Hogwarts Legacy with its open-world exploration of the wizarding world, is a big hit. The biggest gaming hit of 2023 in fact. It is not a game without controversy, largely centered of the recent abhorrent online campaigns by the series creator. So when we finally got round to playing it, we already had a pretty sour taste in our mouths. However, we had been fans of the franchise since before a certain someone went into an internet hell hole. We wanted to give the game a chance. Which we did, and we’ve finished the campaign and side missions. Quick review – it’s alright. It hits the nostalgia points well and balances its target audience of older players (like us) with its younger fans. Still, we have a problem that we felt really cut ate away at our enjoyment of the game. Warning, some MILD spoilers for the game and game-play mechanics (but no specifics).
Our contention is regarding the game’s portrayal of the Unforgivable Curses—Crucio, Imperio, and Avada Kedavra—spells known for torture, control, and murder, respectively. In the Harry Potter lore, these spells are deeply connected to the path of dark magic. They are seen as irredeemable acts that lead to severe consequences. Literally the use of any one of them could land you in Azkaban, the wizard slammer for a rather long time.
In the original Harry Potter series, the Unforgivable Curses are not just illegal but are morally reprehensible acts that define the user as a dark wizard. Characters like Bellatrix Lestrange and Voldemort are infamous for their use of these spells, cementing their identities as antagonists who revel in causing pain and death. The lore emphasizes that these curses are not tools to be wielded lightly; they carry heavy ethical and legal repercussions. Harry Potter, at one point, struggles to use them because you have to really want to cause hurt. Basically people with morals struggle with unforgivable curses outside the most dire of circumstances
Being bad is… bad?
Hogwarts Legacy is also clear about this. On the surface, it handles the use of unforgivable curses quite well. There is an entire quest line about a companion being drawn to the dark arts with a desire to use them to do good but struggling with the effect of using such terrible methods to achieve their ends. As a player, you get choices of whether to engage and learn these spells. That, coupled with the ability in most NPC conversations to be ‘nice’ or ‘not nice’ makes the player feel their actions have consequences.
In our play-through, we wanted to go the non dark arts route. We rejected learning them and the whole upgrade tree for these spells. We weren’t d*cks to all the NPC’s. Dumbledore would be proud. We did this because ultimately because one of the core themes of the Harry Potter franchise is that power provides temptation. As Uncle Ben would say, great power comes with responsibility (a lesson the series creator could have done with applying to their own choices).
So it was we got to the late game and got curious about what had happened if we had gone the other way and what the impact was for going the dark arts route. The answer? Nothing.
Curse away!
Hogwarts Legacy allows the player to use these spells with little of the moral weight that the lore suggests. Players are free to learn and use the Unforgivable Curses without significant in-game consequences, which can create a sense of dissonance for those familiar with the series’ stance on dark magic. Instead of leading the player down a dark path, the curses are mechanically rewarding, making combat easier and allowing players to defeat enemies with relative ease. This shift from lore-driven consequences to game-play rewards raises questions about the ethical implications of the player’s actions within the game’s narrative.
This dissonance between the story and game-play mechanics is not merely an oversight but a reflection of a broader challenge in game design: balancing narrative consistency with player freedom. By not imposing consequences for the use of Unforgivable Curses, Hogwarts Legacy provides players with a more liberating game-play experience, allowing them to experiment with all available spells without fear of narrative penalties. However, this approach also diminishes the moral complexity that has been a hallmark of the Harry Potter series, potentially reducing the gravity of the choices players make.
The absence of in-game consequences for using dark magic in Hogwarts Legacy can be seen as a missed opportunity to explore the themes of morality and the cost of power. The game could have delved deeper into the consequences of using such powerful and ethically dubious spells, perhaps by introducing narrative branches that reflect the player’s choices or by altering the player’s relationships with other characters based on their actions. Such features would have added layers of depth to the game, aligning it more closely with the moral landscape established in the Harry Potter universe.
Hogwarts Legacy – the unforgivable curse dilemma.
Ultimately, the dissonance in Hogwarts Legacy regarding the Unforgivable Curses highlights a tension between game-play freedom and narrative fidelity. While the game offers an expansive and engaging world, it sacrifices some of the moral complexities that define the Harry Potter series. This choice underscores the challenges developers face when adapting beloved narratives into interactive experiences, where the need to engage and empower players can sometimes overshadow the deeper ethical storytelling that fans might expect.
It sort of ruined the experience for us. We play games to escape and role-play. In a world where abuse of power has no real consequences for many, sometimes we look to art to provide it. In Hogwarts Legacy, becoming a 15 year old ruthless killing machine makes the game easier and more varied. It teaches that if you are in a position of power, you can do what you want with impunity. Now what does that remind you of?
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