58) Hogwarts Legacy (2023)

First released in 1997, the Harry Potter series quickly became an international phenomenon, and easily sits among the top ten highest grossing franchises in history, currently nestled comfortably between the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Hello Kitty. While certainly not without controversy of its own, unsurprising considering its focus on wizards and magic, it inspired a generation of children and adults to discover a love of reading, and has inspired an untold number of works since. While there's been no shortage of video games based upon the property, the majority of them focus on adapting the highly successful movies, sometimes marking them as shameless marketing tools.

With Warner Bros. acquiring Avalanche Software in 2017, Hogwarts Legacy became the team's first project unrelated to Disney Interactive Studios since 2005. With development beginning in 2018, with the team wanted to make a game that was set in the familiar Wizarding World, allowing players to visit known locations, while also taking place in a time period separate from the established narrative. This would allow players to fully immerse themselves in the world while also allowing the development team to expand beyond the known lore of the series and enrich the experience for the player.

Set in the 1890's, we begin by making our very own Harry Potter OC, a task I believe the majority of fans had long since done. We begin as a fifth year student who, oddly, is going to Hogwarts for the very first time. Many characters throughout the game will comment on how odd this is, and its frankly never fully explained. From a gameplay perspective, it makes sense to have the player character serve as a newcomer, easing the player into what could otherwise be an overwhelming world. Being a fifth year means that we won't be limited to the basic spells and restrictions a younger student would face, but it unfortunately makes our character come off as a bit of a Mary Sue. While it's rewarding to perform better than our classmates, the lack of any formal training beforehand really makes it seem as though the teachers at Hogwarts have not been doing their jobs. This does, however, fall in line with how the staff is generally shown in the books, particularly the Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, so I'm willing to let it slide.

After a plot heavy tutorial where we learn that we are indeed a very special boy or girl, we arrive at Hogwarts just as the sorting ceremony is about to end. As in the books, we have the Sorting Hat placed upon our head and are presented with only one question with exceedingly obvious answers that determines which house we'll go to. If you don't like the house selected for you, have no fear, as the single question matters even less because the hat will just straight up give you the option to choose. This sort of thing happens more than once, as we later get to just straight up choose whatever wand we want. While I absolutely understand why the developers did this, as I assume a large portion of the fanbase already know every detail of their character, it still would have been nice to be given the option to let our actions determine this stuff for us. That said, I of course went against what the game picked for me as I already had a character in mind.

As we explore the incredibly lovingly detailed Hogwarts grounds, which ignited a sense of childlike wonder in my long dead heart, we have plenty of secrets to find and characters to interact with. The choice of house ultimately proves to be little more than window dressing, as the story doesn't really change based upon it. We still have the same overarching plot, and we still have side missions focusing on a character from each of the houses, though oddly the Ravenclaw house gets less focus. This worked well for me, as my character was a Ravenclaw, but I'm a bit surprised to find they didn't utilize some sort of dynamic quest system to ensure equal representation.

The main plot is serviceable, setting up a conflict that stretches back centuries and focusing on the animosity between wizards and goblins. It further cements our character's status as a special boy/ girl, but it does a mostly good job of showing that neither side is fully justified. While I could bemoan the use of goblins as the antagonistic force, as they have a troubling history within the series, I can't fault the developers for choosing to use them as it works well with the established lore. Further, showing humans working alongside them for the sake of profit does well in showing who the true monsters are.

Outside of the main plot, the other characters we meet and interact with are all delightfully written and offer a great deal of nuance to the world. Whether it be Sebastian, our Slytherin friend who justifies the use of unforgivable curses in his journey to save his sister, or Poppy, the Hufflepuff best girl who gives us access to a rideable hippogriff, the cast of side characters are a breath of fresh air. Excellently written and serving as ways for us to learn beyond the bare bones classrooms, they are effortlessly charming and always a delight.

Above everything, one of my favorite things to do in the game was to just run around and explore, and it's here the game truly shines. Every area is lovingly crafted, with each location showing not just a great level of care, but also reflecting the fun and interesting ways in which magic exists in this world. Seeing a topiary dragon come to life and move as you run by adds a great deal of wonder to the world, and I found myself just wanting to exist in this world. It helps, of course, that the controls are tight and the gameplay is genuinely fun. My only nitpick is that I wish there were more chances to interact with the world around us with magic, but given the sheer size and scope of everything else, it's a minor issue.

Of course, I now have to address the transphobic elephant in the room. I, like others, initially boycotted this game based upon the outspoken views of the original works' author. She has, time and time again, spoken out against the rights of trans people, often donating money to support anti-trans polices. While she, like everyone else, is entitled to her opinions and beliefs, so am I entitled to decide how and where I spend my money. It's a shame, as the people who made the game very clearly don't share her views, going so far as writing a trans character and casting a trans actress for the role, which is phenomenal in terms of representation. Nonetheless, it's hard to separate the work from the author, and it blows my mind that someone capable of making such a rich fantasy world, filled with magic that can do damn near anything, but the idea of someone changing gender is somehow a step too far.

I do not share the author's views, and do not endorse her words and actions. For some, this alone is reason enough to boycott this game, and I get that. I fully support that. The only reason I played the game, outside of the great reviews it received, is because it was included on Game Pass, meaning that regardless of whether or not I played it, the game was getting some portion of my money. Is that a pathetic excuse to play a game that I was previously morally against supporting? If you choose to believe that, then sure, nothing I say could change your mind. However, once I started playing the game, I was blown away by the love, care, and passion clearly on display from a development team that, I feel, went above and beyond. The game, in a vacuum, is phenomenal, and I greatly enjoyed my time with it. If you find yourself unable to enjoy it in that vacuum, I get it, though I do believe the Wizarding World has started to grow well beyond the dated ideas held by the original author.