Summary
- Hogwarts Legacy can learn from Marvel's Spider-Man 2's approach to sequels, which focused on expanding the original map and enhancing the existing open world.
- Just like Marvel's Spider-Man, Hogwarts Legacy has built strong foundations for a successful sequel by delivering a fantastic recreation of beloved locations within the Wizarding World.
- Instead of creating a new locale or revamping the world, a potential Hogwarts Legacy sequel should simply expand upon the existing game world and tell another magical adventure within its boundaries.
This year, players have been treated to some pretty exciting titles set within some of the biggest pre-established IPs out there. The two most prominent of these adventures came in the form of Avalanche's Hogwarts Legacy and Insomniac's Marvel's Spider-Man 2. While these two games are very different from each other, Hogwarts Legacy may actually have a few things to learn from the way Insomniac Games approaches the concept.
Instead of reinventing the wheel with Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Insomniac Games chose to do sequels a bit differently. At first glance, taking the original map and just expanding upon it may seem like taking the easy way out, but in actuality it made for a fantastic experience that fans of the web-slinger may not soon forget, which is why Hogwarts Legacy's eventual sequel may want to take some notes.
Hogwarts Legacy and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Might Be in the Same Boat
Hogwarts Legacy and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora are drastically different games, but there are a few big things they share in common right now.
Hogwarts Legacy's Sequel Doesn't Need to Go Big to Be Good
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Does Sequels Right
With Marvel's Spider-Man, Insomniac Games was able to deliver an exciting version of New York City that was filled to the brim with Marvel Easter eggs to discover. The way it was constructed made it feel ripped straight from the page while navigating it was a fantastic treat for Spidey fans everywhere. Couple that with the riveting story and fast-paced combat that the studio crafted, and it made for one of the best superhero games around.
Instead of exploring a whole new locale with Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, the studio decided to just stick with the New York City it had created for the original game. This time, it was just covered in snow and slightly tweaked based on the game's story. This allowed the studio to focus more on the character himself and the story it was telling, and let players traverse a city that they had already grown familiar with through that original game.
While some studios may have brought players to a brand-new area for the full sequel, Insomniac approached Marvel's Spider-Man 2's open world a bit differently. It took that city that fans had been exploring for two games, added a couple more areas, and let players explore it all once more. Since that original game already had a great open world, this expanded version just made it even better.
Hogwarts Legacy Already Built The Foundations for a Successful Sequel
Just like with Marvel's Spider-Man, Hogwarts Legacy has built some pretty strong foundations for sequels to expand upon. The game was a massive success for Warner Bros, so there is an extremely strong chance that a sequel will release sometime this generation. And when it does, Avalanche Software has the opportunity to make something pretty special for fans of the Wizarding World.
Hogwarts Legacy has already given Wizarding World fans a fantastic recreation of some of their favorite locales. The eventual sequel could take that same game world, expand upon it with new areas like Diagon Alley, and then deliver another magical adventure for fans to enjoy. There is seemingly no reason for Avalanche to set the game in an entirely new locale, nor does it make much sense to completely revamp the world it has already created. Instead, it can simply expand it, and then focus on telling another wonderful story within its boundaries.
While crafting a new open world could give the developers new story opportunities, Harry Potter fans will likely not want to get taken away from Hogwarts. So, it would only make sense for the studio to just do what Marvel's Spider-Man 2 did, even if that means retreading familiar ground.
Hogwarts Legacy
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 84 /100 Critics Rec: 88%
- Released
- February 10, 2023
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Avalanche Software
- Publisher(s)
- Warner Bros. Games
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Cross-Platform Play
- Hogwarts Legacy doesn't have crossplay or crossplatform support
- Cross Save
- you can freely use your saved data between each console as long as you are connected to the internet and signed into the same account where the saved data was created
WHERE TO PLAY
Hogwarts Legacy is an immersive, open-world action RPG set in the world first introduced in the Harry Potter books. For the first time, experience Hogwarts in the 1800s. Your character is a student who holds the key to an ancient secret that threatens to tear the wizarding world apart. Now you can take control of the action and be at the center of your own adventure in the wizarding world. Your legacy is what you make of it.
Explore an Open World
The wizarding world awaits you. Freely roam Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, the Forbidden Forest, and the surrounding Overland area.
Be the Witch or Wizard You Want to be
Learn spells, brew potions, grow plants, and tend to magical beasts along your journey. Get sorted into your house, forge relationships, and master skills to become the witch or wizard you want to be Experience a New Wizarding World Adventure
Experience the wizarding world in an unexplored era to uncover a hidden truth from its past. Battle against trolls, Dark Wizards, goblins, and more as you face a dangerous villain threatening the fate of the wizarding world.
- Franchise
- Harry Potter
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC
- How Long To Beat
- 26 Hours
- Metascore
- 84
