After leaked footage hit the internet back in October 2018 before being quickly removed through copyright strikes by Warner Bros, it quickly became apparent that a Harry Potter RPG was definitely in the pipeline. Better yet, the footage was incredible, showcasing a detailed character creator, explosive combat, and, best of all, a fully explorable Hogwarts school to play around in. As expected, the internet collectively lost its mind.
Over a year laterm fans still didn't know much more about this cryptic Harry Potter game. Some leaked details shone a light over what players could expect whenever they did finally get to have their immersive adventure in the iconic wizarding world, yet who was making it and when it would come out remained a mystery. That was until recently when it was revealed that the unannounced adaptation was going to be shown at a Warner Bros specific E3 conference. That bombshell also happened to follow news surrounding Avalanche Software's newest AAA game being close to an announcement, with many fans connecting the dots and speculating that this new project and the mysterious Harry Potter RPG could likely be one and the same.
So, with the game seemingly on its way very soon, it's worth speculating about what would make a truly great Harry Potter RPG. The title no doubt has a lot of potential, especially as the universe is so rife with fantastic lore, powers, and places to explore, so what would it have to do to truly become the definitive Harry Potter experience it can be?
The Full Hogwarts Experience
If fans are finally getting a large-scale Harry Potter RPG set inside the iconic walls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the priority almost has to be delivering an experience that allows players to immerse themselves in the day to day life of a Hogwarts student. Getting sorted into a house, attending fantastical classes, visiting iconic Hogwarts landmarks; the core focus of the adventure should be allowing the player to finally get to live out their deepest Harry Potter fantasies, especially as the vast majority of the more significant video game adaptations of the franchise have forced players to take the role of Harry himself.
Perhaps implementing a school schedule along the lines of a game like Bully might be a nice touch, with the player being able to attend classes each day to receive new skills, spells, or items. Going to some of the more memorable classes from the Harry Potter books and films could make for some brilliant side activities as well, with Defence Against the Dark Arts perhaps providing new combat spells while Potions could perhaps provide new recipes for making health remedies. If leaks are to be believed, Hogwarts seems to be a huge part of the game; however, fans need to be able to do more than simply explore it. They need to be able to live the life of a Hogwarts student.
Detailed Character Creation
Along with a realistic Hogwarts School to attend, it seems wise for the game to give a lot of options in regards to the player-created character. One of the biggest elements of the leaked Harry Potter RPG footage that surfaced in October 2018 was an incredibly detailed character creation system, with the customization options allegedly allowing players to select everything from hair and eye color to the house their character was sorted into and even the bloodline they descended from. Naturally, this makes it seems like the avatar the player creates will be influenced a lot by their background, which is undeniably a great thing.
With the Harry Potter franchise often frequently referencing where witches and wizards came from (with a number of the franchise's more nefarious characters often looking down on those without purely magical heritage), it makes sense that the key to an RPG set in this universe would be allowing the player to select every small detail about their playable avatar. Seeing these play out during interactions with students would no doubt greatly enhance the game's role-playing aspects as well, with Slytherins perhaps looking down on the player for being muggle-born or thinking higher of them for being from a long line of "pure-blood" wizards. Regardless, players want to be able to feel like they are the protagonist of this story, and detailed character creation options are the key to unlocking that feeling.
A Story That Expands The Franchise's Mythos
With most rumors placing the Harry Potter RPG back in the 19th century - long before both Harry Potter and the Fantastic Beasts stories have taken place - there's a lot Avalanche could do with a prequel story set in the wizarding universe. Not only has this era rarely been explored in Harry Potter, but it's also a time period that could potentially pull back the curtain on a number of unexplained aspects of the series' world.
With a number of reports hinting that the story will follow a presumed muggle who turns out be a wizard and joins Hogwarts during fifth-year, it seems as though the team behind the game already have an intriguing new story to tell in this universe. However, it's worth remembering that - with the franchise being so steeped in fictional history - there's a lot this new experience in the Harry Potter world could do with that interesting setup. Perhaps players could meet the descendants of a number of soon-to-be-famous witches and wizards; maybe they can see how certain areas of Hogwarts came to be. It seems the sky's the limit with what Avalanche can do with this tale, however...
Remaining Rigidly Faithful To The Lore
When it comes to fandoms, very few are as keenly observant as those who adore Harry Potter. The story of the boy who lived comes with such an extensive history of characters, events, and magic that any piece of media attempting to slot into that timeline needs to be positively sure it puts every puzzle piece in the right place. Seen as many leaks have locked the game's placement in the timeline all the way back in the 19th century, it will need to make sure none of its key story beats conflict with the franchise's extensive lore.
That means cameos - if any can actually take place - need to be sensically added, events need to lineup with those fans already know occur in the timeline, and the details of the plot need to feel as though they could've genuinely happened long before Harry even so much as stepped foot in the grounds of Hogwarts. That means no heart-warming Dumbledore appearance, no reference to the Dark Lord to be, and definitely no mention of the Boy Who Lived. For those who love the franchise, immersion is everything, and with so many knowing the franchise's extensive lore, keeping faithful to the story and delivering a brand new slice of the wizarding world is key.
An Intricate Morality System
If there's one core theme that is prevalent from the beginning to the end of the Harry Potter franchise, its the internal struggle between light and the dark. As both the films and books show, being a wizard comes with extraordinary power, and that can corrupt even the most good-natured of people. If a game is looking to harness what it means to exist in this universe, capturing that sense of morality is key, especially as the game will allow players to take control of their own wizard encountering the same temptations that lured Harry throughout his adventures.
With many of the rumors surrounding the game claiming it features a morality system that allows players to lean more towards light or dark magic, it seems only fitting that the system becomes an intricate feature of the game. Perhaps morally corrupt wizards can use dark magic to bully their way through enemies, while learning spells to get around combat scenarios all together will be the goal of virtuous characters. Leaks also claim that players will gain friends and enemies entirely based on their decisions, so perhaps the protagonist's allegiances and rivalries will force the player to make a number of more morally complex choices. However the title pulls it off, having moral decisions that stretch further than merely a good or evil path will no doubt make for a more intriguing magical adventure in the long run.
A Versatile Magic System
Although the early Harry Potter offerings were fantastic in their own right, no video game adaptation of the franchise has ever managed to get magic exactly right. Most offer a very small range of spells and only allow players to cast them at specific times, making most levels feel far too linear for a series that often uses magic to make anything possible. Naturally, there's no way to entirely make fans feel as though they can do anything, but a new, versatile, and multifaceted spell system could bring players ever closer to feeling as though they're genuinely wielding magic.
Providing spells that can be used in a variety of situations would only allow the player to feel more like the witches and wizards they see in the movies, with levels that can be solved with a number of different forms of magic allowing fans to play their way. The trailer even begins to hint that this might be the case, with the player using a spell to explode two pillars that fall on an enemy mid-combat rather than simply using a spell to incapacitate them. More situations that allow players to push forward their own way with whatever magic they choose would be ideal, especially as games like Dishonored and Breath of the Wild have shown that player creativity is endless when gameplay mechanics act more like a toolbox than a strict set of guidelines.
Meaningful Side-Content
Although a core part of the Harry Potter adventures is both his time at school and his battles against Lord Voldemort, a great deal of the books and films are also spent on his past-times and helping his friends. Evidently, it's a big part of the franchise's world and it should remain that way in the RPG. Hogwarts School is full of potentially incredible side-activities after all, with Harry and his friends often partaking in a number of fun games, sports, and side-adventures.
Obviously, the big one here is Quidditch, and no doubt the game would be amiss without the addition of the now-iconic wizarding sport. It doesn't have to be incredibly fleshed out, but a mini-game surrounding the broomstick based activity would be an incredibly fun diversion for many players, perhaps allowing the protagonist to join a team, purchase better brooms, and play in different positions. Outside of that, there could also be Wizard Chess, dueling competitions, and more. Add to that a number of side-quests and collectibles that better expand the Harry Potter universe, and fans have themselves a recipe for some incredibly fun side-content.
A Harry Potter RPG is rumored to be in development for unknown platforms.