Summary
Despite the last of its movies hitting the cinemas over a decade ago, theHarry Potterfranchise continues to impact forms of media thanks to its massive fanfare.Hogwarts Legacyis the latest and most expansive video game rendition of theHarry Potteruniverse, racking up a ton of plaudits andhistoric sales numbers on Steamshortly after its release. Its spells, neatly designed by Avalanche Software, were a driving factor behind its success, and there’s already talk of a sequel among the fan base. If the rumors are true and the developer heeds the wants of fans, the sequel could do with a nerf to its Alohomora spell to enhance its experience.
Hogwarts Legacy’s launch kicked off the 2023 RPG calendar in some style, a schedule that has lived up to the billing and produced big hitters such asFinal Fantasy 16andBaldur’s Gate 3in the past months. The allure of wand-waving and decimating teams of magical goblins was too much to ignore, and exploring the Hogwarts school grounds in a video game setting was a dream come true for manyHarry Potterfans. However, some tiny elements could use a rework by way of DLCs, or as players hope, in the form of a sequel. Alohomora is one of them, and it could benefit from being more challenging likeStarfield’s lockpicking.
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Alohomora Needs a Ramp Up in Difficulty
The Alohomora spell is one such detail that could thrive with a few tweaks to give gamers more of a challenge.Hogwarts Legacyuses locks to barricade some entrances to treasures and quest essentials in its map, and players must wave their wands to the tune of Alohomora to get past these inconveniences. The higher tier locks require players to findDemiguise moonsin connection with Gladwin Moon’s side quest, but the mechanics are essentially the same as the basic Level 1 barriers.
Alohomora, unlike somecombat spells inHogwarts Legacy, requires a bit of finesse to achieve its lockpicking goals. After learning the resource in the typical wand mini-game, deploying it is a different kettle of fish from any other in the title. Players have to play a mini-game every time they want to get past a lock, just like RPGs likeSkyrim, rotating red and green lights till their color-coded gears spin. It’s intended to mix up the instant ‘Abracadabra’ expectations other spells feature, where the player-character verbally calls out the enchantment and the effect happens immediately without any player engagement.
However, Alohomora’s lack of depth sticks out like a sore thumb because of its distinct nature, as players have lamented the mechanic’s monotony inHogwarts Legacy. Its difficulty doesn’t change, even with the higher tier locks or advancing player-character skill in magic, and the spell feels like more of a chore to complete than any other. Lockpicking is an exercise in finesse, butHogwarts Legacy’s Alohomoraleaves much to be desired with its lack of intuitive flair, as players mindlessly turn the knobs one way or the other till they win. While there is a case to be made for multiple lock puzzles that really lean into the magical opportunities that the Wizarding World provides, games likeStarfieldprove one lock puzzle can be enough if it feels rewarding and challenging. Players receive harder puzzles if a lock is a higher level inStarfield,and they need to stop and think about their next move. In Hogwarts Legacy, they just turn their sticks until they get lucky, which is where the repetitiveness comes from.
The overly streamlined mechanics means Alohomora needs a nerf to justify its presence inHogwarts Legacy’s gameplay. The title owes its popularity to the complexity of its puzzles, and players generally expect a challenging time solving the higher tier locks. However, this does not apply to lockpicking, as all lock tiers currently feature the same mini-game and mechanics - something Avalanche Software needs to challenge its player base with harder puzzles as they progress in the magical world. With a reputable leaker informing fans of the development of aHogwarts Legacysequel, fans will be hoping that the Alohomora problem will be fixed if and when the game releases.
Hogwarts Legacyis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with a Switch release scheduled for June 17, 2025.
