It's difficult to articulate just how influential Harry Potter was and continues to be. The franchise was a global phenomenon in every sense, and its influence cannot be understated. Even Fire Emblem, a thirty-year-old, tactical RPG game series from Japan, has taken cues from the wizarding world. In Fire Emblem: Three Houses, players control a professor who joins one of three student houses and teaches at a castle-like monastery – it has Hogwarts written all over it. Now, in anticipation of Hogwarts Legacy's release sometime in 2022, it's Harry Potter's turn to take inspiration from Fire Emblem.
Overall, what set Fire Emblem: Three Houses apart from other entries in the franchise was the developers' choice to double down on character socialization. Other Fire Emblem games featured support conversations, sure, but no other game in the series is as character-driven as Three Houses. Although little has been revealed about Hogwarts Legacy, taking what worked in Three Houses and adapting it for the Harry Potter universe is a recipe for success. That means giving players the same sort of consequential autonomy they had in Three Houses.
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In Fire Emblem: Three Houses, players increased their units' weapon skill level by instructing them in one-on-one lessons. How much a student learned depended on how motivated they were, and players could motivate students in Three Houses by returning their lost items, dining with them, and giving them gifts. This system was satisfying not only because it incentivized players to engage with students outside of class, but because it gave players the freedom to decide what their units would be good at.
Although there's no obvious equivalent to Fire Emblem's numerous weapons in Harry Potter, a similar mechanic would serve Hogwarts Legacy well. Changing gameplay in response to what players decide they want to boost their skills in – whether it be charms, defense against the dark arts, potions, or some other field – makes for fun decision making. In an open-world game the size of the Wizarding World, these sorts of choices are essential to engaging the player.
When Nintendo was marketing Fire Emblem: Three Houses, many of its promotional videos showcased the personalities of each house at the Officers' Academy. Players who had been keeping up with these videos likely had an understanding of each house's general personality, even before starting the game. Showcasing and categorizing the game's personalities into distinct houses made it easier for the player to pick a house and, by extension, choose which of the game's three paths to follow.
While many fans of the Harry Potter franchise have characterized the four houses at Hogwarts, there is still some ambiguity as to who belongs where. The personality of a Hufflepuff, for example, could use some clarification, and Hogwarts Legacy would do well to make clear the vibes of each house. Doing so would give players an idea about what sort of opportunities and characters they'll come across as a result of their decision.
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Looking back at Harry Potter's legacy, the characters stand out as the most memorable part of the stories. For this reason, it's important that Hogwarts Legacy let players directly and meaningfully interact with other characters in the game, just as Fire Emblem has done in the past. In Three Houses (and games like Fire Emblem Awakening and Fire Emblem Fates) the interactions between characters actually determined important parts of the game. The spouses, children, and availability of each character were determined by the player's socialization with their units. Hogwarts Legacy could include these mechanics to make interacting with characters an important aspect of the game.
The sheer scope Hogwarts Legacy is audacious, to say the least. The world of Harry Potter is immense and full of intricate details, and capturing that world in a video game is sure to be a sizeable undertaking. By focusing on the interactions and relationships between its characters, however, Hogwarts Legacy can create a world that feels alive. In Fire Emblem: Three Houses, the world came to life through character dialogue and the consequences of players' decisions. If Hogwarts Legacy can manage to do the same, then its world, regardless of its size, will feel alive.
Hogwarts Legacy is scheduled to release in 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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