Summary
While some fans might wonder whatHogwarts Legacy’s potential sequel might be, the nextHarry Pottergame could look to an entirely different genre for inspiration about where to go next. Cozy and relaxing farming sim games likeStardew Valleyremain an ever-popular sub-genre of the classic life sim. Therefore, it seems like a logical and natural area of progression for completeHarry Pottergame immersion, especially with life sim mechanics largely untouched inHogwarts Legacyand mostHarry Pottervideo games so far, as the focus is more on action and adventure.
The exception is Portkey Games’Hogwarts Mystery, which dapples in the life sim genre to some extent with its role-playing and customization options, albeit driven by a central story. That said, the recently releasedHogwarts Mystery’s Beyond Hogwarts updatecould have the most potential to draw in even more life-sim mechanics further to its volume 1 content that lets players decorate their house and explore a magical career. Yet, with the ongoing popularity of farming and life sim games,Hogwarts Legacy’s player shop could have already set the stage for an incredible, separateHarry Potterlife sim.
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How The Next Harry Potter Game Could Make Hogwarts’s Legacy’s Player Shop Next-Level
Hogwarts Legacy’s player shopis restricted to PS5 players in an exclusive quest called ‘Minding Your Own Business’. However, its shop-management mechanics are limited, acting more as another place where players can sell unwanted loot. Players can also only name their shop from a few pre-existing options and cannot otherwise customize or decorate the shop in any way. However, this leaves the door wide open for anotherHarry Pottergame to build upon its foundations in a potential brand-newHarry Pottergame that crosses over into the life or farm sim genre. Players could run their chosen shop, fully customize it to their liking, and even forage for shop ingredients or produce in side activities or quests.
Severalgames let players open shops, and the recent plant shop management game with puzzle-solving mysteriesStrange Horticultureis receiving positive reception. Yet, a shop management-style, cozy life sim tied to theHarry Potteruniverse could potentially be an exceptional way for players to live out theirHarry Potterdreams and fantasies beyond the Hogwarts school experience, focusing on magical management activities, relationship building, and even paving the way to incorporate sought-after romance options.
How Hogwarts Legacy’s Magic Neep And Farm Sim Games Could Inspire The Next Harry Potter Game
Additionally,Hogwarts Legacyalready has several perfect models for what a player-run magical shop could look like when considering places like Hogsmeade’s The Magic Neep. It looks like a farmhouse shop, the setting for many farming sim games, with its idyllic, cozy farmhouse aesthetic and plant-populated grounds. Although players can build a Vivarium cottage in the Room of Requirement, lifesim mechanics could next-levelHogwarts Legacy, which, in many ways, missed out on immersive lifestyle activities like eating, sleeping, and cooking.
AHarry Pottertwist on the popular farm sim shop concept could give players an exceptional magical experience, letting them farm and care for magical crops and animals, or cast spells on Hogmeade’s watering cans. Whether aretro pixel art styleHogwarts Legacyor otherwise, it could also be up to players what type of shop they open, whether they stock Dark Arts ingredients to play with RPG morality elements, and where they locate their shop, whether it be in Diagon Alley or beyond. It will be interesting to see whatHarry Pottergames likeHogwarts Mysterydo next and how far they might cross into life sim territory.
Hogwarts Legacyis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with a Switch version releasing November 14.
