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After a long period of silence, the open-world action RPG Hogwarts Legacy, which features the world of the fantastical harry pottery, finally unveiled a new live-action demo at Sony's State of Play on March 18, 2022.
This article will introduce 7 key points worth paying attention to based on the content of the real machine demonstration and the relevant information published on the PS Blog.
First, the protagonist is not Harry Potter
Although this game is a "Harry Potter" game, the protagonist is not Harry Potter, and players can create a wizard as the protagonist according to their own preferences (freely choose gender).
The protagonist begins the game as a 5th grader at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, deciding whether he wants to join Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff through the Sorting Hat Ceremony, and subsequently taking related magic lessons.
At the game level, this game is a single-player open-world action RPG game.
Second, in addition to the elaborate magic academy, players can also go out and explore
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which is the stage of the game, was designed by the development team according to their own imagination. Nevertheless, we can still see well-known places such as the school lobby, the clock tower, the infirmary, the no-entry area of the library, and hidden rooms. In the real-life demonstration released by the "State of Play", you can also see a lot of magic-driven mechanisms and kitchen specific designs, and every detail can make fans of the original book smile.
In addition to Hogwarts House, players can also visit the area outside the castle, led by Hogsmeade Village. As you can see from the "State of Play" live demonstration, these areas will contain a variety of rich terrain such as forest trails, ocean coasts, underground sanctuaries, and quarries that can be reached by magic.
For an open-world game, the real-time change of day and night and weather system may not be unusual, but the seasons that change according to the progress of the school year can be called a major feature of the game. Even if it is the same scene, you can see a completely different scene when you visit in different seasons.
In addition, the development team seems to pay more attention to the fun of the game itself than to the restoration of the original novel and the movie. While it's impossible to completely ignore the original, the game is designed to be quickly up and down with players.
Third, it can ride a broom and an eagle-headed horse with winged beasts to move
As long as wizards are mentioned, there must be a bridge section that rides a broom in the air. In this game, players can also ride a broom to move, which is a system that complements the game's vast open-world design. It is worth mentioning that the winged beast with the eagle head horse that appeared in the original game will also become one of the means of movement available to players.
4. Gorgeous battles based on magic
As an action RPG game, the combat gameplay of this game is mainly to use various magic to fight. In addition to other wizards, the enemies that players have to face in the game include fantasy creatures such as mountain monsters, dragons, and goblins. In the current public "State of Play" live demonstration, we can already see the following magic:
・"Fly around" that can control the movement of items
・Flames that ignite targets (in this game, this spell also has the effect of hitting enemies)
・The "all-through petrochemical" that makes the other party into a petrified state
・The "Phantom Body Charm" that can hide the body and enter the stealth state
Although the specific operation of releasing the spell is still unknown, it can be seen that the battle includes controlling the powder keg to smash into the enemy, dodging the enemy's attack at high speed, and counterattacking with falling thunder, and the overall action design is light and gorgeous. In addition, in the demonstration, you can also see the bridge section that takes away the enemy's weapons and magic to attack and evade the enemy's line of sight for stealth, which shows that the combat gameplay of this game should be very imaginative.
Items that actively help with combat, such as magic potions and magical plants, also play an important role in the game (the demo shows the use of Mandela grass to stun enemies). In this live machine demo, the "compound decoction" that can be transformed has appeared, but it is unclear whether it can be used in combat or just specific props for certain tasks.
It is worth mentioning that this game also provides difficulty options, so even players who are not good at playing action games can experience it without any pressure.
Fifth, indispensable cultivation and customization elements
RPG-style growth factors are naturally not absent. Players can gain experience by traveling around the world to complete challenges and strengthen elements such as spells, magic potions, and magic plants. Equipment items obtained from treasure chests or shops can be used in the game's manufacturing system in addition to enhancing the character itself. Overall, the character development gameplay is still very rich.
The "House of Requirement", which appeared in the original book, seems to be the protagonist's stronghold in this game, where players can grow magic plants and mix magic potions. Judging from the demonstration, the cultivation time of magic plants is about 30 minutes. In addition, the demo also briefly appeared in the interface where the facilities can be freely planned, does this mean that the game also has some simulated business elements?
The rebellion of the elves and ancient magic will be the key to the story
The game is set in the second half of the 19th century, when the wizarding world is under threat from elves. The leader of the elves, Ranlock, not only hated wizards, but also had seen and coveted sealed magic. Behind Ranlock, there is also a dark wizard who secretly supports him, "Victor Roco V". The first thing players have to do in the game is to expose the evil deeds of LangLock and Victor and stop their evil plans. Along the way, the protagonist seems to be inextricably linked to ancient magic, which is likely to be the key to the whole story.
Although it has been announced that Professor Elishaal Fige, a character who will help the player investigate the rumors of the elven rebellion, more information beyond this is still unknown.
Seventh, you can deepen your ties with your companions and embark on adventures together
Although the official has not yet revealed more information about the characters who appeared on the scene, as a single-player game, I believe that there must be many professors, teachers and classmates and friends in the game with whom the protagonist can have a good relationship. In the currently known intelligence, it has become a system for deepening the relationship with classmates, so that you can learn special abilities, and if the relationship goes further, you can also become a system for companions to carry out adventures together.
According to PS.Blog's published preview article, there will be a student named "Weasley" in the game, if you are familiar enough with the original, you must be more looking forward to it.
Hogwarts Legacy is scheduled to be released during the winter holidays of 2022 and will land on the NS/PS5/PS4/XSX/Xbox One/PC platform.