Will Holt ‘23
Reviews Editor
As a child, I had a dream—a beautiful dream full of wonder and magic and all sorts of adventure. I wanted to be a wizard, and not just any wizard, a wizard with a ticket for a train departing from King’s Cross Station’s Platform Nine and Three-Quarters at precisely 11:00 a.m. At the age of ten, I no longer believed in Santa Claus, but I still maintained a secret hope that upon my next birthday, I would receive a letter of acceptance to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Unfortunately, I am now about to turn twenty-five, and I STILL don’t have my damn letter. In recent weeks, however, I have been able to obtain something of a small consolation prize. Portkey Games, a label of Warner Bros. Games, released Hogwarts Legacy, a fully open-world, single-player, role-playing game set within the Harry Potter universe, on February 10 of this year.
There have been a vast number of Harry Potter games released over the past twenty years, but few of them have had any purpose greater than extracting that last bit of revenue to be sponged from the enthusiasm surrounding the then-latest movie. Hogwarts Legacy represents a true deviation from this trend, for it empowers the player to craft his or her own identity and embark on an adventure that is wholly independent from the events of the books and movies. This independence, however, does not mean that the game does not allude to elements in those foundational materials. Naturally, Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, and other locations are present—it is set in that world, after all—but, in addition, famous wizarding families such as the Blacks and the Weasleys are present; many famous spells and potions can be mastered; and all manner of our favorite creatures make appearances. These allusions to foundational materials draw in the player, while the unique plot and characters work their magic to keep them invested. The story centers on a brewing goblin rebellion, led by the malevolent and formidable Ranrok during the nineteenth century. The player’s custom-made protagonist is a young witch or wizard entering Hogwarts as a fifth-year who also happens to have a rare and mysterious link to a form of lost magic that was integral to both the rebellion and the creation of Hogwarts itself. The new student must learn quickly, a task aided by the game’s intuitive controls and simple skills-acquisition system, to get up to speed in classes and fight the forces of dark magic. As an open-world game, however, one is not limited to following the main story; there are numerous side quests, challenges, and places to explore. Even attending class is an adventure. In the player’s first Potions class, for example, they have the option of deviating from the assignment to help a Weasley steal an ingredient for a potion that promptly blows up in front of the entire class.
The combat mechanics, I believe, deserve special attention in this review. Dueling and defensive magic are the real draw of the game for many people. Fighting requires the most skill of any activity within the game, and it is where the player is in the gravest danger. I am happy to say that, thus far, I have been impressed with the combat mechanics. As previously mentioned, the game’s controls are intuitive in general, and its structure makes sure that the player is confronted with appropriately challenging opponents. My character certainly has fallen a number of times during my playthrough, but at no point did I ever feel terribly stuck or too frustrated to continue. In addition, non-combat spells can be used in combination with damaging spells to make the latter more effective. The number of spells and the various valid combinations of them make dueling a surprisingly complex and challenging task. In this sense, dueling in Hogwarts Legacy feels more like combat in Assassin’s Creed or Red Dead Redemption than dueling in some other Harry Potter games.
Hogwarts Legacy, unfortunately, has not been free of controversy. Most of it stems from its association with J.K. Rowling, who has been criticized for transphobic comments she has made. Since the game was announced in 2020, some have questioned whether it is appropriate to separate the art from the artist, and a few have even called for consumers to boycott the game. I think this is an overreaction. From what I have read, Rowling has had nothing to do with the development of this specific game, and the game itself goes out of its way to show its good faith. For instance, the character-customization feature is gender-neutral, and a transgender character has been introduced in the universe. Because of these factors, it is my belief that the creators put in real effort to distance themselves from Rowling’s comments and to make the wizarding world an inclusive place (well, except for muggles, that is). In fact, I think Hogwarts Legacy shows what the Harry Potter franchise can accomplish without Rowling’s help. She may have created the marvelous world of magical Britain, but, now more than ever, I have confidence in the abilities of the countless others who have poured hours into making her dream a reality—so long as they are given the creative freedom to take risks and make their visions a reality.
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wjh4ew@virginia.edu