Despite the rather abhorrent views of Harry Potter creator J. K. Rowling, Wizarding World fans have flocked to Hogwarts Legacy in their millions – and it’s clear to see that quite a few of them are enjoying exploring Hogwarts Castle, whipping around the Scottish Highlands on a broomstick, and uncovering the mystery of an ancient magic. However, players can’t help but feel disappointed by this action-RPG’s numerous immersion-breaking mechanics and features – the latest of which being discussed is the fact that you can’t be hit by the train in Hogwarts Legacy.
Now, we know what you’re thinking – and you’re right to think that. Why would you actually want to be hit by the Hogwarts Express in Hogwarts Legacy? Well, first we need to talk about what actually happens in-game if you find yourself on the rails when the steam locomotive is heading towards you.
As you can see in this clip expressing “immeasurable” disappointment at the Hogwarts Express in Hogwarts Legacy from ‘TheDataPanda‘, the train itself just ghosts through your player character. There’s no damage taken, no displacement, and no recognition that a train is even about to hit – and then passing through – your character.
We know travel was quite inconvinient before Ignatia Wildsmith invented Floo powder, but you have to imagine an intangible train is quite frustrating too.
My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined from HarryPotterGame
While avoiding damage is, of course, a good thing when it comes to being hit by a train, this is actually the perfect example of an immersion breaker that is frustrating fans.
We know Hogwarts Legacy really drops the quaffle when it comes to mini games, and Hogwarts Legacy’s most useful tools are where it really drops marks, but we can’t help but agree with the community of Potterheads who can’t help but feel disappointed at the fact there are so many instances in Hogwarts Legacy where the immersion Avalanche Software has done so well at fostering is broken.
“They could have just had some throwaway line about an enchantment to avoid accidents”, one disgruntled player suggests – in the comments of the above post.
“[You] could just hvae the train driver stick his wand out and leviosa you out the way”, says another.
While these are two rather specific examples relating to the intangible train, there are quite a few other suggestions when it comes to other immersion-breaking moments in Hogwarts Legacy.
For example, players are frustrated with their characters sitting in the middle of the floor while waiting. Similarly, there are plenty of ways for fall damage to be avoided in the Wizarding World – yet, your character doesn’t make use of them. One player is even critical of the text pop-up that appears when you try to land your broom somewhere you shouldn’t – while helpful, we do think that could be handled a little more… magically.
Whether you personally have a problem with all of this or not, it’s becoming more and more apparent that Hogwarts Legacy isn’t quite the game it could have been – and perhaps should have been. For one, these Hogwarts Legacy mods hint the RPG had bigger plans for companions.
However, when you think about how Hogwarts Legacy DLC isn’t on the cards for Harry Potter fanatics, you have to wonder whether another delay to this game’s release would have been worthwhile. We might never know the answer to that question, though.
Hogwarts Legacy has drawn considerable criticism during its development, largely due to the fact that the creator of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling, has made a number of transphobic remarks on social media in recent years.
While Avalanche has confirmed that J.K. Rowling is not “directly involved” in the development of Hogwarts Legacy, it is working with “her team” and Portkey Games, a Warner Bros. label dedicated to launching new experiences inspired by J.K. Rowling’s original stories. It is currently unclear whether she will earn any royalties from the game’s sale, but it is likely given it is based on her original body of work.
If you would like to learn more about transgender rights or lend your support, we’d encourage you to check out the National Center for Transgender Equality in the US and Mermaids in the UK.