The Unbreakable Connection: Unveiling the Epic Journey of Hogwarts Legacy's Hero
Unveiling the Intriguing Parallels Between Hogwarts Legacy's Protagonist and the Infamous Lord Voldemort - A Closer Look at the Player Character's Complex Background and the Striking Similarities They Share, Highlighting the Impact of Great Power on Their Journeys
Avalanche Software's Hogwarts Legacy captivated fans of the franchise with its immersive portrayal of the wizarding world. The game not only captured the essence of well-known locations from the books and movies, but also showcased similarities in character traits and narrative themes, even in a different time period. While the central protagonist has drawn obvious comparisons to Harry Potter, there are also fascinating parallels to Lord Voldemort.
Despite being associated with one of the most beloved intellectual properties in the world, there were doubts surrounding the quality of Hogwarts Legacy until its release in early 2023. However, Avalanche Software exceeded expectations, delivering a compelling game that did justice to the Harry Potter brand. The game features a captivating story, intuitive gameplay, and a peaceful setting. Although not without its flaws, such as bugs, optimization issues, and certain aspects lacking depth, Hogwarts Legacy is a game that most would agree deserves a sequel. However, the challenge lies in finding a successor to its memorable protagonist.
Hogwarts Legacy's Main Character Has a Checkered Past
The developers of Hogwarts Legacy placed high importance on creating an immersive experience. Their goal was to make players feel like they are truly a part of the world and a student at Hogwarts. While some players may have wanted more gameplay features focused on the daily life of a student, the game still successfully creates a dynamic environment. As the story progresses, the player character's actions have a noticeable impact on this world.
A clever design choice was to create a protagonist with minimal backstory, allowing players to project themselves onto the character. By giving players the ability to make dialogue choices, the character becomes even more relatable. This has the unexpected effect of making the comparison to Voldemort quite surprising.
Starting as a fifth year and a conduit for an ancient font of magic, little else is revealed about the Hogwarts Legacy's protagonist's past. Though never made explicit, context clues place them as an orphan without ties to the magical world before discovering their incredible gift. This aligns with the origin story of
With Great Power Comes Great Similarity
, then Tom Riddle, who was also an orphan isolated from the world of witches and wizards until uncovering his exceptional abilities during his formative years. While the ambiguous backstory in Hogwarts Legacy is intended for players to fill in the gaps themselves, there are several indicators throughout the game that suggest this similarity to Voldemort's childhood was deliberate.
Both Voldemort and the protagonist of Hogwarts Legacy possess a striking resemblance in terms of their formidable and commanding power. The protagonist, despite starting their journey at Hogwarts with a five-year disadvantage in knowledge, successfully overcomes this imposing challenge and excels in various extracurricular accomplishments. Furthermore, they have access to ancient magical artifacts that enhance their abilities, making them undeniably one of the most naturally gifted students of their time, a trait shared with Voldemort.
Although there are similarities, the key difference between the main character of Hogwarts Legacy and Voldemort lies in their conscience. Despite the choices a player can make that lean towards evil, even the worst ending of the game portrays the protagonist as a much more honorable and empathetic individual than Voldemort. This comparison raises interesting ethical dilemmas that could arise in a potential sequel, but it doesn't indicate that players will experience a downfall comparable to Voldemort's in the future.
Hogwarts Legacy is currently available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, and will be released for Nintendo Switch on November 14th.
