Summary
Hogwarts Legacydid a wonderful job at taking players to the iconic school and its surroundings in a game that was both a love letter to theHarry Potterlicense, but also a great open-world game in its own right. The setting was well-populated with friends and foe, the side activities likethe Merlin Trialswere plentiful and generally well-implemented, and the locations were recreated with care and immense attention to detail. Being set in the 1800s, it had the luxury of starting almost from scratch, and bringing a story that was new.
Stopping Ranrok and Rookwood was the primary aim, butHogwarts Legacywas at its best away from the main quest. Collecting field guide pages, attending classes, customizing the Room of Requirement, and generally finding fun in other places was delightful, and the interactions with other students were also a real highlight. One was undeniably the most interesting, and could be a viable protagonist for any future games, as their complex nature is ripe for more scrutiny. Going forward, Sebastian Sallow should be the series' star.
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Sebastian Sallow’s Story is Complex
The player makes a lot of friends when they enroll atHogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, from the gifted Natsai Onai to the kind, but reclusive Poppy Sweeting, and each does well to give the game a sense of community. The interactions are memorable, and while their presence rarely affects the main quest, they are fun to interact with. Sebastian Sallow, an opportunistic and mischievous Slytherin student, is the best of them all, as he showed significant character flaws and nuances that made following him into questionable situations feel worthwhile, as more time with the character was always rewarding.
His desperation to help Anne, his recklessness when it comes to learning the unforgivable curses, and his constant disregarding of the rules were all things that made Sebastian Sallow feel far more multifaceted than his classmates. Learning more about his home life was fascinating and showed why he is the way he is, and putting players in his shoes could be a great way to continue his story. Sebastian becoming a protagonist could givea sequel toHogwarts Legacya stronger main story, something that Avalanche’s first effort was often criticized for.
Hogwarts Legacy’s Sequel Could Use a New Protagonist
One of the main attractions ofHogwarts Legacywas that players could create their own fifth year student, but the end of the 2023 game was conclusive enough to make it feel as though that character’s journey had come to an end, at least for the year. The RPG benefits of having a custom character is evident, as people can project their own personality onto them to make therole-playing elements ofHogwarts Legacyshine. This can come at the cost of storytelling, however, as the developer may struggle to write a cohesive and engaging narrative when players make choices that may be unorthodox.
Following a pre-set character would elevate the narrative potential of aHogwarts Legacysequel, and Sebastian Sallow’s good nature, but dangerous curiosity makes him the perfect candidate as a protagonist.His quest line is one of the best inHogwarts Legacy, and having the opportunity to see what he gets up to either prior to the events ofHogwarts Legacy, or exploring what he does later on when he graduates from the school could be an enticing proposition, as Avalanche has to step it up with the sequel to keep the franchise going in the right direction.
Hogwarts Legacyis out now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with a Switch version releasing on November 14.
