Hogwarts Legacy: How Avalanche Games can ensure a true RPG experience

Players have not been treated to new information or footage from Avalanche Games regarding Hogwarts Legacy but that has not stopped them from speculating and wondering about the upcoming RPG.

A fully fleshed out adventure set in the wizarding world will be a dream come true and there are a number of ways that the developers can ensure a true RPG experience.

In Hogwarts Legacy, players will get the chance to experience the life of a student at the eponymous school in the late 1800s. They will get to "grow their magical abilities by mastering spells, brewing potions and taming fantastic beasts."

According to the developers, players will have to face difficult choices and this makes the potential playthrough of the game an interesting one.

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How choices and morality of the player character can define their experience in Hogwarts Legacy

Role-playing games are designed in such a way that players are afforded the option to make choices and affect the story being told. This notion of agency is what is unique to the medium of video games and what is perfectly encapsulated in this genre.

Setting an action role-playing game in the Harry Potter universe provides the developers with fertile ground to explore the possibilities and nuances of the formative years of a wizard.

It also provides the players the opportunity to shape the kind of wizard they wish to be through their actions.

In a post aptly titled "Breakdown: The True RPG Experience" on GamingRebellion, BraselTheGamer points out:

"In an RPG, you should have the ability to make decisions on how the story is going to unfold, or at least how you are going to approach the unfolding story. Dialogue of the character you are role playing with shouldn’t be written for you. YOU decide your own course of action. YOU create your own backstory. YOU imagine what the character on screen would have to say in a given situation. In a true RPG experience, YOU are the main character of the story."

The decision to situate the story in an era that has not been explored in the published stories and steer the player's character away from established identities has essentially ensured that Hogwarts Legacy can become a proper RPG experience, provided Avalanche Games chooses to do so.

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Customizing character

A detailed customization system will allow players to create their own wizard that will not be pre-defined by the developers. This mechanic allows for a proper immersive experience where players will not feel like they are walking in the footsteps of a character but actually living as one.

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Choices and morality system

The developers have mentioned that players will have the option to make difficult choices in the game that will determine what they stand for. Given that this is an RPG game, these choices will effectively influence the narrative of the player's playthrough through the consequences they face.

On top of that, a morality system has been confirmed for Hogwarts Legacy. If the developers are able to introduce a nuanced morality system that interacts with the story one experiences, players will truly have the freedom to decide their own course of action and the kind of wizard they wish to be.

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House and the House Cup

Hogwarts has four Houses that young wizards are allotted to by the Sorting Hat. Hogwarts Legacy allows players to make their own choice of House. Each House has its own philosophy, beliefs and unique common room in different locations with different methods of entry.

This means players can essentially have a different playthrough experience depending on the House they choose, provided the developers allow that. The presence of the House Cup will also further this agency of the player to affect the story.

Players' choices, actions and morality can have an effect on how many points their House has. At the end of the year, the total accumulated points will decide which House wins the prestigious House Cup and the player can decide if it is their House depending on how they have acted throughout.

These are some of the decisive factors that affect not only a proper RPG experience but also the replayability value of the Hogwarts Legacy. One is reminded of RPGs like The Witcher 3, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Disco Elysium, Souls and Skyrim.

It remains to be seen if Hogwarts Legacy follows in these stalwarts' footsteps or if it manages to entirely outshine them.

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