What makes "Hogwarts Legacy" so popular?

Due to the "Harry Potter" IP's enormous global prominence over the past year, many book and movie enthusiasts in addition to gamers have become aware of this open-world game that is allegedly "highly polished."

Additionally, "Hogwarts Legacy" not only made the TGA shortlist for the most anticipated new work last year, but also topped the Steam sales chart for "pre-orders" a week before its official release.

This is another traditional subject, and the attention and expectations it has garnered in advance of its publication may not be favorable to the success of the movie adaptation.

IP may certainly draw in a lot of fan groups, and this group is known for being eager to purchase it as long as they can "repair" it; yet, fans will also scrutinize it with the most critical eyes. The phrase "restore" is simple to pronounce in this game, but it is difficult to use in a work like Harry Potter that has complex settings and worldviews.

Hardcore players that are not part of the fan base tend to pay greater attention to the gameplay, aesthetics, system, and operating environment of the product. It appears to be an open universe at first, and they frequently have to add another query: Is this a generic, uniform open world game?

It must be acknowledged that "reduction" is the fundamental component that makes "Hogwarts Legacy" brilliant.

The term "restore" used here refers to the recreation of the original settings, details, and world views as well as the ability to provide players a true sense of immersion.

The tricky point of the game is that this time it finally no longer allows players to play "Harry Potter".

In the past, whenever a movie was published by Warner, a game with the same name was also launched. As a result, these eight games have inevitably become the most well-known gaming works in the IP.

Yet, it might be to catch up with the plot of the film. Harry Potter, the game's main character, is controlled by the players. The last two games in the series' series generally have gameplay that mirrors the plots of the relevant movies. In addition, it has evolved from the initial "college RPG" to a "third-person shooter," and IP games now include a lowest score option.

This time, "Hogwarts Legacy" chose to explicitly forsake the timeline of the original work, and set up a new stove to situate the action in more than 100 years before the main story, and none of the characters in the original work appeared. In addition to properly avoiding possible storyline conflicts in some games and novels, this design also gives a stage for developers to introduce new characters and stories.

The new story's capacity to "let gamers play themselves" is one of its advantages. As everyone is aware, Harry Potter belongs to Gryffindor, Ron Hermione is Harry Potter's friend, and Voldemort was defeated by Harry Potter.

Within such a well-established framework, the player is more like an observer following the action; everything they do is to move the character toward a story with a predetermined conclusion, which makes it difficult to create a sense of substitution.

In "Hogwarts Legacy," the player assumes the role of their true selves, who can alter their look, name, and voice. As a fifth-grade transfer student, they can also choose which of the four institutions they want to attend. , get your own wand and broom, put on your preferred attire, and encounter fresh foes and allies in the future.

Such requirements allow for the spontaneous development of numerous original stories, magic, and settings.

Harry Potter-esque foes can be defeated without the use of only magic wands. If you're interested in Hogwarts herbalism, you can use a mandrake to reduce the enemy's combat power during a battle; alternatively, if you're skilled with potions, you can drink a bottle of boiling invisibility potion to make yourself invisible to the adversary.

Even in the most intense wand combat, spells can be strengthened by talents that can be unlocked based on the fighting style.

The fact that "Legend of Hogwarts" is an open world game is another factor in the game's success. You may actually see icons with various functions all over the screen if you open the map. They stand in for various side missions, reward dungeons, and unlocking treasures.

In the game process, there are a lot of collection items and exploration points, but the most of them are tied to a fundamental spell or gameplay element. At the later stages, there will be a sense of growth like "collecting props - learning more stronger unlocking spells - opening more complex locks." This is because the aforesaid unlocking spell is tied to another collection element.

The fact that these "icons on the map" or side quests actually always carefully adhere to the notion of magic, wrapping an initially common gameplay with details, is a significant factor in why all of this may keep players interested in the game. An alternative "magic version."

For players who come here for the IP, taking classes at Hogwarts, raising magical animals, and exploring the magical world are what they desire.

They are willing to enter the play and won't be aware of the "homogenization" of various jobs as long as the game is sufficiently restored, the various gameplays are packaged well enough, and the sensation of immersion is strong enough. As a result, they will inevitably give the game a positive review.

The phrase "those who know the secret of magic don't think magic is amazing" comes to mind when reading this.