Hogwarts Legacy Needs to Tread Carefully with Its Sequel's…

Summary

Nailing the main villain is the biggest challenge for Avalanche Software in a Hogwarts Legacy sequel, as the uninteresting portrayal of Ranrok in the first game left players wanting more excitement and depth.
Sebastian Sallow, who blurs the lines of morality in his pursuit of a noble goal, could be a better villain with a more compelling backstory.
Addressing the gap in Sebastian's punishment and allowing player choices to carry over through New Game Plus elements would make his story a more promising prospect than the thin storyline of the goblin uprising.

It can be difficult for developers to nail sequels of groundbreaking releases, as the weight of fan expectation regarding feature -- and in some cases, storyline -- improvement leaves little room for error. It's usually a good idea to stick to the elements that worked in a previous edition with a few cursory tweaks, but as so many follow-up releases have found in the past, a sequel that lacks significant change to its predecessor's dynamics can have a hard time finding purchase in an ever-evolving gaming market. Hogwarts Legacy's highs and lows are well-documented, and as rumors swirl regarding a potential continuation in the game's tale, Avalanche Software has to address its villain choice for a better experience in the sequel's story.

Rolling out a title with a sub-par villain structure is a recipe for chaos every developer tries to avoid, and as Dragon Age: Inquisition learned the hard way with Corypheus, it's hard to captivate an audience with an uncharismatic antagonist. There are several boxes villains have to tick in today's landscape to be memorable; from a quality backstory to character design and even execution of morality complexes. Hogwarts Legacy handled its depiction of the wizarding world well overall, but its centerpiece of Ranrok and the Goblin Revolution was largely uninteresting to players. For any sequel to match Hogwarts Legacy's commercial success, nailing all components of its main villain is the most challenging task for Avalanche Software to complete, and the developer needs to tread carefully.

Hogwarts Legacy's Sequel Needs Better Villains

Ranrok's Motivations Didn't Line Up with the Goblin Spirit

Hogwarts Legacy took full advantage of its position as the first high-profile gaming entry in the Harry Potter franchise, transfixing players with spellcasting and the intricate details of Hogwarts and surrounding areas like Hogsmeade. However, despite the expansive sightseeing on offer and exciting puzzles of the Keeper Trials, there was a sense of a missing X-factor in Hogwarts Legacy's gameplay. Ranrok's uprising formed the meat of the storyline, with players working towards an ultimate boss fight with the goblin in The Final Repository. However, the narrative had few moments of excitement and lacked some much-needed depth.

Power struggle is an age-old trope with staying power, but Hogwarts Legacy's representation left much to be desired. The average goblin was perceived as empathetic, and the dark wizard story detail felt out of place with the goblins' general character. Coupled with Ranrok's grudge against humans, which was born from an unfortunate encounter with a criminal, the pipeline to villainy didn't follow the progression one would expect for such a large-scale uprising of sensitive creatures. The first rebellion was more of a civil rights struggle and was a better fit for Hogwarts Legacy's timeline, and Ranrok's story was a thin chore to follow by comparison.

Sebastian Sallow Could Play the Antagonist Role to Perfection in a Sequel

The contrast between the goblins' empathetic nature and Ranrok's power-hungry aspirations didn't make much sense from a logical standpoint. Avalanche Software has to make a better villain choice for the sequel to make a splash in the industry. The traditional power trope for antagonists needs a compelling backstory to stick a landing, and Hogwarts Legacy's duo of Ranrok and his dark wizard ally in Viktor Rookwood didn't have enough ammo in this regard.

Already, there are talks of Sebastian Sallow's performance fitting the mold of the Harry Potter franchise's villains, and his story commands far more attention. Sebastian's gradual blurring of the lines of morality to achieve a noble goal eliminates the problem of the goblins' depiction, and the sequel could focus on Sebastian's descent into true villainy.

Although Sebastian faced expulsion from Hogwarts for his actions if players turned him in, Hogwarts Legacy didn't mete out the expected Azkaban punishment to the Slytherin wizard. A sequel should address the gap, and with the potential of player choices carrying across games through New Game Plus elements, Sebastian's tale is a better prospect than the thin story of the goblin uprising.

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Action

RPG

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OpenCritic Reviews: Top Critic Avg: 84 /100 Critics Rec: 88%

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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

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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.