Although the Harry Potter book series ended sixteen years ago, the wizarding universe lives on in the hearts of countless fans around the world. Many have long dreamed of receiving a letter in the owl post and experiencing their own adventure at Hogwarts … and we, as players, have had such a chance. The dust from the high-profile premiere of Hogwarts Legacy has already settled, so the editors of The Last Tavern are ready to sit down with a pint of butterbeer and discuss their school experiences in the iconic Scottish castle.
In the first part of the conversation, we will talk about the controversy and boycott surrounding the premiere; the interactivity of the game world and its belonging to the RPG genre ; our assessment of the presented plot; and combat experience.
Krzysztof: Let’s start a little unusual, shall we? Before we start talking about the game itself, let’s take a moment to look at what was going on around and even before the release of Hogwarts Legacy . Although the Harry Potter brand remains powerful, the announcements of this particular title also attracted a lot of negative attention and outrage, mainly aimed at JK Rowling as the creator of this universe, and the fact that goblins appear in the plot as significant antagonists. What do you think about this confusion and did it somehow influence your perception of the game or your decision to buy it?
Mariusz: I am a person brought up on the Harry Potter series, it is one of the few works whose influence on my personality I feel to this day. I thank JK Rowling for creating this universe. And there is always great respect for writers who can use their imagination to create a fantastic world. Not everyone can do it, I once tried to write a book and failed. According to many circles, Rowling has such controversial views that her books should be burned and everything related to Harry Potter should be rejected, but I do not agree with this. I bought Hogwarts Legacy out of love for this universe and separate the fantasy world from the creator. Same with many other writers. And the fact that goblins are antagonists, I assumed as the premise of the presented action. Not everything has to have a second bottom.
Ela : It’s very hard for me to comment on this without coming across as a hypocrite. Especially since I myself am terribly conflicted about this issue all the time. I completely agree with any criticism of the author, I do not support her views, and I always express my own openly. Nevertheless, Harry Potterraised me and it’s hard to even describe my attachment to the world, which is still a place for me, where I come back when I need a breath, my so-called “safe space”. I also do not agree with the belief that we should immediately reject everything that is related to the universe. It’s a bit like throwing responsibility for someone’s views on us, readers, who have absolutely nothing to do with them – and let’s face it, the authors of the game and Rowling herself will not be affected in any way. Especially since I don’t see the same consequence in relation to other authors. I realize that some people may disagree with me on this point, but for now I just can’t give up, and the game is in the style of Hogwarts Legacyhas been my dream for as long as I can remember. I assume that I know what is right and Rowling’s views will not change that in any way. Or are they just convenient translations? I could write a whole essay about my dilemmas on this subject.
Matthew:Today’s pop culture lives (or actually always did) from exaggerated emotions, and since such a scandal understandably causes them, it’s hard for me not to get the impression that, after all, the publisher could only benefit from the confusion, because the game could have been bought by both side of the barricade, in order to use it to prove your point. Another thing is that no matter how they talk about us, it is important that they talk at all – recognition itself drives sales. I myself am somewhere in the middle. I don’t think that the artist’s art should be treated entirely as detached from who he is personally, but I am a fan of common sense and filtering content appearing in social media. Bearing in mind what I wrote above, let everyone draw their own conclusions, whether and to what extent Rowling deserves a public crusade in the name of respecting fundamental values. I think many of us have a similar answer on this topic.
Mateusz: Harry Potter has been subject to many analyzes for a long time (you can find plenty of such videos on YouTube) in terms of Rowling’s controversial and transphobic statements, which are supposed to prove the novelist’s bad intentions at the time of creating the legendary series. Many of these allegations are far-fetched, but it’s no coincidence that the author was “cancelled” and wasn’t even invited to participate in the documentary Harry Potter – 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts . I was also not surprised that before the premiere of Hogwarts Legacy there were voices (I know many people personally affected by Rowling’s words) calling for a boycott of this production.
However, I perfectly understand the creators of Legacy . They wanted to take advantage of the ubiquitous fashion for nostalgia in pop culture. They created a Harry Potter game that millions of fans around the world wanted to buy. Is there anything wrong with that? I think not. Each of us has a conscience. I bought it and I wouldn’t want someone else to take away the fun from the game, because each topic must be approached primarily with common sense and tolerance towards the views and choices of other people (including those who want to buy the game).
Christopher:As far as I’m concerned, I don’t care much for the private views of any creator. Many writers, musicians, filmmakers, etc. are unpleasant to face; often arrogant, bloated, narcissistic or detached from reality in one way or another. When I do not deal with them personally, it makes no difference to me – I am only the recipient of their works, and it is these works that I judge. If I see in the content of the book, the words of the song, etc. something that disgusts me and deserves criticism, I will point to this fragment with my finger and refer to it … without having to rummage through the author’s biography and statements and add strange theories. And my criticism will be aimed at this content, not at, let’s call it, individuals. For me, canceling and other forms of organized repression (group actions detrimental to the image,
And unfortunately, things like that happened around Hogwarts Legacy as well . I don’t know if you’ve heard, but for a few weeks around the premiere, there was even a website called “Have They Streamed That Wizard Game”, used to catch and build a list of streamers on Twitch who decided to show the game on their channel. In theory, so that opponents of the title could avoid them or “punish” them with unsubscribing … but in practice it became a search engine for harassment targets, and streamers entered there began to be flooded with insults, threats and various other forms of hate.
Mateusz: Krzysiek, I read about it. It is sad that people seeking tolerance go so easily from the role of victims to cruel attackers harassing their targets. On the other hand, it is worth knowing the views of artists and creators, because you should not always support their achievements. It also allows us to form an opinion about something, but in the case of this game it is completely incomprehensible, because Rowling had nothing to do with it.
Krzysztof : Well, regardless of the controversy surrounding the release, Hogwarts Legacy sold well and achieved excellent results in terms of the number of people playing at the same time in the first weeks. This is probably due to the fact that this is the first high-budget RPG in this universe, and many were hoping for a timeless hit like The Witcher 3 , only with brooms and wands. But how much does Legacy really have to do with erpega? Did you feel that the mechanics present in the game allow you to create and play a character, as well as explore the world presented the way you want it, or is something missing here?
Mariusz : As for the character creation, I had to convince myself a lot. I compensated for my lack of a moral system by playing Hufflepuff who hadn’t even tried to learn the Unforgivable Curses. Did I make the game a little harder for myself? Yes. Did I get something in return? NO. Many such, let’s say, “bad” dialogue options seemed completely pointless to me. On the other hand, exploring the world itself for sightseeing is extremely pleasant and brought tears to my eyes when my character traveled through many famous places. But exploration does not totally reward the player for thoroughly exploring caves and other rooms for better gear. I appreciate the ability to save the appearance of clothes – I always wore basic clothes so as not to stand out, not like a walking disco ball.
She:First of all, the game seemed very … deficient. Repetitive side quests (which were terribly few considering the size of the map), the lack of a companion system and ANY influence on the plot are just a few of the complaints that come to mind. As Mariusz has already mentioned, the absence of a morality system is a huge downside, and in addition there is no sense here. During the game, we learn unforgivable spells, we can blackmail colleagues, break school rules, but it changes absolutely nothing. We can confidently cast avads in broad daylight and no one blinks. Most of the stories we have to tell ourselves. What I fell in love with, however, was the opportunity to explore Hogwarts from the inside out, all its puzzles (which as a Ravenclaw I couldn’t resist) and how the castle actually lived.
Maciej : Although I haven’t played Legacy for too long and I can’t speak from the perspective of someone who has thoroughly learned all its mechanics, it’s hard for me to disagree with the previous speakers – the further into the forest, the greater the impression of shallow gameplay, and even the feeling that if not for the high-profile license and related attractions, the whole thing would be judged much more harshly. What’s more, although I have a lot of nostalgic feelings for Harry’s universe, the infantilism of the presented world stung my eyes here especially hard.
Mateusz: Mariusz and Ela have already said almost everything about the advantages and disadvantages of the game, which come down especially to the great exploration of the world and the fun of playing the role of a student, however, overshadowed by the complete omission of the morality system and the secondary nature of the mission. I also see other problems: the creators force us to reach the next talent levels, allowing us to unlock the next story mission. Unfortunately, we have to “dial” more, often boring and repetitive side quests.
However, I understand the creators’ decision to give us unforgivable spells, because they make the game “epic” at times. Unfortunately, the linearity of the plot does not allow the character to develop towards the dark side of the force, which is most visible in the missions with Sebastian and the final skirmish, after which our hero could follow the path of “evil” as a result of seizing and possessing the power accumulated by Isidore.
Krzysztof: Yes, I also have a similar opinion here. The lack of a morality system, factions, companions, or even some implementation of points measuring progress in the competition for the House Cup is simply bizarre and greatly limits our ability to interact with the world. Unfortunately, this creates the feeling that the environment, although graphically nice and refined, does not pay any attention to us or what we do, and our actions or decisions made in tasks do not change anything. Just like Mariusz, I had to add a lot to myself and roleplay to get into it and have fun. And I used outfits for that too – I wore variations of black school robes on missions at Hogwarts, and these weirder and more unique outfits I put on when the story took me to the surrounding villages or into the wilderness.
Krzysztof : All right, what do you think about the plot? The central theme of Hogwarts Legacy made you sit in your chair, or did it do the opposite? Or maybe it’s one of those games like Skyrim , where the real adventure begins only after you leave the main path and appreciate the gems among the side quests?
Mariusz: The subplots were definitely better than the main plot. Helping our friends from school or discovering the world through assignments appealed to me. And I forgot about the main plot. But they completely ruined the potential for learning new spells. As if it was preceded by some interesting tasks, not: Take, pop 5 balloons …
Ela : The main conflict? On the contrary. The beginning was very interesting and quite aroused my hopes for an interesting gameplay, but going further I had the impression that the creators did not quite have an idea for continuing the story. However, Sebastian’s quest was what saved the game in my eyes. This is probably the most mature plot of all, with real moral conflicts and the emerging question of “how far can we go to save those we love?”. Overall, Sebastian was also, in my opinion, the best written character who goes from being a fun, likeable character to a person who makes a lot of mistakes and consequently loses everything. It is a pity that we did not see similar creations in the main plot, which was presented very shallowly, despite equally dramatic events.
Mateusz: I really liked the idea of the main plot, referring to the unknown history of Hogwarts and the power of ancient magic. The creators of the game, using very similar examples of Izydora and Sebastian, tried to show us how much you have to sacrifice to save others and what consequences it can lead to. As I mentioned, our hero also begins to head towards the dark side, which is a natural result of his choices.
However, I do not “buy” Ranrok as a villain whose motivations are rudimentary, and his influence on the plot is almost nil. There wasn’t a moment in the game when we felt sorry for him or feared him. You could have gone into a conflict between wizards instead, because an antagonist like Voldemort – or even better Grindelwald – would have been much more fun for us and the potential for more drama.
Unfortunately, the game is interrupted by too boring story missions, often related to learning spells, and yet being uninteresting brakes on real gameplay. It is also a pity that the creators gave up preparing the Polish dubbing, because nowadays it is a certain standard that allows us to experience the story in a completely different way.
Krzysztof: Well, in my opinion, the main plot had potential and even drew me in for a while, but the closer I got to the end, the more my fears grew. The atmosphere was lost somewhere, getting to know the story and the next steps of the antagonists somehow did not add any depth or charm to them, and when it came to the final confrontations with the bosses, I felt much less emotionally involved than I had hoped.
In terms of story, the game really lacks more intimate scenes and better exploration of NPCs. As part of the pre-launch promo, small infographics featured professors and students appearing as NPCs, with very intriguing and encouraging notes summarizing who that person is, like “Professor Sharp, a dry and demanding retired Auror and Potions Master.” And everything was great, you immediately wanted to play and meet these characters, learn more about them, get to know them as our avatar … but the game does not allow it. Most NPCs are nothing more than a one-line synopsis reveals about them, and their “screen time” in cutscenes and quests is tiny. And it’s a pity, because the secondary characters in Hogwarts can be written well and the whole attractiveness of the game can be based on them,Hogwart’s Mysteries .
Ela: Here, unfortunately, I disagree with Mateusz in one thing – I really enjoyed learning spells and participating in lessons, because this is the “Hogwarts experience” I’ve been waiting for. Unfortunately, I have the impression that we generally spend too little time at Hogwarts. It’s a pity that the creators captured school life only at the beginning of the game. Despite saving the world in the meantime, our character is still a student, and typical school quests would also be a good opportunity to build bonds with other characters. However, I must also admit that Ranrok is really shallow as an antagonist. Even Isidore is a much more interesting character, with a sensible moral conflict and a motivation that just makes sense.
Mateusz: Hmm, I don’t think the spells lessons are entirely negative, I rather treat them as movie cutscenes, which usually don’t have much impact on the plot. Too often they are preceded by additional activities that slow down the game for me. The sketches look decent. Ela, have you noticed some videos that are copies of HP movies? Those were the moments when I really felt the magic of the universe and Hogwarts. What annoys me is the poor quality of the characters’ facial expressions, almost not moving their lips, without facial grimaces, etc. In this respect, the game performs much worse in relation to such hits as Horizon Forbidden West.
Ela: It’s just a pity that we only get short cutscenes at a later stage, instead of actual lessons, like the first Potions class, for example. I know it’s really part of the tutorial, but it adds immersion in the process. And yes, I noticed that most of it repeats itself and I kind of wish we could see something new! It is also impossible to hide: the facial expressions of the characters are tragic. I fully agree with you.
Krzysztof : And how do you view the combat system? And the spellcasting mechanics in Legacy in general ? Were they comfortable and fun for you, or did you imagine them a bit differently?
Mariusz: The limitation to four spells in one set seemed quite inconvenient to me at first. However, over time I learned to juggle sets so that it didn’t make much difference to me. The combat was quite simple but satisfying at the same time. It seems to me that they did not want to make it some overly complicated system so that every fan of the universe could have fun. And this is also another part of my pretend RPG – I only used spells. Somehow, the cabbage that was eating everyone didn’t speak to me, and I know that it made life much easier.
Ela: Indeed, the mechanics were very satisfying, especially with the ancient magic attacks. At some point, however, the combat became quite monotonous, especially with the limit to four spell slots. Despite being able to flip them during combat, I just couldn’t get used to the system.
Mateusz: The system of spells, casting them, defense, etc. is one of the biggest advantages of the game for me, because we can create different combinations and sets, increasing the dynamics of fights. Like Mariusz, I did not use additional accessories, because they did not suit the game mode. In many games, like Spiderman , there was the possibility of using various gadgets, but with Legacy , I found it a little inconsistent with the use of spells. I was disappointed by the limited number of finishes, which too quickly ceased to be epic for me, becoming very secondary.
The fight with the trolls and the Ranrok annoyed me the most, because you had to cast spells on them for too long and the health bar wouldn’t decrease, so at some point I started to solve the case of the former with avada kedavra.
Krzysztof: I had really conflicting feelings about this gameplay element. On the one hand, it is indeed very dynamic and satisfying; on the other hand, it can be uncomfortable and tedious. Juggling spell sets was hardly intuitive for me, and it was especially painful when I came to the conclusion that the game “rewards” several conflicting approaches. What I mean?
In the later stages of the game, many enemies are covered with colorful shields, forcing the use of spells from specific groups on them. So theoretically, it would be most convenient to create sets containing something of each kind. Unfortunately, individual spells often combine in pairs that increase their potential, e.g. diffindo deals more damage to enemies previously frozen glacius, and descendo does not make sense to use against someone who we have not previously raised up with another attack. Pretty quickly I found out that the best effects are achieved by immobilizing opponents with spells from the yellow group, and then dealing damage to them with something from the red group. On the other hand, the purple group is almost useless, so I didn’t include it in my main sets and had to remember to create a third spell “four” for them,
I also subscribe to Mateusz’s words – the trolls’ cruelly limited moveset combined with their size and huge amount of health makes them the most boring opponents in the whole game, and I also got rid of them as quickly as possible with unforgivable spells.
