Avalanche Software offers an impressive addition to the Harry Potter universe with their fantasy role-playing game, Hogwarts Legacy. This carefully crafted magical adventure allows fans to explore renowned fictional locations from literature, but with a unique twist specific to Hogwarts Legacy. While the game's enchanting environments and captivating visuals contribute to its magical essence, the creatures that inhabit this world also play a significant role.
Players will undoubtedly recognize several familiar beasts in Hogwarts Legacy, such as the charming nifflers, known for their obsession with shiny objects, or the majestic hippogriffs, granting gamers the exhilarating experience of flight. Nevertheless, numerous creatures are introduced in the game that have had limited exposure in visual media, such as the Harry Potter movies or previous games. Though the gameplay of Hogwarts Legacy does not focus primarily on these magical creatures, they possess an unexpected and intriguing place within the game. With the inclusion of a beast management system and encounters with graphorns, Avalanche Software has integrated subtle undertones reminiscent of the popular Pokemon franchise into their RPG.
Graphorns In Hogwarts Legacy
Players have numerous opportunities to explore the vast world of Hogwarts Legacy, which is a major attraction for fans of the franchise. Venturing into the iconic castle and its surroundings is enjoyable, but what truly enhances the experience are the captivating creatures that inhabit the game. Discovering and interacting with magical creatures in the wilderness is an exciting element, with the graphorns standing out as particularly formidable.
With their formidable size and naturally armored skin, graphorns pose a considerable challenge compared to other creatures that players can collect. Unlike the ease of capturing encountered beasts, graphorns must be weakened before they can be added to a player's collection. This mechanic resembles encounters with Pokemon in Game Freak's titles, adding an intriguing dimension to Hogwarts Legacy and lending a sense of realism to the encounter.
Hogwarts Legacy's Pokemon Similarities
Hogwarts Legacy and Pokemon may not seem like an obvious pair to compare. They have distinct differences in terms of their aesthetic, gameplay, and setting. While one embraces an anime style and kid-friendly mechanics, the other immerses players in a turn-of-the-century fantasy world with a focus on spells. However, throughout the Harry Potter franchise, there has been a blend of fantastical creatures alongside the more familiar pets like owls and cats. As the series expanded across various media platforms, this aspect was further explored. Many fans have expressed their desire for a Pokemon-Harry Potter crossover, akin to Newt Scamander's adventures in the Fantastic Beasts spin-off series, but unfortunately, such a game has not yet materialized.
Surprisingly, Hogwarts Legacy does incorporate some Pokemon elements that actually fit into the overall formula quite well. Although the game's gameplay received some criticism upon its release, with the exception of its weaker aspects, the Room of Requirement stood out as an inventive and engaging component. One of its functions allowed players to create a Vivarium by capturing different creatures in the wild and then housing them in their own magical zoo within the Room of Requirement. This concept closely resembles the mechanics of Pokemon, particularly the encounters with graphorns which drew the most comparisons.
Hogwarts Legacy is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with a Switch release scheduled for November 14, 2023.