171-613: Hogwarts Legacy is a 2023 action role-playing game developed by Avalanche Software and published by Warner Bros. Games under its Portkey Games label. It is part of the Wizarding World franchise, taking place a century prior to the Harry Potter novels. The player controls a student enrolled in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who learns to wield an array of magical abilities and objects. With
342-458: A Grammy Award for its soundtrack, and two BAFTA Games Awards . A sequel is in development. Hogwarts Legacy is an action role-playing game played from a third-person perspective . It is set at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and its surrounding areas, influenced by the Wizarding World franchise. During character creation, the player can choose their character's appearance, gender, voice, and body type. They may also choose one of
513-729: A Rockstar Games release holding the top position. It was the second-bestselling game in Europe of 2023. When excluding EA football games, no other game has attained the amount of unit sales in a calendar year since the commencement of the European charts in 2017. It was the bestselling game in Czech Republic, Netherlands and United Kingdom while also being placed in the top three positions in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Sweden. On Steam, it
684-446: A "role-playing shooter" due to the heavy RPG elements within the game, such as quest-based gameplay and also its character traits and leveling system. Half-Minute Hero (2009) is an RPG shooter featuring self-referential humour and a 30-second time limit for each level and boss encounter. Other action role-playing games with shooter elements include the 2010 titles Alpha Protocol by Obsidian Entertainment and The 3rd Birthday ,
855-593: A 1991 issue of Computer Gaming World criticized several computer role-playing games for using "arcade" or "Nintendo-style" action combat, including Ys , Sorcerian, Times of Lore, and Prophecy . In 1991, Square released Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden , also known as Final Fantasy Adventure or Mystic Quest in the West, for the Game Boy . Like Crystalis , the action in Seiken Densetsu bore
1026-588: A 300% increase in traffic on Wizarding World websites. Hogwarts Legacy's popularity has notably influenced Warner Bros. Discovery's franchise strategy. Being the best-selling game of 2023, it highlights how crucial video games are for the company's franchise engagement. David Haddad noted that this success has emphasized the role of video games for Warner Bros. in maintaining interest in their franchises. In August 2024, Warner Bros. stated it plans to release more Wizarding World games after Hogwarts Legacy's success . They followed up with Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions ,
1197-492: A Disillusionment Charm or a Bedazzlement Hex placed on them. Over time, these cloaks will lose their invisibility. In the novels, Harry owns an invisibility cloak which is later revealed to be a Hallow. Unlike other invisibility cloaks, the Cloak of Invisibility cannot be worn out by time or spells. The Hallow Cloak belonged to Ignotus Peverell and was passed down to his descendant, James Potter. After James's death, Dumbledore gives
1368-533: A Horcrux and one of the Deathly Hallows. Forgetting that as a Horcrux, it was likely to be protected by curses laid by Voldemort, and blinded by personal desire, Dumbledore attempted to use the Resurrection Stone to talk to his deceased family. The curse disfigured his hand and began to spread into his body. Although Snape partly contained the spread in the damaged and blackened hand, Dumbledore
1539-427: A Horcrux in her long-mentioned Harry Potter Encyclopedia. Both inanimate objects and living organisms have been used as Horcruxes, though the latter are considered riskier to use, since a living being can move and think for itself. There is no limit to the number of Horcruxes a witch or wizard can create. As the creator's soul is divided into progressively smaller portions, they lose more of their natural humanity and
1710-411: A baby, Harry was in the room when Voldemort's fatal Killing Curse backfired. Voldemort's soul had been weakened and destabilised by his continuous murders and the creation of his previous Horcruxes. Harry became a Horcrux when a fragment of Voldemort's soul attached itself to him after the unsuccessful curse. The lightning bolt-shaped scar on Harry's forehead is a direct result of this attempted murder, and
1881-400: A boycott. Following some delays, it was released on 10 February 2023 for PlayStation 5 , Windows , and Xbox Series X/S , on 5 May 2023 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One , and on 14 November 2023 for Nintendo Switch . The early-access period of Hogwarts Legacy resulted in record-breaking viewership on streaming platform Twitch , making it the most-watched single-player game of all time on
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#17327932512622052-551: A clock like hers. Various fans have re-created the clock for their own families, for example by using geofencing for cell phones. A Horcrux is an object used to store part of a wizard's soul, which protects them from death. If the body of a Horcrux owner is killed, that portion of the soul that had remained in the body does not pass on to the next world, but will rather exist in a non-corporeal form capable of being resurrected by another wizard, as stated in Harry Potter and
2223-482: A fifth-year student and assigns Professor Fig as the protagonist's mentor. Fig escorts the protagonist from London to Hogwarts via a flying coach. While investigating an unknown artefact, a dragon attacks them, prompting the two to reach for a Portkey hidden inside the artefact that teleports them to Gringotts . Using the Portkey to enter an old vault, the protagonist learns they can see traces of ancient magic. The duo
2394-573: A fragment of his soul within him in a manner similar to a Horcrux. Rowling has stated that Harry never became a proper "Dark object" since the Horcrux spell was not cast. Regardless, as with all Horcruxes, Voldemort would remain immortal so long as his soul fragment remained within Harry. That portion of Voldemort's soul is unintentionally destroyed by Voldemort himself in Deathly Hallows . As
2565-650: A heart monitor to represent the player's Attack Power and Armor Class statistics. Another controversial aspect of the game involved taking drugs (instead of potions) that increase/decrease attributes, but with side effects such as heart-rate increase/decrease or death. Origin Systems , the developer of the Ultima series, also released an action RPG in 1988, titled Times of Lore , which was inspired by various NES titles, particularly The Legend of Zelda . Times of Lore inspired several later titles by Origin Systems, such as
2736-511: A hidden passageway. The map is a blank piece of parchment when not in use, but it becomes a detailed layout of Hogwarts when it is activated. It shows the locations of secret passages and instructions on how to access them. It also depicts the location of every individual at Hogwarts in real-time, including their movements. A Probity Probe detects hidden magical objects and concealment spells. Probity Probes are depicted as thin golden rods in Order of
2907-516: A hidden repository of ancient magic after using it to extract negative emotions, particularly from her suffering father. The Keepers realised that Isidora was inhaling the extracted emotions to increase her own power and failed to dissuade her, forcing one of them to eliminate her with the Killing Curse . Through their other adventures, the protagonist also learns that Ranrok, the leader of an ongoing goblin rebellion against wizards, seeks to find
3078-467: A legendary and extremely powerful wand made of elder wood with a core of Thestral tail hair. Harry discovers that the Elder Wand's allegiance is transferred when its owner is killed, defeated, or disarmed. Through a series of events, Voldemort comes to possess the Elder Wand, even though Harry is its true master. Unaware of the wand's loyalty to Harry, Voldemort attempts to duel him near the end of
3249-403: A lot of popularity on the 2010s with titles such as Warframe (2013), Destiny (2014) and Destiny 2 (2017), The Division (2016) and The Division 2 (2019). Sorting Hat The following is a list of magical objects that appear in the Harry Potter novels and film adaptations . The Deathly Hallows are three magical objects that appear in Deathly Hallows . They are
3420-538: A mission system and role-playing game mechanics, as well as MMORPGs with real-time combat systems. Allgame listed the following games released prior to 1984 as action RPGs: Temple of Apshai (1979) and its sequel Gateway to Apshai (1983), Beneath the Pyramids for the Apple II (1980), Bokosuka Wars (1983), and Sword of Fargoal (1983). Jeremy Parish of USgamer claimed that Adventure (1980)
3591-979: A more dialogue-heavy experience akin to the Baldurs Gate games and even older series like Falcom's Dragon Slayer/Xanadu series had its outing Xanadu Next with similar Diablo influences. The influences also come full circle when the first Diablo game was inspired by rogue-likes Umoria and Angband and in more recent years many games in the rogue-like genre are inspired by more classic dungeon crawler ARPGs that Diablo helped spawn. In this sub genre there are such recent titles as Path of Exile (2013), Grim Dawn (2016), Zenonia S: Rifts In Time (2015), Book of Demons (2018), Shadows: Awakening (2018), Snack World: The Dungeon Crawl Gold (2017), Titan Quest: Anniversary Edition (2016) and its expansions Titan Quest: Ragnarök (2017) and Titan Quest: Atlantis (2019), Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem (2020) and Minecraft Dungeons (2020). The prominence of Diablo 2 in
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#17327932512623762-483: A more traditional RPG-esque system, including experience points and levels with action game elements. Unlike its predecessor, Zelda II more closely fits the definition of an action RPG. Another Metroidvania -style action RPG released that year was System Sacom 's Sharp X1 computer game Euphory , which was possibly the only Metroidvania -style multiplayer action RPG produced, allowing two-player cooperative gameplay. The fifth Dragon Slayer title, Sorcerian ,
3933-575: A multiplayer game, and other unannounced projects to further engage fans. The game's success also increased confidence to push the Potter franchise forward, as the planned sequel is set to be connected with the upcoming Harry Potter television series. In September 2024, Warner Bros. Discovery's Gunnar Wiedenfels stated that a sequel to Hogwarts Legacy will be one of the primary goals in the upcoming years. Action role-playing game An action role-playing game (often abbreviated action RPG or ARPG )
4104-412: A photo mode, talent point resets, and new cosmetic items. The update also released pre-order and console-exclusive content, including the "Haunted Hogsmeade Shop" quest. According to review aggregator Metacritic , Hogwarts Legacy received "generally favourable" reviews. As per OpenCritic , 89% of the 158 critic reviews recommend it. The environments and visuals were lauded, with many critics praising
4275-551: A result of its record-breaking viewership on Twitch during early access, Hogwarts Legacy became the most-watched single-player game of all time by peak viewers on the platform and received a Guinness World Record . At the 20th British Academy Games Awards , Hogwarts Legacy was longlisted in nine categories. It was nominated for the British Academy Games Award for Animation and British Academy Games Award for Family . It received nominations for "Game of
4446-465: A runner-up for "Best Open-World Game". It appeared on multiple year-end lists of 2023, including GamingBolt (9th), British GQ (21st), BAFTA Games , GamePressure , Der Spiegel , BBC and The Telegraph . In the month of its release, Hogwarts Legacy quickly rose to prominence as the top game in the Wizarding World franchise. The franchise also experienced a boost in engagement, with
4617-439: A special mount, clothing set, and a new battle arena location. The Collector's Edition includes the former's content and adds a steel case, box, and a collectible "floating wand." Standard Edition buyers can upgrade to Deluxe by purchasing the extra content separately. Early access was made available to people who had pre-ordered the physical Collector's Edition or Digital Deluxe Edition on console or PC on 7 February 2023. To promote
4788-580: A strong resemblance to that of Legend of Zelda , but added more RPG elements. It was one of the first action RPGs to allow players to kill townspeople, though later Mana games removed this feature. Arcus Odyssey by Wolf Team (now Namco Tales Studio ) was an action RPG that featured an isometric perspective and co-operative multiplayer gameplay. In 1993, the second Seiken Densetsu game, Secret of Mana , received considerable acclaim, for its innovative pausable real-time action battle system , and its innovative cooperative multiplayer gameplay, where
4959-561: A time period where no established characters of the Wizarding World franchise were around, making it possible to provide the player with their own unique world in a setting similar to the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts eras. The writing team focused on creating a "diverse collection" of characters for players to potentially identify with in a positive way. Although the main characters of Harry Potter are absent in Hogwarts Legacy , some, such as Nearly Headless Nick and Peeves
5130-569: A total of 172,820 physical copies sold. The PlayStation 4 version sold a total of 44,947 physical copies by 4 June 2023. Lastly, as of 4 February 2023, the Nintendo Switch version achieved a total of 95,156 physical copies sold. Legacy sold more than 600,000 copies in Germany within a period of two and a half weeks, making it one of the most successful games of both 2022 and 2023. In Europe, Hogwarts Legacy ' s launch sales placed it as
5301-524: A unique common room; these rooms are only accessible for the player's current house chosen by the Sorting Hat . Accompanied by the choice of house, the player receives different exclusive quests. While house points for the four Hogwarts houses play a part in the plot, they are not influenced by player actions. Next to experiences in Hogwarts Castle, the player can explore related areas such as
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5472-570: Is a bright red eraser, used to make invisible ink appear. It first appears in Chamber of Secrets when Hermione tries to make hidden writing appear in Tom Riddle's diary. A Secrecy Sensor is a Dark detector that looks like "an extra-squiggly, golden television aerial." It vibrates when it detects concealment and lies. In Half-Blood Prince , every student and owl entering Hogwarts is inspected with Secrecy Sensors to ensure no Dark objects enter
5643-455: Is a magical flame that cannot be extinguished unless it runs out of fuel. Voldemort's creation of Horcruxes is central to the later storyline of the Harry Potter novels. Voldemort intended to split his soul into seven pieces, with six Horcruxes and the last piece reposing within his body. When Voldemort attacked the Potter family, and his body was destroyed by the rebounded Killing Curse, a piece of his soul splintered off and attached itself to
5814-567: Is a subgenre of video games that combines core elements from both the action game and role-playing genre. Action role-playing games emphasize real-time combat where the player has direct control over the characters as opposed to turn or menu -based combat while still having a focus on character's stats in order to determine relative strength and abilities. These games often use action game combat systems similar to hack and slash or shooter games . The term "action role-playing game" may also describe action-adventure games , which include
5985-436: Is also able to build friendships with fellow students Natsai Onai, Poppy Sweeting, and Sebastian Sallow, who take part in the protagonist's journey as companion characters. Antagonists include Ranrok, the leader of a goblin rebellion, and Victor Rookwood, the leader of a group of Dark Wizards. The protagonist receives a letter from Professor Weasley, which confirms their attendance at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as
6156-418: Is confronted by a hostile goblin named Ranrok before escaping to Hogwarts, where the protagonist is sorted into one of the four houses. The protagonist learns various spells during classes and goes on a trip to Hogsmeade with a companion, where a troll sent by Ranrok attacks them and is defeated by them. The protagonist also sneaks into the library and finds a book with missing pages. While Professor Fig studies
6327-544: Is considered the first example of an immersive sim , a genre that combines elements from other genres to create a game with strong player agency and emergent gameplay, and has influenced many games since its release. The engine was re-used and enhanced for Ultima Underworld ' s 1993 sequel, Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds . Looking Glass Studios planned to create a third Ultima Underworld , but Origin rejected their pitches. After Electronic Arts (EA) rejected Arkane Studios ' pitch for Ultima Underworld III ,
6498-435: Is made to be easily recognisable. Game director Alan Tew also added that they aimed to go beyond the expected areas to let people discover new locations and undiscovered chambers. Tew and Madsen further explained that they endeavoured to provide each common room of the four Hogwarts Houses as a unique experience to its members, which is further amplified by the addition of uniquely created music for each house. The overarching aim
6669-535: Is part of a series of enhanced games. As part of the release, players received free cosmetic items by joining the Harry Potter Fan Club and linking the WB Games account . PlayStation versions include exclusive content like the "Haunted Hogsmeade Shop" quest and the "Felix Felicis" potion recipe as a pre-order bonus. The quest features an additional dungeon, a cosmetic set, and an in-game shop, while
6840-486: Is that the piece of soul within Quirrell was able to exist without its container, as it abandoned Quirrell and left him to die in the underground chambers. Tom Riddle (later known as Lord Voldemort) created his first Horcrux during his fifth year at Hogwarts, using his own school diary. In order to cast the spell, he murdered his fellow student Myrtle Warren . In Chamber of Secrets , Ginny Weasley becomes possessed by
7011-554: Is used to place and take care of utility items such as brewing stations and planting pots, which can also be customised. Some of the magical beasts can be held in a chosen "Vivarium", a separate place where the player takes care of them. Players are able to tame, care for, and ride different magical beasts , including hippogriffs and thestrals . Other interactable magical creatures include unicorns, kneazles , and puffskeins. Plants grown and acquired can be used in combat, such as mandrakes being used to stun enemies. Players can explore
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7182-860: The Princess Crown series, including Odin Sphere and Muramasa: The Demon Blade . Princess Crown had a more cartoon-like visual appeal. It still had quality visuals due to the George Kamitani style. LandStalker's 1997 spiritual successor Alundra is considered "one of the finest examples of action/RPG gaming", combining platforming elements and challenging puzzles with an innovative storyline revolving around entering people's dreams and dealing with mature themes. Ultima Underworld ' s influence has been found in BioShock (2007), and that game's designer, Ken Levine , has stated that "all
7353-616: The Dragon's Crown Artworks foreword: "The motif within Dragon's Crown is all the fantasy works that has affected me until now: the PC RPG Wizardry that I first came into contact with as a student; Ian Livingstone 's gamebooks; games like Tower of Druaga , Golden Axe and The King of Dragons ." He also cites his early 20s work on Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom as "truly something that I had aspired for". Dragon's Crown
7524-558: The Harry Potter films, the Sorting Hat is voiced by Leslie Phillips . The Mirror of Erised is a mystical mirror discovered by Harry in an abandoned classroom in Philosopher's Stone . On it is inscribed "erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi". When mirrored and correctly spaced, this reads "I show not your face but your heart's desire." As "erised" reversed is "desire", it is the "Mirror of Desire". Harry, upon encountering
7695-790: The MMO vehicular combat game Auto Assault (2006) by NetDevil and NCsoft . Other action RPGs featured both hack and slash and shooting elements, with the use of both guns (or in some cases, bow and arrow or aerial combat ) and melee weapons, including Cavia 's flight-based Drakengard series (2003 to 2005), and Level-5 's Rogue Galaxy (2005). Other RPS games include the Mass Effect series (2007 onwards), Fallout 3 and subsequent Fallout titles (2008 onwards), White Gold: War in Paradise (2008), and Borderlands (2009). Borderlands developer Gearbox Software has dubbed it as
7866-677: The PlayStation 5 DualSense controller , as well as fast loading times and activities. They referenced the usage of the Unreal Engine, the computing and rendering capabilities of the PlayStation 5, and the Niagara visual effects system to deliver visual effects for spells and magic. The soundtrack was composed by Chuck E. Myers, J. Scott Rakozy and Peter Murray, including additional tracks by Alexander Horowitz . According to Myers,
8037-595: The Scottish Highlands . The player takes on the role of a student (voiced by Sebastian Croft or Amelia Gething ) starting their studies at Hogwarts in the fifth year. The player character possesses the power to control a mysterious ancient magic and holds the key to an "ancient secret" that threatens the stability of the wizarding world. Their mission is to discover the reasons behind the resurgence of this forgotten magic and those who are trying to harness its power. The player encounters various characters, with
8208-503: The first installment of its Ys series in 1987. While not very popular in the West, the long-running Ys series has performed strongly in the Japanese market, with many sequels, remakes and ports in the decades that followed its release. Besides Falcom's own Dragon Slayer series, Ys was also influenced by Hydlide , from which it borrowed certain mechanics such as health-regeneration. The Faery Tale Adventure offered one of
8379-513: The philosopher's stone , the stone is owned by Nicolas Flamel and first mentioned in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone . The stone is legendary in that it changes all metals to gold, and can be used to brew a potion called the Elixir of Life , making the drinker immortal. The Philosopher's Stone is seen only in the first and last book, although it is referenced several times throughout
8550-608: The "Best Fanservice" award. At the PS Blog Game of the Year Awards 2023, the game was nominated in seven categories. It won "PS4 Game of the Year" and was placed in runner-up categories for "Best Use of Dual Sense" (Gold Trophy) and "Best Audio Design" (Silver Trophy). The Escapist named it one of five best action-adventure games of 2023. Hardcore Gamer nominated Hogwarts Legacy for "Best Action Game", while IGN named it
8721-414: The 1990 games Bad Blood (another action RPG based on the same engine) and Ultima VI: The False Prophet , based on the same interface. Also in 1989, the enhanced remake Ys I & II was one of the first video games to use CD-ROM , which was utilized to provide enhanced graphics, animated cut scenes, a Red Book CD soundtrack, and voice acting. Its English localization was also one of
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#17327932512628892-520: The Cloak to Harry, who uses it throughout the series to sneak around Hogwarts on various adventures. During the First Wizarding War, Alastor Moody lost his eye and replaced it with an enchanted glass eyeball. With the eyeball, Moody can see through solid objects, invisibility cloaks, and the back of his own head. Following Moody's death in Deathly Hallows , the eyeball ends up in the possession of Dolores Umbridge . When Harry infiltrates
9063-510: The Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and the Cloak of Invisibility. According to wizarding legend, they can provide mastery over death if one person owns all three. The objects are generally remembered only as part of a fairy tale called The Tale of the Three Brothers . According to J. K. Rowling, this fictional fairy tale is based on The Pardoner's Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer . Harry eventually comes to possess all three Hallows –
9234-621: The Forbidden Forest does destroy the fragment of Voldemort's soul within Harry, but only sends Harry's soul into a near-death state. Harry could return to his body despite being hit by the Killing Curse from the Elder Wand because Voldemort had used Harry's blood to regain his full strength in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire , and because the actual master of the Elder Wand, Draco Malfoy, had been defeated by Harry, making Harry
9405-470: The GobIet selects one champion from each of the three schools in competition. The Sword of Gryffindor is a goblin -crafted sword. It was once owned by Godric Gryffindor , and can magically present itself to any Gryffindor student who needs it. During the course of the novel series, the sword is used to kill a Basilisk and destroy three of Voldemort's Horcruxes. Based upon the ancient alchemical idea of
9576-520: The Half-Blood Prince and demonstrated in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire . If all of someone's Horcruxes are destroyed, then the soul's only anchor in the material world would be the body, the destruction of which would then cause final death. The creation of Horcruxes is considered the darkest of all magic. This method was chosen by Voldemort to attain immortality. J. K. Rowling uses Horace Slughorn 's expository dialogue to reveal that
9747-487: The Half-Blood Prince , the discovery of Voldemort's diary is revealed as the proof that lead to Dumbledore beginning the hunt for other Horcruxes, as it not only gave absolute proof that Voldemort split his soul, but also that there were likely other, better-protected artifacts. J. K. Rowling revealed on Pottermore that Quirinus Quirrell served as a temporary Horcrux when Voldemort's soul possessed his body during Harry's first year at Hogwarts. A notable difference, however,
9918-586: The House Cup for their respective house. Hogwarts Legacy was developed by Avalanche Software , which was acquired by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment from Disney in January 2017. In the same year, Warner Bros. established a new publishing label named Portkey Games , which was dedicated to managing the Wizarding World license. Hogwarts Legacy was Avalanche's first project unrelated to Disney Interactive Studios and its products. The open world game
10089-461: The Keepers. The trials feature complicated puzzles and dangerous tasks that require the skills the protagonist has acquired, each leading to a Pensieve , a magical device used to store and review memories. The protagonist learns from the memories that Isidora Morganach, a Hogwarts student who became a professor with abilities similar to the protagonist, was in conflict with the Keepers and left behind
10260-496: The Ministry of Magic, he steals the eyeball from her office and buries it in the forest. A Foe-glass is a mirror that depicts the enemies of its owner. The Marauder's Map is a magical map of Hogwarts created by Sirius Black , Remus Lupin , Peter Pettigrew , and James Potter while they were students at the school. In Prisoner of Azkaban , Fred and George Weasley give the map to Harry so he can travel to Hogsmeade through
10431-463: The Mirror, can see his parents, as well as what appears to be a crowd of relatives. The last thing Harry saw in the mirror was Voldemort defeated. Dumbledore cautions Harry that the Mirror gives neither knowledge nor truth, merely showing the viewer's deepest desire, and that men have wasted their lives away before it, entranced by what they see. The Mirror of Erised was the final protection given to
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#173279325126210602-693: The Original Video Game Soundtrack) . The soundtrack was also released on vinyl , mastered by James Plotkin, and distributed by Mondo . On 25 June, the Hollywood Bowl hosted a concert in celebration of the ten-year anniversary of the Game Awards , featuring a range of video game music from recent years, including Hogwarts Legacy . The music was performed by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra . The event
10773-600: The PC-8801 computer in September 1984, it abandoned the command-based battles of earlier role-playing games in favor of real-time hack-and-slash combat that required direct input from the player, alongside puzzle-solving elements. In contrast to earlier turn-based roguelikes , Dragon Slayer was a dungeon-crawl role-playing game using real-time, action-oriented combat, combined with traditional role-playing mechanics. Dragon Slayer's overhead action role-playing formula
10944-469: The Philosopher's Stone in the first book. Dumbledore hid the Mirror and hid the Stone inside it, knowing that only a person who wanted to find but not use the Stone would be able to obtain it. Anyone else would see themselves making an Elixir of Life or turning things to gold, rather than actually finding the Stone, and would be unable to obtain it. What happens to the mirror afterwards is unknown. In Order of
11115-538: The Phoenix , Sirius gives Harry a mirror he originally used to communicate with James while they were in separate detentions. That mirror is a part of a set of Two-way Mirrors that are activated by holding one of them and saying the name of the other possessor, causing his or her face to appear on the caller's mirror and vice versa. Harry receives this mirror from Sirius in a package after spending his Christmas holiday at Grimmauld Place. Harry, at first, chooses not to open
11286-405: The Phoenix. After Voldemort's return, Probes are used to protect Gringotts Bank and to scan Hogwarts students for Dark objects. A Remembrall is a small glass orb. It contains smoke that turns red when the person holding it has forgotten something. It does not tell the holder what has been forgotten. Neville Longbottom is sent a Remembrall by his grandmother in Philosopher's Stone . A Revealer
11457-487: The Poltergeist , make appearances. The team also introduced a trans-inclusive character creator and the franchise's first transgender character, Sirona Ryan. Boston Madsen, the environmental lead for the creation of Hogwarts, emphasised the importance of creating environmental elements close to the source material of the Harry Potter books. Madsen stated that even though it is Avalanche Software's version of Hogwarts, it
11628-526: The Resurrection Stone drove its first owner to kill himself because he brought his late fiancée back from the dead, and she was very unhappy in the living world because she did not belong there. By the time the stone was seen in Marvolo Gaunt's possession, it had been set into a ring that bore the symbol of the Deathly Hallows, which the ignorant Gaunt believed to be the Peverell coat of arms; he used
11799-420: The Wizarding World's demand of denying magical access to his kind. Hogwarts Legacy became a subject of contention in response to Rowling's controversial views on transgender people . Her detractors called for a boycott as a means of showing solidarity with the transgender community and to impede the financial benefits she would receive from its release. Others felt that Hogwarts Legacy could be separated from
11970-481: The Year" and "Best Game on Steam Deck" at The Steam Awards , winning the latter . At the 2024 Pégases Awards in France, Legacy was nominated in the category of "Best Foreign Video Game". The game also received a nomination for "Best Foreign Game" at Poland's 2024 Digital Dragons Awards. Eurogamer Germany recognized Hogwarts Legacy for its outstanding fanservice in their 2023 awards announcement, honoring it with
12141-399: The ability to speak and understand Parseltongue . It is also revealed by Rowling in an interview that Harry's frequent pain in his scar when Voldemort is either active, nearby, or feeling strong emotions, is really the trapped bit of soul yearning to depart from Harry's body and rejoin its master's soul. This yearning was one of the reasons why the Killing Curse used by Voldemort on Harry in
12312-511: The advancements in modern technology and gaming consoles, it was possible to create a competent game based on the Wizarding World. The open world was designed to fulfil two primary goals: to allow players overall freedom and to offer opportunities to craft a gaming experience that is highly personalised and can be enjoyed in their own unique way. Artists Jeff Bunker and Vanessa Palmer explained that they kept five tech pillars in mind: 4K graphics and visuals, 3D audio , activities and game help, and
12483-409: The assistance of fellow students and professors, the protagonist embarks on a journey to unearth an ancient secret concealed within the wizarding world . Following their acquisition by Warner Bros. in 2017, Hogwarts Legacy marks the first release from Avalanche unrelated to Disney Interactive Studios and its products. Development commenced in 2018, while pre-release gameplay footage was leaked onto
12654-495: The book, the protagonist locates the missing pages and finds a secret room below Hogwarts known as the Map Chamber, where they later visit several times with Fig and talk to the portraits of four deceased Hogwarts professors who refer to themselves as the "Keepers", whose goal is to protect the secrets of ancient magic from the wizarding world. To reveal the secrets of ancient magic, the protagonist completes four trials left by
12825-535: The camera to some degree. As such, these are often grouped with other "isometric RPGs". The popularity of the Diablo series spawned such franchises like Divinity , Torchlight , Dungeon Siege and Sacred . Commonly, these games used a fixed-camera isometric view of the game world, a necessity of the limitations of 2D graphics of early computers; The Diablo series spawned many terms like being referred to as "dungeon crawler" "slasher RPG" "hack and slasher",
12996-480: The centuries and is not evidence of malice on the part of contemporary artists. The statement also commended Rowling for her tireless efforts in defending the Jewish community. Travis Northup of IGN disagreed that the game contained antisemitic tropes. He pointed out that the story did not feature a group of goblins controlling banks or attempting to seize power, but rather focused on a single goblin who rebelled against
13167-456: The characters, setting the standard for first-person computer RPGs for several years. It inspired many other developers to make real-time dungeon crawlers, such as Eye of the Beholder and Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos . Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss , released in 1992, has been cited as the first RPG to feature first-person action in a 3D environment. Ultima Underworld
13338-411: The charts for five consecutive weeks, and nine weeks in total. Analysts compared the first-week sales to Elden Ring , noting that physical and digital sales are up by 80% and 88%, respectively. In Japan, Hogwarts Legacy debuted atop the software sales chart, with the PlayStation 5 version selling 67,196 physical copies. It remained one additional week at the top spot and, as of 14 May 2023, accumulated
13509-497: The cloak being inherited from his father James Potter, later understood to be a descendant of one of the Peverell brothers, the Resurrection Stone in the Golden Snitch bequeathed to him by Dumbledore, and the allegiance and mastery of the Elder Wand when he defeats and disarms its prior owner, Draco Malfoy, who unwittingly won it from Dumbledore just before Dumbledore's death. The Elder Wand is described in Deathly Hallows as
13680-454: The clock reveals the location or status of each family member. The known locations are: Home , School , Work , Travelling , Lost , Hospital , Prison , and Mortal Peril . In the sixth novel, all nine hands point to mortal peril at all times, except when someone is travelling. Mrs. Weasley takes this to mean that with Voldemort's return, everyone is always in mortal peril, but she cannot verify this as she does not know anyone else who has
13851-406: The connection that formed as a result is used to explain several important plot points. Throughout the series, Harry is able to receive insight into Voldemort's mental and emotional states, allowing the reader to eavesdrop on the series' primary antagonist. This insight is usually accompanied by pain in the scar on Harry's forehead. Through Voldemort, Harry also inherited many of Voldemort's powers and
14022-482: The creation of a Horcrux requires one to commit a murder, which, as the supreme act of evil, "rips the soul apart". After the murder, a spell is cast to infuse part of the ripped soul into an object, which then becomes a Horcrux. In the final book of the series, Hermione finds the spell in a book titled Secrets of the Darkest Art . Rowling has revealed that she intends to detail the process and spell used to create
14193-493: The design felt dated, attributing this to its long development cycle. The Guardian criticised the experience as competent yet not particularly impressive. While praising the presentation for its captivating nature, they felt that the progression was derivative of other open-world examples. GameRevolution described Legacy as a fun but forgettable Harry Potter fan service , writing that features such as attending classes and creating potions lacked sufficient depth. The combat
14364-433: The development process lasted nearly four years. Audio production coordinator Nathan Ayuobi noted that while they took inspiration from composer John Williams ' previous Harry Potter -related work, they concentrated on forging their own unique style. In a behind-the-scenes video, composers Murray and Rakozy commented on the creation of the Hogwarts Legacy soundtrack. They explained that the challenge of its creative process
14535-711: The diadem in Albania , where it was eventually found by Voldemort. The Dark Lord turned the diadem into his fifth Horcrux, and later sequestered it in the Room of Requirement in Hogwarts. In the novel Deathly Hallows , the diadem is destroyed by a Fiendfyre spell cast by Vincent Crabbe . In the film adaptation, Harry stabs the diadem with a Basilisk fang before Ron Weasley kicks it into the Fiendfyre. When Voldemort attempted to murder Harry as an infant, he inadvertently sealed
14706-437: The encounter and he and Dumbledore's portrait later agreed that Harry will neither search for the stone nor tell others where it is. In the Harry Potter universe, an invisibility cloak is a rare type of cloak used to make the wearer invisible. Rowling's 2001 book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them states that invisibility cloaks may be crafted from Demiguise pelts. Invisibility cloaks can also be ordinary cloaks with
14877-568: The end of 2023, Hogwarts Legacy achieved a sales milestone of 22 million copies, with around 2 million units sold during the December holiday season. By the end of October 2024, it crossed 30 million copies sold, making it one of the best-selling video games of all time . In the US, Hogwarts Legacy topped the monthly sales charts for February 2023. In the UK, Hogwarts Legacy debuted and remained atop of
15048-403: The end of the school year is leading to the O.W.L. exams. They also continue to explore the castle's surrounding areas and go through adventures with companions Sebastian Sallow, Poppy Sweeting, and Natsai Onai if they haven't completed them already. The journey ends with Professor Weasley awarding the protagonist 100 house points for the extraordinary adventure, which ultimately leads to a win of
15219-401: The enemies for lacking variety. The narrative divided critics. Some praised the developer's handling of the narrative to tell an original story in a setting that felt overly familiar. Windows Central deemed the story compelling, while the writing of the more detailed sidequests was positively highlighted by Video Games Chronicle as some of the best of the series. Hardcore Gamer praised
15390-434: The epilogue of the last film, the scar has faded to an ordinary-looking scar on Harry's forehead. The sixth Horcrux was Nagini, the snake Voldemort had with him constantly. This Horcrux was created by Voldemort when he was hiding in the forests of Albania; the murder victim whom he used for its creation was Bertha Jorkins. He found Nagini, and becoming smitten by the snake, turned it into a Horcrux, being connected with it. In
15561-487: The first to use voice dubbing . The game received the Game of the Year award from OMNI Magazine in 1990, as well as other prizes. Another 1989 release, Activision 's Prophecy: The Fall of Trinadon , attempted to introduce "Nintendo-style" action combat to North American computer role-playing games. Action RPGs were far more common on consoles than computers, due to gamepads being better suited to real-time action than
15732-409: The first working title for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was Harry Potter and the Elder Wand . The Resurrection Stone allows the bearer to communicate with the dead. The form of Sirius Black generated by the stone tells Harry that he and the other forms created by the stone are part of him and invisible to others. According to the fairy tale concerning the origin of the Deathly Hallows, using
15903-420: The form of combat, quests, and exploration. Player characters can establish friendships with non-player characters (NPCs). As these relationships grow, schoolmates become companions who can accompany players on their journey, expand their abilities, and offer unique companion quests as players learn their stories. Each of the four Hogwarts Houses— Gryffindor , Hufflepuff , Ravenclaw , and Slytherin —also offers
16074-400: The four Hogwarts Houses . As players progress, their player character learns to cast spells, brew potions, and master combat abilities, eventually developing their own special combat style. Through in-game challenges, the player character can earn experience points to gain levels, which allows the player to access and upgrade different spells, talents, and abilities. These challenges come in
16245-459: The fragment of Riddle's soul that is encased in the diary, which compels her to open the Chamber of Secrets. At the end of the novel, Harry saves Ginny and destroys the diary by stabbing it with a Basilisk fang. Voldemort created his second Horcrux using a ring owned by his grandfather, Marvolo Gaunt. He murdered his father to make this Horcrux, which is later destroyed by Albus Dumbledore, using
16416-448: The game is played from a third-person perspective. Players can customize their player character , which learns to cast spells, brew potions, and master combat abilities, eventually developing their own special combat style. In late 1987, FTL Games released Dungeon Master , a dungeon crawler that had a real-time game world and some real-time combat elements (akin to Active Time Battle ), requiring players to quickly issue orders to
16587-509: The game suggests that goblins, as a minority, are the villains for fighting against their oppressors and seeking equal rights and freedom. In an article of The Times of Israel , the portrayal of goblins in both the game and the larger Harry Potter universe was defended by some. The non-governmental organisation Campaign Against Antisemitism argued that the depiction is consistent with how goblins have been portrayed in Western literature over
16758-477: The game with the eighth-highest concurrent player peak overall. Due to Steam 's rules on separating pre-orders and official releases, Hogwarts Legacy occupied the first four spots on the platform's sales chart at some point during its first week of release. Hogwarts Legacy became the bestselling game of 2023 in the United States, breaking a 14-year games industry streak of either a Call of Duty or
16929-409: The game's mouse-based combat were mixed. In 1997 Blizzard's Diablo was released and became massively successful. It was an action RPG that used a mouse oriented point-and-click interface and offered gamers a free online service to play with others that maintained the same rules and gameplay. Diablo ' s effect on the market was significant, inspiring many imitators. Its impact was such that
17100-492: The game, a specifically designed DualSense controller, the "Revelio Controller", was released at the game's launch in the U.S. and UK as a limited edition. During development, Troy Leavitt faced backlash in February 2021 for his social media posts supporting cultural appropriation and Gamergate . Shortly after, Leavitt resigned from his roles at Avalanche Software and the Hogwarts Legacy project. He stated that his departure
17271-403: The game. As a result, some streamers decided not to stream the game at all, with Polygon noting that it occurred either in favour of ongoing protests or for fear of harassment. The game's viewership on live-streaming service Twitch peaked at a record-breaking 1.28 million concurrent viewers on 7 February. The boycott was declared unsuccessful out of multiple perspectives; Den of Geek stated that
17442-585: The gaming market and its influence on the MMORPG genre later popularized the strongly used mouse-oriented point and click combat. While in the Diablo series this type of combat does not have a lock-on key, World of Warcraft and most MMO games uses some kind of key to target an enemy, usually TAB, to lock into it, usually referred to as "tab-target". In tab-target combat the player's character automatic do attack animations with some kind of regular attack, while
17613-465: The internet forum ResetEra banned all discussion of it. In its own review, Wired gave it the lowest possible score, stating that it was mediocre and harmful. The review, which was noted as politically focused, drew criticism. In response to the controversy, the studio added that the development focused on creating a "rich and diverse" world that would represent all groups of people. According to PinkNews , transgender character Sirona Ryan's inclusion
17784-501: The internet in the same year. The storyline was designed to take place in a period untouched by established Wizarding World characters, offering players the opportunity to immerse themselves in their own distinct universe. Hogwarts Legacy garnered significant anticipation upon announcement in 2020. Prior to its release, it attracted controversy due to Harry Potter creator J. K. Rowling 's views on transgender people and accusations of including antisemitic tropes , leading to calls for
17955-411: The issues with Rowling seemed to have minimal effect on the game's overall sales figures. According to PC Games , the sales figures attested to the ineffectiveness of boycott efforts aimed at Hogwarts Legacy . Michael Deacon of The Telegraph noted that it had the opposite effect and failed to garner the attention of non-activists; and Fox News claimed the game had beaten cancel culture . With
18126-521: The keyboard and mouse. Though there were attempts at creating action-oriented computer RPGs during the late 1980s and early 1990s, very few saw any success. Times of Lore was one of the more successful attempts in the American computer market, where there was a generally negative attitude towards combining genres in this way and more of an emphasis on preserving the purity of the RPG genre. For example,
18297-448: The largest worlds at the time, with over 17,000 computer screens without loading times. In 1988, Telenet Japan 's Exile series debuted, and was controversial due to its plot, which revolves around a time-traveling Crusades-era Syrian assassin who assassinates various religious/historical figures as well as 20th-century political leaders, The gameplay of Exile included both overhead exploration and side-scrolling combat, and featured
18468-416: The last chapter of Deathly Hallows , Nagini was killed by Neville Longbottom using the sword of Godric Gryffindor. The destruction of the last remaining Horcrux made Voldemort mortal. The Goblet of Fire is an artefact used at the beginning of every Triwizard Tournament . Each student who is of-age and wishes to compete places a piece of parchment with their name on it into the Goblet. At the designated time,
18639-404: The launch of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of Hogwarts Legacy , the developers included an arachnophobia mode that replaces the regular spider design. The new spider design features a more cartoonish look, removes their legs, and pays homage to the Harry Potter books with the addition of rollerskates on their feet. To accompany the release of PlayStation 5 Pro , Hogwarts Legacy
18810-422: The launch of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions offered the "Professor Ronen cosmetic set," with seven extra items obtainable through Twitch Drops as well. Shortly after release, game director Alan Tew stated that the team focused only on the launch and did not yet plan to release additional content. In May 2024, Avalanche Studios announced a major update for 6 June, which added player-requested features like
18981-474: The level of atmosphere and visual presentation, finding it made aimless activities like walking around Hogwarts enjoyable. The surrounding areas set in the Scottish Highlands received similar praise, though some thought that other areas were not as engaging. The gameplay received mixed reactions. PC Gamer praised Legacy ' s straightforward yet cohesive systems, such as the wizard duels and
19152-620: The magic village of Hogsmeade , Forbidden Forest , or the Room of Requirement . Hogsmeade features establishments such as The Three Broomsticks Inn, a gathering place for villagers and students; the Hog's Head, an inn with a less favourable reputation; and Zonko's, a store selling joke merchandise. The Room of Requirement features environmental customisation elements; players can modify the room with multiple objects as they progress. It can be entirely personalised, and its architecture can be changed. The room
19323-490: The map as they please. The different areas present various activities and enemies, with certain aspects locked behind progression milestones in the main plot. During exploration, players have the option to obtain gear by searching for treasure chests. The Revelio spell supports the player's exploration by acting as a scanning tool to discover secrets. To travel around the map, players can choose between various options. Players may use Floo Powder to fast travel , or can fly across
19494-447: The map with a broom after participating in flying class. Attending classes is one of the main elements of the game. Classes are attended as a part of the story, advancing gameplay mechanics . Progressing through the game causes the interior and exterior of the castle to change visually and match the seasons. Hogwarts Legacy is set in the late 1800s, taking place in several Wizarding World locations such as Hogwarts Castle, Hogsmeade, and
19665-496: The most relevant being their professors and fellow students. Professor Eleazar Fig, a wizard who teaches magic theory at Hogwarts, is a central ally throughout the player's adventure. Other characters the protagonist meets include Hogwarts students Amit Thakkar ( Asif Ali ) and Everett Clopton ( Luke Youngblood ), Professors Onai (Kandace Caine) and Shah (Sohm Kapila), as well as headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black ( Simon Pegg ) and Professor Matilda Weasley ( Lesley Nicol ). The protagonist
19836-475: The new master of the Elder Wand. Harry's ownership of the wand used for the curse and the Horcrux-like connection between Voldemort and Harry diminished Voldemort's curse and protected Harry from irreversible death. While Voldemort did learn of Harry's telepathic connection, Voldemort was never aware that Harry was inadvertently carrying a fragment of his soul. With this destroyed, the connections between
20007-401: The novel. The wand refuses to kill Harry, with the result that Voldemort's curse rebounds on him, and he dies. After Voldemort's death, Harry uses the Elder Wand to repair his own broken wand. He then returns the Elder Wand to Dumbledore's tomb. In the film adaptation of Deathly Hallows , Harry snaps the wand in two and throws the pieces off a bridge. J. K. Rowling revealed in an interview that
20178-486: The only living thing remaining in the room, Harry Potter, in a manner similar to a Horcrux. Voldemort went on to complete his collection of the intended six Horcruxes by turning his snake Nagini into one, thus fragmenting his soul into a total of eight (counting the one residing in his own body), not seven, pieces. By that time, though, unbeknownst to Voldemort himself, the first Horcrux (a diary) had already been destroyed, therefore all seven Horcruxes never existed together at
20349-407: The package, although he does discover the mirror after Sirius' death, by which point it is no longer functional. It makes its second appearance in Deathly Hallows when Mundungus Fletcher loots Grimmauld Place and sells Sirius' mirror to Aberforth Dumbledore , who uses it to watch out for Harry in Deathly Hallows . When Harry desperately cries for help to a shard of the magical mirror (which broke in
20520-534: The performance was affected by technical problems, including slow loading of textures, frame rate inconsistencies, visual glitches, clipping objects, and inconsistent lighting. GameStar reported performance problems overall while reviewing the PC version, especially in areas with many NPCs, but said the first patch alleviated some of these problems. As a result of the controversy surrounding Rowling, some publications chose not to cover or review Hogwarts Legacy , and
20691-455: The personalised Room of Requirement. Eurogamer Germany said the attention to detail motivated the player to explore the world. They highlighted the music and were impressed by the design of some of the quests and puzzles. Destructoid complimented the range of activities and unlockables but found the game sometimes unimpressive, contributing to the experience of being wrapped in an unsatisfatory open world environment. NME similarly wrote that
20862-560: The platform. Within two weeks, Hogwarts Legacy sold more than 12 million copies and generated $ 850 million in global sales revenue. As of 5 May 2023, its revenue reached $ 1 billion, and by end of October 2024, global sales totaled 30 million copies. Hogwarts Legacy received praise for its combat, world design, characters, variety of content, and faithfulness to the source material, but criticism for its lack of innovation as an open-world game and technical problems. It received various accolades, including nominations for two D.I.C.E. Awards ,
21033-746: The player can focus on activating other skills and items by pressing other keys. Usually this type of combat is not heavily based on aiming or hit boxes thus the player can hit enemies from different distances and even from a far. Some tab-target MMOs have other targeting options such as an "Action mode". Shooter-based action RPGs include Strife (1996), System Shock 2 (1999), the Deus Ex series (2000 onwards) by Ion Storm , Bungie 's Destiny (2014), Irem 's Steambot Chronicles (2005), Square Enix's third-person shooter RPG Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII (2006), which introduced an over-the-shoulder perspective similar to Resident Evil 4 , and
21204-426: The player's stats, or as a currency to purchase items, and penalizing player deaths without imposing an outright failure state. It also incorporated online features allowing players to leave messages in the overworld that can be read by other players, to temporarily join other players' sessions to assist them cooperatively, or "invade" another player's session to engage in player versus player combat. Especially after
21375-519: The potion reveals gear chests on the map. The Dark Arts Pack , available in Deluxe and Collector's editions or as downloadable content (DLC,) includes an exclusive mount, clothing set, and a new battle arena. The Dark Arts Battle Arena expands the two available battle arenas available in the base game. From the early access release on 7 February 2023, to 24 February 2023, players could earn five exclusive cosmetic items via Twitch Drops. Additionally,
21546-456: The power for themselves. Ranrok then locates Isidora's repository and absorbs the ancient power, transforming himself into a dragon. Fig is mortally wounded, and the protagonist battles the dragon, ending the goblin rebellion by destroying Ranrok and doing as they chose earlier. Regardless of their choice, Fig dies, and Headmaster Black and Professor Weasley hold a eulogy in honour of him. The protagonist returns to finish regular school studies, as
21717-505: The presence of Harry in Godric's Hollow in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows . Horcruxes made from inanimate objects cannot be destroyed by conventional means such as smashing, breaking, or burning. The known materials or objects that can destroy Horcruxes are Basilisk venom, the Sword of Gryffindor (which contains Basilisk venom after Harry uses it to kill a Basilisk), and Fiendfyre, which
21888-513: The real locket from Dolores Umbridge . Ron then destroys it with the sword of Gryffindor. Voldemort created his fourth Horcrux using a cup that once belonged to Helga Hufflepuff . In Deathly Hallows, Harry and his friends break into Gringotts Wizarding Bank and steal the cup from the vault of Bellatrix Lestrange . Hermione Granger later destroys it with a Basilisk fang. Rowena Ravenclaw 's daughter, Helena, stole her mother's diadem in an attempt to become more intelligent than her. Helena hid
22059-438: The recreation of Hogwarts Castle. GamesRadar+ complimented the world as being faithful to the existing Wizarding World lore, and Destructoid appreciated the overall presentation and positive synergy with the universe. Other reviewers echoed these points, with NME writing that the world was probably the most fitting depiction for fans. Further praise was directed at the castle's level of detail. Push Square highlighted
22230-514: The release of its spiritual successor Dark Souls (2011) and its sequels, other action RPGs emerged in the 2010s that incorporated mechanics influenced by those of Demon's Souls , which have been popularly referred to as " Soulslike " games. In 2013, Vanillaware released the fantasy beat 'em up ARPG Dragon's Crown , a spiritual successor to Princess Crown and a "deeply moving product" of Vanillaware director George Kamitani. Kamitani cites many classic RPGs as his inspiration, stating in
22401-511: The repository and exploit it for his own ends. To locate it, he collaborates with a group of dark wizards led by Victor Rookwood, a descendant of one of the Keepers. After the protagonist completes all trials, they receive one final task from the Keepers: to create a special type of magic wand from the artefacts found at the Pensieves. Professor Fig sends the protagonist to Gerbold Ollivander,
22572-539: The right to hold her personal viewpoint. Shortly before the release of Hogwarts Legacy , a website was created with the purpose of targeting Twitch streamers who played the game. The web tool in question filtered accounts streaming the game. While the page was taken down soon after, some streamers had already been harassed. Following Hogwarts Legacy ' s early-access release on 7 February 2023, some content creators and streamers were criticised and harassed by others opposed to Rowling's views for promoting and broadcasting
22743-497: The ring to boast about his ancestry and blood purity. Harry said this is the Hallow he would desire most, as like Dumbledore he could name people he would like to communicate with again. Voldemort became aware of the ring's antiquity and eventually used it as a Horcrux, a container for part of his soul, being unaware of the stone's additional magical properties. Dumbledore recovered the ring from Marvolo's estate, recognizing it as both
22914-432: The same point in time. All of Voldemort's deliberately created Horcruxes were made using objects that had been important to him or that held some symbolic value. He hid some of them carefully so that no one could find and destroy them, but used Nagini to do his bidding on several occasions, and the diary was always intended to be a weapon to carry out Voldemort's plan to remove Muggle-borns from Hogwarts. In Harry Potter and
23085-610: The same year. Jeremy Parish of 1UP.com argues that Japanese developers created a new brand of action role-playing game; these new Japanese games combined the role-playing genre with arcade-style action and action-adventure elements. Shaun Musgrave of TouchArcade also traces the genre's roots to Japan, noting that the "Western game industry of the time had a tendency to treat action games and RPGs as separate things for separate demographics". Jeremy Parish argues that action RPGs were popularized in Japan by The Tower of Druaga . It
23256-404: The school. A Sneakoscope serves as a Dark Arts detector. The device is described as a miniature glass spinning-top that emits shrill noises in the presence of deception, for instance, when an untrustworthy person is near or when a deceitful event takes place nearby. The Weasleys have a special clock in their home with nine hands, one for every member of the family. Instead of telling the time,
23427-459: The second or third players could drop in and out of the game at any time, rather than players having to join the game at the same time. The game has remained influential through to the present day, with its ring menu system still used in modern games and its cooperative multiplayer mentioned as an influence on games such as Dungeon Siege III (2011). Most other such games, however, used a side-scrolling perspective typical of beat 'em ups, such as
23598-411: The series was also heavily criticized by players and media for not being a proper RPG due to it being focused more on fighting enemies and creating character builds than following a proper narrative and dialogue-heavy journey. After its success many other games tried to mix its influences with different structures and narratives, there are multiple games like Divine Divinity that were an attempt to have
23769-552: The series. It was destroyed at the end of the first book by Dumbledore with Flamel's agreement. In the American version, this stone is called the Sorcerer's Stone. The Sorting Hat is an artefact used to sort Hogwarts students into houses . At the beginning of each school year, the Hat is placed on each first-year student's head. The Hat announces whether the student will be assigned to Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin. In
23940-491: The sixth biggest launch for a video game since the creation of the European Monthly Charts . On Steam, Hogwarts Legacy reached a peak of over 489,000 concurrent players during its early access. By then, it had become the second-highest player count peak for any single-player game, behind only Cyberpunk 2077 with over 1 million concurrent players. Hogwarts Legacy peaked at over 879,000 players, making it
24111-441: The soul becomes increasingly unstable. Consequently, under very specific conditions, a soul fragment can be sealed within an object without the intention or knowledge of the creator. While the object thus affected will, like any Horcrux, preserve the immortality of the creator, it does not become a "Dark object". For example, Voldemort has unusual control over Nagini, and consequently Nagini is able to communicate with Voldemort about
24282-489: The story as riveting, but felt it faltered towards the end. PCMag in particular criticised the decision to have the protagonist act out a " Chosen One " role. Other reviewers found the narrative to be lacklustre and, at times, illogical. The characters were mostly well received. Windows Central described them as interesting, noting that they added depth to the world. CNET complimented them for being well-written and positively remarked upon their ethnic diversity, which
24453-506: The studio instead created a spiritual successor : Arx Fatalis . Toby Gard stated that, when designing Tomb Raider , he "was a big fan of ... Ultima Underworld and I wanted to mix that type of game with the sort of polygon characters that were just being showcased in Virtua Fighter ". Ultima Underworld was also the basis for Looking Glass Technologies' later System Shock . The 1988 Origin Systems title Times of Lore
24624-551: The sword of Gryffindor. The ring contains the Resurrection Stone, one of the three Deathly Hallows. Voldemort created his third Horcrux using a locket that once belonged to his ancestor Salazar Slytherin . He murdered a Muggle to make the Horcrux. Albus Dumbledore and Harry obtain the locket in Half-Blood Prince , only to discover that it is fake. Later, Harry and his friends infiltrate the Ministry of Magic and steal
24795-620: The template for many future action RPGs, even though it does not strictly fit the definition of later action RPGs. In contrast to previous action RPGs, such as Dragon Slayer and Hydlide, which required the player to bump into enemies in order to attack them, The Legend of Zelda featured an attack button that animates a sword swing or projectile attack on the screen. It was also an early example of open-world, nonlinear gameplay , and introduced new features such as battery backup saving. These elements have been used in many action RPGs since. In 1987, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link implemented
24966-427: The temples to refuse to level him up. Xanadu Scenario II , released in 1986, was an expansion pack , created to expand the content of Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu . Hydlide II: Shine of Darkness (1985) also featured a morality system. Eurogamer cites Fairlight (1985) as an early action RPG. An important influence on the action RPG genre was the 1986 action-adventure The Legend of Zelda , which served as
25137-468: The term "action RPG" has come to be more commonly used for Diablo -style games, with The Legend of Zelda itself slowly recategorized as an action-adventure. Very commonly, these games used a fixed-camera isometric view of the game world, a necessity of the limitations of 2D graphics of early computers; even with 3D graphic engines, such point-and-click games are still presented from a similar isometric view, though providing options to rotate, pan, and zoom
25308-713: The things that I wanted to do and all the games that I ended up working on came out of the inspiration I took from [ Ultima Underworld ]". Gears of War designer Cliff Bleszinski also cited it as an early influence, stating that it had "far more impact on me than Doom ". Other games influenced by Ultima Underworld include The Elder Scrolls: Arena , Deus Ex , Deus Ex: Invisible War , Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines , and Half-Life 2 . FromSoftware 's Demon's Souls (2009) emphasized unforgiving enemies and environments, combined with risk-and-reward mechanics such as limited checkpoints, collecting "souls" that can be consumed as experience points to increase
25479-553: The third game in the Parasite Eve series, features a unique blend of action RPG, real-time tactical RPG, survival horror and third-person tactical shooter elements. Shooter-based RPGs include Imageepoch 's post-apocalyptic Black Rock Shooter (2011) , which employs both first-person and third-person shooter elements, and Square Enix's Final Fantasy XV (2016) , which features both hack and slash and third-person shooter elements. The online live service version gained
25650-465: The two were also broken, and Harry never again felt pain in his scar. Rowling revealed Harry has also lost the ability to speak Parseltongue, though he regained the ability to understand it in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child after his scar began to hurt again following the rise of Voldemort and Bellatrix's daughter Delphi whom Harry, his son Albus, and his allies defeated and sent to Azkaban. In
25821-442: The views of its universe's creator. Writing for GameSpot , transgender YouTuber Jessie Earl wrote that those on each side of the debate should come to their own conclusions and that, while it was not wrong to want to play Hogwarts Legacy , those who did should not claim to be supportive of the trans community. In response to the controversy, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment's President, David Haddad, expressed that Rowling has
25992-427: The wandmaker, in order to craft the special wand. As the protagonist leaves Ollivander's, they are ambushed by Victor, who proposes an alliance against the goblins. The protagonist refuses, resulting in a battle in which the protagonist manages to defeat him. Shortly after, the protagonist and Professor Fig find the repository intact, and the protagonist makes their choice between keeping the magic sealed away or absorbing
26163-478: Was also one of the earliest action RPGs. Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu , released in 1985 (billed as a "new type of real-time role-playing game"), was an action role-playing game including many character stats and a large quest. It also incorporated a side-scrolling view during exploration and an overhead view during battle, and an early "Karma" morality system where the character's Karma meter will rise if he commits sin (killing "good" enemies), which in turn causes
26334-508: Was also released that year. It was a party-based action RPG, with the player controlling a party of four characters at the same time in a side-scrolling view. The game also featured character creation, highly customizable characters, class-based puzzles, and a new scenario system, allowing players to choose from 15 scenarios, or quests , to play through in the order of their choice. It was also an episodic video game , with expansion disks later released offering more scenarios. Falcom also released
26505-433: Was an action RPG with an icon-based point-and-click interface. Bad Blood , another Origin Systems game from 1990, would use the same interface. The designers were inspired by console titles, particularly The Legend of Zelda , to make their interface more accessible. The 1994 title Ultima VIII used mouse controls and attempted to add precision jumping sequences reminiscent of a Mario platform game, though reactions to
26676-610: Was an action RPG. Bill Loguidice and Matt Barton claimed that the Intellivision games Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (1982) and Treasure of Tarmin (1983) were action RPGs. Shaun Musgrave of TouchArcade notes that Adventure lacked RPG mechanics such as experience points and permanent character growth, and argues that Gateway to Apshai is "the earliest game I'd feel comfortable calling an action-RPG" but notes that "it doesn't fit neatly into our modern genre classifications", though came closer than Bokosuka Wars released
26847-483: Was an ongoing rivalry developing between the Dragon Slayer and Hydlide series over the years. The Tower of Druaga , Dragon Slayer and Hydlide were influential in Japan, where they influenced later action RPGs such as Ys , as well as The Legend of Zelda . Falcom's Dragon Slayer , created by Yoshio Kiya, is "the very first action-RPG ever made" according to GameSetWatch. Originally released for
27018-419: Was delayed twice, first to 2022, and later to 10 February 2023. The PS4 and Xbox One versions were also delayed twice, from its February 2023 launch to May. A Nintendo Switch port by Shiver Entertainment was released on 14 November 2023. It was originally scheduled for 25 July 2023. The game was released in three versions: Standard, Deluxe, and Collector's Edition. The Deluxe Edition includes extra content like
27189-400: Was developed by utilising Unreal Engine 4 . J. K. Rowling , the author of the Harry Potter series , was not directly involved in its development. However, Warner Bros. acknowledged that her literary works served as the basis for all projects in the Wizarding World. The total budget was estimated at $ 150 million. Lead writer Moira Squier stated that the story was purposefully placed in
27360-484: Was dismissed by some activists as insincere, while unnamed sources involved in the development allegedly stated that the character added nothing substantial and was solely created to avert criticism. On 23 February 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that Hogwarts Legacy had sold more than 12 million copies and generated $ 850 million in global sales. On 5 May 2023, it had accumulated a total of 15 million copies sold worldwide and crossed $ 1 billion in total revenue. By
27531-449: Was doomed to have, at most, a year left to live. The stone is later passed to Harry through Dumbledore's will. Harry uses the Stone to summon his deceased loved ones – his parents, his godfather Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin – to comfort him and strengthen his courage, before he goes to meet his death at Voldemort's hand. The stone falls unseen from Harry's fingers in the Forbidden Forest as he reaches Voldemort's encampment. Harry survives
27702-905: Was echoed by PCMag . IGN praised the companions for their characterization and roles. The cast performances received similar compliments; PCMag wrote that their quality made conversations feel natural. On the other hand, Video Games Chronicle considered certain NPCs outside of Hogwarts to be lifeless. Hardcore Gamer wrote that the protagonist's rivals, Ranrok and Rookwood, failed as compelling antagonists and were inferior compared to other established Harry Potter villains. Reviewers were critical of Legacy ' s technical aspects. PC Gamer experienced brief but frequent pauses at doors, as well as frame rate drops during uneventful moments. Eurogamer Germany noted shading issues and rigid facial expressions on character models , and CNET thought that their eye movements occasionally felt unnatural. Many noted that
27873-449: Was generally praised. PCGamesN called it the strongest aspect, and The A.V. Club deemed it the most interesting feature, expressing that confrontations with greater difficulty provided genuinely thrilling experiences. GameSpot described the combat and spells as giving a notable feeling of control to the player, though they criticised the spell-selecting controls and the unremarkable enemy design. Game Informer similarly lamented
28044-594: Was not a response to the criticism. Warner Bros. did not comment on the situation. Following the release of the first gameplay trailer in March 2022, Hogwarts Legacy received criticism for basing it in the Goblin Rebellion era of Wizarding World history, with the game's storyline focusing on the player suppressing a goblin rebellion. The portrayal of goblins in the Wizarding World has previously been acussed of being based on antisemitic tropes . Critics argued that
28215-497: Was one of the best-performing games of 2023. Prior to its release, Hogwarts Legacy was nominated for "Most Anticipated Game" at the Game Awards 2022 and for "Most Wanted Game" at the Golden Joystick Awards 2022 . The game made several lists of the most anticipated games of 2023: CNET , CNN , Den of Geek , GameSpot , IGN , PC Games , NPR , Polygon , Time , VentureBeat , and VG247 . As
28386-503: Was presented in partnership with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and conducted by composer Lorne Balfe . Before any official statement on the development or release of Hogwarts Legacy , gameplay footage leaked in 2018. Hogwarts Legacy was officially announced at a PlayStation 5 event in September 2020, with a planned release for PlayStation 4 , PlayStation 5, Windows , Xbox One , and Xbox Series X/S in 2021. It
28557-511: Was re-released with a PS4 "Pro" edition in 2018. Assassin's Creed , a long-running Ubisoft franchise, also shifted towards the action RPG formula, inspired by the successes of The Witcher 3 and the Dark Souls series, with its titles Origins (2017), Odyssey (2018) and Valhalla (2020). Avalanche Software released Hogwarts Legacy in 2023. Set in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and its surrounding areas,
28728-454: Was released for arcades in June 1984, and was intended as a "fantasy version of Pac-Man , with puzzles to solve, monsters to battle, and hidden treasure to find". Its success in Japan inspired the development of Dragon Slayer (1984) and Hydlide (1984). Dragon Slayer , Hydlide and Courageous Perseus (1984) "vie for position as genre precedent" according to John Szczepaniak, and there
28899-692: Was to balance the original composition with the existing music of the Wizarding World films. One of the songs, Overture to the Unwritten , was released prior to the soundtrack. The song was performed by the Seven Springs Symphony Orchestra & Choir as a live capture of a 54-piece orchestra. In December 2022, the release of the soundtrack was announced to happen in February 2023. It was released as two digital double albums totaling 75 tracks: Hogwarts Legacy (Original Video Game Soundtrack) and Hogwarts Legacy (Study Themes from
29070-493: Was to create a welcoming atmosphere that fosters a sense of nostalgia and belonging. Lead designer Troy Leavitt stated that the studio had the flexibility to select the elements that fans were most enthusiastic about. He also mentioned that Hogwarts Legacy was designed to give fans the "wizarding world experience" they always desired while reading the books or watching the movies, without any particular agenda or message. Also working in game design, Troy Johnson elaborated that with
29241-515: Was used in many later games. T&E Soft 's Hydlide , released in December 1984, was created by Tokihiro Naito, who was influenced by The Tower of Druaga . It was the first action RPG with an overworld . The game was immensely popular in Japan, selling 2 million copies across all platforms. According to John Szczepaniak, it "cannot be overstated how influential Hydlide was on the ARPGs which followed it". The same year, Courageous Perseus
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