While released content for Hogwarts Legacy is currently limited, it is already clear that the new addition to the Harry Potter franchise is planning on an open world game with active exploration. With access to areas like Hogsmeade and the Forbidden Forest, as well as Hogwarts itself, it is clear that this game is planning on taking the magical world of Harry Potter to the next level for fans of the series and gamers alike. However, in the past Harry Potter games have been linear, with limited exploration available to players. What can Hogwarts Legacy learn from open world games like Skyrim that have set the standard for RPG exploration?

From what has been released so far, Hogwarts Legacy appears to have an extensive character building option, as well as a large map with plenty of room for content such as a primary storyline and exploratory quests. For many players, roaming through the map of Hogwarts Legacy as an open world, while being able to customize a truly unique character, helps to immerse the player in the storyline as well as encourage replay value. By creating a character that is entirely their own, the experience feels different and fulfilling every time a player starts over. This is something that largely popular and successful games such as Skyrim nailed down years ago. Every replay is like a new game as a new character takes up the journey.

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The most important point Hogwarts Legacy must get right, however, is balancing the open world map. Games like Skyrim have managed a perfect balance between exploration and story for players to shift between. Side quests that promote narrative points while offering a chance to see a new part of the map, or find a new Hogwarts Legacy beast in the Forbidden Forest, will be the key to success for a franchise hoping to succeed with a massive open world game. Without content to make exploration purposeful, the game will be boring and feel empty. Skyrim avoided this by adding plenty of side stories and quests that vary in requirements, extending adventures to players who might want to take a break from the main plot. Choice is the key for any game that offers a whole world to a character. The map must have rewards that make it worth exploring.

Hogwarts Legacy Offers An Open World Experience

Two Hogwarts Legacy students pointing their wands into a cauldron while mixing a potion, which is giving off purple sparks.

Games like Skyrim have found the perfect balance of plot with purpose. Quests don't feel bogged down and include adventure and challenge across the board. Some quests are much higher in difficulty than others, while the main storyline is enriched by what players accomplish before going to the main plot points on the map. By making sure that everything players do affects the story they are immersed in, the exploration process is rewarding. If Hogwarts Legacy is able to integrate the world into it's story, and put value on side quests and a filled-out map, the game could be very successful. A map that has no weight or purpose will not feel worth exploring or useful to the game, so quality content is key.

Open world games have become a work of art in the gaming community, and games like Skyrim set the benchmark for including a well-balanced plot alongside an expansive world worth adventuring out into. With attention to detail, and a careful combination of exploration and main plot events, Hogwarts Legacy could easily join the best of the genre. By bringing a well-loved world like Harry Potter to life, fans finally have the chance to explore Hogwarts like never before. With luck the world will be filled with everything a gamer could possibly want, and the magic that every fan has dreamed of.

Next: How J.K. Rowling's Controversies Affect The New Harry Potter Game

Editor’s Note: Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling has been accused of transphobia by those in the LGBTQ+ community. Although not directly involved in the development of Hogwarts Legacy, Rowling does stand to earn royalties from the game. We would like to reiterate our support for trans rights and that trans identities are valid. Support services are listed below for trans people impacted by discussions of transphobia.

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