Return to Hogwarts: Hogwarts Legacy
Hogwarts Legacy is an immersive, open-world action RPG set in the world first introduced in the Harry Potter books. For the first time, experience Hogwarts in the 1800s. Your character is a student who holds the key to an ancient secret that threatens to tear the wizarding world apart. Now you can take control of the action and be at the center of your own adventure in the wizarding world. Your legacy is what you make of it. (Official game description from the Hogwarts Legacy website)
It’s been a while since this game was first revealed, and we know that the initial release date of Hogwarts Legacy is announced to be in 2022. With the State of Play gameplay video we got recently, it is likely that we will be able to play it very soon.
We’ve all dreamt of receiving our letters, attending Hogwarts, and forging a legacy of our own. As Wizarding World fans, we’ve wondered what it would be like for our stories to be found between the pages of a book, because that magic-filled world has always felt close to our own. Hogwarts Legacy is your story, rooted firmly in wizarding world lore, and it starts with creating the witch or wizard you want to be. (Chandler Wood, Community Manager at Avalanche Software)
With the new video, players got to see a glimpse of Hogwarts Legacy’s character creation system, as well as some of the activities they will be encountering inside and outside the school. There is also a brief introduction to the story, and we know know so far that Hogwarts Legacy is set in the late 1800s, about 100 years before Harry Potter enrolls. This is also allowing the players to use dark magic in the game, and choose what house they will be a part of.
Depending on which Hogwarts house you’re in, you’ll get to see each common room’s distinct architecture, décor, and entrances. My fellow Slytherins will be particularly fond of our common room entrance vanishing into a wall behind the slithering body of an enormous stone serpent. We’re also excited to show you our takes on the not often seen Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff common rooms, Ravenclaws rest high in a tower while Hufflepuffs reside in a cozy basement. Expect more in-depth looks at the common rooms later this year. (Chandler Wood, Community Manager at Avalanche Software)
Hogwarts Legacy wants you to have new locations to discover; to see what lies around and beyond the Black Lake, to meet new witches and wizards in the dwellings that dot the landscape beyond Hogsmeade and learn what other undiscovered chambers lie within Hogwarts or scattered across the Scottish Highlands. It will aim to offer you a sense of freedom, making your adventure more interesting with the exploration of Hogwarts and beyond the school, as well as characters you will meet along your journey with rich stories and personalities of theiro own.
Hogwarts Legacy also seems to be touching some RPG elements, such as crafting of magical items and potions, skill and perk trees, friend and follower parties, where NPC’s add special talents to the adventuring group, and even flying with special mounts!
There will also be an interesting system for combat in Hogwarts Legacy. As you learn from your professors and classmates in Hogwarts in your adventure, you will start gaining new spells and abilities to use in combat and puzzles throughout the game. There will be a variety of spells which will provide players to approach combat in many different ways, giving them a freedom with their decisions here too. There will be many offensive spells to blast your enemies, as well as ones that will allow you to take a stealthier approach. These different approches will be required in the game and will give us the opportunity to try different things, to counter enemy strengths and weaknesses that should make every encounter feel engaging.
As a gamer who likes a bit of a challenge myself, I’m happy to say that we’ve been working hard to make sure combat in Hogwarts Legacy has a depth and challenge for players who want it. Whether you just want to experience the story or make every swish and flick of your wand matter, a range of difficulty options will be available to meet various skill levels enabling players to experience the game in a way most enjoyable to them. Anyone familiar with the wizarding world knows that magic goes beyond just wand work. Magical plants and potions bring even more tools to each fight. You’ll be able to brew Wiggenweld potions for healing and use a Mandrake seedling to incapacitate enemies with its cry. As you continue your studies at Hogwarts, you’ll learn more recipes for potions and how to handle an assortment of magical plants.(Chandler Wood, Community Manager at Avalanche Software)
The platforms Hogwarts Legacy will be on are PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and Microsoft Windows.
And lastly, here is the question we have all been thinking about, answered in the official page of game:
What is J.K. Rowling’s involvement with the game? Is this a new story from J.K. Rowling?
Each experience offered under Portkey Games will take place in the wizarding world and will be authentic to it. J.K. Rowling is supportive of Portkey Games and has entrusted the design and creation of the games to Warner Bros. Games and the developers involved. Her team have also collaborated with Warner Bros. Games on all aspects of Hogwarts Legacy to ensure it remains a true part of the Wizarding World experience and is in line with the creativity and magic that fans expect.
The story showcased in the game is not a new story from J.K. Rowling.
Let me know in the comments what you think about Hogwarts Legacy, and which house you are from! I hope to see you soon with more news and thoughts on video games, and wish you all short loading screens!
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