The idea of being a student in the past of the wizarding world drew me intoHogwarts Legacythe way that it drew in many other players. One of the highlights from the game’s promotional content was the tours of each house’s common room. I loved each design, and while I thought that it would be simple to decide which one to join beforehand, I had a hard time picking a house after getting a glimpse of what each one had to offer. I was excited to be a Hogwarts student, but that ended up not being the point of the game, unfortunately.
Hogwarts Legacyhas youjoin Hogwarts in your fifth year. It turns out that your magical potential appeared late, because you have the rare ability to use Ancient Magic. However, because there was a student in the past like you, but who misused their ability, you need to prove that you’re worthy of Ancient Magic, and that leads to you having to stop a nefarious plot before the bad guys can do irreparable damage to the world, affecting muggles and wizards alike.
I Wasn’t Looking To Be A Hero In Hogwarts Legacy
I Just Wanted To Be A Student
I like being a hero in video games, and I enjoy that feeling of accomplishment that comes from completing questlines and foiling evil plots. Of course, being an anti-hero and unexpected savior is fun, too, which can be done inHogwarts Legacyif you decide to go down thedark wizard pathand learn a few curses.
The problem is that I didn’t want any of that when I playedHogwarts Legacybecause I wasn’t looking to be a herothis time. I wanted to experience being a student at Hogwarts, and that experience ends up being disappointing in-game, because there’s simply not a lot of depth put toward those elements.
Which Hogwarts Legacy House Is Actually Best
Although each House offers a unique experience, one Hogwarts Legacy House stands out as the best from a gameplay standpoint (and one as the worst).
It’s nice to have a storyline inHogwarts Legacyand a sense of purpose, and I thought it was done well enough and interesting to play through. However, there was a lot of disappointment that I felt during the game when it came to the student part of being at Hogwarts.
Although you play as a student who’s new to Hogwarts, that aspect is not exactly fleshed out, and I felt likeI barely spent time at school or being a student. Considering it’s your first year, too, it doesn’t make sense that you get to run around all the time chasing bad guys.
You Don’t Spend A Lot Of Time At Hogwarts
Unless You’re Hunting Collectibles
You’re new to Hogwarts, and you’re new to the world of magic. However, you barely spend time at Hogwarts as a student. A lot of your time at school is spent searching for collectibles likeField Guide Pages, solving puzzles, doing side quests, or working on handling the goblins.
Because you spend minimal time doing activities as a student,it almost feels pointless to be a student.
I know it’simportant to deal with the threats that come from anybody tapping into the power of Isidora’s reservoirsand using that power for their own purpose, which would be disastrous for both the world of magic and the normal world. But there surely could’ve been at least a little more put into the school aspect of the game.
Every Hogwarts Legacy Magical Beast You Can Catch, Ranked
Hogwarts Legacy includes 13 magical beasts for players to tame and keep in their vivarium, with some able to be used as mounts for the player as well.
Because you spend minimal time doing activities as a student,it almost feels pointless to be a studentinstead of a full-fledged wizard working on a case that could threaten the lives of innocents. Then, you wouldn’t need to go to classes only when it’s convenient, because you need to learn certain spells to progress through the game.
Aside from that, you do spend time in Hogwarts to interact with the Keepers' portraits and undertake their trials to prove that you aren’t going to turn into the next Isidora. But again, that’s not exactly part of the normal student experience.
This also leads to some decisions not feeling as important as they could have been. I feel this the most withhouse choices inHogwarts Legacy. Sure, you’re able to pick which house you want to join, butthat doesn’t feel like it changes much aside from the exclusive questthat each house has.
Beyond that, you barely spend time in your dorm or in your common room. Even interacting with other students in your house is basically non-existent unless they’re one of the main companion NPCs, or you’re doing a side quest for them. Aside from that, you’re almost isolated in that you never need to interact with students.
Hogwarts Legacy 2 Needs To Improve The School Aspect
Being A Student Should Be Equal To Being A Hero
It’s possible to balance being a student and a hero, and other games manage to strike that balance, such as thePersonaseries.There needs to be more of a social simulator aspect added to the sequel, assuming one will be made, because I felt strange playing as a student, but rarely being at school.
In the end, Hogwarts feels like a backdrop rather than a living, breathing environment. For players like me who looked forward to being a Hogwarts student the most when anticipating the game, the reality of the game was disappointing, and rather saddening.
Hogwarts Legacy Mod Adds The One Immersive Feature Every Student Dreams Of
Late-night quests will be more realistic with this well-loved Hogwarts Legacy mod, increasing the game’s immersion by making a simple change.
There’s alsoso much potential for school activitiesthat end up being missed. We have a few moments that involve sneaking around the school to grab items or getting into places we shouldn’t, but that could’ve been a bigger part of the game, and even turned into a minigame revolving around making a bit of mischief.
It’s also upsetting that there’s no form of relationship meters with other students that lets you become better friends or even enemies with others. They don’t need to be the main features of the game, but they should be included to make it feel more realistic.
There’s a lot that I enjoy aboutHogwarts Legacyand the way that it makes me feel like a hero. I just wish that a hero wasn’t the only thing I felt like when I was hoping to feel more like a wizarding student. If there’s a sequel, I want to see more emphasis on the school portion of the game, and more reasons to interact with other students. There was so much potential in this game, and I enjoyed it overall, but that doesn’t take away the sting of not being able to feel like a student inHogwarts Legacy.
Editor’s Note: Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling has been accused of transphobia by those in the LGBTQ+ community. Although not directly involved in the development of Hogwarts Legacy, Rowling does stand to earn royalties from the game. We would like to reiterate our support for trans rights and that trans identities are valid. Support services are listed below for trans people impacted by discussions of transphobia.
