PlayStation’s latest State of Play, focusing exclusively on Hogwarts Legacy, has revealed a plethora of details on the game as well as a Holiday 2022 release window. Watching the 20-minute presentation shows the efforts that Avalanche Software has brought to bringing the iconic academy of witchcraft and wizardry to life, as it adapts multiple areas from the books that have never been realized on screen.
The many secrets revealed by Hogwarts Legacy State of Play
Since the lengthy presentation goes into extensive detail, let’s just break down some of the more important highlights. The narrative thread running through Hogwarts Legacy is that you are arriving late at Hogwarts as a fifth-year student in the 1800s who, unlike other students and even many of the school’s professors, has the uncanny ability to see ancient magic. Something is behind the return of the forgotten magic, and so you will aid Professor Figg to discover whether the goblin rebellion and a group of dark wizards are the cause.
After crafting your character and being sorted into one of the Houses, you will attend various classes, brew potions, grow plants, uncover hidden passageways throughout the castle, and solve puzzles to access other areas. All the skills you learn and the companions you befriend here will benefit you in your adventure beyond school grounds in Hogsmeade, dungeons, and open areas where you can rescue and remove the growing corruption that threatens to turn magical beasts into monsters.
Combat looks extremely swift compared to the movies. You can chain blasting curses and stunning spells, mixing and matching incantations to create high-damage aerial juggles. Here, you will need to choose between the more benevolent option of subduing and incapacitating foes, or using forbidden spells like Avada Kedavra which will put you down a darker path.
As for customization, you can use resources like Moonstone to create potion stations and potted plants in The Room of Requirement and conjure housing out of thin air. (I can only hope I can make a cottage full of lovable cats.) The progression and customization systems look quite deep as well, allowing you to pour Talent Points into various skill trees like Stealth and craft enchanted weapon with different traits and appearances.
While the comments from controversial author J.K. Rowling has created a boycott of the game since 2020, she had no part in the production of the game. Hogwarts Legacy is set to release for the coming holiday season for PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
In other news, 2K has revealed a debut trailer for the teen-horror game The Quarry, and the Resident Evil Netflix series will be arriving in July.
