Hogwarts Legacy is slated to release later this year and was only announced mere months ago. Still, players have burning questions about the plot, setting, and characters, namely the protagonist and character customization.
Though some have considered Cyberpunk 2077‘s story to be strong, the character customization and lifepath options for V have been largely criticized. Picking or being assigned to a Hogwarts house has been largely speculated on and as one of the main draws of the Harry Potter series and its subsidies, it’s bound to be under scrutiny. As two games that both borrow from long-running franchises, Hogwarts Legacy can learn from Cyberpunk‘s mistakes in this way.
Footage of Hogwarts Legacy‘s character creation menu was leaked back in 2018, showing off extensive options for the player character’s physical attributes. In the leaked footage, a small icon indicating the Sorting Hat can be seen, but how exactly sorting will be handled is still unknown. Will it be similar to Pottermore’s official quizzes, tasking the player with a series of questions? Or will the player simply get to choose their Hogwarts house?
On the Hogwarts Legacy FAQ page, it directly says, “Players can choose their Hogwarts house at the start of Hogwarts Legacy. We’ll have more details to share at a later time.” Some are taking this to mean literally, however, other players theorize this could simply mean players can “override” the Sorting Hat, similar to how Harry chooses Gryffindor when the Hat wanted to assign him to Slytherin. Fans are largely divided on which of these options they feel would be best.
Additionally, as an open-world RPG, it’s likely that Hogwarts Legacy will have some sort of skill tree menu and possibly tailorable school subjects. But how will the Hogwarts houses influence these skills as well as opportunities, side quests, and companions? Will house assignment determine the protagonist’s key attributes, or will the player’s characteristics determine the house?
Prior to its release, Cyberpunk 2077 hyped up its character creation tools, specifically, the three lifepaths: Corpo, Nomad, and Streetkid. Prospective players were getting excited over the idea that a chosen lifepath would largely shape their experience of Cyberpunk 2077. For example, based on trailers and previously released information, it was thought that choosing the Corpo path would give V exclusive access to areas and NPCs with high status.
In reality, V loses their status in a matter of minutes and starts from the ground up, the same way they would with Streetkid or Nomad. No lifepath has a big impact on the main story itself, aside from some dialogue options. No questline branches or exclusive NPCs are offered between the differing lifepaths, except for Alanah Pearce’s character, who can only be met if V chooses the Nomad option. Additionally, each intro within these origins can be completed within 15 to 30 minutes. Many players felt underwhelmed by this aspect of Cyberpunk because of how much attention it was given on social media, driving them to feel misled. But because of the major influence the Sorting Hat will have on Hogwarts Legacy, Avalanche can learn from Cyberpunk‘s downfall in this area.
Similar to how Harry became friends with other Gryffindors like Neville Longbottom and Dean Thomas after being sent to Gryffindor House, it would make sense for different NPCs to befriend the protagonist based on which house they get sorted into. Likewise, professors students often grow close to typically depend on their house, such as McGonagall in Gryffindor or Snape in Slytherin.
This could lead to a number of quests or questlines becoming available for each Hogwarts house, leading to higher replayability value. Perhaps it would be easier for a Slytherin student to get wrapped up in the Dark Arts or for a Ravenclaw to excel academically and become Head Boy or Head Girl. Opportunities like this did not arise in Cyberpunk playthroughs, resulting in the lifepath mechanic being widely criticized.
Hogwarts Legacy is geared towards being just that: the player’s legacy and shaping the Wizarding World. Hopefully, this means player decisions and origins will have a bigger impact on how the story unfolds than it did with Cyberpunk 2077.
Hogwarts Legacy is currently in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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