What Hogwarts Legacy Could Learn From Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Besides the similar setting, the Harry Potter universe's Hogwarts Legacy could have quite a few similarities to Fire Emblem: Three Houses. The different houses the player needs to choose from certainly isn’t something Three Houses invented, but the way it shaped its story around the separate divisions of its primary institution could translate very well to Hogwarts Legacy, given the similar dynamics the Hogwart's houses share.

Hogwarts Legacy is an open-world adventure set in a new time period with a whole new story - a story that players will get to shape themselves. It has been delayed to 2022, and developer Avalanche Software will hopefully be able to do their vision for the venerable magical institution justice. Because the game remains a ways out, not much is known about Hogwarts Legacy beyond its setting and a few core design elements. It appears, at least so far, to be a more customizable game where players can make their own characters and choose their house.

Each house could have its own version of the overall story. This could be a good decision for a few reasons. For one thing, it could allow for more replayability, with essentially four different story permutations based on a player's choice of house. These stories could, and choices made along the way, might also have the opportunity to alter the character of Hogwarts itself over the course of time, and similar themes have already been explored by Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

How Fire Emblem: Three Houses Could Inspire Hogwarts Legacy

A characters faces a dragon in Hogwarts Legacy

One of the main gameplay mechanics of Fire Emblem: Three Houses is building relationships with the player’s house members. While this was entirely optional in that game, it might represent a novel opportunity for Hogwarts Legacy. It would immerse the player into the world and make them feel like they’re actually at Hogwarts interacting with their fellow students. These relationships wouldn't need to be confined to just their house, either. Just as in Three Houses, the player could build relationships with members in each house, including the professors. These relationships could also affect the gameplay and storyline depending on who the player is and isn’t close to.

Another big portion of the gameplay in Fire Emblem: Three Houses is dedicated to the classroom where the player must help their students learn various subjects. This concept would obviously fit well into Hogwarts Legacy's wizarding lessons, especially because this is also common to the books. Players could attend each of their character’s classes and go through the motions of learning the material. The skills the player’s character might learn could also be tied to their fighting capabilities as well, perhaps as a leveling or skill tree system.

There are also the mundane aspects of Fire Emblem: Three Houses to consider, where players can go fishing, grow plants in the green house, or help out the students, and these sorts of activities would likely also be a great addition to Hogwarts Legacy. For people who have been fans of Harry Potter for a long time, simply being able to immerse themselves into life at Hogwarts would be a dream. While Hogwarts Legacy may not have a canon story, and probably shouldn't be a mere clone of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, there is quite a lot that this Harry Potter title could learn from the interesting ways Three Houses allowed its factions to interact.

Next: Hogwarts Legacy Character Creation Allows For Trans Witches & Wizards

Hogwarts Legacy is set to release in 2022 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

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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