises such as Assassin's Creed and Fable, this game guarantees to captivate and retain players, ensuring their continuous engagement and desire for more.

To further enhance the gaming experience and add an innovative touch, the sequel to Hogwarts Legacy could draw inspiration from the Souls games by FromSoftware, seamlessly incorporating class-based character-building into the gameplay, making it even more distinct and interactive.

The Harry Potter film tie-in titles had the potential to immerse players in a more expansive gaming experience. While they allowed players to explore the world, side-stories, characters, and presentation of the intellectual property (IP), there was so much more that could have been done. The concept lends itself not just to a video game adaptation, but to a brand-new story where players can create their own student, freely wander the halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and find their own sources of enjoyment. Hogwarts Legacy succeeded in achieving this, and its commercial success and critical acclaim have made it one of the standout gaming experiences of the highly-anticipated 2023 calendar year.

Hogwarts Legacy is an RPG in both context and content. While games like Baldur's Gate 3 and The Witcher 3 lean heavily into the role-playing genre, the project developed by Avalanche Studios draws inspiration from other well-established franchises like Assassin's Creed and Fable, ensuring it has enough allure to keep players engaged. A sequel is almost certain, and there are various sources that could provide inspiration. Taking cues from beloved games like the Souls series by FromSoftware, which excel in handling character classes and progression, could create an intriguing avenue to explore. The starting builds in these games have the potential to give gameplay a unique twist and enhance the interactive nature of the setting.

Harry Potter's Students Feel Unique

In the world of Harry Potter, there exists a clear distinction between those who possess magical abilities and those who are destined for a non-magical, ordinary life. This binary divide is a fundamental aspect of the entire franchise, with characters such as Hermione, who comes from non-magical parents, and Petunia, who was left without the gift despite her sister being a witch, exemplifying the inherent separation between these two groups. However, there are also subtle variations within the magical community, with certain individuals exhibiting superior skills in specific spells. Gilderoy Lockhart, for instance, boasts proficiency in memory charms, while Seamus Finnigan has been recognized by McGonagall for his exceptional talent in creating fiery displays.

In Hogwarts Legacy, players are provided the opportunity to learn a total of 34 spells, the majority of which are mandatory. Additionally, the use of wands serves as the sole means of wielding power, as no other weapons are available.

The Souls Games Could Show that Not All Wizards are Created Equal

The effectiveness of showcasing the unique abilities of each magic user greatly enhances their individuality, separating them from the monotonous crowd of students at Hogwarts. Hogwarts Legacy fails to demonstrate this aspect, while FromSoftware's class-based character-building system would amplify the immersive experience of the sequel's role-playing elements.

In Hogwarts Legacy, players are not given the ability to choose their specialization in magic, except for a deliberate decision to pursue the three unforgivable curses. This lack of player agency unfortunately means that most players' experiences of the game in 2023 will be quite similar, and it is a missed opportunity to enhance the role-playing aspects of the emerging franchise. By adopting the philosophy employed by FromSoftware, which offers unique starting builds, Hogwarts Legacy's sequel could immediately provide gamers with more choice. This would also ensure that players understand from the beginning that their journey in the wizarding world will likely differ from that of others.

Diagon Alley Could Finally Come Into its Own in Gaming

Making the setting feel more connected to the main campaign, instead of just being generic window dressing, could add an element of fun by allowing players to choose items from Diagon Alley. This way, the players can have more direction in their gaming experience. Diagon Alley, a well-known but absent Harry Potter spot in Hogwarts Legacy, could be used as a catalyst to introduce a Souls-esque starting class system. This would bring a new and exciting feature to the series.

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Legacy is an upcoming video game set in the Harry Potter franchise. It will be available on multiple platforms, including PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X. The game is developed by Avalanche Software and published by Warner Bros. Interactive. It falls under the genres of action and RPG. The ESRB rating for the game is T for Teen due to blood, fantasy violence, mild language, and use of alcohol. The estimated gameplay time is 26 hours, and it has received a Metascore of 84.

Editor's P/S

Hogwarts Legacy has been a huge success, and it's clear that there is a lot of potential for a sequel. One way that the sequel could improve upon the original is by taking inspiration from the Souls games in terms of character progression. In the Souls games, players can choose from a variety of classes, each with its own unique strengths and weaknesses. This system could be adapted to Hogwarts Legacy, allowing players to choose a specialization in magic, such as Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, or Herbology. This would give players more choice in how they want to play the game, and it would also make each playthrough more unique.

In addition to the class-based character progression system, the sequel to Hogwarts Legacy could also benefit from a more robust spellcasting system. In the original game, players can learn a variety of spells, but they are all cast in the same way. A more robust spellcasting system would allow players to cast spells in different ways, depending on the situation. For example, players could cast a spell to create a shield, or they could cast the same spell to launch a projectile at an enemy. This would give players more options in combat, and it would also make the spellcasting system more interesting.