I'm a little disgusted with Hogwarts Legacy. Don't get me wrong: it's a great video game. I wouldn't rate it as GOTY, but you should buy it, play it, and have it in your collection. After investing +80 hours to complete my first game, get the Platinum and start two more characters, I can say that there is one aspect that pisses me off a lot: the absence of a Karma system.
Maybe it's my impression (or not), but video games make us less responsible of our actions and the madness for graphics has reached absurd levels (and unsustainable in many developments), to the point of being the first (and sometimes only) aspect appreciated by many users.
I have not lost the ability to be moved by the graphics section. My jaw still drops when I remember the visual insanity that is Resident Evil 2 Remake, but… the more I marvel, the angrier I get. Many of the worlds we play are pure facade, they are hollow at a playable level. Video games already look very good, let's stop this madness.
Hogwarts Legacy Doesn't Care About Us: Actions Without Repercussions
If you think about it, there are a lot of video games that feature wonderful worlds in which your actions really do not affect them in the slightest. Hogwarts Legacy It's a good example. It doesn't matter if you respond badly, if you keep or charge for items that aren't yours, or if you use Unforgivable Curses. The result is just as tacky: one or two lines of angry dialogue that no one believes.
Your actions in Hogwarts Legacy They don't affect the world. You're not going to screw up your relationship with anyone and it's okay to cast an Avada Kedravra on an enemy. Even during the final election essentially the same thing happens! There are no repercussions. There is only the morality you want to add. Nobody is going to raise your prices or deny you entry to any place. And if that were not enough, Professor Weasley also congratulates you when you reach level 34. Your time at Hogwarts is irrelevant.
The missions of the Unforgivable Curses They make it very clear that it is not a good path and that using them is crossing a line from which you cannot return. An ex-Auror even appears who clearly states that they are being hunted by the Ministry of Magic! A lot of barking, but then… nothing.
On the other hand, the Dark Magic branch of Hogwarts Legacy It is accessible from the first moment, without requirements, and learning it has no impact on the world or the character. No teacher is going to tell you off, nor are the authorities going to worry because you are using Crucio and Avada Kedavra left and right. Nothing happens if you go out at night or if you mistreat animals, etc.
All this pisses me off. I understand that Hogwarts Legacy It aims to be a video game for all audiences and accessible, but in the attempt it ends up being inconsistent with all the rules it establishes from the beginning. My final feeling is that Hogwarts doesn't change the slightest after my passage.
This is not new. The Division, for example, also suffers from this: you can become a Rogue Agent in the Dark Zones to steal and kill SHD agents. There is no positive or negative repercussion. You remove your status and leave the zone as the holiest player. And the list goes on: GTA and Assassin's Creed are two other examples. I'm sure you can think of more.
Decisions and consequences: worlds consistent with your actions
That a video game looks incredible is fine, but that it takes into account your time in the world is another thing. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the saga Fallout (minus 76), Elden Ring (and the rest of soulsborne), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and Red Dead Redemption II/Online are perfect examples of video games that are aware of the player's place in the world and react to their actions. .. with more or less possibilities.
The Karma System Skyrim y Fallout It is very well known. It goes so far as to cause the loss of side quests, enmity with certain factions, and prohibition of access to certain areas. Elden Ring It has an intricate system of relationships and secondary missions. It's impossible not to mess with someone. Although some relationships can be restored, most decisions and NPC deaths are irrevocable.
You have another example in my The Witcher 3 post about the Hunchback Quagmire. A series of decisions and attitudes are intertwined that end up leading to the death of someone important to a character in the main story. And although I was not the executing hand, I was responsible. And speaking of decisions and repercussions, Baldur's Gate 3 is a wonderful nightmare.
These reputation, decision and karma systems connect the world and its rules to the player. They represent an incredible immersion bomb, because you go from being a mere spectator to a gear and/or engine of changes in the world. You can behave however you want: being yourself, a villain, a hero… The beautiful thing is that each role has its pros and cons.
Dark Magic in Hogwarts Legacy It has 100% advantages and 0% disadvantages. His skill tree upgrades are too powerful, and the three Unforgivable Curses are obtained in side quests whose dire results have no impact on your character. The game does not hold you responsible. Put all the blame on your NPC companion, lest someone feel bad about torturing and killing, and stop playing.
“I want solutions, not problems,” you might think. Perfect! Using Dark Magic should close Natt and Poppy's relationships, for example, and open up other side quests that focus on the dark path you've chosen. Professor Weasley should not congratulate you on your progress and you should not be able to attend the secret ending mission.
If you choose to fully enhance the Dark Magic branch and learn the three unforgivable curses (there is room for maneuver), the ending could be in In Azka, For example. Did you have fun during the story? Great, now answer for your actions.
It's easier to make a pretty game than a coherent one.
Recent years have shown that video games have fallen far behind in several areas: AI, the richness of open worlds and karma systems. They are incredible on a graphic level, but their worlds (not only on a physical level) do not respond to our actions, they are inert.
The harsh reality is that it is much easier to make beautiful worlds than coherent ones. Having real decisions and consequences is complicated both at the level of development and when facing the experience. Knowing that your actions will have an impact on the world (present and future) presents an experience that requires a certain degree of commitment and strategy.
Meanwhile in Hogwarts Legacy you end up with applause and cheers no matter what and how you do it, games like Elden Ring, Mass Effect y The Witcher 3 They do not always deliver the results that the player expects. On many occasions, you are forced to choose between two evils, each worse, or a turn of events (due to decisions that you made in parallel and/or in the past) truncates your plans.
It's not pleasant… And here is the key to the matter! There is a huge risk of reaching the end or going through part of the experience with a bad conscience because of a decision. And with this I am not implying that guided stories are worse, The Last of Us Part 2 is the experience that makes the player feel very bad… even if they get cold feet at the end.
Whether out of fear or developers' convenience, fewer and fewer games hold users responsible for their actions, if they allow them to be taken at all. But the future is not entirely dark for those of us who love these types of games. Starfield and Baldur’s Gate 3for example, have shown that there are still adventures in which we must think very carefully about what we are going to do, since our decisions have a short and long-term impact on our relationships and the world.
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