How Hogwarts Legacy’s Portrayal of Gryffindor Could Be Better in a Sequel

Despite everything that Hogwarts Legacy gets right, there are a number of clear areas of improvement that its sequel needs to address. Assuming that the next Hogwarts Legacy is a direct sequel and not set in some other part of the Wizarding World, Warner Bros. would be wise to punch up its portrayal of its Gryffindor characters, making them truer to the source material and more interesting in their own right.

A common criticism of Hogwarts Legacy is that, while it’s mostly consistent in terms of polish and design, it can feel a bit too safe at times. For example, in-game decisions don’t matter as much as they maybe should, considering the game’s position as an ostensibly choice-based RPG. This lack of meaningful and varied choice can be observed in everything from the way the hero interacts with NPCs to the infamous implementation of the Unforgivable Curses. This can also apply to how the game approaches Hogwarts houses, with characters from each house not feeling quite so distinct in terms of personality, values, or behavior, not to mention the fact that the player’s chosen house has such a small impact on the experience of the game. Gryffindor, the quintessential Harry Potter house, serves as a good case study when examining this issue.

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Gryffindor Should See Some Improvement in Hogwarts Legacy 2

Gryffindor Characters Feel Too Similar To Key Figures From Other Houses

To the game’s credit, Hogwarts Legacy‘s Gryffindor NPCs are mostly faithful to the source material, with prominent Gryffindors like Natsai Onai embodying the house traits of bravery and chivalry, as evidenced by moments like her hippogriff-stealing quest. However, this portrayal can be somewhat undermined when looking at the NPCs of other houses, such as Poppy Sweeting and Sebastian Sallow, who often exhibit similar traits as the Gryffindor characters.

This phenomenon is evident in many of Hogwarts Legacy‘s companion missions. With the exception of Amit Thakkar, most of the protagonist’s closest friends in the game feel very Gryffindor-esque, taking major risks and often being brash, selfless, and heroic. This isn’t to say that non-Gryffindor characters can never exhibit this sort of behavior, but it can make it feel like the Gryffindor personality is actually more like a typical “hero personality,” rising to the surface solely to facilitate exciting missions. A sequel could improve upon this by showing some more flaws that are typical of Gryffindor characters, such as recklessness or stubbornness. This would allow for non-Gryffindor characters to have nuance when it comes to their brave or heroic traits.

Hogwart’s Legacy’s Protagonist’s Relationship with Gryffindor

Although there are some differences between Hogwarts houses in Hogwarts Legacy, they are ultimately minor and surface-level. Outside some very brief and inconsequential comments from NPCs, choosing Gryffindor at the start of the game will only truly impact certain cosmetic items, the common room, and access to a single exclusive quest. This may be seen as another area in which the game plays things too safe, offering a barely altered experience through the Gryffindor path.

Though this is certainly easier said than done, the next Hogwarts Legacy should take steps to make all houses, including Gryffindor, more unique from the player’s perspective. Instead of just a few throwaway comments from NPCs (e.g. “that was pretty good for a Gryffindor”), perhaps NPC relationships could be significantly altered or even locked out entirely due to house prejudice. Instead of just one house-exclusive quest, there could be several, all tied to Gryffindor-specific lore and characters. This would make the next Hogwarts Legacy more replayable while elevating its role-playing elements, leading to an experience that is generally more engaging. It would also be more consistent with the Hogwarts Legacy source material, which makes Gyrffindor placement out to be a much more impactful life event.

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Legacy

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Hogwarts Legacy is a game that allows players to explore an open world, including locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, the Forbidden Forest, and the surrounding Overland area. Players can create their unique witch or wizard character, learn spells, brew potions, grow plants, and tend to magical beasts during their journey. Sorting into a Hogwarts house and forging relationships with other characters enable players to master various skills and shape their characters’ development.

The game features an original wizarding world adventure set in an unexplored era, where players uncover a hidden truth from the past. Challenging encounters await, such as battles against trolls, Dark Wizards, goblins, and a dangerous villain who poses a threat to the fate of the world.

Franchise

Harry Potter

Released

February 10, 2023

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Use of Alcohol

How Long To Beat

26 Hours

Metascore

84

PS Plus Availability

N/A