Hogwarts Legacy finally got its long-awaited gameplay showing in yesterday’s State of Play broadcast, and many new details on the game have come to light since then. One of the many things about the action RPG that developer Avalanche Software is emphasizing, of course, is the fact that it’s going to be an open world experience.
And while it’s exciting enough to have an open world game set in a fully realized and detailed Hogwarts Castle, it looks like, rather than simply sticking to known details, it’s going to bring a healthy dose of its own new ideas as well.
Both within and beyond the castle itself, while Hogwarts Legacy’s open world will feature a number of locations that fans of the IP will instantly recognize, there will be plenty of new locations to explore and discover as well.
In a PlayStation Blog post, the game’s environment lead Boston Madsen said, “We built the Hogwarts we as fans ourselves wanted to explore. I think anyone who has read the books, whether they are an artist or not, has built a version of Hogwarts in their heads.
“There are familiar haunts like the Great Hall, clocktower and hospital wing, but also completely new places like the bustling kitchens. Having felt like a student in these halls myself through the development of this game, I can honestly say there are still areas I come across that I didn’t know about before.”
Meanwhile, players will also get to see the “distinct architecture, décor, and entrances” of the common room of whichever Hogwarts house they get sorted into. Slytherin’s common room entrance, for instance, vanishes “into a wall behind the slithering body of an enormous stone serpent.”
“We’re also excited to show you our takes on the not often seen Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff common rooms, Ravenclaws rest high in a tower while Hufflepuffs reside in a cozy basement,” writes Avalanche’s community manager Chandler Wood. “Expect more in-depth looks at the common rooms later this year.”
Meanwhile, moving beyond the castle itself, Avalanche says Hogwarts Legacy will place plenty of emphasis on “exploring familiar locations in a new light, like just how close Hogsmeade is to Hogwarts or seeing the Forbidden Forest in the daylight”. At the same time though, there will be completely new locations to discover beyond the castle’s grounds as well.
Game director Alan Tew says: “We wanted you to have new locations to discover; to see what lies around and beyond the Black Lake, to meet new witches and wizards in the dwellings that dot the landscape beyond Hogsmeade and learn what other undiscovered chambers lie within Hogwarts or scattered across the Scottish Highlands.”
Meanwhile, Avalanche Software has also confirmed that Hogwarts Legacy will launch with several difficulty options, and won’t feature any microtransactions. You can learn more about the game and its newly-revealed details through here.
Hogwarts Legacy will launch this Holiday for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
