We’re speculating a lot here, but based on the leaked Harry Potter RPG trailer and the information that accompanied it, we can rule Harry, Hermoine, Ron and the rest of the cast made famous from seven books and eight movies out.
Rumored to be in development by Avalanche Software, and possibly called Harry Potter Magic Awakened or Harry Potter Magic Forever, the first information on the new game reveals it’s a brand-new story.
Harry Potter RPG Setting
Furthermore, it’s set in the 19th century, long before our favorite Hogwart’s students and teachers were born. According to the details leaked underneath the original YouTube trailer, players will “create their own witch or wizard, and experience an all-new story separate from the books or films.”
We also currently only know of one of the names of the characters, Professor Elezar Fig. At first glance, we thought this wizard may be a relation of Arabella Figg, known squib and member of the Order of the Phoenix, but her name is spelt with a double ‘g’. Whether any of the characters in the new game are mentioned in Harry Potter lore at all is unknown.
So, with the apparent lack of familiar characters that Harry Potter fans have grown to love, will the Harry Potter RPG be any good? Well, the world of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter is a huge one. Outside of its main stories, there’s massive potential and areas of the Wizarding World that are yet to be explored.
We’ve seen this achieved with some aplomb with the Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them movie, which featured a brand-new cast of likeable characters. When Fantastic Beasts was first announced there was a lot of skepticism, with fans thinking it was just a cash-in on the Harry Potter name. However, the Wizarding World was brought to life once more, in a new way that many fans loved. With Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald releasing in November, it’s clear that fans want more.
Harry Potter RPG – Create Your Own Character
Judging by the leaked story synopsis, the game world should feel instantly familiar to Harry Potter fans. We know, for example, that Hogwarts is featured and the Forbidden Forest as well as other “familiar” locations.
We also know there’ll be a custom character creator. So, fans have the chance to create their own wizards and take them on this new journey. This should add a nice degree of personalization. The narrative also appears to fit in nicely with something we’d expect from a Harry Potter book.
“You are a newly arrived 5th year student to Hogwarts that demonstrates a latent gift for magic with a unique ability to track and identify remnants of a pottant (sic) ancient power.
Upon arrival, strange events begin to materialize In the Forbidden Forrest and trouble begins to brew within the castle walls. Together with Professor Elezar Fig, you embark on a journey through both familiar and never before seen locations to bring to light the truth behind these mysterious occurrences.”
It’s too early to tell how well the developer has captured the magic of Hogwarts, but judging by the grainy footage from the gameplay trailer, I don’t think we have much to worry about. The creatures we see look like they could been plucked straight from the pages of a Harry Potter book, and we see many familiar spells, like Lumos and Reparo.
Yeah, we love Harry and the others, but what excites us is most that it appears they’ll be eight different wizard types to choose from. What exactly these are remains to be seen, but it does sound like they’ll be a lot of variety and maybe even different play-styles to adopt. Maybe even the chance for wizards to work together with different skills to tackle things like boss battles?
Harry Potter RPG Wizard Types
Here’s just some of the possibilities:
- Animagus – the ability to turn into an animal at will.
- Metamorphmagus – a shape-shifter who can change their appearance with their mind.
- Occlumens – the power to read minds
- Werewolves
- Vampires
- Giants
- Dark wizards versus ‘good’ wizards
- Or perhaps, choosing your house and thus your personality type
- Or possibly a specialism such as transfiguration, charms, herbology or divination
- Or even a squib… (though what would the point in that be?!)
Whatever is planned for the Harry Potter RPG, I don’t think fans need to be too concerned about the lack of familiar faces. Harry, Hermione and Ron might not be with us, but we could be on the verge of a very exciting new chapter to one of the world’s most beloved franchises.
Note: Since the leaked footage appeared online, Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment has instructed that they’re taken offline. In order to not infringe on copyright, we have not linked to any trailer mirrors in this article.