Here is a video game that is already the dream of millions of (more or less) young wizards and witches. Hogwarts Legacy: Hogwarts Legacy will immerse us in the famous universe of the magician with round glasses, but in a context very different from that of films and books. Anyway, we will be able to explore this iconic world and experience thrilling adventures.
Although its announcement dates back to September 2020, the title published by Warner Bros. Games has shown little in over a year. We must therefore for the moment be content with a small trailer and a quick summary communicated by the developers of Avalanche Software (Disney Infinity, Cars …) last year.
Take the time turner
Fans of the young wizard will not have the pleasure of meeting the famous trio in Hogwarts Legacy. Indeed, the game is not a stupid and nasty adaptation, it will tell us a completely new story. The events take place about a century before the novels, at the very end of the 1800s. The player embodies a wizard whose appearance he can customize at the start of the game. Our avatar will arrive at Hogwarts directly in fifth year and will later discover that he is inhabited by an extraordinary power… He will master a form of magic as ancient as it is powerful.
During his schooling, our gifted student will meet many people while taking part in courses and other activities within the British school of witchcraft. Preparation of potions, mastery of spells, training of fantastic animals and many other disciplines will be part of the game. More interestingly, it will be up to the player to make his own choices which will dictate the course of events. Because, yes, this Hogwarts Legacy will be an action-RPG in the open world playable exclusively in solo (and without microtransactions).
A truly magical world
If Hogwarts will be quite logically the central point of the game, other known or unpublished places can be explored. The trailer offers us, for example, an overview of the village of Hogsmeade, the prison of Azkaban, but also caves and other dungeons. Passages in the forbidden forest and in the legendary Diagon Alley are not to be excluded either. In addition, if the school is largely inspired by the one seen in the films, some architectural differences are to be expected, since the game takes place a century in the past. The outdoor environments will change in appearance as the seasons pass and the dynamic weather will enhance the immersion.
Freedom will inevitably be at the heart of progression. It will probably be possible to wander freely in the corridors as in the gardens of Hogwarts. Even better, since the playground will be heard beyond the forbidden forest. Our student will be able to go through the air using his magic broom or on the back of a Hippogriff to visit the surroundings. The icing on the cake, places never before seen in the movies like the school kitchens filled with house elves or the common room of Hufflepuff will be easily accessible in the game.
It's your destiny
As we mentioned earlier, the adventure of Hogwarts Legacy will be punctuated by choices that will have real consequences for the rest of the story. The official site of the game tells us in particular that our wizard will be able to choose whether he wants to keep his powers secret or whether he wants to use them for more sordid purposes. A Mass Effect-like morality system will also be on the program. We could also be confronted with dialogues with several branches.
A must for any good self-respecting wizard, the distribution ceremony should launch our epic by choosing from Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin houses. This decision could lead us to have access to different areas depending on the house selected (including the common room), or even to unique characters. So, to experience all that the game has to offer, it may be necessary to launch several games.
Magic in every corner
The first long gameplay video of the game gave us an overview of the activities available in the game. And it starts quite logically with the courses of spells, defense against the dark arts, botany but also potions. It will be a must to learn spells and concoct mixtures that will help us in combat. The player will then be able to make themselves invisible, boost their stamina or even quickly teleport to the battlefield.
Throughout his travels, our hero will have the opportunity to loot loot and improve his powers himself by practicing magic. RPG requires, talent points will have to be spent in several categories. As if that were not enough, acolytes will fight alongside us. These particular students will even reveal their personal history to us if a bond of trust binds over time. Finally, the famous room on demand will serve as a customizable hideout that will house our fantastic animals, for example, a personal garden to grow resources, workbenches to concoct potions and everything necessary to optimize our equipment.
A gifted and overexcited wizard!
In Hogwarts Legacy, combat will be a big part of it. If the duels of wizards supervised by the professors will teach us the rudiments of magic, our skills will quickly be put to the test in the face of the many dangers that abound in Hogwarts and its surroundings. Belligerent goblins, evil magicians and deadly creatures will seek to kill us. Fortunately, our avatar will take advantage of a wide range of spells to defend himself such as Incendio, Accio, Expelliarmus, Petrificus Totalus and many others. The developers promise dozens of spells that it will be possible to combine.
A parry system represented by the Protego spell will deflect enemy attacks and achieve counterattacks. The more traditional dodging will also be part of it. In addition, creatures such as mandrakes can be used in combat to cause damage and alterations to our attackers. In short, we will have to combine all these elements to emerge victorious from the epic battles that await us!
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A complicated development against a backdrop of controversy
Alas, all is not rosy in the wonderful world of Harry Potter. If Hogwarts Legacy: Hogwarts Legacy was originally scheduled to be released in 2021, a postponement for 2022 has been announced. The pandemic and the setbacks of equally ambitious games (like Cyberpunk 2077) were undoubtedly decisive in this decision-making. But that's not all…
Indeed, the creator of the wizarding world, JK Rowling, is regularly singled out for her transphobic remarks on social networks. Because of this, a feeling of unease affected the teams of Avalanche Software, and Warner Bros. Games was forced to explain that the British author did not participate in the development of the game. These controversies also had consequences on the communication around the title. Fortunately, Hogwarts Legacy showed up again during a State of Play broadcast on March 17, 2022. This was an opportunity to learn the release window scheduled for the title.
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Thus, Hogwarts Legacy: The Hogwarts Legacy will land at the end of 2022 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC and Switch. It's hard to imagine Warner Bros. run smoothly on Nintendo's hybrid console. However, it seems that a physical version (and not cloud) is on the program. Case to follow!
