Summary
Hogwarts Legacy 2will be an interesting project to watch unfold. It will be following the best-selling game of 2023, so Avalanche Software could probably get away with resting on its laurels and creating a safe, unambitious sequel. However, there are a number of areas whereHogwarts Legacy 2can innovate and experiment, making it a far more unique and compelling project.
One specific aspect that could benefit from experimentation inHogwarts Legacy 2is the story. The narrative of the first game is serviceable, offering a series of predictable video game tropes, like the main character essentially being the ‘Chosen One’ and uncovering a series of ancient mysteries. This isn’t too different from the sort of straightforward, mystical storytelling of itsHarry Pottersource material, butHarry Potteris spiced up with interesting, multifaceted characters, whichHogwarts Legacysadly lacks. Luckily, there are ways for the sequel to address this.
Hogwarts Legacy 2 Could Benefit from a More Contentious Student-Mentor Relationship
The Relationship with Professor Fig in Hogwarts Legacy Is a Bit Bland
Professor Fig is what one might expect from a leading Hogwarts teacher: he is parental, subdued, wise, and totally inoffensive. This makes him likable and easy for audiences at large to understand, but it hardly makes him interesting. It seems like the game is attempting to emulate the Harry-Dumbledore dynamic fromHarry Potter, maybe infused with a bit of the Harry-Hagrid relationship as well, but these dynamics have texture and complexity, which is lacking from the player-character’s relationship with Fig.
In many ways, Professor Fig feels like a perfunctory inclusion. Rather than being a complex and nuanced character in his own right, he seemingly exists to funnel the player toward their next objective, disappearing and reappearing whenever the story needs him. This is part of a largerissue ofHogwarts Legacyfeeling toothless, and honing in on the student-mentor relationship would be a great way for the sequel to start moving toward a solution to this issue.
Inverting the Professor Fig Relationship Could Make Hogwarts Legacy 2 More Interesting
ComparingHogwarts Legacy’s story toHarry Potter’s, there’s a clear lack of interpersonal conflict and complex characters in the former. Most NPCs are only defined at the surface-level, with even the most complicated character, Sebastian Sallow, having fairly two-dimensional motivations. In compelling stories, as in real life, people are often more multifaceted, with traits that go beyond purely positive or negative. This could be exemplified by a more complicated and less friendly relationship between the character and a mentor figure, adding another layer to the in-game academic experience.
With theprotagonist ofHogwarts Legacy 2likely being a student once again, it’s probable that they will be paired with a similar mentor figure, and another paternal, overtly kind figure could feel a bit bland. If the sequel were to instead put a less enthusiastic and more skeptical character in this role – something like Harry’s relationship with Severus Snape – it could create more narrative tension, showing players that the story’s conflict is not limited to just the world outside Hogwarts, nor is it reserved for only the most existential threats. It would also give the protagonist a more personal struggle to overcome, which is missing from the firstHogwarts Legacy.
Hogwarts Legacyhas some less savory authority figures, mainly Phineas Nigellus Black, but they are mostly portrayed as bumbling and incompetent, making them less impactful and often irrelevant to the main character’s story.
Moreover,Hogwarts Legacy 2having a less friendly mentor character would allow it to reprise one of the most important narrative elements from its source material, that being the inherent struggle between the young heroes and the authority figures that surround them. It’s important for the player-character to have some adults on their side, but introducing some contention to the central adult relationship coulddeepenHogwarts Legacy 2’s story, while giving the protagonist more opportunities to express emotion and overcome personal, emotional challenges.
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.
