Hogwarts Legacyis undeniablypackedwith engaging content, so forgive me for nitpicking, but what the hell is going on with those puzzles (if we can even label them as such)? They fall into what’s without a doubt my least favorite type of video game ‘puzzle,’ where what the player has to do is wander around a vaguely defined area and hope they run into what the game wants them to run into. I’m talking mostly about Merlin Trials, but the Ancient Magic Hotpots and those butterfly mirror ones are guilty of this as well.
And look, I’ll give them their due credit. The butterfly ones do at least make you apply a bit of memory, as they’re often referencing a place you’ve been around before. The Merlin Trials are fun at first, as there’s at least a small amount of logic employed when you’re thinking of which spell is going to do the trick (though it’s usually pretty straightforward).
The problem is that there are only a handful of Merlin Trial puzzles, which get repeated time and time again, and once you know what the spell is, it literally just becomes ‘walk around and look for stuff’. Some have you search for orbs to place into divots, some you have to light cauldrons, some have you move swarms of butterflies. There’s a bit of variety, sure. The cauldron one, for example, is timed, which adds an extra element of dexterity.
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But at the end of the day, the goal of nearly all of them is to find some item or structure that’s not immediately visible, to either combine it with something else or use a spell on it. You’re genuinely not employing any sort of skill or agency to the game, you’re just walking around until you happen to find the required object.
It’s essentially a game of luck, except that instead of a ‘simple fun’ luck-based game likeMario Party, you’re treated to the video game equivalent of trying to find your keys in your own darn house! I know I can use ‘Revelio’ to see where the objects are, but it’s not like having the location of the things pointed out to you makes it more engaging - if anything, it’s simply highlight the pointlessness of the ‘searching’ part of the puzzle.
Puzzles ought to require a bit of logical analysis and critical thinking from the player. In my view, a puzzle should place some information in front of you and have you make an assessment based on that information in order to come up with a solution.
The puzzles in Hogwarts Legacy’s open world rarely do this. It wouldn’t be so bad if it was more measured, but the game simply relies too heavily on this ‘look around’ concept, seemingly leaving all of its more creative puzzle ideas for the main campaign.
Not every game has to be aPortalorZeldain terms of puzzle design, but you could employ elements that require a bit more player analysis.The Last of Us Part 2had puzzles where environmental elements gave you clues as to what to do, like a calendar on a wall hinting at what a safe’s combination was. It also had physics elements where you had to calculate the angle of a rope you’re flinging, or where to place a dumpster so it could roll down an incline.
Horizon Forbidden Westhad larger-scale spatial puzzles where you had to use specific contraptions to access new rooms. They had to be used in specific places and in a specific order, until you finally reached the room that contained the relic. The common link here is that these puzzles make the player think, even if only for a brief moment. They force the player to make an assessment and come up with a solution, and, in my book, that’s the bare minimum criteria for a good puzzle.
