Summary
Hogwarts Legacyis a game all about fulfilling a fantasy held by countless adults and children; the game offers players the chance to role-play as a Hogwarts student, with all the mystery, wonder, and peril that comes with that premise. The game has received praise from all corners of the games industry, but many feel thatHogwarts Legacymissed many opportunitiesand fumbled a few of its RPG elements.
Aside from the troubled legacy of J.K. Rowling, the largest shadow hanging overHogwarts Legacyis arguably the lack of a morality system. While not every game should have such a system, the omission of any sort of consequences for immoral actions is rather puzzling inHogwarts Legacybecause of the inclusion of the Unforgivable Curses: Avadakadavra, Crucio, and Imperio, which can either instantly kill, torture, or rob free will from their subjects. In an interview with GamesRadar, the game’s Narrative Director explained the absence of a morality system, stating that it was a decision made to enhance and broaden the role-playing experience, while coming from a place of “non-judgement” from the development team. However, this explanation doesn’t make much sense.
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Hogwarts Legacy’s Handling of Unforgivable Curses Doesn’t Work
There’s good reason thatmanyHogwarts Legacycriticismsmake some mention of the game’s nonexistent morality system. It can be quite a baffling experience to cast a spell that causes instant death or excruciating torture, while playing as a teenage student no less, and have no consequences occur whatsoever. If the player casts these spells in the presence of a companion, it won’t matter, despite the fact that these curses are very much a taboo within the Wizarding World. It’s additionally troublesome because the game makes a point to draw attention to the abominable nature of these spells; instances of other characters casting Unforgivable Curses are shown to have dire, disturbing consequences, but when the player-character uses the spell, it’s completely fine.
The fact that the use of unforgivable curseshas no downsides inHogwarts Legacyhurts the role-playing experience greatly. Avalanche Software clearly put a great deal of work into making the game visually stunning, detailed, and lore-accurate, all in an attempt to create an immersive experience tailor-made forHarry Potterfans. But inHarry Potter, casting an Unforgivable Curse is one of the worst sins a witch or wizard can commit. By trivializing them and having them serve as get-out-of-jail-free cards in combat, the game winds up shattering immersion and doing a disservice to players.
That is the main reason why the “judgement-free” explanation doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. A primary aim of RPGs is to create a feeling that player choice matters. It’s the sense of weight behind each decision that makes RPGs engaging and meaningful.Hogwarts Legacydoesn’t address Unforgivable Cursescast by the player in any way, which robs them of their potential as interesting gameplay mechanics. Avalanche Software claims that the decision to trivialize these curses was made to bolster the role-playing experience, but it has had the exact opposite effect, as they ultimately serve as reminders that the game world is just an illusion.
If any otherHarry Pottercharacter snuck into a camp full of poachers or goblins and used Avadakadavra to kill them all, they would be immediately sent to Azkaban and their reputation would be ruined. Of course, crafting a morality system that mirrors these consequences would be nigh-impossible, so perhaps it would be better ifthe sequel toHogwarts Legacysimply cut Unforgivable Curses altogether. They may be powerful spells to use in combat, but this extra power comes at the cost of the overall role-playing experience. Freedom in games is important, but it matters very little if the choices available to players have no impact.
Hogwarts Legacyis out now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with a Switch version releasing on November 14.
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