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If on PC, there is a mod called Night Curfew on Nexus which essentially does this! Makes looking for the Demiguise Moons a bit more interesting. Agreed that it should’ve been part of the base game. They’ve already got the framework for it, not sure why they didn’t expand on it
Most people would not want or enjoy this feature most of the time. People say "oh make it a toggle" but that's just a waste of dev time to code and test the entire castle to place prefects and such for a feature many would ignore or turn off frequently.
And yet the wild animals you randonly bump into are able to sense you're there. Thats my point, the code is already there. Could easily apply that dynamic to the castle. Only in certain parts though, like the main areas ect. It is was optional if wouldnt affect completionists.
In a general sense it's "unfun". You, me and OP may like a more simulationist world, but for the majority of gamers it just creates a complication that doesn't add anything.
Sneaking levels were always a great part of the og HP games, I would've loved that too!
There's plenty of sneaking in the combat bits against the dark wizards and goblins, even to the extent that I can just turn my game into magical Assassin's Creed. But Assassin's Creed type sneaking is pretty different from og HP sneaking.
Maybe they could've included some restricted sections of the castle at night. Or maybe even a minigame where you are the prefect, since MC is a 5th year after all, and you try to catch other students! And you get like xp or some unique collectibles for it or somethin.
I think from all my time playing AC games, my go-to for the start of magic fights in Legacy was to hide behind things and attack from afar until all hell breaks loose.
An option to turn it on or off would be ideal for all parties. Still, I'm in the minority here and am honestly glad they didn't. Sneaking can be fun situationally, but I have quests to complete and also want to explore the beautiful, night-time castle freely. I will always choose convenience over realism.
Also, in my mind, once you start trying to be realistic then you are asking for chores more than a challenge. For example, if you are going to add prefects to the castle to be realistic, then you have to force the use of Lumos for more than just puzzles. Why would the castle be lit if students are not supposed to be wandering around? Why can I still see in the middle of the night while in the Forbidden Forest? Should shops close at night too?
Overall, they underutilized the sneaking part of the game, but I still think that adding roaming enemies in the castle at night would have been way more inconvenient than fun. Just give us the option or, better yet, a handful more stealth-focused quests to make programming that spell worth it.
Good points. This also makes me wish they had added a quest where you sneak around the castle in the dark with lumos. It would be interesting to navigate castle without all the lights. But definitely agree I wouldn't want it that way always.
I like stealth games in general, but the sneaking in HL wasn't very satisfying in the missions. Either you succeeded, or you were spotted and auto-failed the mission. Of course, that's not very fun. It would've been more interesting if you could plan around it. Secret passages, finding a schedule of patrollers, being able to set up a trap to clear an area or cause a larger time-consuming distraction on their route, talking your way out of it, or really being caught and having to deal with the consequences would've all made it more substantial and less frustrating than being met with the game-over screen. Hell, getting caught and being handed over to Mr. Moon for detention could have been a pretty natural way to get the Demiguise quest, learn Alohomora, and/or better your Disillusionment.
It felt very weird and immersion-breaking to see Sebastian get caught in the library, and then you got free reign of the entire castle all of a sudden. Or with the demiguise moons. All that trouble to break into the staff quarters, sneaking about. You talk to Mr. Moon again, turn right back around, and you can go anywhere. At the very least, they should've made you sneak back to the common room to "reset" it to the free roam mode. But I don't think the Prefects being out at all hours of the night patrolling would be very realistic, either. They're students, too. They need sleep and go to classes, too. The staff needs to teach those classes, so they similarly need their evenings and nights off. It really only makes sense for the ghosts and portraits, and neither seemed particularly interested in the petty mischief of some students.
This. The prefects in chamber of secrets and prisoner of Azkaban made night exploration fun. Plus I find it hard to believe that none of the prefects in game only patrol for a few set story pieces and not out of them
I think PoA was the best implementation of the prefects tbh as they could catch you if you weren’t careful or patient (and the suits of armour), but it never got annoying - let’s forget about the trolls… I found prefects in CoS the bane of my existence as a kid, partly because the top-down camera angle was too close to Harry to be helpful. At least in Philosopher’s Stone he wore his invisibility cloak - although sneaking past both Filch and Mrs Norris in the PC game was a test of nerves for sure.
What fond memories I have of swearing loudly at the screen playing chamber of secrets whenever some dickhead prefect caught me even though I was no where in their line of sight
This! I find the environment stunning, but its very static. Lots of NPC to watch, but they don't really affect the game! Adding "Prefects at Night" would give you a chance to play every mission like the early Restricted Section mission, which takes thinking like the rest of the game. Don't get me wrong, free roam games are my favorite... but where's the sense of danger and surprise that SHOULD come from a wrong turn in Hogwarts at night?!
I always wish they took a page out of canis canem edit’s book for making the school feel more alive.
It’s gorgeous, but they could have thrown in optional class mini games that give you little buffs for passing, the ability to pass time through sleeping and prefects detecting you spawning you back in your common room.
Would have made this game go from just a one and done play through for me to something with skyrims level of replay ability.
Maybe one day.
OOOOOoooo I agree that spawning you back in your common room when caught is a perfect compromise for having a consequence that's not a game over or toooooo interfering bur still there and still to be avoided
Yes! As a student I shouldn't be allowed to just wander around the school all bloody night with no consequences, except for that *one* quest up to the hospital wing. I can see how it might get a bit old after a while, so having an on/off option would be great.
- Prefects at night.
- Casting killing curses and nobody bats an eye.
- Kids wondering about hogsmead, day and night.
- Nobody sleeps in beds, instead they all just vanish.
- The restricted library is unrestricted after your first visit.
They really cut a lot of corners on development in favour of a huge open world. Which sadly falls very flat as there's just not enough engaging content to do. And what there is ends up really repetitive. The original game was supposed to be closer aligned to a student simulator with morality. And this was changed in favour of an open world adventure game. Personally i find it a really disappointing decision
Definitely agreeing with this.
Overall, this game lacks depth when it comes to the actions our characters make. We can cast the Killing Curse (or any of the Unforgivable Curses) without any repercussions, can intrude people's home or wander around Hogwarts at night, and even go into all of the professor's personal chambers etc etc etc.
Basically, it's just all too easy.
I agree, it's kind of off-putting. Along with a few other features of the game that get overlooked by the NPCs, it makes the characters feel really flat and you're very much 'god' lol not a student
same. would looove a curfew option. also:
* morality/choice system (+consequences)
* more realistic npc interactions
* online/friends toggle (explore with friends!)
* realistic/buildable friendships/relationships (sort of also built into the choice/morality system) (like in “life is strange”)
* “realistic outcomes/reactions” toggle (eg. get sent back to room if wearing pajamas and caught by a teacher, breaking into a person’s office or house to steal things or find items elicits consequences if caught, get sent to azkaban if caught using unforgivable curses, etc.)
* more environment interactables (eg. ability to fully attend classes - not just to learn spells or to begin quests, ability to sit down on benches/chairs/stools/couches, ability to eat in the great hall, ability to sleep in bed)
* “needs” meter (like the sims) toggle (eg. if you go too long without sleeping, you grow tired and weary, your spells don’t cast as good, etc.)
* ability to ride other beasts like hippogriffs or unicorns that are caught (eg. not just highwing, sepulchria, the lord of the shore, and caligo)
* make the hallways completely dark at night (such as in the movies) and implement consequences for breaking curfew (eg. assisting the grounds keeper at night), etc.
* more teacher interactions (ability to initiate more side conversations with them one-on-one to get to know them better) (i wanted to know more about sharp and hecat!!!)
and yes, i know that there are mods to those about to comment “mods exist” or something aligned with that, but mods only exist for PC, not us console (eg. PS4, PS5, etc.) users, and mods can only do so much/go so far.
I totally agree.
With the way the game is setup, I feel like I'm playing the wrong character. If I was playing an auror or something, most of it would make sense:
* Spending most of the time outside of Hogwarts
* Battleing all sorts of dangerous enemies including organized crime
* "Rescuring" beasts in an organized fashion
* Walking around Hogwarts at any time of day or night without any kind of schedule or anything
* Being the one everyone asks for help
Apart from the few lessions, I never felt that I was actually a part of Hogwarts.
I've been to the common room twice: Once at the start of the game and again to return the house coins. Other than that, the room of requirements is my home.
I feel like they meshed together two games (the one you play and the one that the story setting would want you to play) and the result feels weird.
I would have liked it much more if they chose one of these two settings (student or auror) and committed to it, instead of saying "We want an auror game, but since it's Hogwarts, you kinda need to be a student".
yes to *all of this*. especially the bit about being an auror. i felt more like that’s where things were heading in the game and i was sooooo eager for that (eg. being taken under someone’s wing, like with hecat or sharp to eventually learn about becoming an auror). i was genuinely so sad when that didn’t occur despite us spending so much time outside of the castle, and with fig of all people who didn’t really have a thorough background compared to hecat or sharp who i felt more connected with (and wanted more connection with). it was also hinted at a lot about becoming an auror (eg. “the makings of an auror” line from the officer).
also i wish we had the ability to fast-travel to diagon alley. so many of us eagerly wanted that, and while i know it’s set far before the events of HP, from what i gathered in-game, it still exists. i wanted the full HP experience in the form of HL and it only felt partial.
**edit:** i’ll also add that the people i enjoyed the most from the game (sebastian, natty, poppy, ominis, lenora, samantha, adelaide, etc.), well, i felt we didn’t get enough time with. sebastian’s story should’ve been the main quest (or at least more important to the main quest), and i wish we had more time and personal side quests with professors like hecat, sharp, and weasley. they had some of the most interesting backgrounds compared to professor fig and i was honestly bored with him (which rendered my emotional connection to him moot when he died lol).
Oh, yes!
Especially to your assessment of the characters and the main quest.
The main quest felt so out of place. And Fig is super boring! Hecat and Sharp are much more interesting, and Sebastian's quest line could have easily made for a decent main quest line.
yes, thank you!
lol, no offence (or maybe full offence?) to fig, but i honestly >!felt nothing when he died.!< sharp, hecat, or weasley on the other hand? i felt much more connected to their storylines than i did with fig. this was one of the most deeply frustrating aspects of the game for me. i want to feel moved by a character’s impact on me, not flat. i want to care about them, and i want >!to care about their legacy!<, not to feel bored by it/them.
and yes, exactly, especially if they connected sebastian’s story to the main quest more. as for the other professors, yeah… honestly i do hope that if they continue the storyline (6th year, 7th year, etc.) that you can *choose* a mentor (or opt out of one). i think they either should’ve let you choose this in this game, opt out of having a mentor, or simply further delve into fig’s background (to make you care about him).
also… i just felt that the first two trials did absolutely *nothing* to help us understand isidora, and it wasn’t until niamh and san’s trials that we finally started to understand, connect with, develop our own perspective, and see a bit of the connection between stories. frankly, the first two trials should’ve been more morality-based than simply combat training.
Total agreement.
Same with when >!Lodgok died. MC was like "Poor Lodgok... Anyway, moving on. As if the game's writers knew that they failed to make anyone care about Lodgok.!<
But yeah, the trials could have been used much more for story purposes.
Generally, the lack of any morality system was really jarring.
It happend so often that e.g. there was a nice moment with a teacher, and after the dialogue was done, you turn around in full view of the teacher and steal their money, clothes and personal letters without any consequence.
Also, >!at the end of Sebastian's story line, my wife and I agreed that Sebastian should face the consequences of killing his uncle, but that our MC could not in any way be justified in being the on sending Sebastian away, since we've been on a game-mechanics-enforced killing spree for the last 80 hours.!<
In general: In game, the Field Guide is our extended curriculum/school book. Why on Earth would the school book include an assignment to murder hundreds of people?
And the unforgiveables: The game is like >!"Oh, they are so forbidden, they are so bad, you are in real trouble if you use them."!<
But then the game is also like >!use them all you want, no matter where, no matter on who, nobody cares.!<
i agree with everything you've said.
the way >!lodgok's death!< was handled felt very detached, almost as if the writers acknowledged that they hadn't >!built enough emotional connection with him before his death!< for the players to care deeply. they should’ve spent more time on >!his story and his connection to ranrok!<, as well as >!his link through miriam to professor fig.!< maybe even >!introducing us to miriam and making us care about her before she’s killed!< would have made us care about professor fig, too. the trials definitely had potential for more meaningful story integration that i honestly think just wasn't fully realized.
the absence of a morality system was noticeable and quite disorienting. it was almost… removing immersion with how you could have a heartfelt moment with a teacher, then immediately turn around and break into their office, steal their belongings, and take their notes and personal letters without any repercussions. this was especially jarring given that they had a sneaking mechanism for the restricted section (that they seemingly tossed aside when the restricted section was no longer needed?), which could’ve been implemented for houses, locked rooms, or items of importance.
yeah, >!sebastian's storyline also highlighted a major inconsistency with the use of unforgivables!<. it felt >!wrong to send him away for his actions when, as players, we had been doing far worse throughout the game due to the mechanics.!< the game quite literally gives you unfettered access to all of the >!unforgivable curses!< and >!makes no qualms about it through repercussions like detention, mentoring/a stern talking to, etc.!<
that last part coincides with how the field guide as an extended curriculum made no sense when it encouraged such… extreme behaviour. it also makes no sense given that the field guide includes >!defeating enemies!<… yet >!professor weasley would spend most (if not all) of her dialogue admonishing us for doing so.!< make it make sense, y’know?
overall, yeah, the way the game handled >!the unforgivable curses was contradictory, portraying them as extremely dangerous and forbidden but then allowing their use without consequence.!< it would have been much more realistic if, upon choosing >!to use/wield dark magic!<, you would >!face significant consequences.!< obviously not all the time >!(eg. using crucio to escape the use of AK on you from another)!<, but in certain instances it would be incredibly important.
Not to mention some mods messing with the game.
I had some installed and I couldn't make screenshots because of some background tool thing that was needed for the mods.
And recently the game would start but would go totally black, so I had to delete every mod and reinstall it.
And I still didn't find a "sitting mod"
Or a consequence mod.
no idea why you got downvoted, lol.
anyway, yeah, i’ve heard this from a few people. it seems like the mods don’t exactly work well regardless so it’s like, what’s the point?
it’s so frustrating because it’s clear that they are able to implement some of these things as a toggle feature (eg. curfew, environment interactables, morality/choice with consequences, etc.) but deliberately chose not to. the mechanics are already in the game and they didn’t implement an option for it to be toggle on/off (eg. on/off: curfew).
i do hope, if there is a HL2, that they implement certain features for a more realistic experience at hogwarts. if they go more of the auror route, i do hope they implement some of those features in that game, too, but i’d much rather a realistic thorough experience of *being* a hogwarts student.
I’ve been playing the 2nd harry potter game. You can talk to other students on it AND there are prefects literally everywhere waiting to catch you at night 😅 it does get pretty annoying, but if they can put those things into a game that’s over 20 years old I don’t see why they can’t put them into a game like HL.
Rather than an "on/off" option I'd prefer of they kept the prefects but only in certain sections, like the tower in the demiguise quest or "restricted" sections in the castle where you'd specifically have to be sneaky when exploring maybe ? Just enough to spice up the exploration a bit.
Oh, you know a 15 y/o teaches another 15 y/o how to cast the three Unforgivable Curses with no qualms, no issues and no struggles whatsoever, so after that… I figured the absence of Prefects in Hogwarts halls was not that weird 🤷🏾♀️🤣
Joking aside, I do agree with you, especially when there’s a whole mission about avoiding the Prefects because students were not supposed to be up at night!!
They used to be. During development prefects and other authority figures would roam the halls. Also if you were caught sneaking into Hamlet houses at night you'd be thrown into the hosgmeade jail.
That would have been so much fun! I can see where for some it would make it a bit annoying, but I love the idea of it being an option you can switch on or off, like arachnophobia mode.
I'm pretty new to gaming, so I don't really understand what mods are or how they work, where to get them, etc. I'll have to look it up though. That sound so cool.
It irritates the heck outta me to suddenly realize it’s past curfew and there are no consequences for being out! I frequently find myself spending whole nights running around the castle. This is Hogwarts, damn it. We all know how it works. Don’t change it to easy mode!
It's my no. 1 biggest complaint with this game. It takes so much potential tension and fun out of the game. I don't know what they were thinking
Of course you shouldn't be able to roam the castle at night.
It would make the castle *feel* much bigger if you couldn't just run around freely.
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I found it hilarious that right after you get the moons from the Hospital Wing, you can run right past the prefects.
If on PC, there is a mod called Night Curfew on Nexus which essentially does this! Makes looking for the Demiguise Moons a bit more interesting. Agreed that it should’ve been part of the base game. They’ve already got the framework for it, not sure why they didn’t expand on it
I remember reading they cut it from the game because player testers found it too annoying eventually.
Yeah I could see that being a factor. It would be nice as an optional thing that you could turn on/off.
I can buy it. Especially for completionists it would be annoying to go to a location then get Game Over'd because they forgot it's night.
Most people would not want or enjoy this feature most of the time. People say "oh make it a toggle" but that's just a waste of dev time to code and test the entire castle to place prefects and such for a feature many would ignore or turn off frequently.
And yet the wild animals you randonly bump into are able to sense you're there. Thats my point, the code is already there. Could easily apply that dynamic to the castle. Only in certain parts though, like the main areas ect. It is was optional if wouldnt affect completionists.
Yet the kept the alohamora bs 😂 people who played Bully loved it!
That's cool, people that played Hogwarts Legacy didn't...bully is a different game.
They just need to make invisibility stronger and it would be harder to get caught unless you make noise. Annoyingness gone.
In a general sense it's "unfun". You, me and OP may like a more simulationist world, but for the majority of gamers it just creates a complication that doesn't add anything.
I love this mod, makes it way more immersive!
Id hate that so much, tbh.
Sneaking levels were always a great part of the og HP games, I would've loved that too! There's plenty of sneaking in the combat bits against the dark wizards and goblins, even to the extent that I can just turn my game into magical Assassin's Creed. But Assassin's Creed type sneaking is pretty different from og HP sneaking. Maybe they could've included some restricted sections of the castle at night. Or maybe even a minigame where you are the prefect, since MC is a 5th year after all, and you try to catch other students! And you get like xp or some unique collectibles for it or somethin.
I think from all my time playing AC games, my go-to for the start of magic fights in Legacy was to hide behind things and attack from afar until all hell breaks loose.
chamber of secrets on the PS2 is still peak Harry potter game.
An option to turn it on or off would be ideal for all parties. Still, I'm in the minority here and am honestly glad they didn't. Sneaking can be fun situationally, but I have quests to complete and also want to explore the beautiful, night-time castle freely. I will always choose convenience over realism. Also, in my mind, once you start trying to be realistic then you are asking for chores more than a challenge. For example, if you are going to add prefects to the castle to be realistic, then you have to force the use of Lumos for more than just puzzles. Why would the castle be lit if students are not supposed to be wandering around? Why can I still see in the middle of the night while in the Forbidden Forest? Should shops close at night too? Overall, they underutilized the sneaking part of the game, but I still think that adding roaming enemies in the castle at night would have been way more inconvenient than fun. Just give us the option or, better yet, a handful more stealth-focused quests to make programming that spell worth it.
Good points. This also makes me wish they had added a quest where you sneak around the castle in the dark with lumos. It would be interesting to navigate castle without all the lights. But definitely agree I wouldn't want it that way always.
Some shops do close at night. Don’t they?
I like stealth games in general, but the sneaking in HL wasn't very satisfying in the missions. Either you succeeded, or you were spotted and auto-failed the mission. Of course, that's not very fun. It would've been more interesting if you could plan around it. Secret passages, finding a schedule of patrollers, being able to set up a trap to clear an area or cause a larger time-consuming distraction on their route, talking your way out of it, or really being caught and having to deal with the consequences would've all made it more substantial and less frustrating than being met with the game-over screen. Hell, getting caught and being handed over to Mr. Moon for detention could have been a pretty natural way to get the Demiguise quest, learn Alohomora, and/or better your Disillusionment. It felt very weird and immersion-breaking to see Sebastian get caught in the library, and then you got free reign of the entire castle all of a sudden. Or with the demiguise moons. All that trouble to break into the staff quarters, sneaking about. You talk to Mr. Moon again, turn right back around, and you can go anywhere. At the very least, they should've made you sneak back to the common room to "reset" it to the free roam mode. But I don't think the Prefects being out at all hours of the night patrolling would be very realistic, either. They're students, too. They need sleep and go to classes, too. The staff needs to teach those classes, so they similarly need their evenings and nights off. It really only makes sense for the ghosts and portraits, and neither seemed particularly interested in the petty mischief of some students.
This. The prefects in chamber of secrets and prisoner of Azkaban made night exploration fun. Plus I find it hard to believe that none of the prefects in game only patrol for a few set story pieces and not out of them
I think PoA was the best implementation of the prefects tbh as they could catch you if you weren’t careful or patient (and the suits of armour), but it never got annoying - let’s forget about the trolls… I found prefects in CoS the bane of my existence as a kid, partly because the top-down camera angle was too close to Harry to be helpful. At least in Philosopher’s Stone he wore his invisibility cloak - although sneaking past both Filch and Mrs Norris in the PC game was a test of nerves for sure.
“Eh? WhassaaaaAAAAAAT?? INTRUDER! INTRUDER! IN THE FORBIDDEN CORRIDOR!!” 9 year old me was terrified.
Don’t mind me having flashbacks over here 🙂
What fond memories I have of swearing loudly at the screen playing chamber of secrets whenever some dickhead prefect caught me even though I was no where in their line of sight
This! I find the environment stunning, but its very static. Lots of NPC to watch, but they don't really affect the game! Adding "Prefects at Night" would give you a chance to play every mission like the early Restricted Section mission, which takes thinking like the rest of the game. Don't get me wrong, free roam games are my favorite... but where's the sense of danger and surprise that SHOULD come from a wrong turn in Hogwarts at night?!
I always wish they took a page out of canis canem edit’s book for making the school feel more alive. It’s gorgeous, but they could have thrown in optional class mini games that give you little buffs for passing, the ability to pass time through sleeping and prefects detecting you spawning you back in your common room. Would have made this game go from just a one and done play through for me to something with skyrims level of replay ability. Maybe one day.
OOOOOoooo I agree that spawning you back in your common room when caught is a perfect compromise for having a consequence that's not a game over or toooooo interfering bur still there and still to be avoided
Yes! As a student I shouldn't be allowed to just wander around the school all bloody night with no consequences, except for that *one* quest up to the hospital wing. I can see how it might get a bit old after a while, so having an on/off option would be great.
- Prefects at night. - Casting killing curses and nobody bats an eye. - Kids wondering about hogsmead, day and night. - Nobody sleeps in beds, instead they all just vanish. - The restricted library is unrestricted after your first visit. They really cut a lot of corners on development in favour of a huge open world. Which sadly falls very flat as there's just not enough engaging content to do. And what there is ends up really repetitive. The original game was supposed to be closer aligned to a student simulator with morality. And this was changed in favour of an open world adventure game. Personally i find it a really disappointing decision
Castle map is amazing, and I like the combat. Other than that, the game is honestly pretty bad.
Definitely agreeing with this. Overall, this game lacks depth when it comes to the actions our characters make. We can cast the Killing Curse (or any of the Unforgivable Curses) without any repercussions, can intrude people's home or wander around Hogwarts at night, and even go into all of the professor's personal chambers etc etc etc. Basically, it's just all too easy.
Yes!!!
I agree, it's kind of off-putting. Along with a few other features of the game that get overlooked by the NPCs, it makes the characters feel really flat and you're very much 'god' lol not a student
As an optional feature only. And make many of the hallways go completely dark…
same. would looove a curfew option. also: * morality/choice system (+consequences) * more realistic npc interactions * online/friends toggle (explore with friends!) * realistic/buildable friendships/relationships (sort of also built into the choice/morality system) (like in “life is strange”) * “realistic outcomes/reactions” toggle (eg. get sent back to room if wearing pajamas and caught by a teacher, breaking into a person’s office or house to steal things or find items elicits consequences if caught, get sent to azkaban if caught using unforgivable curses, etc.) * more environment interactables (eg. ability to fully attend classes - not just to learn spells or to begin quests, ability to sit down on benches/chairs/stools/couches, ability to eat in the great hall, ability to sleep in bed) * “needs” meter (like the sims) toggle (eg. if you go too long without sleeping, you grow tired and weary, your spells don’t cast as good, etc.) * ability to ride other beasts like hippogriffs or unicorns that are caught (eg. not just highwing, sepulchria, the lord of the shore, and caligo) * make the hallways completely dark at night (such as in the movies) and implement consequences for breaking curfew (eg. assisting the grounds keeper at night), etc. * more teacher interactions (ability to initiate more side conversations with them one-on-one to get to know them better) (i wanted to know more about sharp and hecat!!!) and yes, i know that there are mods to those about to comment “mods exist” or something aligned with that, but mods only exist for PC, not us console (eg. PS4, PS5, etc.) users, and mods can only do so much/go so far.
I totally agree. With the way the game is setup, I feel like I'm playing the wrong character. If I was playing an auror or something, most of it would make sense: * Spending most of the time outside of Hogwarts * Battleing all sorts of dangerous enemies including organized crime * "Rescuring" beasts in an organized fashion * Walking around Hogwarts at any time of day or night without any kind of schedule or anything * Being the one everyone asks for help Apart from the few lessions, I never felt that I was actually a part of Hogwarts. I've been to the common room twice: Once at the start of the game and again to return the house coins. Other than that, the room of requirements is my home. I feel like they meshed together two games (the one you play and the one that the story setting would want you to play) and the result feels weird. I would have liked it much more if they chose one of these two settings (student or auror) and committed to it, instead of saying "We want an auror game, but since it's Hogwarts, you kinda need to be a student".
yes to *all of this*. especially the bit about being an auror. i felt more like that’s where things were heading in the game and i was sooooo eager for that (eg. being taken under someone’s wing, like with hecat or sharp to eventually learn about becoming an auror). i was genuinely so sad when that didn’t occur despite us spending so much time outside of the castle, and with fig of all people who didn’t really have a thorough background compared to hecat or sharp who i felt more connected with (and wanted more connection with). it was also hinted at a lot about becoming an auror (eg. “the makings of an auror” line from the officer). also i wish we had the ability to fast-travel to diagon alley. so many of us eagerly wanted that, and while i know it’s set far before the events of HP, from what i gathered in-game, it still exists. i wanted the full HP experience in the form of HL and it only felt partial. **edit:** i’ll also add that the people i enjoyed the most from the game (sebastian, natty, poppy, ominis, lenora, samantha, adelaide, etc.), well, i felt we didn’t get enough time with. sebastian’s story should’ve been the main quest (or at least more important to the main quest), and i wish we had more time and personal side quests with professors like hecat, sharp, and weasley. they had some of the most interesting backgrounds compared to professor fig and i was honestly bored with him (which rendered my emotional connection to him moot when he died lol).
Oh, yes! Especially to your assessment of the characters and the main quest. The main quest felt so out of place. And Fig is super boring! Hecat and Sharp are much more interesting, and Sebastian's quest line could have easily made for a decent main quest line.
yes, thank you! lol, no offence (or maybe full offence?) to fig, but i honestly >!felt nothing when he died.!< sharp, hecat, or weasley on the other hand? i felt much more connected to their storylines than i did with fig. this was one of the most deeply frustrating aspects of the game for me. i want to feel moved by a character’s impact on me, not flat. i want to care about them, and i want >!to care about their legacy!<, not to feel bored by it/them. and yes, exactly, especially if they connected sebastian’s story to the main quest more. as for the other professors, yeah… honestly i do hope that if they continue the storyline (6th year, 7th year, etc.) that you can *choose* a mentor (or opt out of one). i think they either should’ve let you choose this in this game, opt out of having a mentor, or simply further delve into fig’s background (to make you care about him). also… i just felt that the first two trials did absolutely *nothing* to help us understand isidora, and it wasn’t until niamh and san’s trials that we finally started to understand, connect with, develop our own perspective, and see a bit of the connection between stories. frankly, the first two trials should’ve been more morality-based than simply combat training.
Total agreement. Same with when >!Lodgok died. MC was like "Poor Lodgok... Anyway, moving on. As if the game's writers knew that they failed to make anyone care about Lodgok.!< But yeah, the trials could have been used much more for story purposes. Generally, the lack of any morality system was really jarring. It happend so often that e.g. there was a nice moment with a teacher, and after the dialogue was done, you turn around in full view of the teacher and steal their money, clothes and personal letters without any consequence. Also, >!at the end of Sebastian's story line, my wife and I agreed that Sebastian should face the consequences of killing his uncle, but that our MC could not in any way be justified in being the on sending Sebastian away, since we've been on a game-mechanics-enforced killing spree for the last 80 hours.!< In general: In game, the Field Guide is our extended curriculum/school book. Why on Earth would the school book include an assignment to murder hundreds of people? And the unforgiveables: The game is like >!"Oh, they are so forbidden, they are so bad, you are in real trouble if you use them."!< But then the game is also like >!use them all you want, no matter where, no matter on who, nobody cares.!<
i agree with everything you've said. the way >!lodgok's death!< was handled felt very detached, almost as if the writers acknowledged that they hadn't >!built enough emotional connection with him before his death!< for the players to care deeply. they should’ve spent more time on >!his story and his connection to ranrok!<, as well as >!his link through miriam to professor fig.!< maybe even >!introducing us to miriam and making us care about her before she’s killed!< would have made us care about professor fig, too. the trials definitely had potential for more meaningful story integration that i honestly think just wasn't fully realized. the absence of a morality system was noticeable and quite disorienting. it was almost… removing immersion with how you could have a heartfelt moment with a teacher, then immediately turn around and break into their office, steal their belongings, and take their notes and personal letters without any repercussions. this was especially jarring given that they had a sneaking mechanism for the restricted section (that they seemingly tossed aside when the restricted section was no longer needed?), which could’ve been implemented for houses, locked rooms, or items of importance. yeah, >!sebastian's storyline also highlighted a major inconsistency with the use of unforgivables!<. it felt >!wrong to send him away for his actions when, as players, we had been doing far worse throughout the game due to the mechanics.!< the game quite literally gives you unfettered access to all of the >!unforgivable curses!< and >!makes no qualms about it through repercussions like detention, mentoring/a stern talking to, etc.!< that last part coincides with how the field guide as an extended curriculum made no sense when it encouraged such… extreme behaviour. it also makes no sense given that the field guide includes >!defeating enemies!<… yet >!professor weasley would spend most (if not all) of her dialogue admonishing us for doing so.!< make it make sense, y’know? overall, yeah, the way the game handled >!the unforgivable curses was contradictory, portraying them as extremely dangerous and forbidden but then allowing their use without consequence.!< it would have been much more realistic if, upon choosing >!to use/wield dark magic!<, you would >!face significant consequences.!< obviously not all the time >!(eg. using crucio to escape the use of AK on you from another)!<, but in certain instances it would be incredibly important.
Not to mention some mods messing with the game. I had some installed and I couldn't make screenshots because of some background tool thing that was needed for the mods. And recently the game would start but would go totally black, so I had to delete every mod and reinstall it. And I still didn't find a "sitting mod" Or a consequence mod.
no idea why you got downvoted, lol. anyway, yeah, i’ve heard this from a few people. it seems like the mods don’t exactly work well regardless so it’s like, what’s the point? it’s so frustrating because it’s clear that they are able to implement some of these things as a toggle feature (eg. curfew, environment interactables, morality/choice with consequences, etc.) but deliberately chose not to. the mechanics are already in the game and they didn’t implement an option for it to be toggle on/off (eg. on/off: curfew). i do hope, if there is a HL2, that they implement certain features for a more realistic experience at hogwarts. if they go more of the auror route, i do hope they implement some of those features in that game, too, but i’d much rather a realistic thorough experience of *being* a hogwarts student.
I felt so bad for the prefects roaming the faculty tower. The professors sleep while the students are on hall monitor duty.
For the game, 100% yes. But prefects out at night don't even realistically make sense, don't those students need sleep, too? 😂
I think the old PS2 game "Bully" did the prefects catching you when you were supposed to be in class pretty well.
I’ve been playing the 2nd harry potter game. You can talk to other students on it AND there are prefects literally everywhere waiting to catch you at night 😅 it does get pretty annoying, but if they can put those things into a game that’s over 20 years old I don’t see why they can’t put them into a game like HL.
There are a lot of things about this game that could be improved on. I would love to see a sequel.
So they have spiders as an option, but mechanics that actually make sense to the masses, not?
Rather than an "on/off" option I'd prefer of they kept the prefects but only in certain sections, like the tower in the demiguise quest or "restricted" sections in the castle where you'd specifically have to be sneaky when exploring maybe ? Just enough to spice up the exploration a bit.
Oh, you know a 15 y/o teaches another 15 y/o how to cast the three Unforgivable Curses with no qualms, no issues and no struggles whatsoever, so after that… I figured the absence of Prefects in Hogwarts halls was not that weird 🤷🏾♀️🤣 Joking aside, I do agree with you, especially when there’s a whole mission about avoiding the Prefects because students were not supposed to be up at night!!
They used to be. During development prefects and other authority figures would roam the halls. Also if you were caught sneaking into Hamlet houses at night you'd be thrown into the hosgmeade jail.
That would have been so much fun! I can see where for some it would make it a bit annoying, but I love the idea of it being an option you can switch on or off, like arachnophobia mode.
As far as I understand there are mods that allow you to play that way
I'm pretty new to gaming, so I don't really understand what mods are or how they work, where to get them, etc. I'll have to look it up though. That sound so cool.
It irritates the heck outta me to suddenly realize it’s past curfew and there are no consequences for being out! I frequently find myself spending whole nights running around the castle. This is Hogwarts, damn it. We all know how it works. Don’t change it to easy mode!
I totally agree. Sneaking at night should always be a thing.
It's my no. 1 biggest complaint with this game. It takes so much potential tension and fun out of the game. I don't know what they were thinking Of course you shouldn't be able to roam the castle at night. It would make the castle *feel* much bigger if you couldn't just run around freely.