Hogwarts Legacyarriving when it did helped revitalize theHarry PotterIP, even if that rejuvenation was just in the video games industry. Before it,Harry Potterrestricted itself to movie tie-ins that weren’t all necessarily bad but limited themselves regarding what they could achieve with storytelling as they all more or less needed to follow the plots of the movies they adapted.Hogwarts Legacyis a breath of fresh AAA air as it finally tackles an original story far removed fromHarry Potterand, while utilizing the same locations, it remains immersive by settling into a late-1800s era long before Harry was born to Lily and James Potter.
The Lord of the Rings’ IP has a similar history of movie tie-ins being the bread and butter of its video game adaptations, though there have been more original stories told within it that have not all been received well. Monolith’sMiddle-earth: Shadow of MordorandMiddle-earth: Shadow of Warseem to be crowning achievements as tales taking place before the events ofThe Lord of the Rings, for example, whereasThe Lord of the Rings: Gollumhas been a monumental letdown. Meanwhile, there’s still so much potential for aLord of the Ringsgame to thrive as profoundly asHogwarts Legacy, and a proper open-world action-RPG could be the ticket it needs.
Hogwarts Legacy is the AAA Action-RPG Harry Potter Deserves
Hogwarts Legacysatiates a lot of what players have longed desired out of aHarry Pottergame, including broomstick flight throughout an open world, a massive and fully explorable Hogwarts Castle filled with environmental puzzles, and acustomizable protagonist with players selecting their preferred Hogwarts house. Moreover, wand-based combat is phenomenal, taking vital cues from Soulslike gameplay designs and implementing a broad range of categorized spells.
The Room of Requirement then goes above and beyond the degree of customization, personalization, and decoration that it might’ve been obligated to offer with space to brew potions, grow flora, and breed magical creatures. Indeed,Hogwarts Legacychecks so many of the right boxes that the ones it doesn’t cross off, such as Quidditch or a Gwent-esque collectible mini-game, stand out more prominently and possibly give sequels an easy layup in terms of what it can feature that their predecessor didn’t or couldn’t.
Hogwarts Legacy’s story didn’t seem to resonate with many players, at least not nearly as much as its immersive action-RPG elements, but the fact that it gave itself the freedom of new storylines and characters helped to expand the wizarding world further without any overt or grating fan service bleeding into it, which deserves to be commended.Hogwarts Legacyis the framework that some if not all futureHarry Pottergames will likely look to given its unmistakably enormous success and, with Warner Bros. looming over it, it would be alarming and foolish if an open-world action-RPG isn’t being considered at all for thecomparably gargantuanLord of the RingsIP.
The Lord of the Rings Needs a Home Run to Dig It Out of Its Rut
Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Gamehas the makings of a fantastic cozy life sim, but no matter how beloved it is it probably won’t amount to the widespread popularity that aLord of the Ringsaction-RPG might have.
Monolith’sMiddle-earthgames have the incredible gimmick of the Nemesis System on their hands, which ironically and bewilderingly hasn’t been employed since, andThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Kinghas excellent co-op with fun combo strings. Nonetheless, an open-world action-RPG, preferably one with a touch of Soulslike characteristics, should be a no-brainer.Star Wars Jedi: Fallen OrderandStar Wars Jedi: Survivordemonstrate how gracefully Soulslike designs can be embedded into action-adventure games, too, but ifThe Lord of the Ringscould emulateHogwarts Legacywith a customizable human, elf, dwarf, or hobbit, there’s no end to how terrific and creative it could be.
