This year has seen many games receive delays, leading to 2023 becoming a year filled with big releases.Hogwarts Legacy, which was meant to drop in 2022’s holiday season, has been pushed to February 2023.Hogwarts Legacy’s delayis not long, but it does mean that it will release around the same time asForspoken, which was also originally scheduled for a 2022 release, but after a few delays, it will now hit stores on July 22, 2025. Delays can be useful, as they give developers time to polish their product and release their best work possible. However, with the similarities betweenForspokenandHogwarts Legacy, the delay may have caused the games to become direct competitors.
Both games feature spells, and they will allow players to explore a magical world. However, their implementation of magic and their approach to open-world design differs. Both games likely have overlapping fan bases eagerly awaiting the release of the games, and ifHogwarts Legacywishes to be the biggest game of early 2022, it will have to prove itself againstForspoken. It will be a good time for fans of the fantasy genre, as they will have plenty to choose from.
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Two Styles of Magic
AlthoughForspokenandHogwarts Legacymay appear quite different on the surface, they do share many significant similarities. Perhaps most notably, both games lean heavily into the fantasy genre, and they integrate magic into their combat. Each game approaches the concept of magic differently, and it will ultimately be up to gamers to decide which style appeals to them. The magic ofHogwarts Legacy’s Wizarding World mainly draws from European mythology, leading to the appearance of several mythological creatures from Norse, Celtic, and Anglo-Saxon mythology. For example,Kelpies are spoken of in Scottish folklore, while the werewolf Fenrir Greyback is named after the giant wolf of Scandinavian folklore. When it comes to casting spells and brewing potions, the Wizarding World contains many elements from European alchemy. This is seen with the use of Latin, and the existence of items such as the Philosopher’s Stone.
It is not yet clear whetherForspoken’s magicdraws from any mythology, though it is evident that it works in mysterious ways. Frey is transported from New York to the magical land of Athia where she learns she can wield magic. She can cast spells, and trailers suggest that they are divided into elemental groups such as fire, water, and earth, and players will be able to access them via a weapon wheel. Frey can also zip across the landscape at breathtaking speeds, making traversal an exhilarating experience. Frey, like the protagonist ofHogwarts Legacy, has yet to master magic. However, whileHogwarts Legacyhas Hogwarts to provide lessons, it appears that Frey will have to learn on the job.
In both games, magic will not be an entirely benevolent force, and players will regularly encounter its darker side.Forspokenfeatures the Break, a force that turns everything it touches into a malignant version of itself. Though Frey is not affected by the Break,she may run into Breakstorms, which have her facing hordes of enemies. InHogwarts Legacy, there is a gang of Dark Wizards led by Victor Rookwood. Interestingly, while it appears thatForspokenwill have players fighting the forces of evil, it seems thatHogwarts Legacywill allow players to dabble in dark magic if they wish. It has also been shown that players will be able to wield dark magic and even cast Unforgivable Curses.
Two Approaches to Open-World Gameplay
BothForspokenandHogwarts Legacyare open-world games that offer plenty of exploration opportunities, though each game offers a unique take on the genre.Hogwarts Legacytakes place in Hogwarts, which features moving staircases, dungeons, and ghosts. Players will be able to access theRoom of Requirementand use it as a sort of base where they can enchant gear, brew potions, and harvest plants. After being sorted into one of the four houses, players will also be able to enter their house’s common room. Exploration is not limited to the castle, however, and players will also be able to venture into Hogsmeade.
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Forspokenappears to feature a more traditional open-worldmap that contains vast stretches of wilderness to explore. Athia is a dangerous place, and players will find themselves up against plenty of monsters. When players are looking for safety, they will be able to head to one of the various settlements, including the city of Cipal, which gamers have gotten a glimpse of. BothHogwarts LegacyandForspokenfeature compelling open worlds, and it will take players a while before they turn all stones and discover all the secrets awaiting them.
Forspokenhas plenty going for it, and eyes are on it thanks to the big names attached to it. Writers include notable names such as Amy Hennig and Gary Whitta, while music will be handled byGod of War’s Bear McCreary. Luminous Productions, the development team behind the game, is composed of individuals who also worked onFinal Fantasy 15, which suggests that gamers are in for some well-designed open-world gameplay. However, this does not mean thatHogwarts Legacywill be overshadowed so easily.
Hogwarts Legacyhas the fan base of a multi-billion dollar franchise behind it, and the game’s ambitious scope has hadHarry Potterfans excited for what could be the most immersiveHarry Pottergame to date. The speed at which the $300Hogwarts LegacyCollector’s Editionsold out, and the ridiculous prices it is being resold for online, also indicates that hype for the game is strong. Time will tell whether the games will be able to live up to the sky-high expectations and whether either game will be outshone by the other.
Hogwarts Legacyis scheduled to release on June 23, 2025 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. A Nintendo Switch version is also on the way.
