Consider this the current general for Harry Potter/Rowling drama/spicy wizard memes. . . . and Hogwarts Legacy!
Perfect bittersweet name, given the rapidly putrefying state of this once-inviolable franchise.
It it truly a shame this game did not come out, say, 5 years earlier. There's still time for it to disappoint, but there's no denying that so far this is looking like the Harry Potter open-world RPG everyone's always dreamed of.
- Set in late 1800's
- Tells its own story and deviates from some of the things you'd expect from this world, while still purporting to take the series' lore seriously.
- You can pick Houses. It's unclear if you do a test at first and get sorted before ultimately choosing.
- Doesn't just take place at the castle. You'll go to Hogsmede/Forbidden Forest/the Black Lake and apparently other locations, though Hogwarts itself looks utterly massive anyway.
- There is some sort of morality system present. Extent unclear, but they have stated you can choose to "yield to the temptation of more sinister magic".
- Main character is special in the sense you have a natural talent for deeply understanding ancient magic, and you are aware of some plot-relevant ancient secret that the rest of the student body are not.
- No Death Eaters or Voldy since this is far before their time, but it seems there is some sort of other Dark organization running around with their own generic mooks you'll be fighting.
- Apparently, the main character's acceptance into the school was delayed, and you are joining Hogwarts for the first time when you are 15 in your 5th year.
- Interacting with magical beasts, character customization, crafting potions and the ability to upgrade spells as you go are all here.
- It's for PC, Xbox and Playstation.
It's hard to deny the series feels tainted to me now, even if the let-down actions of its author weren't strictly related to Harry Potter. It still sucks massively. But I'm also capable of understanding that all the people from the movies and who are making this game are NOT JK Rowling, and don't share her sentiments.
All the tender moments from this series feel a bit less so, now.