The story in Hogwarts Legacy is quite short, or at least shorter than expected given the scope of the game. While completing absolutely everything will take a fair amount of time, the actual main story is only about 25 hours. The game then depends on players wanting to do a fair amount of exploration to get their time investment on the game in, which is a little unfortunate.

The story in Hogwarts Legacy, while short, was well done. It tells a fairly compelling story but does leave some plot threads hanging. Whether this is because the studio planned to include those in the sequel or because there wasn’t enough time, it’s unfortunate if the sequel does take place in a different era. The story needs to change if things are going to be different in the next game.

Hogwarts Legacy Had A Short Story That Relied Heavily On Exploration

Too Much Exploration That Doesn’t Affect The Rest Of The Game

The first game relied very heavily on exploration to make the time investment in the game worthwhile. The story by itself is less than 30 hours, but the exploration and collecting every thing possible will take much, much longer. That is okay, as many games feature similar mechanics, like the Breath of the Wild games. However, there is a crucial difference in that the exploration in Hogwarts Legacy feels unrewarding after a certain point.

While it’s fairly popular in open-world games, it is an unfortunate mechanic to keep players invested. While other games may have a slightly longer time in the main story, the story in this game feels a little short, particularly toward the end. After the first half of the year, it feels like the game rushes toward the end. In fact, if players are too focused on exploration, they can end up in areas they are not supposed to far sooner than intended.

In fact, it is possible to be about halfway through the story but nearly all the way through the exploration and at the level cap for Hogwarts Legacy. It then makes the rest of the story very easy, which may take the challenge out of it for some players. The other issue with relying on exploration over story is that the exploration in Hogwarts Legacy stops rewarding players after a while. For instance, a large part of the Merlin Trials are completely useless to the player beyond getting the 100%, which is frustrating if they spend all the time collecting them.

Even the Treasure Vaults grow tiresome after a while and no longer give players a fair amount of rewards for their efforts. It’s unfortunate, particularly when gold becomes less useful the further the game goes on. Even collecting and rescuing creatures becomes useless after a bit, as players can only have so many in the Room of Requirement before they have to be sent away. Players no longer need to buy or acquire potions or the ingredients after this point as well, making exploration feel a little underwhelming.

Some Side Plots Were Left Feeling Unresolved

Companion Characters Do Not Get Enough Attention

While half the exploration becomes less rewarding the longer it goes, the side plots in the game feel incomplete. The background of the ancient wizards the player speaks to in the main story never feels complete, and the storylines of the companions in Hogwarts Legacy also feel lacking, perhaps with the exception of Sebastian. However, even his story can end in a less resolved way, depending on the player’s choices.

Characters like Poppy also don’t have a resolved story, although that could change if the sequel takes place right after this game. It really depends on how the sequel goes and if it completes any of the plot lines that were left hanging. Otherwise, there was a lot of time spent on exploration without any reward that could have been spent with the characters the players were getting to know.

Should The Main Story Be Longer In Hogwarts Legacy 2?

Multiple Ways The Story Issue Could Be Solved

That question could be answered in one of two ways. If the exploration is given more robust rewards and can change the gameplay in some way, the story could stay the same. That is one of the main differences between Hogwarts Legacy and a game like Horizon: Zero Dawn. The exploration in the latter gives players new weapons, new abilities, and can give them more skills, potentially even upgrading some of the current skills. Additionally, the parts and pieces players find while exploring are crucial for making their weapons and armor better.

In Hogwarts Legacy, players occasionally get rewarded with clothing. While they do also get experience, once the book is full and there are still more to find, the rewards run out. This makes it feel unfulfilling and without purpose. If that system were to be fleshed out and the game would give players more to explore, then the time spent would feel more compelling, and it wouldn’t need to make up for it elsewhere.

However, on the other hand, the game could focus more on the story. Games like God of War (2016) have an exploration mechanic but attempt to keep players focused on the main story. While players can return and get items they missed, the game drives the plot forward and focuses its main attention there. Hogwarts Legacy 2 could follow that same formula, keeping players focused on the plot and toning down the exploration mode.

This would ensure that players get rewarded for their exploration while trimming that side of the game down. Players would get to spend the most time seeing the plot unfold, developing relationships with the companions, and uncovering their side plots. It would potentially make the game slightly less replayable, but as it stands, most players would not go after all the collectibles multiple times anyway.

The map certainly doesn’t need to get any bigger, as it was already a nice size. If the sequel focused more on gameplay within the castle such as in classes, that would also make the story longer without putting in fluff. There are multiple ways to solve the problem, none of which would make the game shorter. With any luck, the game and story will feel more robust in Hogwarts Legacy 2.