Hogwarts Legacy Review: The Magic of Nostalgia

[@jamesbrincefield9879]

There are two things that really excite me about this game: the prescedent it sets and the potential for a sequel. For so long people have written off licensed games as garbage and it was mostly justified. Poor sales due to poor quality, plus the ever increasing monetary and time investment required to develop modern games have caused those types of game to not really exist on a mainstream level anymore. It’s so much easier for a publisher to push some cheap kids game or mobile cash-grab out on the Switch than to take a risk on a “real” game. This game’s massive success gives me hope for other big franchises to start considering releasing video games with AAA budgets/manpower. Also, the developer was an unknown before this game. They had basically made nothing but borderline shovelware and then went on to make one of the most anticipated games of the year…and for the most part delivered on it. That’s important. It could cause relatively unknown but extremely talented dev teams to be sought out for similar projects in the future, have an easier time seeking funding for games, etc. I would love to one day see a Jurassic Park game that isn’t a park-builder be handled with as much respect as Hogwarts Legacy. A lot of Akira Kurosawa and Hayao Miyazaki’s films would translate perfectly to a video game. Things like Neverending Story, Labyrinth, Dune, the Narnia series, Game of Thrones, Watership Down, even Honey I Shrunk the Kids could all become the next Hogwarts Legacy if the right IP holders hear about how well it was received. There are practically limitless opportunities to cash in on nostalgia (in a good way) with franchises like the ones listed above and they all feel just a little more plausible thanks to this game’s success. As far as the actual game, it feels like this game walked so a sequel could run. A super ambitious licensed game from a relatively unproven studio could have ended up so much worse than it did. It’s not a masterpiece by any means, but I believe it got the most important stuff right. It’s the best representation of the world of Harry Potter outside of the original source material, and it did that while also being a pretty solid overall video game. The important part is that they built a solid foundation. They could probably expand on this game with a sequel in 1/3 of the time it originally took to develop and since they are a small studio they’ll likely be a lot more willing to listen to feedback from the game’s community. The game we received could be perfect if it was refined a little bit with added worldbuilding, more thorough side quests, quidditch, etc. Basically all things that could be fairly easily addressed in a sequel now that they aren’t having to start from scratch. I am curious about what rules and restrictions the team had to work under during development though. There may be a reason some things are the way they are in the game. They may not have been given much autonomy to add elements that conflict with the original books/films, future projects in the works, etc. That would be an easy explanation for why the towns are so lackluster and a lot of the quests feel shallow. It wouldn’t surprise me if Quidditch wasn’t included because another developer is working on a Madden-style game about it or something. More than likely a lot of the game’s shortcomings probably boil down to budget and labor. The game was already very ambitious, I’m sure they were forced to make cuts and concessions somewhere in order for it to even get made. I haven’t looked at much outside media about this game so the actual answers could be out there somewhere. Anyway, great video as always. I really hope one day you get the recognition you deserve.

[@nopnapnarp8047]

James its always a pleasure to see a comment from you come through on my notification tab. Another wise and insightful take on the game. I agree most with your statement concerning this game walking, so a sequel could run. I feel like they got a lot right here the first time and could build on it in a sequel while also including some of the things they weren't able too for this debut title for the franchise. Given the success, it seems inevitable that a sequel will come. Here's hoping that next time they can improve their storytelling both in the narrative structure, but also in the world building. Time will tell.

[@jamesbrincefield9879]

@@nopnapnarp8047 that’s how I feel about your videos. You’re definitely in my top 5 on the entire platform. Avalanche is probably well aware of the game’s shortcomings and has solutions worked out for them, they just couldn’t implement them in time for a deadline. If they plan to use the same engine and general setting for a sequel I’m sure many of those things will be easy to address and still have a quick turn-around. I’m really hopeful for the sequel or whatever else they may be working on. For a first impression (as far as major releases go) they really knocked it out of the park though.

[@jfb173jb]

I remember this series quite well myself. Played the hell out of Harry Potter Quidditch World Cup and the books were good. In a lot of ways it makes me think of Star Wars. Great world building and potential for a lot of stories. I'd say this game could be comparable to like where the Sly games started. Its the good first step for Portkey Games and with future ones maybe we could expand beyond. Maybe they could do a sequel game where you could visit a different school. Like the USA one. I do think that the wand also should have more influence on your spells and the like. Even with the main three cores, you could get some bonuses for each. Like unicorn hair is easy to level up or improve, but it doesn't give you much power. Dragon heartstring would have power, but it grows slow. And maybe phoenix feather would get a bonus for varied casting. Actually i still have HPQWC and a good working PS2 and memory cards. Maybe I'll put it in again.

[@nopnapnarp8047]

Yeah the wand could have been a bit more than just cosmetic, especially since you'll hardly get any up close views of your wand during gameplay.