Though it’s the most ambitious Harry Potter video game to date, Hogwarts Legacy still has room to innovate thanks to its setting in the late 1800s and its unique perspective on Hogwarts. The original elements that made the books and movies so enjoyable shouldn’t be strictly enforced here. However, the franchise’s ability to create locations of almost equal fascination, like the Shrieking Shack, is even more astounding. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a legendary edifice, with both courageous heroes and clever villains finding a home within its walls.
A teaser shown at Sony’s September 2022 State of Play focused on Hogsmeade and demonstrated that the school’s not the only place where secrets lurk. Hogwarts, like the USS Enterprise from Star Trek and Xavier’s School for Gifted Youth, is not the defining factor in the adventures of its characters. While Lord of the Rings is more geographically expansive than Harry Potter, the latter nevertheless features a wide variety of settings where magical events take place. Although its history doesn’t go as far back as Avalanche Software’s next game, the Shrieking Shack is nonetheless a fascinating location in the Harry Potter canon and should make an appearance.
The Hogwarts presented by Avalanche Software runs the risk of feeling generic without distinctive features like the Whomping Willow and the Great Lake.
While the Hog’s Head pub and Madam Puddifoot’s tea shop are two of the most recognizable establishments in Hogsmeade, the Shrieking Shack stands out for its extreme contrast to the rest of the town and is hence one of the most well-known in the series.
With players at the center of a story that could change the world, Hogwarts Legacy is unlikely to be a lighthearted experience. The dark history of the Shrieking Shack shows that not all magicians are good and that danger can be found anywhere.
