HOGWARTS LEGACY

Words by Jose Alvarez

An important life lesson to learn is that something is never too far from controversy. Video games have been undergoing controversies since their very inception in the 1970s. Some of these controversies have even been powerful enough to attract the attention of governments. Any game can be controversial because of the content or even the very people creating the game being embroiled in scandals. The controversy surrounding Hogwarts Legacy has to do with J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series. As of this writing, social media has become ground zero for whether or not you should even play the game in the first place.

We all know that Rowling went from poverty to a billionaire in less than a decade, writing about the adventures of Harry Potter. Rowling’s remarks in 2020 soured many people on the franchise and the author herself when she made remarks that sparked controversy regarding the transgender community. This immediately cast the controversy spotlight on Hogwarts Legacy since it was in development at the time. Rowling herself is not involved in the game’s creation, although she will receive royalty checks. But the franchise is bigger than just its creator, just like CocaCola is bigger than John S. Pemberton.

Casting aside the fog of controversy, does the game live up to the expectations of gamers, and is it good enough to overshadow all the controversy surrounding the game?

You start as a fifth-year student at Hogwarts, 100 years before the events of the main book series, thrown into the midst of a conflict between the wizarding world and an uprising of goblins. For those familiar with the extended Harry Potter universe or even if you’ve read a single Harry Potter book, other than Hogwarts, there are familiar locations in the game that you can visit, such as Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, and the Forbidden Forest. Familiar characters such as Peeves and Nearly Headless Nick also make appearances in the game.

Ancestors of the main characters, such as Professor Matilda Weasley, are also in the game, and a host of brand new characters, like Professor Eleazar Fig, also play a major role in the plot. You can also customize your own appearance and choose your own house (Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff). One of my favorite characters, Charms Professor Ronan, instantly charmed me (pun intended) with his witty dialogue.

Combat is rather interesting, as you customize which spells you can use in battle, and enemies are smarter than you might expect. It’s not just mindless, repetitive blasting of enemies either— you learn sets of spells that you can upgrade and use in combination with other spells. You can set your foes ablaze with Incendio and do some pretty devastating crowd control with Wingardium Leviosa and Depulso, sneak around with Disillusionment, or toy with foes with spells such as Crucio. One of my favorite spell combinations while facing a group of enemies is an upgraded Confringo, which hits an enemy and fires off extra fireballs afterward. The choices for combat are numerous and depend on how you play games in general.

You attend classes just like any other Hogwarts student to advance the plot and learn new spells. Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Herbology, and more are available. You can craft items to buff yourself and debuff enemies. You can care for, tame, and ride different magical beasts; some can even be used in combat. The Room of Requirement, another familiar area to Harry Potter fans, can also be customized with various cosmetic items and magical creatures scattered around Hogwarts and Hogsmeade.

For me, one of the significant letdowns for this game is the lack of multiplayer or even co-op modes, which would have been fantastic for a Harry Potter game. Quidditch, another of my favorite parts of the series, is absent in this game. Still, perhaps the success of Hogwarts Legacy could encourage the developers to create a standalone Quidditch game in the future. As of this writing, multiplayer mods are in development, so it is possible that some form of multiplayer could be present in this game down the line.

The game, in my opinion, will always be followed by the reputation of its creator. On the other hand, people will buy the game because they enjoy Harry Potter and may separate art from artist more easily. Objectively, the game is a great (re)start for those wishing to explore the wizarding world. The lack of features that fans were hoping for can be addressed in later updates and/or DLC. This won’t be the last controversial game, but it is definitely one of the most hyped games of the year so far.