Summary
Regardless of how much it is intrinsically tied to its source material or how distinct its period piece setting is, not much aboutHogwarts Legacyshies away fromHarry Pottericonography. This was to be expected since it literally takes place at Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, and thankfully Avalanche took liberties with its visuals within the open-world Scottish Highlands as well as itsstory revolving around Ancient Magic. Basically,Hogwarts Legacy’s narrative probably could’ve been set inHarry Potter’s present day with nobody questioning it if not for how characters are dressed, which is one of the game’s only constant tethers to its late-1800s era.
Indeed, with the castle being so reminiscent of how it looks in modern-dayHarry Pottermedia, it can be easy to forget thatHogwarts Legacytakes place a century earlier. This helps delineate itself from any of the substantial ongoings inHarry Potter, which is a boon, but of course Warner Bros. wasn’t capable of resisting abundant Easter eggs and references to the content it knows the fanbase adores. Either way, gear being as underwhelming as it is inHogwarts Legacy, the aesthetic of unique clothing customization is a hundred times more authentic and immersive than a present-day game would have been.
A Modern-Day Harry Potter RPG’s Customization Would Be Bland Beyond Belief
IfHogwarts Legacywas set in the present day, even thepresent day of theHarry Potterseries, its customization options wouldn’t be nearly as interesting. It’d essentially be a bunch of t-shirts, denim, and other nondescript, basic clothing with no visual identity beyond possible colorways and layering styles, whereasHogwarts Legacyis able to feature elegant, timely articles that may not all be everyone’s cup of tea but are at least anything but conventional by today’s standards.
The only silver lining to modern-day clothing is that it would be neat to see how certain students choose to dress in their leisurely trips to Hogsmeade when they don’t need to be in their Hogwarts house robe uniform. But like a lot of theclothing options for Hunter to wear inMarvel’s Midnight Suns’ Abbey, these options would probably boil down to a generic catalog of sweatshirts and graphic tees. Also likeMarvel’s Midnight Suns, it would probably be unable to resist graphic tees or hoodies that bear some sort of meta, self-referential Easter eggs, which would not be terribly creative or immersive.
SettingHogwarts Legacyin the late 1800s gives it no excuse to cut creative corners this way, with the most ordinary outfits being button-downs beneath sweaters or vests in an understated fashion show of character customization at all times.
Why a Hogwarts Legacy 2 Would Be Likely to Stick to the 1800s
If a sequel is in the works,Hogwarts Legacywill seemingly adhere to its era set dressing. This era and its aesthetic is one of the only truly defining traitsHogwarts Legacypossesses and to forgo it for a modern setting would be a grave mistake because it would be nearly impossible for Avalanche to prove it wants to carve a unique and authentic path in the wizarding world. A modern installment wouldn’t be capable of avoiding direct references to the events and characters featured in theHarry Potterseries and would probably feel obligated to include cosmetics inspired by it,not unlikeHarry Potter: Quidditch Champions.
By staying as far back in the past as possible, Avalanche gives itself an opportunity to relish in iconography it creates and brand-new wizarding world stories that miraculously and thankfully don’t need anything to do with Harry Potter.Hogwarts Legacyis obviously inseparably tethered toHarry Potter, but the1800s era allows Avalanche to ignore the Boy Who Livedand a big part of that is seeing characters wearing far different clothing and belonging to an era long before Harry was born.
