Hogwarts Legacy is by far the most in-depth game that the Harry Potter community has ever received, but it could learn a thing or two from its predecessors when it comes to spell mechanics. Of course, in the wizarding world, nothing is more important than learning and mastering spells (regardless of whether they're used for good or for evil). Despite the significance of this process and its open-ended possibilities, though, Hogwarts Legacy unfortunately leaves much to be desired therein - especially for those who have played the previous movie tie-in games.
In most ways, Hogwarts Legacy is a step up from previous Harry Potter games. Its open-world design finally allows witches and wizards to explore Hogwarts to their hearts' content, and being able to make impactful choices on the story lets them live out a personalized, meaningful story. But ultimately, Hogwarts Legacy can't compete with PS1's Sorcerer's Stone or Chamber of Secrets spin-off games, at least in regard to learning spells.
Learning Spells In Hogwarts Legacy Is Too Simple
To learn a spell in Hogwarts Legacy, players need to complete a one-time skill check. They're required to trace a shape with their mouse or joystick, as well as time a few button inputs that appear along the track. It's a clean and straightforward system that's easy to understand, and one that clearly draws inspiration from previous Harry Potter games.
However, its oversimplified, minimalist approach ruins what should have been one of the game's coolest mechanics. In the Sorcerer's Stone game, for example, there was at least some sort of tension involved as players needed to repeatedly and accurately draw a pattern, all while a ticking timer hastened their pace.
How Hogwarts Legacy Could Improve Learning Spells
Although it's possible to fail the minigame - or even to miss out on getting Hogwarts Legacy's Avada Kedavra curse entirely - there's virtually little to no excitement or anticipation involved in learning spells, save for perhaps the first few. This downgrade is out of place for a game that emphasizes creative use of magic, and it also doesn't make sense plot-wise. It's hard to believe that a fifth-year student (who's still catching up to their peers) can instantly master some of Harry Potter's most difficult spells.
Making the process a bit lengthier and more complex would have gone a long way toward immersion. For example, Hogwarts Legacy could have utilized the tried-and-true methods of the PS1 Harry Potter games, prompting students to repeat the exercise with increasing difficulty or added time constraints. Otherwise, there would have been plenty of ways for the game to separate itself from its predecessors, such as giving each school of magic a different minigame to switch things up.
The previous Harry Potter games have clearly inspired Hogwarts Legacy in many ways, but when it comes to learning spells, the latter sadly fails to recreate their magic. There's still ample hope for future improvements, as the open-world wizarding RPG has only just become available on next-gen console and PC platforms, and it still remains to be released for current-gen console and Nintendo Switch users. But for now, as players slowly make their way into the world of Hogwarts Legacy, they may find that they're able to get a hang of their favorite Harry Potter spells a little too quickly.
Source: Hogwarts Legacy/YouTube