“I wish someone was here to see this,” my fifth-year Hogwarts Legacy student tells no one. It’s a lament I hear a lot outside of quests, but this particular statement comes mere seconds after performing a combination of spells and attacks that I’m unabashedly proud of. But, as we stand among the fallen dark fairies and wizards, there is no one to see what we have achieved in this time, or in many of our adventures through the wizarding world.
Instead, the characters I’ve come to see as friends over the course of the game are probably in class somewhere, with their noses buried in textbooks or cavorting in common rooms thinking about Quidditch or Potions. The only times I’ve been able to spend time with them — beyond a casual commentary in a hallway — are on set missions that Hogwarts Legacy has allowed me to have with them. For a game based on a book series with friendship so firmly at its center, Hogwarts Legacy is a strangely isolated experience.
partner withdrawal
(Image credit: WB)
It’s during these relationship-focused quests and side-quests that you come to know and love the five characters who are your main companions in Hogwarts Legacy. They’re brilliantly written, fun, and have their own interesting stories, far from talking about map cameras and trials. There’s Sebastian Sallow, the dark magic-obsessed Slytherin trying to cure his sister’s curse, his blind and worried friend and fellow Slytherin Ominis Gaunt, Poppy Sweeting, who lives up to her name as a magical beast-loving Hufflepuff, and soft-spoken, and Natsai (Natty) Onai, the brave Gryffindor who seeks justice. There’s also the astrology-obsessed Ravenclaw Amit Thakkar, who, while not as thorough as the others, still has a certain comedic charm to it.
But these quests are the only way to spend time with these characters – there’s no option to take these companions with you on further adventures. The idea of being able to have someone fly on a broom next to you while you explore the Forbidden Forest or scour the shores for evidence of Merlin or some Troll Bogeys would have made the experience more authentic than ever. .)been at the heart of the books.
Interestingly, if you go back in time to Hogwarts Legacy State of Play, where the game’s first reveal took place, developer Avalanche teased these mechanics. “As you develop relationships with these classmates, they can accompany you on your journey as companions,” the voiceover said against footage of a player running through the stone arches on the Hogwarts grounds alongside Natty. Fans, myself included, hoped this would mean the possibility of your partner joining you in whatever you decided to do while at Hogwarts. Maybe not summon them like a hippogriff, but close enough.
After all, Harry Potter would be nothing without Ron and Hermione, and the Hogwarts Legacy narrative is made even richer by those adventures you have with Seb and Ominis, Poppy and Natty. Even your relationship with Professor Fig becomes a central pillar of your in-game experiences. But what’s missing is that sense of camaraderie.
(Image credit: WB)
“So while I love Hogwarts Legacy classmates, I just want to see more of them.”
As Josh West pointed out in his Hogwarts Legacy review, there’s often a sense of emptiness in your experiences at Hogwarts. “For a school of 1,000 students, the hallways, classrooms, and common rooms are surprisingly sparse, and the students you encounter have infrequent points of dialogue and interaction,” he wrote, and it doesn’t help that you’re in yours for a significant portion of the game. Even the missions you have with Natty, Seb and co are just a conversation rather than a game you’ll play as a team. In fact, the game never brings all your friends together for a grand adventure. Can you imagine the Harry Potter books or movies where Harry only interacts with one of his friends at a time? Without those times when students are together against adversity? Yes, I don’t think so.
So while I love Hogwarts Legacy Classmates, I just want to see more. Take in the views on a broom ride, drink butterbeer at Hog’s Head Inn (or turn it into a pub crawl), or have fun defeating dark wizards or giant purple toads together. Maybe then the world wouldn’t feel so empty and my character could talk about it too.
The release of Hogwarts Legacy has been the subject of criticism and debate due to JK Rowling’s public stance on gender identity, which continues to challenge inclusion at the heart of the Harry Potter community. Here is our explanation on the Hogwarts legacy controversy.
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