Summary
The scope and scale ofHogwarts Legacyare commendable in the first action-RPG of an IP’s budding franchise.Hogwarts Legacyhad magically bottomless boots to fill and somehow managed to with itsexplorable Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, and enveloping Scottish Highlands, even if many of the activities players come across in the open world become repetitive and mundane. The story itself was perhaps always going to fall by the wayside when the game’s main allure was how it immersed players as students at Hogwarts, and the features it offered gave players tons of curricular and extra-curricular content.
It isn’t easy to traverseHogwarts Legacy’s open worldwithout a broomstick or mount. However, when the game finally makes the entire open world available to freely explore, it is exciting to see how much of the Highlands is actually full of content with areas that can be investigated and looted. Players can go almost anywhere that would be logical, which is a boon in and of itself, and yet there are two locations where flight is restricted: within Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. If a sequel removed these arbitrary boundaries, exploration could be made far more immersive and engaging.
Hogwarts Legacy’s Sequel Should Allow Unrestrained Flight in Hogwarts and Hogsmeade
Hogwarts Legacy’s Open World Allows for Many QoL Features
Flying too far upward or outward in the open world will lead to an inevitable invisible wall, for instance, thoughHogwarts Legacy’s depiction of invisible wallsis more explicit, illusory sheens that appear to safeguard the wizarding world from unsuspecting muggles who may stumble near. This isn’t confirmed to be why the game world’s collision is designed that way, but it’s not a reach to make that assumption and have it seem immersively considered since the game needed to have such invisible walls regardless.
Of course,Hogwarts Legacydoesn’t give players a reason to test those boundaries outside of pure speculation and curiosity, at least when they’re out in the Highlands where there might not be anything to interact with in the immediate area. That said, players will be alarmed when they notice that these same collision walls prevent players from flying into the vicinity of Hogsmeade or even near the castle, where the game does not let them near unless they are on foot.
Flying Through Hogwarts and Hogsmeade Could Make for Greater Immersion
Being unable tofly through Hogsmeade’s streetsor weave through Hogwarts’ towers isn’t necessarily a detriment to the game and Avalanche obviously had its reasons for thwarting that, but if a sequel was able to remove those barriers it could do wonders for making exploration feel freeing. One of the primary reasons why this seems neglectful and disappointing is because players can often see student NPCs flying by on broomsticks around the castle’s towers and over the walkways and bridges connecting them when they’re making their way through Hogwarts.
NPC interaction such as this inHogwarts Legacymakes the wizarding school seem alive with activity, but not being able to contribute to those same experiences and sensations while being able to fly virtually anywhere else is sort of a letdown.
Hogsmeade isn’t as upsetting to not be able to fly through, but it could’ve made getting to and from shops much easier without needing to rely on fast travel Floo Flame points as if it was a distinct level or region cut off from the rest of the open world, which is maybe how it was designed. Either way, untethering these leashes and doing away with needless boundaries would makeHogwarts Legacy 2that much more seamless, especially if it rehashes these same locations.
Hogwarts Legacy
WHERE TO PLAY
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.Explore an Open WorldThe wizarding world awaits you. Freely roam Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, the Forbidden Forest, and the surrounding Overland area.Be the Witch or Wizard You Want to beLearn spells, brew potions, grow plants, and tend to magical beasts along your journey. Get sorted into your house, forge relationships, and master skills to become the witch or wizard you want to be Experience a New Wizarding World AdventureExperience the wizarding world in an unexplored era to uncover a hidden truth from its past. Battle against trolls, Dark Wizards, goblins, and more as you face a dangerous villain threatening the fate of the wizarding world.
