By Ben Mapp
Let’s be honest. If there’s one thing J.K. Rowling doesn’t need more of, it’s money. But that’s not going to stop her from making more millions from the upcoming cinematic adaptation of the book within a book, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. It’s no secret that the Harry Potter franchise has been a conquering success ever since it began way back in 1997, and I am almost certain that old J.K. is considering all sorts of ways to continue it on a popular medium now that both her seven novels, as well as the eight films, have reached their natural ends.
Let’s be honest. If there’s one thing J.K. Rowling doesn’t need more of, it’s money. But that’s not going to stop her from making more millions from the upcoming cinematic adaptation of the book within a book, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. It’s no secret that the Harry Potter franchise has been a conquering success ever since it began way back in 1997, and I am almost certain that old J.K. is considering all sorts of ways to continue it on a popular medium now that both her seven novels, as well as the eight films, have reached their natural ends.
Tom Riddle, fellow classmate in Hogwarts: Rise of the Dark Lord. Most gamers will recognise and appreciate that Harry Potter has already been adapted onto the video game market with each cinematic release having a game tie-in come out at roughly the same time. There are eleven games in all, including some spin-off titles (such as 2003’s Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup). It is in the vein of these spin-offs that we make our case for further expansion of the series within the gaming medium. Many other popular cinematic franchises, like for instance Star Wars (in the form of 2008's The Force Unleashed) , has seen a prequel story told which carries an original storyline but also some connection to the later continuity.
Harry Potter is as popular now, years after it officially finished, as it ever was and fans worldwide dream of one day revisiting their favourite characters via interactive means. To those of you who can’t get to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter or to the growingly popular Studio Tour: Harry Potter site in London – we present to you another way which safely protects the in-film/in-novel canonicity and also allows for an entirely original storyline to be fleshed out. Earlier this year, Monolith Productions released the critically favoured Tolkien adaptation Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor. The game was set after The Battle of the Five Armies but still many years before the events of the Lord of the Rings, featuring a combination of old and new characters in an original storyline. Both Tolkien and Rowling's worlds are rich with potential stories to tell. Our new Harry Potter-esque game would be set before the main events of the Harry Potter series by fifty years, taking place instead during the troubled school years of a certain Tom Marvolo Riddle (depicted as Christian Coulson, who was introduced in the 2003 film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets). The playable protagonist would not be Riddle however although he would play an important role in the story, as the game's story would focus on his background and how he ultimately became the Dark Lord Voldemort.
The protagonist instead would be an unnamed student of one of the four main houses (Gryffindor, HufflePuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin), as customised by the player, who is starting at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the very first time. The option to customise the protagonist is important as, like with the best RPGs, it allows for the player to become fully immersed within the game world.
Harry Potter is as popular now, years after it officially finished, as it ever was and fans worldwide dream of one day revisiting their favourite characters via interactive means. To those of you who can’t get to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter or to the growingly popular Studio Tour: Harry Potter site in London – we present to you another way which safely protects the in-film/in-novel canonicity and also allows for an entirely original storyline to be fleshed out. Earlier this year, Monolith Productions released the critically favoured Tolkien adaptation Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor. The game was set after The Battle of the Five Armies but still many years before the events of the Lord of the Rings, featuring a combination of old and new characters in an original storyline. Both Tolkien and Rowling's worlds are rich with potential stories to tell. Our new Harry Potter-esque game would be set before the main events of the Harry Potter series by fifty years, taking place instead during the troubled school years of a certain Tom Marvolo Riddle (depicted as Christian Coulson, who was introduced in the 2003 film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets). The playable protagonist would not be Riddle however although he would play an important role in the story, as the game's story would focus on his background and how he ultimately became the Dark Lord Voldemort.
The protagonist instead would be an unnamed student of one of the four main houses (Gryffindor, HufflePuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin), as customised by the player, who is starting at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the very first time. The option to customise the protagonist is important as, like with the best RPGs, it allows for the player to become fully immersed within the game world.
Fully explore Hogwarts for the first time. Whilst containing RPG elements, this game (like its predecessors) would primarily action-based, featuring a wide array of magical spells to learn as well as an optional First-Person Mode (allowing for gameplay more akin to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim depending on player preference). The game, entitled Hogwarts: Rise of the Dark Lord, would follow the life of this unnamed student during their years at the magical school. The title resonates familiarity whilst respectfully distancing itself from the established canon (thus also inhabiting its own private continuity), much like Shadow of Mordor. Whilst welcoming new fans to the franchise, this game would also be a ‘love letter’ of sorts to the existing fans. Choosing a different school house from the offset would also determine how the game is played, much like how choosing a different origin story in BioWare’s Dragon Age: Origins affects later play, with each house leaning more towards a particular type of magic craft (a Slytherin student, for instance, would lean more towards mastering the Dark Arts). The unnamed protagonist would be customisable much in the same way that BioWare protagonists often are, from the varied hairstyles right down to the optional cheek mole – in order for players to create themselves or someone else and, in a manner of speaking, fulfill a life-long ambition of actually attending Hogwarts.
The choice of time setting, fifty years prior to the events of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, allows for the developing studio (possibly Monolith Productions, or even Bethesda) to retain creative control over the story whilst also adhering to some of the rules set in the novels/films. The inclusion of characters such as teenagers Tom Riddle, Rubeus Hagrid (who would be expelled at some point during the game) and Myrtle (who would likewise be killed in the girl’s toilets by the giant Basilisk) enforces that although the story of the game is original, it loosely ties to the familiar events established by Rowling. Whilst loosely involved in these events, the protagonist would certainly not be able to alter time.
The choice of time setting, fifty years prior to the events of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, allows for the developing studio (possibly Monolith Productions, or even Bethesda) to retain creative control over the story whilst also adhering to some of the rules set in the novels/films. The inclusion of characters such as teenagers Tom Riddle, Rubeus Hagrid (who would be expelled at some point during the game) and Myrtle (who would likewise be killed in the girl’s toilets by the giant Basilisk) enforces that although the story of the game is original, it loosely ties to the familiar events established by Rowling. Whilst loosely involved in these events, the protagonist would certainly not be able to alter time.
Unnamed protagonist battles a dark wizard. Like with Potter himself, the protagonist will break the rules often and stumble across the various ancient traps which lurking within the halls of the school. Next-gen technology allows for wide-open spaces to fully explorable now and so the protagonist (and therefore the player) would have access to the entirety of Hogwarts itself, as well as the school grounds, the village of Hogsmead, the Forbidden Forest and other such locations with minimal loading times. The interior of Hogwarts would be colossal, with hidden areas accessible when the player has a specific item or spell, and whole other sections only accessible during the later portions of the story. Throughout the daytime the school will be filled with teachers and students to interact with (like a town in a traditional RPG), whereas at night the school becomes dark and desolate (require some amount of stealth gameplay in order to keep out of trouble).
Other mission-based locations set within the ‘muggle’ world (aka. 1940’s Britain) would also be playable during the storyline, with a heavy focus on the ongoing war with Germany. The war, known to some as the ‘second great muggle conflict’, would play strongly into the themes of the narrative, with Tom Riddle finding certain justice in the ongoing Nazi segregation of Europe, but instead blaming ‘filthy mud-bloods’ instead of the usual discriminated minorities. Rubeus Hagrid, along with his Transfiguration Professor and friend Albus Dumbledore, would lean the opposite way, choosing not to interfere with the war effort as the Ministry of Magic has decreed that all wizarding parties remain neutral or face strict penalties.
Other mission-based locations set within the ‘muggle’ world (aka. 1940’s Britain) would also be playable during the storyline, with a heavy focus on the ongoing war with Germany. The war, known to some as the ‘second great muggle conflict’, would play strongly into the themes of the narrative, with Tom Riddle finding certain justice in the ongoing Nazi segregation of Europe, but instead blaming ‘filthy mud-bloods’ instead of the usual discriminated minorities. Rubeus Hagrid, along with his Transfiguration Professor and friend Albus Dumbledore, would lean the opposite way, choosing not to interfere with the war effort as the Ministry of Magic has decreed that all wizarding parties remain neutral or face strict penalties.
Dementors, and other magical creatures, would appear. Casting known faces in new roles allows for the player to be both familiarised and defamiliarised with the characters they recognise, as the younger versions of Hagrid and Dumbledore might act in more surprising ways than they expect, having not ‘grown up’ fully yet, as it were. Ideally both Robbie Coltrane and Sir Michael Gambon would reprise their roles as well as potentially John Cleese (Sir Headless Nick). Whilst the plot would put some heavy focus on Voldemort’s rise to power, the personal story of the unnamed protagonist is the real pull of the game. Being based on an RPG gaming style, the story of the main character would be almost entirely down to the player. How much trouble they get into during their time at Hogwarts by breaking rules, losing house points, exploring, finding secrets, would determine exactly what sort of legacy they leave behind for future students. There are three possible endings.
The first sees the player go on to become a great but humble wizard who aids Harry Potter during the Battle for Hogwarts in over fifty years time, and the second sees the player instead become wealthy but also, eventually, one of Lord Voldemort’s ruthless Death Eaters. The third ending would see the player be locked up in Azkaban for breaking golden rules (such as acting in a way which results in the deaths of fellow students).
Hogwarts: Rise of the Dark Lord could be the first in a new, exclusively gaming saga for the Potter universe, followed by new projects featuring both new and old characters, such as perhaps Hogwarts: The Ballad of James and Lily, and so on.
The first sees the player go on to become a great but humble wizard who aids Harry Potter during the Battle for Hogwarts in over fifty years time, and the second sees the player instead become wealthy but also, eventually, one of Lord Voldemort’s ruthless Death Eaters. The third ending would see the player be locked up in Azkaban for breaking golden rules (such as acting in a way which results in the deaths of fellow students).
Hogwarts: Rise of the Dark Lord could be the first in a new, exclusively gaming saga for the Potter universe, followed by new projects featuring both new and old characters, such as perhaps Hogwarts: The Ballad of James and Lily, and so on.
Watch out for the Heir of Slytherin!
Would you like to see a game set within the Harry Potter universe, but featuring an entirely original story? Do you miss this world as much as we do? Did you enjoy the final Game Generator of 2014?
Let us know in the comments below, or come find us on Facebook and Twitter!
Let us know in the comments below, or come find us on Facebook and Twitter!
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