Harry Potter: Hogwarts Legacylooks as though it could be the game that series fans have been waiting for for a very long time. Promising players the ability to make their very own wizarding characters and attend the iconic school,Harry Potter: Hogwarts Legacyhas an undeniable amount of potential. There is a lot that players hope to be able to do in the game, like being assigned to different houses, playing Quidditch, and attending a variety of different classes.
Not very much aboutHogwarts Legacyhas been officially revealed, although its official description does give fans some insight into what they may be able to expect from the game. The description sets up the story, saying that players take control of a late admission to Hogwarts in the 1800s that has a unique ability to call upon ancient magic. Somehow, this all ties into a great secret that has the potential to overturn the entirewizarding world asHarry Potterfans know it. Throughout the story, players will be able to make a variety of choices, including being able to align themselves with either the forces of good or evil. This particular feature could add a lot toHarry Potter: Hogwarts Legacy, and the game should take some cues fromStar Wars: The Force Unleashedon how its morality system functions.
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How The Force Unleashed Handled Its Morality System
InStar Wars:The Force Unleashedplayers control Starkiller, the secret apprentice of Darth Vader and an incredibly powerful Sith. Despite being a Sith, however, players are given multiple opportunities to shape Starkiller’s path. Players can choose to embrace either side of the force through decisions in the game’s story, as well as what powers and abilities they use while playing. Ultimately, the player’s decisions culminate in the decision of whether to kill the Emperor or kill Darth Vader and become the Emperor’s apprentice. Obviously, the game’s plot makes it difficult forThe Force Unleashedto ever be considered canon, but it does give the player some great choices throughout.
Perhaps the strongest aspect ofThe Force Unleashed’s morality system is how it impacts its gameplay. Players gain access to different powers and abilities depending on which side of the force they are aligned with, which help them better play out that role throughout the game. A player’s connection with the force also impacts things like Starkiller’s appearance, which also helps make the game feel different if players play through it to experience each alignment. Of course, force alignment is not a new feature forStar Warsgames, but it is one that has been used to great effect throughout the franchise. Hopefully,upcomingStar Warsgamesuse it as well asThe Force Unleasheddid so many years ago.
Why Harry Potter: Hogwarts Legacy Should Include a Morality System
A similar morality system would also feel right at home inHarry Potter: Hogwarts Legacy. Of course, the world ofHarry Potteris largely defined by its big villains like Voldemort and Grindelwald. Magic has a dark side to it that is touched on throughout the series, but has never been fully explored in a way that is accessible for fans.Hogwarts Legacycould provide the perfect opportunity to explore that darker side by letting players do it for themselves throughout the game, while also allowing the player’s actions to impact both their character and the game’s world itself. Being set in the 1800s will see Hogwarts being very different from what fans know, and a morality system could let players impactHogwarts inHogwarts Legacyto change it further around their actions.
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A morality system also makes sense forHogwarts Legacybecause of the player’s character having access to ancient magic. Having this access is undoubtedly a lot for a child still in school to take in, especially at such a formative age. This leaves the door wide open forHogwarts Legacyto include multiple factions vying for influence over the player’s character to access the ancient power. This will be especially true if players can besorted into any of the Hogwarts houses inHogwarts Legacy, with each house potentially having their own characters and motivations for the player to deal with.
What a Morality System in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Legacy Could Look Like
The possibilities of a morality system inHogwarts Legacyis pretty exciting, and there are quite a few ways that it could impact the game’s design as well, especially if it drew inspiration fromThe Force Unleashed. The impact that would make the most sense is allowing the player to access different spells or magical abilities. Having a variety of different attacks or abilities tied to the player’s alignment would greatly open up the game’s leveling systems, and it could allow for two playthroughs to give players a range of different experiences. WithHogwarts Legacyfeaturing magic, there are even more possible options than the developers had access to inThe Force Unleashed. Of course, this system could also tie in the player’s house, with characters in houses likeSlytherin inHogwarts Legacyhaving access to a different skill tree than characters in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw.
Hogwarts Legacycould also take notes from how alignment impacts the story inThe Force Unleashed.The Force Unleashednot taking a canon approach to its story may have been disappointing for some fans who wanted to seetheStar Warsuniverse expanded, but it did allow the game to have some really incredible moments for players to experience.Hogwarts Legacy’s position in the series could allow it to take a similar approach to great effect. Of course, it would be fantastic if the game’s morality system impacted the story with players being able to interact with different characters to meaningfully change Hogwarts over the course of the story. However, the game could also let players have some interesting interactions with other characters in the series through their alignment.
Allowing players to run into or even influence young versions of characters like Grindelwald or Dumbledore would be great story moments that would be a treat for fans and make one’s morality really matter. There are a lot of exciting directions a morality system could go, and it will be fun to see howHogwarts Legacyturns out. Thankfully, fans who can’t wait to get their hands on it have plenty of othergames to play while they wait forHogwarts Legacy.
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Legacyis currently in development.
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