If Hogwarts Legacy 2 Adds One Important Feature, It Should Look to God of War For Inspiration

One year on from the release of Hogwarts Legacy, the game can be considered a huge success for Avalanche Software. With over 24 million units sold and a sales gross of over $1 billion, it is clear to see why some fans believe that a sequel to the title is a massive possibility.

Hogwarts Legacy was praised for the depth and detail that it explored the world of Harry Potter, offering the most thorough portrayal of the iconic wizarding school that the gaming medium has seen. Despite this, there is still a lot of room for a sequel to explore major aspects of Harry Potter that were omitted or barely featured in the first game, with many locations, eras, characters, and magical abilities still being unexplored. A Patronus ability would be something that a Hogwarts Legacy 2 could capitalize on, for example, and the God of War franchise may have strangely set the standard for how this should feature in a potential sequel.

Hogwarts Legacy 2: God of War’s Atreus Showed How a Patronus Mechanic Should Work

While Hogwarts Legacy did its best to cover as much content as possible related to the complex world of Harry Potter, the absence of the Patronus ability was as hard-hitting as the omission of Quidditch in-game to many fans. The Patronus Charm is one of the most iconic spells in Harry Potter, being a defining element of some of the major plot points of the IP’s famous films and books.

The Patronus Charm is considered as one of the most powerful defensive spells of all time, only being viable to cast at the hands of an experienced and magically gifted wizard or witch. The spell takes the form of a ghost-like animal guardian that protects the caster, with the animal that the spell conjures being dependent on the personality of the individual.

The variety of animal forms that a Patronus can take makes it one of the most personal and interesting Harry Potter spells, with many fans often wondering what their Patronus would be with the same intrigue as what Hogwarts House they belong to. The role-playing capabilities and customization options of a Patronus make its absence from Hogwarts Legacy all the more confusing, and a sequel to the game could easily score points by offering the Patronus as a late-game spell.

A God of War Approach to Patronus’ Could Re-write Combat and Exploration in Hogwarts Legacy 2

Players should be able to choose what animal form their Patronus takes, but Hogwarts Legacy 2 should also allow players to control said animal in-game, opening up new exploration and combat avenues. Animal transformation mechanics were implemented very well in 2022’s God of War Ragnarok, with Atreus being able to shift into a bear and a wolf throughout the game.

These transformative abilities are extremely important to Atreus from a narrative perspective, and allowing the player to control the animals in-game offers a greater level of understanding and immersion. To place more importance on the power of the Patronus Charm, Hogwarts Legacy 2 should take a page from God of War‘s book in this way, allowing players to control their Patronus, with different animals offering wildly different gameplay mechanics.

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Legacy

$37 $70 Save $33

Franchise

Harry Potter

Released

February 10, 2023

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Use of Alcohol

How Long To Beat

26 Hours

Metascore

84

PS Plus Availability

N/A