Hogwarts Legacy, the long-awaited Harry Potter game from Avalanche (the makers of the Disney Infinity series of games), might be preparing to show the darker side of the wizarding world.
In a (since deleted) tweet from Hogwarts Legacy writer DC Allen, a discussion around the game’s potential age rating opened up possibilities for the Harry Potter title to include the book series’ Dark Arts – the forbidden magic that only powerful evil wizards use.
Asked whether or not killing would be possible in the new game, the writer answered (as preserved by Comicbook.com):
“Are they not allowed to kill in 16+ games? I feel like you could fully kill bad guys in Horizon Zero Dawn, it just wasn't bloody. I don't think I can answer your question directly but in the trailer you can see there is a lot of evil occurring in the wizarding world.”
We already know that the enemies will use the Dark Arts in the game – an earlier PlayStation Blog post from Adrian Ropp, Head of Story at Avalanche, mentioned the game would feature “dueling against a deadly dark witch.” But Allen’s comments relating to what is allowed in “16+” games and direct reference to fully killing bad guys in similar open world games points to the potential for more mature themes and methods of attack to be employed.
A little Dumbledore, a little Voldemort?
There’s a lot left to find out about Hogwarts Legacy, due out at some point in 2022 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, PS5, PS4 and PC. But we can certainly infer a lot about what to expect from Allen’s comments, and previous information shared by Avalanche.
"Hogwarts Legacy is filled with immersive magic, putting players at the centre of their adventure to become the witch or wizard they choose to be," a previous Q and A revealed. "They will grow their character's abilities as they master powerful spells, hone combat skills and select companions to help them face off against deadly enemies. Players will also encounter missions and scenarios that will challenge their morality and determine what they stand for."
That “morality” mention, along with Allen’s comments, certainly leaves the door open for the use of the so-called “Killing Curse”, Avada Kedavra, the instant-death spell that’s notorious in the wizarding world. Any good RPG worth its salt allows the player character the freedom to direct their path as they see fit – will Hogwarts Legacy let us side with the powers of evil, and commit the most heinous acts the Potterverse allows for? Here’s hoping – it’s sure starting to seem that way.
