Hogwarts Legacy has established itself as a success in the gaming industry, uniting both seasoned and brand-new Harry Potter fans for an immersive experience.
However, some content that appears to have been cut from the game suggests that it could’ve been much better!
An RPG player with keen eyes found a treasure trove of what appear to be unused systems, features, spells, and other things by digging through the game’s files.
All of the game’s most pressing problems would have been resolved by this omitted material from Hogwarts Legacy, making their absence from the finished product as unfortunate as it is perplexing.
Hogwarts Legacy is not without issues, after all, despite the fact that it faithfully recreates Hogwarts and adheres to the lore of the books and movies in almost every way.
Fans haven’t failed to notice some of the game’s design flaws such as the overuse of simple fetch quests or agonizingly repetitive puzzles such as the Merlin Trials.
The worst side quests in Hogwarts Legacy are probably not something most people would miss, but there may be content in the game’s files that some players have actively been wishing for since it was released, and would have loved to get those instead.
GrandTheftDiamonds posted a video on YouTube that appears to show Portkey Games removing a significant amount of content from Hogwarts Legacy that could have changed the way the game plays.
The user found unused code bundles by examining the game’s SQL files on a PC, and went on to speculate what those code bundles might’ve been used for in a live, playable version of Hogwarts Legacy.
Although this is mere speculation, as is the case with hidden files in general, it’s still important to keep in mind their significant implications.
After all, developed reputation and morality systems were some of the biggest findings in the video!
As opposed to the canon, there are actually more benefits than drawbacks to becoming a dark wizard in Hogwarts Legacy, making this one of the RPG’s most glaringly lacking features.
Even though some players might appreciate having complete freedom as Hogwarts students, it ultimately sets a dangerous precedent that cheapens decision-making gameplay and seriously undermines immersion.
It appears from the Hogwarts Legacy cut content that this was not always the goal.
GrandTheftDiamonds hypothesizes that the game’s original systems included both a personal student reputation as well as a House points system!
Other actions, such as those marked “BullyIntervene” and “HouseArmorRepaired,” would appear to grant gamers with House points and improve their reputations, in contrast to spells like Avada Kedavra, which would result in players receiving House point demerits and harming their reputation with various NPCs.
Even though each of the companions in Hogwarts Legacy has a distinct personality and an interesting backstory, they ultimately suffer from their unimportance in the overall scheme of things.
The student is unable to accompany, get to know, or interact with their friends or classmates outside of brief, linear quests.
GrandTheftDiamonds uncovered what would seem to be a much more comprehensive companion system hidden in the game’s SQL files, suggesting that this discrepancy may also be a result of cut content from the game.
These NPCs appear to have previously had more relationship quests, different “Companion Bonding Levels” (which noted the level of closeness the player had with them), and the potential to receive presents, with some such gifting actions even being tagged as “Romantic!”
Additionally, it seems that Imelda Reyes from Slytherin and Everett Clopton from Ravenclaw were both companion characters as well in the beginning!
And that’s not even all! Apparently, there was also a crime system, meant to make using Alohomora to break into NPC houses for loot illegal.
In addition, there are many spells that aren’t in Hogwarts Legacy, including “AnimagusForm” and “Fiendfyre,” as well as the option to stay in class after the tutorial sections and earn reputation points for showing up to class and participating in various class activities.
In the end, however, there is really no way for players to confirm the accuracy of Hogwarts Legacy’s omitted material or know the reasons why the code was not used for the final version of the game.
It’s difficult to ignore the question, though, given how fully developed they are and the indisputable enhancements they would have made to the game overall.
Hopefully, Portkey Games does not intend to keep this content inactive indefinitely, making plans to release it in a future DLC.
It’s also possible that this data will never be released or that GrandTheftDiamonds’ assessment was wrong.
Regardless, it’s hard to deny that the game would’ve benefited greatly from the cut content described above.
The wizarding world game is undoubtedly a fantastic experience for Harry Potter fans, but ultimately it falls short due to a lack of significant RPG features, many of which appear to have been left out of the game’s final release.
Hopefully, Hogwarts Legacy’s cut content will turn up again in the future, but for the time being, witches and wizards will have to make do just imagining what could have been.
