Hogwarts Legacywas a really solid attempt at delivering theHarry PotterRPG fans had been dreaming about for decades.Hogwarts Legacy’s narrativewas intriguing, its characters were fairly memorable, its spellcasting combat was surprisingly deep, and its open-world featured some rewarding side activities. That all said,Hogwarts Legacystill left plenty of room for improvement.
Many ofHogwarts Legacy’s mechanics feel as though they’re just the first iteration of what could someday be a truly innovative feature. That’s the case withHogwarts Legacy’s Vivariums, a promising feature that could see plenty of further expansions and refinements.
Hogwarts Legacy’s Vivariums Are Teeming With Untapped Potential
Hogwarts Legacy’s Vivariums Were a Good Way to Introduce Life-Sim Elements
Just one part ofHogwarts Legacy’s expansive Room of Requirement feature, Vivariums are where players store and tend to their magical animals. ThroughoutHogwarts Legacy’s open-world, players will be able to find an assortment of fantastic beasts, many of whom have been captured by poachers. Players can rescue these creatures and take them back to their Vivarium, where they’ll be able to feed them, play with them, and ensure they’re kept in good health.
Players are encouraged to visit their Vivarium frequently, as the more they care for their animals, the more upgrade materials are dropped. Players are also able to customize their Vivarium with an array of scenery objects and structures, such as ancient castle ruins and medieval wells. A total of four Vivariums are available bythe end ofHogwarts Legacy, each one offering a distinct biome.
Hogwarts Legacy’s Vivariums were a good way for the game to offer some light life-sim elements, borrowing mechanics from popular titles likeAnimal Crossingto make the game feel all the more nostalgic and cozy.
How Hogwarts Legacy 2 Could Evolve Its Vivarium Mechanics
ButHogwarts Legacy’s Vivariumsfeel like they’re only scratching the surface of what they could be. If/whenHogwarts Legacygets a sequel, there are a few different ways it could evolve the original’s Vivarium feature. The most obvious and simple evolution would be a continuation of the same system, merely adding more customization options, magical beasts, and biomes in the sequel.
But a much more interesting option forHogwarts Legacy’s hypothetical sequel is to take the original’s Vivarium mechanics and apply them to a completely new aspect of the series, expanding the mechanics in bold new ways. For instance,Hogwarts Legacy’s mapwas filled with enemy encampments that the player needed to clear. It might be fun if a potential sequel allowed players to claim the encampment for their own after clearing it.
Once claimed, these encampments could be turned into a variety of different fantasy structures, such as a stable to house the player’s Hippogriff mount, or a practice dueling ring for the player and their companions to use outside of class time, offering gameplay benefits that would make their construction worthwhile. Players could then customize each space, using the Vivarium system as the groundwork to place objects and alter terrain.
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.
