Hogwarts Legacy Unraveled: Why the 'Judgement-Free World' Falls Short

Highlights

Hogwarts Legacy misses an opportunity by not including a morality system, especially considering the inclusion of Unforgivable Curses that have no consequences.

The game's treatment of Unforgivable Curses is inconsistent, with other characters facing severe consequences for their use while the player can exploit them without repercussions. This trivialization diminishes the game's potential for engaging gameplay mechanics and detracts from the intended immersive role-playing experience.

Hogwarts Legacy offers players the opportunity to step into the shoes of a Hogwarts student and experience the captivating world of magic and danger. While the game has received positive feedback from the gaming community, it has also faced criticism for missed opportunities and underdeveloped RPG elements.

Apart from the controversy surrounding J.K. Rowling, one of the major concerns regarding Hogwarts Legacy is the absence of a morality system. This is particularly puzzling considering the inclusion of powerful and morally questionable spells like Avada Kedavra, Crucio, and Imperio. These curses have the potential to cause death, torture, and the loss of free will. In an interview with GamesRadar, the game's Narrative Director addressed the issue by explaining that the decision to omit a morality system was intended to enhance the role-playing experience and avoid judgment from the development team. However, this explanation raises further questions.

Hogwarts Legacy's Handling of Unforgivable Curses Doesn't Work

There is a valid reason why numerous criticisms of Hogwarts Legacy mention the absence of a morality system in the game. It can be quite perplexing to cast spells that result in instant death or intense torture, especially while playing as a teenage student, without facing any consequences. Even if these curses are considered taboo within the Wizarding World, casting them in the presence of a companion has no impact. This situation becomes even more problematic because the game highlights the dreadful nature of these spells, demonstrating dire consequences when other characters use Unforgivable Curses. However, when the player-character uses them, there are no repercussions.

The lack of consequences for using Unforgivable Curses significantly diminishes the role-playing experience in Hogwarts Legacy. Avalanche Software clearly invested significant effort into creating a visually stunning, detailed, and lore-accurate game, with the aim of immersing Harry Potter fans in the experience. In the Harry Potter universe, casting Unforgivable Curses is considered one of the gravest sins for a witch or wizard. By trivializing these curses and allowing them to serve as a "get-out-of-jail-free" card in combat, the game breaks immersion and fails to do justice to its players.

The lack of consideration for Unforgivable Curses in Hogwarts Legacy undermines the "judgement-free" premise. RPGs focus on the significance of player decisions, and removing the weight behind these curses diminishes their potential as intriguing gameplay elements. Avalanche Software's claim of enhancing the role-playing experience through trivializing these curses has, in fact, had the opposite effect by reminding players that the game world is merely an illusion.

If any other Harry Potter character were to infiltrate a camp of poachers or goblins and use Avada Kedavra to eliminate them, they would face immediate imprisonment in Azkaban and tarnish their reputation. Designing a moral system that reflects these consequences would be incredibly challenging, so it may be preferable for the sequel to Hogwarts Legacy to eliminate Unforgivable Curses altogether. While these curses may provide formidable combat abilities, their inclusion compromises the overall role-playing experience. Freedom within games holds value, but it loses significance if the choices available to players lack impact.

Hogwarts Legacy is out now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with a Switch version releasing on November 14.