The Best Ways To Enjoy Hogwarts Legacy Without Buying It
"Hogwarts Legacy" has become a record-breaking success for Warner Bros. Games, but not without some controversy. The game continues to exist under the shadow of "Harry Potter" creator J.K. Rowling's inflammatory comments about the transgender community, not to mention accusations of stereotypes being used to create some of its characters. Because of this, a great number of gamers have chosen to avoid buying the game entirely, even if they once had a great deal of love for the franchise.
Dear readers, this is where mods and fan-made games come in. Leave it to fans of fantasy literature to get super creative and find ways of capturing the magic (pun entirely intended) without ever having to drop a chunk of change on the real deal.
What follows are a few of the fan creations that have popped up over the last few years that scratch that itch for the Wizarding World. Some of them are downright bizarre and not meant to be taken seriously, while others build off of the strengths of pre-existing games in unexpected ways. All of them are enchanting in their own way.
Wacky Wizard Legacy
"Hogwarts Legacy" was an expensive game to produce, so it makes sense that it costs the same $69.99 base retail price as other major studio releases these days. But what if someone tossed out a hastily made "Hogwarts Legacy" clone and didn't charge a dime for it? Two days before the official launch date of "Hogwarts Legacy," YouTuber ThrillDaWill announced a free sort-of remake of the game, entitled "Wacky Wizard Legacy."
As described by ThrillDaWill, "Players take on the role of a powerful wizard and must battle their way through a variety of magical landscapes, fighting enemies and collecting beer along the way." Just like the real thing (minus the beer), right?
Not quite, but it's close! Using Unreal Engine and a bit of ingenuity, ThrillDaWill managed to create "Wacky Wizard Legacy" in just 24 hours. The results look extremely silly, but undeniably impressive. The game includes many of the hallmarks of "Hogwarts Legacy," including flying broomsticks, magic spells, and surprisingly hectic combat — enemies explode in a splatter of blood when hit with an Avada Kedavra curse. And for the real fans, ThrillDaWill even included the meme-worthy Hagrid NPC originally seen in the PS1 version of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."
Henwards Legacy
Back in September 2022, following one of the game's many delays, YouTube channel Arnie's Workshop presented gamers with the next best thing. Using the Unity game engine, Arnie produced the hilariously titled "Henwards Legacy," a parody/demo made purely for fun and educational purposes. Essentially, when it became clear that the wait for "Hogwarts Legacy" was going to be excruciatingly long, Arnie took the opportunity to teach himself a bit about game design.
Even with several months to go before the release of "Hogwarts Legacy," Arnie made a decent facsimile of the AAA title, complete with a lovely rendering of the titular castle. Some of the spells from the game are present, as the player is able to light their way using the Alohomora charm (called the Luxos spell here). However, Arnie also included a few spells that the cowards at Hogwarts would never dream of teaching, like Hengardium Chickosa, a charm that turns inanimate objects into clucking, polygonal chickens.
Though Arnie has no plans to officially release "Henwards Legacy" — probably a good idea, considering the potential copyright issues — fans can still enjoy this dev diary. Not only is it an extremely entertaining look at a bizarro version of "Hogwarts Legacy," but it may also teach viewers a little something about game development!
Generate your own Hogwarts text adventure game
Okay, so this one requires a little bit more work than the rest, but it's another outside-the-box method for enjoying a new adventure at Hogwarts. Text-based adventure games aren't nearly as prevalent in modern gaming as they were back in the 70s and 80s, when games like "Zork" and "Adventure" captured the imagination of computer users everywhere. Even so, they can still be an unorthodox and imaginative way to enjoy interactive stories. After all, the stories we can picture in our head can sometimes be more epic than anything animated for a video game.
In late 2022, gamers began using AI chat generator ChatGPT to create extremely old-school takes on a "Harry Potter" game, then shared the results. Though the plots of these games turn out to be a bit basic, fans of the franchise may be excited to find themselves essentially creating interactive fan fiction.
Prospective players can be as detailed or vague as they want with the nature of the game, just as long as they give the chatbot a general idea of the setting and the genre of game. You can give the bot a name you want to be called or a general mechanic to go by, like a set number of hit points. It may take a few tries before you're typing away on your latest magical journey, but it's worth a shot! Enjoy your "Choose Your Own Adventure"-style "Harry Potter" game.
Harry Potter meets GTA mods
Admit it: You knew this was coming, right? Yes, Los Santos might seem like a far cry from the countryside grounds of Hogwarts, but they're honestly not that different. Both are full of greed, corruption, dangerous cults and hidden secrets. There might be fewer drugs in the classrooms of Hogwarts (maybe), but the similarities are still unnerving.That's probably why a number of fans have modded elements of the Wizarding World into "Grand Theft Auto 5" and other entries in the series. Clips of these mods have gone viral over the years, proving that there's something oddly hilarious about seeing The Boy Who Lived robbing a convenience store.
If you've ever wanted to cast spells on mafia hitmen or terrorize hillbillies while flying around on a broom, you are in luck. This experience may not be quite as wholesome as a game in which you go to class and learn your spells, but it's clear that this version of Harry went to the School of Hard Knocks.
Harry Potter and the Elden Ring
Mods aren't only good for putting incongruous characters into "Grand Theft Auto" games, of course. They can also be used to take a game already known for its punishing combat and magical atmosphere and make the most intense "Harry Potter" game of all time.
That's what modding group Garden of Eyes is doing with their continuing work on "Harry Potter and the Elden Ring." As the name suggests, it plops Harry Potter and several mystical beasts from the book series into FromSoftware's Lands Between. Thus far, Garden of Eyes has added a few notable spells to the "Elden Ring" arsenal, allowing Harry to whack all manner of monsters with Unforgivable Curses. And make no mistake: there are enough different kinds of enemies in "Elden Ring" to make up for the lack of baddie variety in "Hogwarts Legacy."
Tired of getting caught in poison swamps? Simply hop on Harry's broomstick or a loyal hippogriff to traverse the Lands Between with ease. Garden of Eyes is so dedicated to bringing the Wizarding World to "Elden Ring" that the group is already envisioning what they'll do with the upcoming "Shadow of the Erdtree" DLC when it finally launches. This is one "Hogwarts Legacy"-adjacent mod to keep an eye on.