Hogwarts Legacy is arguably the biggest game of 2023, reigniting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in a way that exceeded what were already lofty expectations. With high critic scores, record-breaking Twitch viewership, and over 12 million copies sold in the game’s first two weeks of availability, Hogwarts Legacy is an undeniable, resounding success. Currently, there are rumblings of a Hogwarts Legacy sequel at Warner Bros. thanks to the RPG’s strong commercial and critical performance. While a follow-up game is only rumored at this point, here are some things that we at Prima Games would love to see in Hogwarts Legacy 2 (or whatever it will be called), whenever the game eventually releases.
Quidditch
Possibly the biggest, most glaring omission from Hogwarts Legacy was Quidditch, the international pastime of the Wizarding World. Although it is understandably a difficult feature to implement due to the many nuances, varying positions, and unique rules featured in the 7-on-7 sport, Avalanche Software’s masterful broom-flight gameplay demonstrates that integrating Quidditch into Hogwarts Legacy 2 is well within the realm of possibility. It would also be a great roleplaying feature for gamers to explore, if players were given the option to choose between any of the sport’s four positions (beater, chaser, keeper, and seeker) for their character.
Wizard’s Chess
Even though Hogwarts Legacy features some fun minigames, such as Summoner’s Court, Broom Flying Challenges, and more, Wizard’s Chess would be a welcome addition to Hogwarts Legacy 2. While you can witness NPCs playing Wizard’s Chess in Hogwarts Legacy, you can’t personally compete in a match yourself. The “totally barbaric” twist on the classic strategy game, with alive chess pieces that destroy each other would be equal parts entertaining and hilarious if it was integrated into the sequel. In the same way that Gwent was the cherry on top to an already excellent RPG in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Wizard’s Chess could provide the same boon to Hogwarts Legacy 2.
Multiplayer Modes
Hogwarts Legacy incorporates its single-player, open world gameplay very impressively. The RPG truly shines when you’re exploring the halls and corridors of Hogwarts or traversing around the open world on your broom/magical creature mount. The only thing that could improve Hogwarts Legacy’s exploration would be the ability to experience it with friends via couch co-op or online multiplayer. We can only wish and hope that Hogwarts Legacy 2 will introduce the option to explore the game’s open world cooperatively, creating your own adventures, just like Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the books and films.
Diagon Alley
Avalanche Software faithfully and authentically replicated Hogsmeade in Hogwarts Legacy, with the village serving as the shopping hub for all magical supply needs in the game. Yet even as great as Hogsmeade is, I still found myself longing for the Diagon Alley experience. Even though it may just be the equivalent of a Wizarding World outdoor shopping mall, there is something undeniable about the legend and mystique surrounding Diagon and Knockturn Alley. Maybe in the next game, we will get to experience the recognizable setting and shops from the Harry Potter films and books.
Hogwarts Pets
Speaking of Diagon Alley, it would be a welcome addition to introduce a pet store into Hogwarts Legacy 2, where players could create and acquire their own “Hedwig.” Even though Hogwarts Legacy allows you to rescue magical creatures from poachers, you can’t exactly call captured wild beasts “pets.” It would be an immersive feature to be able to customize your own owl, toad, cat, etc. for your character to bring to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
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Platform 9 3/4 and the Hogwarts Express
Hogwarts Legacy has an enthralling introductory quest, which serves as one of the more memorable missions in the entire game. However, it only makes sense that a Hogwarts Legacy sequel should let its players actually ride the Hogwarts Express for a change. Although there are a few moments you can see the iconic train in action during the course of the game, you never get the opportunity to board it, or to run through the invisible barrier to platform 9 3/4 at King’s Cross Station. These features are must-adds to Hogwarts Legacy 2 if the developers truly want to create the most authentic Harry Potter experience.
The Ability to Become an Animagus or Werewolf
You can’t become an Animagus in Hogwarts Legacy, which is not surprising considering the fact that it is a difficult process for a fifth year student to endure. For the uninitiated, an Animagus is a witch or wizard who can transform into an animal (i.e. Sirius Black being able to turn into a dog). While adding a gameplay mechanic that would allow players to transfigure into various animals could be challenging, Lycanthropy (AKA the ability to transform into a werewolf) might be easier to implement. Either of these options would be excellent additions to Hogwarts Legacy 2.
Deeper RPG Elements
Hogwarts Legacy might be an RPG at its core, but most of the game’s roleplaying mechanics are superficial. You can intricately design your character’s appearance, select one of the four Houses through your Sorting Hat responses, choose to be nice or mean, but that’s pretty much it. Your decisions have minimal impact on the story or quest lines outside of some minor dialogue variation. Also, character arcs and quest stories are predetermined. While none of this makes Hogwarts Legacy bad, it would be preferable if the sequel took influence from other RPGs like Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, The Witcher, etc., which each feature consequential decisions, factions, and/or branching quest lines that aid in the replayability of their games. Basically, Hogwarts Legacy 2 should emphasize roleplaying in its sequel.
A Morality System
On the subject of choices, one semi-immersion killing exclusion from Hogwarts Legacy is the lack of a morality system. You can go about casting unforgivable curses willy-nilly without consequences of any kind. Despite the fact that using the mind control, torture, and murder curses put you on “a one-way trip to Azkaban” according to Harry Potter books and films, that is not the case in Hogwarts Legacy. At worst, casting one of the unforgivable curses in battle might lead to some disapproving dialogue from an ally, without any further impact. Some might argue that the story’s late 1800s setting excuses this, which is a fair point, but it does not change the fact that a Hogwarts Legacy sequel would benefit from giving players the ability to roleplay as good or evil characters, as well as building a world that dynamically reacts to players’ deeds and reputations.
Throwback Collectibles
Hogwarts Legacy is a collectible-fest, with over 600 findable items needed to complete the game’s “Collection.” Most of these items are discovered in treasure chests littered throughout the game’s open world. Maybe it’s the nostalgia talking, but I find myself partial to the collectibles of the PS1 era Harry Potter, which (alongside its meme-fuel characters) featured some excellent Wizarding World items including colorful Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs, and my personal favorite, the Famous Witches and Wizards cards (as pictured above). Although some of these collectibles do not canonically exist during the timeline of Hogwarts Legacy and/or Revelio pages can be found for others, Hogwarts Legacy 2 would be wise to integrate more memorable collectibles from Harry Potter lore into the sequel.
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Fewer Merlin Trials!
Lastly, the Merlin Trial puzzles were a great addition to Hogwarts Legacy, which I really enjoyed solving… for about the first 50. However, the 95 total Merlin Trials ended up being more tedious than magical. If there had been 95 unique puzzles, it would be a different story, but by and large, the Merlin trials were the repeats of the same seven or so puzzles, copied and pasted over and over (and over) again. I hope Avalanche Software will either decrease the volume Merlin trials, or increase their puzzle variation if they intend to involve the same brain teasers in Hogwarts Legacy 2.
Published: Feb 28, 2023 11:25 pm