The little things in Hogwarts Legacy that ruined the game (for me at least)

I’m 15 and was super excited to explore Hogwarts in the late eighteenth century. But the game repeatedly breaks immersion by shoving modern social topics into a historical story.

Characters like Sirona Ryan, the bartender, openly talking about being transgender, or Nora Treadwell mentioning she had a wife, feel completely out of place. These moments pulled me out of the wizarding world and made me painfully aware that the game is pushing modern viewpoints instead of telling a story. You can’t avoid it either—quests and dialogue force you to interact with these characters, so it’s impossible to progress normally without noticing. The character demographics also feel inaccurate. Hogwarts in Victorian Britain would have been overwhelmingly native-born. Census records from the late eighteenth century show that only a tiny fraction of the population was from overseas. The game’s student body feels closer to modern Britain than the historical setting it claims to depict.

Historically, same-sex relationships were widely condemned and criminalized under laws like the Labouchere Amendment of 1885. People would go to prison or face serious social consequences. Hearing characters openly discuss these relationships in the game is historically impossible and makes the world feel fake.

I’m not criticizing anyone personally. My concern is historical consistency and world-building. Games set in historical periods should reflect the context of that time, not bend it to match modern trends. This is especially important in a game marketed to teenagers—forcing politics into the story ruins the fantasy adventure.

That said, parts of the game are amazing. Hogwarts is beautiful, the castle is fun to explore, and the magical creatures and environments are fantastic. But the writing and character choices shatter the historical atmosphere. The game could have been so much better if it had focused on the story and the historical wizarding world, instead of forcing modern topics into it.