Hogwarts Legacy’s biggest pull is that players will be able to stroll about on the castle grounds of Hogwarts and explore the iconography that they have become incredibly familiar with since reading J.K. Rowling’sHarry Potternovels. This includes the castle’s interior, full of rustic stone,distinct Hogwarts house tapestries, and magic enchantments on dormitory portraits and atrium staircases.
Players will attend diverse classes, ride fantastic beasts, and even venture out off the school grounds and into Hogsmeade Village. Broomsticks are available for players to fly on, but it is still undeterminedwhetherHogwarts Legacywill feature a playable Quidditch mini-gameor not. There is one stipulation, however, that will have an effect on the expectations players may have on these features that they will not get to experience, at least not directly.Hogwarts Legacyhas been confirmed not to feature any online or network functionality, and will be single-player exclusively.
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Hogwarts Legacy is Fully Singleplayer with No Online or Co-Op Gameplay
Many fans who were excited to roam around Hogwarts with their real-life friends were understandably upset to hear thatHogwarts Legacywill not have multiplayer. Knowing that it will be fully singleplayer comes with the implication that some features will not be available or as engaging, such as being able to play Quidditch against other players competitively.
IfHogwarts Legacyhad allowed for co-op, players would seemingly be able to head to class together, buy sweets in Hogsmeade together, and basically reenact the friendships that Harry, Ron, and Hermione shared in their own experiences at Hogwarts. Few reasons can be inferred forwhyHogwarts Legacydecided not to indulge in a multiplayer mode, but it is interesting nonetheless that fans may have instantly assumed that it would have a multiplayer or co-op feature.
It seems like a natural choice to have multiplayer in such a sweeping scope of a game where players apparently have endless exploration in an open-world on the island. That will not be the case, though. OnHogwarts Legacy’s official website, it states clearly that the game is a “single player experience and does not have online or co-op gameplay.” Fortunately,Hogwarts Legacybeing singleplayer only does not mean that players are robbed of these experiences entirely, but it does mean that they won’t be shared explicitly with a real-life friend in-game.
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Singleplayer Means More Focus on Hogwarts Legacy’s Story
This does not mean that the simulation of a wizard or witch student at a fantastical institute will be diluted. Quidditch may still be a part ofHogwarts Legacy, for example, but just in singleplayer where the player’s teammates and opponents are NPCs. Likewise, a significant part ofHogwarts Legacyseems to be the NPC companions players befriend and learn more about, and who have their own side quests to follow. Little is known aboutHogwarts Legacy’s narrativebesides its late fifth-year student protagonist, but whileHogwarts Legacyis single-player only, developer WB Games Avalanche will be able to concentrate on the narrative solely and hopefully make it the best quality it can be when it releases.
IfHogwarts Legacyhad offered multiplayer, this narrative may have been compromised or condensed, as it would not be the game’s sole focus. NPCs from other Hogwarts houses may not equate to a player’s real-life companions, but this is also great for any players who wish to play it only in singleplayer and may have amore immersive experience interacting withHogwarts Legacy’s NPCsanyway. Co-op is not necessary for players to receive an authentic Hogwarts experience, and if the game’s narrative is immersive, fans will likely be satisfied with singleplayer anyhow.
Hogwarts Legacyis scheduled to be released in the holiday of 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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