When Hogwarts Legacy was first announced, it promised players a chance to tell their own story through an immersive foray into the Harry Potter universe. Unfortunately, many fans feel as though developers are already failing to deliver what has been advertised. Hogwarts Legacy is looking less open-ended than what was expected, with player freedom and flexibility being stifled in various areas of the game. One of the biggest disappointments comes in the form of the game's character creation system, though.
The game's marketing has always included customization options as a significant gameplay staple. Hogwarts Legacy allows for trans wizards and witches, players can select their own Hogwarts House, and according to marketing, they'll be able to make an avatar that reflects their own personal journey through the Harry Potter universe. However, doing so might be more difficult than anticipated. Hogwarts Legacy's character creation menu has no sliders, or at least none have been shown yet. Instead, players will choose from a preset selection of options for each physical trait.
Hogwarts Legacy Players Can't Fully Immerse Themselves
By utilizing this method of customization, Hogwarts Legacy players may, at best, only be able to recreate a close approximation of what they look like by choosing a face shape or nose that looks similar to theirs. That said, no amount of options can fully and accurately represent all Harry Potter fans. Seeing as Hogwarts Legacy was delayed again until 2023 after quite a few other roadblocks, it's disappointing that developers won't be taking the extra time to make the experience more truly immersive as promised. Character creation isn't the only gameplay aspect that's letting fans down, though.
There are various other areas of the wizarding world that could afford to be more open. Various small details that helped bring the universe to life within the Harry Potter books and movies will be missing from Hogwarts Legacy, such as activities like Gobstones and Wizard’s Chess. While DLC might be able to add in some of these elements post-launch, it's unfortunate that players won't be able to fully embrace the whimsy of the setting right off the bat. Although Hogwarts Legacy is going to keep players busy regardless, having more options for hobbies or activities would allow players to better choose how to distribute their time, potentially making their character feel more accurate to their true self.
With luck, the game's conversations and story decisions will at least allow some level of player control. There are still plenty of activities to participate in, clothing options to purchase, and unique areas to explore. Ideally, Hogwarts Legacy will more than make up for its lackluster character creation system. Still, it may prove harder for some to get completely immersed in the story when its main focus - for players to see themselves control the narrative - isn't actually possible due to the inability to accurately represent themselves as a wizard. Even Hogwarts Legacy's most unexpected moral choices may not be able to keep Harry Potter fans personally invested.