Summary
Despite being a relatively new franchise in the grand scheme of pop culture, the Harry Potter Wizarding World has some deceptively complex lore behind it. From hidden details about iconic series locations, to secret character motivations, to extensive lore behind each and every spell in the universe,the Wizarding Worldis a dense and complicated one. Though it certainly couldn’t cover it all,Hogwarts Legacydoes a surprisingly great job of diving into it all, and pulling out the stuff that really matters.
It isn’t all perfect. With such a vast universe to work with, it’s only natural thatHogwarts Legacygot a few things wrong, but one of these pieces of lore was undermined quite a bit during the course of the game. Repeatedly described in the books and movies as some of the most heinous acts a wizard or witch could ever commit, the Dark Arts' severity is downplayed a lot inHogwarts Legacy.Though it all feels great at first, it only serves to damage the game’s narrative in the long run.
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Hogwarts Legacy Uses The Dark Arts A Little Too Flippantly
Hogwarts Legacy’s initial treatment of the Dark Arts starts out very well. Upon meeting and befriending Sebastian Sallow,Hogwarts Legacyslowly starts to introduce the concept of the Dark Arts, a forbidden form of magic that’s rarely used by the Wizarding World at large, and is demonized by society. While Sebastian understands the severity of using the Dark Arts, he believes that they could help him cure his sister, and he sets out to findSalazar Slytherin’s Scriptorium, which can apparently be found in Hogwarts Castle’s dungeons.
This introduction totheHarry PotterDark Artsis almost perfect. Even players who have never seen or read aHarry Potterstory before will immediately get the sense that they probably shouldn’t be embarking on this quest, and that notion is cemented within the initial Dark Arts mission itself. After finding the entrance to Slytherin’s Scriptorium, the player and Sebastian must navigate through an eerie catacomb, and at the end of it, the player must decide whether they use the Cruciatus curse on Sebastian, or let him use it on them. There’s a real sense of foreboding in this moment that captures the severity of the Dark Arts very well.
However, things start to get a little more trivial from there. The next Sebastian mission sees the player learn Imperio, but there’s really no consequence for that action. While Sebastian’s uncle condemns him for using it on a goblin, the player receives no punishment at all, and that carries through to the game’s final Sebastian mission. In this mission,Sebastian kills his uncle with Avada Kedavra, and proceeds to teach the player the spell, rather flippantly. Again, while this action lands Sebastian in a whole sea of hot water with the Ministry and Hogwarts, the player can now use Avada Kedavra – and the rest of the Dark Arts spells – with absolutely no consequences whatsoever.
On one hand, the ability to useall three Unforgivable Cursesduring combat gives players a well-earned power trip toward the second half of the game. On the other, it really breaks the immersive atmosphere that the rest ofHogwarts Legacyhas built itself around. At the end of the day, the Unforgivable Curses are named that for a reason, and the lack of any consequences for using them just doesn’t make any narrative sense. It really makesHogwarts Legacyfeel more like a sandbox video game than the immersive fan experience it was otherwise going for.
Hogwarts Legacyis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with a Switch release scheduled for May 20, 2025.
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