Avalanche Software’s fantasy role-playing gameHogwarts Legacyis an impressive addition to theHarry Pottercanon. It’s a carefully crafted magical adventure that lets fans explore some of the most beloved fictional locations in modern literature but with their own uniqueHogwarts Legacytwist. The environments that the developer created and the visuals that the game presents go a long way in makingHogwarts Legacya magical experience, but the creatures that fill up the world also have a large impact.
Players will probably be familiar with a fair few of the beasts that crop up inHogwarts Legacy, like the adorable nifflers with a penchant for shiny things or the majestic hippogriffs that give gamers the chance to fly. However, there are some that haven’t made as many appearances in visual media like theHarry Potterfilms or previous games.Hogwarts Legacymay not revolve around the magical creatures that gamers can encounter, but they have an interesting place in the game, in a way that players might not have expected. WithHogwarts Legacy’s beast management systemand graphorn encounters, Avalanche Software’s RPG has some surprisingPokemonundertones.
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Graphorns In Hogwarts Legacy
Players have lots of chancesto explore inHogwarts Legacy, and it’s one of the main draws of the game for fans of the franchise. Experiencing the various locations inside and outside the famous castle is a lot of fun, but it’s also the things that the game is populated with that make uncovering different areas and regions even more engaging. Coming across magical creatures in the wild and being able to interact with them in various ways is a great addition to the gameplay, but the intimidating graphorns really stick out among the different species.
With their naturally armored skin and impressive size,graphorns inHogwarts Legacyare not the easiest beasts to come up against, and definitely present more of a challenge than some of the other creatures players can collect. Unlike other beasts that can be captured as soon as their encountered, graphorns need to be weakened before players can add them to their collection. This feels like any encounter that gamers might have with a Pokemon in one of Game Freak’s titles, so it’s interesting to see it in a game likeHogwarts Legacy,and it makes the encounter feel more believable as well.
Hogwarts Legacy’s Pokemon Similarities
Hogwarts LegacyandPokemonmight not be an obvious comparison. With one’s anime aesthetic and child-friendly gameplay and the other’s turn-of-the-century fantasy setting and focus on spells, in lots of ways they couldn’t be further apart. TheHarry Potterfranchise in general has always included creatures from the more fantastical side of the spectrum alongside the more recognizable owls and cats that students can have as pets, but as the series progressed across other forms of media this aspect was expanded. Many fans have longed for a kind ofPokemon-Harry Pottercrossover similar toNewt Scamander’s adventuresin theFantastic Beastsspin-off series, but so far that hasn’t materialized in a game format.
Players might be surprised to seesomePokemonelements inHogwarts Legacy, but it actually fits fairly well into the formula.Hogwarts Legacy’s gameplay did come under fire a little after its release for being one of the weaker parts of the otherwise well-received title, but the Room of Requirement and the many functions it had was an inventive and engaging part of the game. The ability to create a Vivarium by acquiring various creatures in the wild and then bringing them back to the player’s own magical zoo in the Room of Requirement feels veryPokemon-adjacent, but it was the encounters with graphorns that prompted the most comparisons.
Hogwarts Legacyis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with a Switch release scheduled for June 20, 2025.
