With November in the rearview, the holidays are in full swing once again. That means the annual return of colorful lights, family parties, and of course,Harry Pottermarathons. Despite having nothing to do with the holidays on the surface, the franchise has become a holiday staple for many fans, due in no small part to the comfy,cozy atmosphere Hogwarts always seemed to have during the holidaysin the earliest films. And those warm nostalgic vibes were translated to absolute perfection when Avalanche Software recreated the castle inHogwarts Legacy.
Since the confirmation of a sequel, fans have been wondering whatHogwarts Legacy 2could bring to the table, especially when the first game was so pitch-perfect right out of the gate. While it’s a guarantee that Avalanche has plenty of tricks and surprises up its sleeve for the follow-up game, there’s plenty of room to further improve what worked so well the first time around – namely, how the game and its narrative incorporate the holiday seasons throughout the school year.
Hogwarts Legacy 2 Should Lean More Into the Holidays at the School
Christmas and Halloween Were Underutilized in Hogwarts Legacy
AssumingHogwarts Legacy 2follows another student through a year at the iconic school, the developers would be smart to capitalize on the holiday seasons they incorporated the first time around. Despitethe immaculate atmosphereHogwarts Legacycapturedin both the fall and winter seasons in the game, not much is done within the context of the holidays themselves. The seasonal changes are mostly cosmetic changes to the castle and surrounding grounds; no in-narrative focus is really given to Halloween and Christmas, two holidays that the franchise has become heavily associated with in the hearts of fans.
They don’t need to occupy too much real estate in the narrative; the focus should stick to whatever main/side narratives the game is trying to tell. But handling them more in the way the mainline books/films do would be a smart play. One-off missionsfocused on Hogwarts' preparations for the holidayscould be a fun, slice-of-life-style way to show how they impact the culture of the school and the student body. But where the developers can really get creative is for Halloween.
What Hogwarts Legacy 2 Can Do For Halloween and Christmas Content
For a franchise about witches, wizards, magic, and monsters, there’s a near-limitless supply ofthings thatHogwarts Legacy 2could do to celebrate Halloweenin-game. But of all the possibilities on the table, a horror-themed mission in the Forbidden Forest would be among the best outcomes.
The Forbidden Forest has lost some of its teeth of late. What started as an ominous, scary, and genuinely dangerous place has become defanged after one too many series protagonists have wandered in there and faced no lasting consequences. It’s easy to forget why it’s even forbidden in the first place. Aquest set inside the Forbidden Foreston the scariest night of the year would be a perfect way to incorporate some additional horror elements into the game while giving the Forbidden Forest back some of the menace it had in the earliest days of the franchise.
Though the winter holidays have a noted and iconic presence inHarry Pottermedia, there’s not quite as much that can be done for Christmas in-game, since the school empties out during the last two weeks of the year between the semesters. But in the event that the next game’s protagonist doesn’t have a place to return home to, they could elect to stay on-grounds during the break, perhaps with the company of one or two of their companions. Not only would this be a nice callback to those early Christmases in the first few books where Harry and Ron would spend the holiday together at school, but it would also be a nice quiet moment todevelopHogwarts Legacy’s new companionsand highlight the relationships between these new characters.
Hogwarts Legacy
WHERE TO PLAY
Hogwarts Legacy is an immersive, open-world action RPG set in the world first introduced in the Harry Potter books. For the first time, experience Hogwarts in the 1800s. Your character is a student who holds the key to an ancient secret that threatens to tear the wizarding world apart. Now you can take control of the action and be at the center of your own adventure in the wizarding world. Your legacy is what you make of it.Explore an Open WorldThe wizarding world awaits you. Freely roam Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, the Forbidden Forest, and the surrounding Overland area.Be the Witch or Wizard You Want to beLearn spells, brew potions, grow plants, and tend to magical beasts along your journey. Get sorted into your house, forge relationships, and master skills to become the witch or wizard you want to be Experience a New Wizarding World AdventureExperience the wizarding world in an unexplored era to uncover a hidden truth from its past. Battle against trolls, Dark Wizards, goblins, and more as you face a dangerous villain threatening the fate of the wizarding world.
