Summary
2023 was undoubtedly an incredible year for gaming, but one of its most memorable titles was by far Avalanche Software’sHogwarts Legacy. The open-world adventure took players on a deep dive into the world ofHarry Potterand allowed them to create their own adventure in a universe they had previously only witnessed secondhand. However, despite the high praise it received,Hogwarts Legacywasn’t a perfect game by any means. Much of its criticism was aimed at its repetitive and all-too-familiar open world, but there is one other feature that proved to be arguably more divisive than anything else: its handling of the Unforgivable Curses.
At some point in one ofHogwarts Legacy’s side stories, players unlock the ability to learn and usethe Unforgivable Curses - Crucio, Imperio, and Avada Kedavra. According toHarry Potterlore, these curses are deemed “unforgivable” due to their morbid and immoral nature, and casting one would result in immediate life imprisonment in Azkaban. InHogwarts Legacy, however, players can use Unforgivable Curses without punishment, which ultimately divided the game’s dedicatedHarry Potterenthusiasts. Now, with the almost guaranteed prospect of a sequel on the horizon, Avalanche can’t turn back on its decision regarding the Unforgivable Curses, despite the criticism it received.
Hogwarts Legacy 2 Shouldn’t Punish Players for Using Unforgivable Curses
It’s Too Late for Hogwarts Legacy to Change Its Mind About the Unforgivable Curses
Due to the massive amount of criticism garnered byHogwarts Legacy’s treatment of the Unforgivable Curses, developer Avalanche might be tempted to walk back its decision in a sequel. While that could indeed improve the game’s reception by loyalHarry Potterfans, it could very well accomplish the opposite. The choice to treat these powerful spells differently inHogwarts Legacy 2could be seen as pandering or hypocritical, but it would also simply be difficult to implement, now that the world ofHogwarts Legacyhas been established.
If Avalanche were topunish players for using Unforgivable Curses inHogwarts Legacy 2, the first game would need to be updated accordingly. Unfortunately, that would not be an easy task to accomplish, as it would require a significant amount of dialogue and animation updates, along with possibly rewriting the entire story. IfHogwarts Legacy 2does punish players for using the Unforgivable Curses and the first game is not updated to maintain consistency between the two titles, however, there are still other ways a sequel could address the controversy.
Hogwarts Legacy 2’s Unforgivable Curses Could Respond to Criticism in Other Ways
The best way for Avalanche to avoid this controversy in a sequel would be toremove the Unforgivable Curses fromHogwarts Legacy 2entirely. While this decision might seem inconsistent at first,Hogwarts Legacy 2could take place in a completely different time period, effectively separating it from its predecessor and allowing such changes to take place without much objection. The world ofHogwarts Legacywould be better off without the Unforgivable Curses, after all, and it would prevent a sequel from requiring a narrative-altering morality system.
The best way for Avalanche to avoid this controversy in a sequel would be to remove the Unforgivable Curses fromHogwarts Legacy 2entirely.
Another wayHogwarts Legacy 2could respond to criticism of its predecessor’s treatment of the Unforgivable Curses would be to allow players to predetermine amorality path for theirHogwarts Legacy2 characterbefore beginning their game. This would forbid “good” characters from using the spells and simultaneously allow “evil” characters to use them with the foreknowledge that they would be punished for it.
Whether Avalanche chooses to continue allowing players to use the Unforgivable Curses without punishment inHogwarts Legacy 2remains to be seen. However, it would make more sense for the developer to lie in the bed it has already made concerning the spells rather than reverting due to criticism. At the very least, players can expect another grand adventure in the Wizarding World onceHogwarts Legacy 2is released.
Hogwarts Legacy
WHERE TO PLAY
Hogwarts Legacy is an immersive, open-world action RPG set in the world first introduced in the Harry Potter books. For the first time, experience Hogwarts in the 1800s. Your character is a student who holds the key to an ancient secret that threatens to tear the wizarding world apart. Now you can take control of the action and be at the center of your own adventure in the wizarding world. Your legacy is what you make of it.Explore an Open WorldThe wizarding world awaits you. Freely roam Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, the Forbidden Forest, and the surrounding Overland area.Be the Witch or Wizard You Want to beLearn spells, brew potions, grow plants, and tend to magical beasts along your journey. Get sorted into your house, forge relationships, and master skills to become the witch or wizard you want to be Experience a New Wizarding World AdventureExperience the wizarding world in an unexplored era to uncover a hidden truth from its past. Battle against trolls, Dark Wizards, goblins, and more as you face a dangerous villain threatening the fate of the wizarding world.
