One key part of Hogwarts Legacy is a little lacking, particularly in comparison to some of the classic Harry Potter tie-in games. While those games are now much older and a little buggy at times, they had something that was more closely tied to the source material that is not seen as much in Hogwarts Legacy. It does exist in the newer game, but not to the same extent and this could all be fixed in the sequel.
While not much is known about the sequel for Hogwarts Legacy, it does sound as if the game is in development. There is plenty of time to speculate about what it could be like in the meantime, and fans have taken to doing just that. The first game got a lot of things right, with a beautiful world to explore, the ability to run your own shop, and access to the Room of Requirement to do a bit of decorating and caring for magical Creatures. That said, there is still one thing the sequel could give us that would be even better.
Hogwarts Legacy 2 Should Have A Proper School Day
Classes Do Not Feel Important Enough In The Original Game
The big thing that’s missing from Hogwarts Legacy is a proper school day. At the very beginning of the game, the protagonist does have to go to a class in Hogwarts where they catch onto certain spells very quickly. However, the rest of the day consisted of going to Hogsmeade and fighting a Troll. After that, there are very occasional quests for the protagonist to attend a class, and the later in the game it is, the less time they spend in the physical school at all as they venture further and further south.
Comparatively, the books and some of the movies follow Harry and friends as they go from class to class. It’s one of the most interesting parts of the books, as the reader gets to learn what it would be like to go to magic school. Instead of English and Biology, Hogwarts students get to learn about Charms and Potions. It’s one of the things that often intrigues fans the most, but one that Hogwarts Legacy does not seem to dwell on.
Older Harry Potter Games Established A Strong Formula
Getting The Right Balance Between Exploration & Wizarding School
The tie-in games that came out alongside most of the Harry Potter movies actually did this a little better. Some of the games did not take place at Hogwarts, as the last two films spent very little time there, but of the games that did, many of them followed Harry’s journey, including that of going to class. The Order of the Phoenix game, for instance, had players following the film closely, going to class, and then exploring Hogwarts when they had free time.
However, the first three tie-in games were the ones that created the formula that had players following a more interesting structure. Chamber of Secrets arguably did it the best, but all three did it well. The games adapted the books into the games, and then filled in the gaps in the narrative by having Harry attend class, complete challenges, and explore the castle much as he does in the books. In the game, classes are where Harry learns new spells and skills before a challenge must be completed.
These challenges usually take place during the class as well and are time-limited. There are some that are not tied to a class, but many of them are. Once the class is over, Harry has a little more freedom to move around and explore the castle, often having to sneak around due to being out past curfew at night. This created a day/night cycle with the advantage of Harry still having the ability to explore and attend class like a normal student. Even Lego Harry Potter did something quite similar with a balance between classes and exploration.
Hogwarts Legacy 2 Could Make Going To Class Fun
The Precedent In Other Games Gives A Number Of Possibilities
There are plenty of examples of video games set in schools where the classes are fun. Bully is a great example, where players have to attend class and complete a challenge such as a quiz. The game actually does give players a grade and getting a better score is quite important. This could be done in Hogwarts Legacy 2 as well, letting players explore magical classes in a different way than the first game.
It could also be a way to improve skills. Instead of just getting more skill points, players would have to attend class to raise their skill on a particular skill or potion. The challenges could be reincorporated and players could have fun figuring out how to complete them. It’s a great opportunity for one-off mini-games, or even repeatable mini-games if players want to go back and play them again for some kind of reward. In the first game, there are similar mini-games introduced that don’t have many reasons to revisit them, but the sequel could change that.
There would be many ways to make these classes fun – it’s magic after all! Players could possibly compete against their companions in Hogwarts Legacy, with the companions improving just as much as the player does. Sometimes the problem with mini-games is that the NPC just isn’t very good, but that could be changed or the difficulty level of the game could scale the player’s classmates as well. If the sequel were to introduce local multiplayer, classes could be where two players can compete.
Instead of having a semi-underground dueling league, that could take place during Defense Against The Dark Arts. Players might have to attend Potions class to make their Potions instead of using the Room of Requirement. The castle could function on the same day/night cycle to allow players to use their free time to explore, while having to be back at class before they miss too many. It would likely be less fun if the game was too strict about absences, but having a more structured day would allow more creative choices for the player in Hogwarts Legacy.
