Avalanche Software has posted a lengthy new Hogwarts Legacy gameplay video that showcases many of the upcoming RPG game‘s systems as they’ll appear in the game. We also get a pretty extensive look at Hogwarts itself, moving from the Hufflepuff dormitories out into some of the main castle common areas, classrooms, and beyond.
Before anything else, however, the video provides a detailed look at the Hogwarts Legacy character creator. Starting with one of perhaps two dozen presets, you can then adjust your witch or wizard’s facial structure, hairstyle, voice, and skin tone. Notably, you can then independently select whether your character will be staying in the witches’ or wizards’ dormitories.
The video then takes us from the Hufflepuff dorms and into the common room, then out into Hogwarts proper. The environments are varied and lavishly detailed, with low wooden ceilings in the dorm hallways that open up to grand and ornately decorated stone and marble spaces in the main hallways.
The video also introduces Hogwarts Legacy’s combat system. The HUD, which has been the subject of some controversy amongst fans, allows players to slot four Hogwarts Legacy spells into spaces corresponding to a controller’s face buttons. Basic attacks are launched by tapping RB, but holding that button down activates the selection of spells assigned to the face buttons.
Using this system, it’s possible to chain combos of light, basic attacks with spells that can pull or juggle enemies in mid air, as the video shows in the segment on the school’s underground magical duelling club.
The developers also shed some light about how Hogwarts Legacy classes will work. Rather than going for a life sim approach, akin to the Persona series, Hogwarts Legacy will have story missions that involve classroom settings.
The Hogwarts Legacy release date is set for early February, so there’s not much longer to wait if you’re keen to start your training as a witch or wizard.
The creator of the Harry Potter series, JK Rowling, has made a number of transphobic remarks on social media in recent years. While WB Games says “JK Rowling is not directly involved in the creation of the game”, it is based on her work and it’s still unclear if she will receive royalties from its sales. If you’d like to learn more about transgender equality or lend your support, here are two important charities we encourage you to check out: the National Center for Transgender Equality in the US, and Mermaids in the UK.