The fate of the fictional characters has long been in the hands of billion dollar corporations, marketing strategists and professional authors acting on their behalf. It is less and less about artistic visions and more about quotas, clicks and market shares. You could say somewhat cynically that literary and cinematic artworks can then be left to artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT.
Is there a way out of this dilemma? Yes, and this way out is called computer games. Here the situation has developed in a completely different direction in recent years. Games based on books and movies have long been commercially licensed products that should not, at best, be expected to damage the original too much and will at least keep fans happy for a while. Electronic Arts’ Harry Potter games were among the better kind in the genre and largely stayed true to the underlying stories. The Lego versions offered more creative freedom. “Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga” brought together a total of nine films and gave you the chance to defy the Star Wars canon with lustful anarchy.
Give us back the stories!
In the meantime, technology has advanced to the point where it is possible to create open game worlds in which you can move freely and let your imagination run wild – in the truest sense of the word. Computer games offer the chance to give the stories back to everyone for whom they were originally conceived: us, the audience in front of the book pages, cinema screens and monitors. That was always the great promise of video games: that they make you the hero or heroine of your own adventures. For example, how about enrolling in Hogwarts as Henriette Müller and fighting dragons and other nasty mythical creatures yourself?
This is exactly what “Hogwarts Legacy” should now enable. Set in the 19th century, the game is an interactive prequel based on February 10 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, April 4 for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and July 25 for Nintendo Switch. on the Harry Potter books and movies. With this, anyone who has been on their nerves for a long time with Harry, Hermione and Ron can finally dream in the world of magicians and sorcerer’s apprentices. Create your own alter ego using the character editor. Join the houses of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin and show everyone that they wield their wands better than everyone else.
“Hogwarts Legacy” takes the player to the wild north of England, to Scotland. You can stroll through the quiet village of Hogsmeade and stop at the legendary tavern “Eberkopf”. You can wander through the forbidden forest, collect ingredients for potions, encounter centaurs and discover the wonders of the local flora and fauna. And then Hogwarts itself, this fantastic castle, where you first turn a few circles with the broom and then explore the vast corridors and halls and visit the library. As the name promises, the “Room of Desires” can be decorated as you see fit. And in the terrarium you can come into contact with magical animals such as Grahorn, Kniesel and Mondkalb. This all looks fantastic and should even appeal to those, sorry, muggles who haven’t tapped into the Harry Potter universe yet.
The shoals of the open game world
For those missing the action, the US studio Avalanche Software commissioned has given the game a combat system that feels a bit like a shooter. The sorcerer’s apprentice or witch-in-training hurls lightning bolts through the air with their wand, breaks through magical protective shields, or sneaks through the enemy ranks like in a game of stealth. The big question is: how well do the open world and gameplay go together? Will the developers manage to balance the feeling of a living environment, in which you can move freely, with the narrative elements that must also be there to make the game world a game. It is a known fact that quite a few open word games have failed this challenge.
And then there are the expectations of the fan community. She’s already complaining that Quidditch tournaments aren’t allowed and that magic lessons don’t seem to play a role either. And of course everyone hopes that the image of Harry Potter inventor JK Rowling, which has become damaged after some ill-advised remarks, will not cast a shadow over digital Hogwarts. All this also explains the caution of Warner, who only released details about the game in homeopathic doses. As a selected journalist who was already allowed to play the game, you were immediately given a long list of instructions on what details to please leave out of the coverage. Of course only to prevent spoilage.
Despite all the anticipation, the sensitive fan soul boils up very quickly these days. At least when it comes to vital subjects like Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and Harry Potter. All too soon, in order to stay in the Hogwarts universe, the loyal minions turn out to be dementors who can suck the soul out of you with a kiss.
At watson, the Games.ch team provides exclusive stories from the gaming universe for gamers, fans, nerds – and those who want to become one in the “Loading…” blog.
