The initial release of Hogwarts Legacy in February 2023 was a resounding success. So much so that, after earning over $1 billion in revenue, a sequel was reportedly given the go-ahead only a few months later. The Harry Potter video game from Avalanche Software was also well-received by critics, despite some controversy. It has an 84 on Metacritic and “Very Positive” ratings on Steam.
The vast open-world role-playing game Hogwarts Legacy, which takes place in the Harry Potter universe, is now playable on the Nintendo Switch. It comes to the platform almost 9 months after its initial release.
Unfortunately, it appears that players aren’t exactly experiencing the magic. Issues arise while exploring Hogwarts Castle and the rest of the intricate surroundings of the game. This is partially due to a significant gameplay restriction that is specific to the Switch version of the game.
Hogwarts Legacy’s loading issue on Nintendo Switch
It has not taken long for gamers to learn that the Switch version of the Harry Potter game is not an open world once they have had the opportunity to play Hogwarts Legacy. Rather, its universe consists of a sequence of interconnected 3D stages with loading screens in between. This is more akin to the operation of Pokemon Legends: Arceus than it was of the later Scarlet and Violet.
The game’s nearly seamless open-world exploration was one of its main selling points when it arrived earlier this year on the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. However, gamers on Switch will encounter a very different game than those on other platforms. It has been observed that Switch users are encountering a lot of loading screens when moving about.
To help gamers understand how the Hogwarts Legacy Switch transfer compares to its performance on other platforms, the SwitchUp YouTube channel released a side-by-side gameplay comparison.
According to the comparison, Switch users will always experience loading screens. It can be anywhere from 30 seconds to almost a minute. They will experience it when they try to exit the main gaming area, visit the surrounding village of Hogsmeade, or enter a store.
@rodneytolfo3151 commented, “The fact that the developers put in the effort to make it work on switch the best it could and in a decent playable condition is great to see as so many other games would have run very poorly.”
@CheddarbaconStudios commented, “The fact that they got this game running on the switch at all is commendable. Definitely not the best way to play the game, but if you ONLY have a switch then it looks like it’s worth picking up.”
Despite the loading screen issue in the Nintendo Switch version of the game, players are surprised and happy as to how the developers have managed to port the game to the outdated Switch.
Hogwarts Legacy’s other gameplay issues
The loading screen in the Nintendo Switch version of Hogwarts Legacy is not the not issue players are encountering. Some players are reportedly facing issues with subtitles and dialogue in the game. Players on Reddit have shared their encounters with this bug. According to them, the problem is with subtitles not showing up and dialogue lines not playing properly.
PrestigiousEmotion98 posted on Reddit, “the main character has no voice and subtitles. it happened about 6 hours into the game. I created a new game, but the sound does not appear. I’ve tried everything. changed the tone of voice, rolled back the saves, changed the voice language, but why does not blink. does anyone know what to do?”
Hogwards Legacy nintendo Switch
byu/PrestigiousEmotion98 inHarryPotterGame
Both-Cherry8589 posted on Reddit, “I have the same problem for the second time, I created another game thinking that the error would go away but after 4 hours of playing in the mission to go hogsmade, the problem has returned, I have tried uninstalling the voice pack, removing the DLC, uninstalling the game, and more, but the problem never ends.”
Switch ports with poor performance are nothing new. Developers frequently have to give up one feature to save another due to hardware constraints. This is particularly true when bringing massive open-world games to Nintendo’s well-liked, feature-rich device.
