After players spent years exploring the Wizarding World through a wide assortment of video game adaptations, Avalanche Software strived to leave its own mark withHogwarts Legacy. For the first time, fans of the franchise were able to tell their own story within the halls of Hogwarts, completely free from the influences of Harry Potter’s story. What ensued was an extremely memorable adventure, with many interested to see whereHogwarts Legacywill go next. And while there are many routes that the sequel could take, there is one feature that may be best left behind: the Field Guide.
Hogwarts Legacydid a whole lot right, which included nailing its primary goal of immersing players into the Wizarding World. One way it accomplished this wasthrough the Field Guide, which gave players a collectible hunt that also taught them all there was to know about the castle and its grounds. However, working on said Field Guide could also prove extremely monotonous at times, especially for those that were trying to collect everything. So, although it may have had its place in the first game of a fresh franchise, a sequel might benefit from leaving it behind.
Hogwarts Legacy’s Field Guide Was a Double-Edged Sword
The Field Guide Helped Build Out Hogwarts Immensely
Players are introduced to the Field Guide prettyearly on in theirHogwarts Legacyadventure, as they uncover the first couple of pages during the initial tutorial. Then, it is up to them to spend time collecting all the pages that litter the game world throughout their adventure. They do this by using a variety of spells to solve various puzzles or find hidden objects. As they collect these pages, they learn more about the Wizarding World while also earning experience to level up their character.
Collecting these Field Guide pages serves asa great way for players to exploreHogwarts Legacywhile also learning fun lore tidbits about their surroundings. For diehard fans, much of this info is likely not a surprise, but for newcomers, it really helps them get to know the inner workings of the Wizarding World. And since there are hundreds of these pages to be found, there is no shortage of knowledge to be discovered. However, the process of gathering this info may not be all that enjoyable a second time around.
Some Players May Be Burnt Out if They Do It a Second Time
The Field Guide was a nice addition totheHogwarts Legacygameplay loop, but for completionists, it could also often feel like a slog. Having to explore every inch of the open-world to collect these pages just does not feel like fun after a while, as there are only so many times they could find enjoyment in casting Revelio. As such, the sequel may want to consider leaving it behind in favor of something else.
Of course, players will likely still want to learn all the different lore tidbits that fill Hogwarts' halls. Because of that, Avalanche Software will likely want to come up with a different type of collectible to do just that. Maybe it couldbring back Chocolate Frog cardsfrom previous Harry Potter games, litter the world with Bertie Bott’s Every Flavored Beans, or come up with something completely different. Whatever the studio chooses, it would just have to ensure it offers players a bit more excitement than completing the field guide did.
It remains to be seen whatHogwarts Legacy 2will actually look like. Avalanche knocked it out of the park with its iteration of the Wizarding World, so it will be interesting to see where it takes the concept next. Hopefully, whatever it decides to do, the studio at least has plans to mix up or remove the Field Guide. Though it worked well for the most part on the first go around, asking completionists to finish it a second time may cause frustration.
