Spell-casting, broomstick-riding, and other exciting activities await players as students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But as an action-RPG, one of the more intriguing aspects will be Hogwarts Legacy’s companion system. Hogwarts Legacy has been confirmed not to feature any online or multiplayer functionality, and a companion system in a single-player title instantly begs comparison to games such as Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and more. Therefore, companions have the potential to be Hogwarts Legacy’s most important feature if designed well.
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Companions Can Make Players Feel at Hogwarts More Than the Castle Itself
Harry Potter did not have to suffer an unfortunate popularity at Hogwarts alone, nor did he have to brave any of the immense and horrifying feats accomplished in his school years alone. He had loyal companions and other befriended acquaintances who stuck with him and made for some interesting subplots. Hogwarts Legacy should not strive to emulate the relationships that Harry has, but instead invite players warmly to feel as if they are attending classes as a student who meets like-minded and averse individuals who have their own stories to tell.
One of the reasons why Harry Potter is so approachable to children and youth is because it mirrors the lives of regular students who have crushes, angst, rivalries, and other relatable tropes that are embellished in a school experience. In terms of how that will look for Hogwarts Legacy’s gameplay, players will interact with these companions and likely embark on side quests the more that they converse with them.
Even though fans will undoubtedly have an overwhelming amount of nostalgia carried into Hogwarts Legacy just being within the castle, companions will ultimately make-or-break the experience’s immersion of a magical school simulation. If done well, players will be excited to attend classes, visit Hogsmeade, and battle enemies with these companions, and it would be a cherry on top if relationships with these characters could develop and lead to other interesting interactions or events in Hogwarts Legacy.
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Hogwarts Legacy’s Companions Hopefully Come from Each House
Harry Potter only ever elaborated on companion characters who also belonged to Gryffindor. This was explained as if fans only had Harry’s perspective, and therefore the characters who were most commonly depicted were students who also belonged in the Gryffindor dormitories. However, this was ultimately limiting, as Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin could have all been harboring interesting Hogwarts students with their own nuances and problems. Gryffindor’s own Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas should have been replaced with more interesting characters Harry could have interacted with from another house, but no such diversity was afforded.
Hogwarts Legacy, rather, could rectify this. Players will hopefully be able to interact indiscriminately with myriad students from each house. If companions are scripted and limited, there will hopefully be at least one from each house to make companion selection or character interaction more dynamic and organic as a result. This way, if players begin Hogwarts Legacy as a Ravenclaw, they will then likely see Ravenclaw’s scripted companion in their respective common room, when as a Slytherin they may not have met them until later. Hogwarts Legacy has a wonderful opportunity to expand on Harry Potter lore and revitalize the franchise as its own IP, and this is one area of improvement that should certainly be capitalized on.
Hogwarts Legacy is scheduled to be released in the holiday of 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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