Need some more hype to tide you over until Warner Bros Games and Avalanche Software release Hogwarts Legacy from 10 February 2023? Both publisher and developer has shared a new half-hour long gameplay showcase for the upcoming open-world action-RPG, which takes much of the action away from the Hogwarts grounds and instead focuses on the open world environments available to explore, the Dark Arts Battle Arena, and how you can personalise your own Room of Requirement area.
Video Breakdown
In the first section of gameplay, the player, a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the late 1800s, mounts their broom flying low over the open world. Flying above the Scottish Highlands, the player lands to explore a hamlet which provides an opportunity to meet different witches and wizards while also participating in quest opportunities. The player then mounts an Onyx Hippogriff (a Hippogriff variant exclusive to pre-orders) to traverse the landscape as it changes to winter and the land is covered by snow.
In a deeper dive of the combat, the player, wearing the Dark Arts cosmetic set, walks through the Forbidden Forest before riding a Thestral to the Dark Arts Battle Arena. The Dark Arts Cosmetic Set, Thestral Mount, and Dark Arts Battle Arena are available exclusively in the Hogwarts Legacy Deluxe Edition or for purchase in-game in the Dark Arts Pack. The player immediately casts an Avada Kedavra spell to show the enemy’s health bar instantly go to zero. Tools such as potions and plants from the Room of Requirement can be brought with the player into combat to help defeat enemies more efficiently.
In the final video, the player visits the Room of Requirement. The entire space can be personalized and the architecture can be changed as the player conjures objects into the space. Conjurations can be found at Tomes and Scrolls in Hogsmeade or rewarded for completing various activities throughout the game. Utility items like planting pots and brewing stations can also be customized. Over the course of gameplay, the player will be able to conjure the Loom which can be used to customize and add magical properties to their gear. And finally, the player walks to the Vivarium where beasts are cared for. A Graphorn, Niffler, Kneazle and Mooncalf are revealed. By petting and feeding a beast, they will give the player the magical ingredients needed to customize and upgrade their gear. A toy chest is also available to play with the beasts and the beasts can be given individual names.
Developed by Avalanche Software and being published by Warner Bros. Games and Portkey Games, Hogwarts Legacy will first launch worldwide on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC platforms starting 10 February 2023. Those with only last generation hardware will have to wait until 4 April 2023 for a planned PlayStation 4 and Xbox One release. Primarily Nintendo Switch gamers will unfortunately need to wait until 25 July 2023 to dive into Hogwarts Legacy.
